Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) Read online

  “Stop talking!” She winced. “I need to go to a hospital. Something’s wrong!”

  # # #

  While sitting in the hospital waiting room, Parker called Beth to tell her about his unfortunate detour. She sounded as if she were growing more concerned about her neighbor’s whereabouts and he tried to calm her. He liked how easily she opened her heart to others, but hated how often she ended up hurt.

  After he hung up, a nurse in Snoopy scrubs approached him. “You can go in now, Dad.”

  He clenched his jaw. “I’m not the dad.”

  “Oh. Is he on the way?”

  “No.”

  “Well, friends are welcome, too. There are ice chips around the corner for the moms and snacks for the—for you.”

  He waved his hand dismissively. “I’m not hungry.”

  “She’s in room 320.” The woman turned and marched down the corridor.

  Staring at his screen, he sighed. He couldn’t exactly walk away when Ivy was all alone in the hospital, could he? Stuffing the phone in his pocket, he entered her room, which had pink and blue striped wallpaper. “Do you want me to call someone? Your mom maybe?”

  “Yes, please.” She pointed to the phone next to the bed. “You’re not supposed to use your cell in here.”

  After he spoke briefly to his former mother-in-law, he put his hands in his pockets and avoided looking at Ivy’s pregnant belly. “She said she’d get here as soon as she can. I’m going to take off.”

  Ivy reached out and clasped his forearm. “Please don’t go.”

  Her touch caused him to tense his muscles. He pulled away and she released her grip. “This is awkward, Ivy. Do you want me to call a friend?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have any girlfriends.”

  “What about Beth?”

  A coldness glazed her brown eyes. “You mean my replacement?”

  He sighed. “Beth had nothing to do with our breaking up. You screwing your piano player is what initiated this divorce, as you very well know.”

  She rubbed her large baby bump. “It’s hard for me to think of her as my friend anymore.”

  “Look, I’m sorry your boyfriend abandoned you. But I’m not the person who should be by your side while you’re in labor. I’m sure your mom will get here as quickly as she can.”

  “That’s just it.” Her eyes closed for a moment. “She doesn’t know about the divorce.”

  “What?” He took a step back.

  “She loves you. She always said you were the best decision I ever made.” Ivy chewed her bottom lip. “I couldn’t figure out a way to tell her that I was pregnant and I was losing you. So every time I see her, I just say you’re busy with work.”

  He raked his hands through his cropped hair. He started pacing beside the bed. “It’s time you came clean with her. I’m not going to pretend that we’re still in love and I’m certainly not going to pretend that this baby is mine.” He pointed at her middle as if an alien spawn was inside.

  She winced and rested her hand on top of her mountain of a belly. “Everything’s gonna change, isn’t it?” Her voice sounded small and fragile.

  “Of course.”

  “I’m terrified.” Her words quivered. “I can’t do this alone. I wasn’t even sure I could do it with Rick’s help. I’m not the mothering type.”

  He’d pondered the same thought many times. “You’ll figure it out. I’m sure everyone’s scared at first.”

  “I haven’t even made it as a singer yet. I don’t want to put my dreams on the backburner like my mom did.”

  “Do you want to be like your dad?” He already knew the answer.

  “Well, no. He was always traveling, putting on shows in different cities. He was a talented musician, but he made a lousy father.”

  Parker had never seen Ivy sacrifice for anyone, but she’d be forced to now. “You’re going to have to think of someone else’s needs for a change.”

  She nodded. “I know. I’m thirty-six and this isn’t how I pictured my life at all. This isn’t how I pictured us.”

  “Me, neither.” No one in his family had ever left their spouse. He felt like a failure. His focus landed on his trembling hands, a reminder that his clock was ticking.

  “At least you built your own company.” It was as if Ivy had read his mind. “That’s something.” She smiled at him and he actually saw pride in her eyes.

  “Thanks. But I didn’t make the world a better place.”

  “It’s never too late.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sure it is.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  It was late. Darkness had fallen hours ago and still no sign of Kaylee’s father. Beth turned off the TV as the second Voyager episode ended and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants. “Where does your daddy work?”

  “He’s a policeman. Like on TV.”

  Beth had never seen him wearing a uniform, but that job would explain his working long hours. Maybe he’d been tied up responding to a crime or worse, injured in the line of duty. “I’ll call the police station and let him know you’re here.”

  Kaylee shrugged. She seemed content to watch endless hours of TV, but Beth wondered what kind of father would leave his daughter alone for this long.

  Beth called the local police and asked for Officer Stein. When a man’s voice answered, Beth’s shoulders unclenched a little. “I wanted to let you know that your daughter, Kaylee, lost her house key and she’s at my place.”

  “I don’t have a daughter.” He sounded very business-like.

  “Is there another Officer Stein?”

  “Not on duty, ma’am.”

  “Sorry to bother you.” She hung up the phone and looked at Kaylee. “Is your dad at work right now or somewhere else?”

  “At work.”

  Now Beth didn’t know what to say. “Can you remember his phone number? Do you have a grandma or anybody we could call?”

  “Nope.”

  She was running out of ideas. Then she thought of it. Mrs. Krandall, the landlady. She might have Jim Stein’s work number on his application. Digging through the drawer, she found the apartment’s flier and dialed. “Hello? This is Bethany Morris in 1247. I was wondering if you have a work number for my neighbor in 1246. His little girl lost her key and can’t get in to her apartment.”

  “You mean Kaylee? Such beautiful eyes. If she ever loses the baby fat, the boys will be lined up around the corner.”

  Beth cringed, all too familiar with the phrase, “You’d be pretty if you only lost some weight.” Taking a deep breath, she chose to not give the woman a lecture on the delicate self-esteem of a chubby girl. “Do you have the number? I’m sure he’d want to know Kaylee is locked out.”

  “You can’t leave an eight-year-old alone. That’s against the law.”

  “She isn’t alone. She’s with me, but I’d like to inform her father.” Frustrated by Mrs. Krandall’s jabbering, Beth gripped the receiver tight.

  “Let me see if I can find it.” There was the sound of footsteps, a file cabinet drawer squeaking and then. “Ah-ha. Here it is.”

  Beth copied down the number and quickly excused herself from the conversation. She dialed, but no one answered. She hung up and dialed again. Still nothing.

  “I’m hungry,” Kaylee announced.

  Beth made her way to the kitchen and opened every door until she found something that could feed more than one. Between hitting “redial,” she cooked veggie burgers and sweet potato fries she’d found in the freezer.

  After they both took their first bites, Kaylee made a funny face. “That’s not a hamburger!”

  “It’s called a Boca burger. It’s good for you.”

  “But I don’t like food that’s good for me.”

  Beth chuckled. “I like mine with barbecue sauce, but you’re welcome to use ketchup or mustard.” She gestured toward the condiments on the table.

  The girl took another bite and chewed slowly. “I guess it’s not too bad.”
She squirted ketchup on it and polished off her meal without any more complaints. After they loaded the dishwasher, Beth ran next door to make sure the wind hadn’t blown away the note. It was still there. She knocked, but Jim didn’t answer so she went back to her apartment and started another Voyager episode.

  Taking the phone, she snuck into her bedroom and called the area hospitals checking for a Jim Stein. The answer was always no. Sighing with relief and frustration, she returned to the living room. Where was he?

  At the end of the show, the clock struck ten. Beth wasn’t sure when bedtime should be for an eight–year-old, but she felt as if it was by now. On the other hand, she didn’t want Kaylee to worry about why her dad wasn’t putting her to bed. “Want to have a slumber party?”

  “What’s that?”

  “We put on p.j.s and brush each other’s hair and tell ghost stories.”

  “I don’t like ghosts. They’re scary.”

  “We can skip the stories. Maybe paint our nails instead.”

  Clapping her hands, Kaylee jumped up and down.

  When Beth headed for her bedroom, the little girl followed like a puppy. Beth opened her dresser drawer and pulled out an Indiana University T-shirt. She held it up in front of Kaylee and it fell past the girl’s knees. “You can sleep in this.” For herself she selected a green plaid L.L. Bean night gown that Parker said made her look like a farmer’s wife. Well, she didn’t care. It was warm and cozy. Then she headed for the bathroom for her brush. Searching under the sink, she found ponytail holders, barrettes and some rarely-used pink nail polish. “Have you ever painted your nails?”

  Kaylee shook her head.

  “Do you want to?”

  “Oh, yes!”

  “Sit down and I’ll do your toes.” Instantly Kaylee plopped down on the bathroom tile and stuck her feet out. “Can we do my fingers, too?”

  “Sure. But you won’t be able to touch anything for a while.”

  Beth shook the bottle and listened to the tiny beads click against the glass. In college, her roommate, Ivy had painted her nails every Thursday night in anticipation of her weekend dates. Beth had occasionally joined her in the painting party, despite spending her Friday nights alone in front of the TV. No amount of primping could hide the fact that she had too many curves. Closing her eyes, Beth tried to shut out the memories.

  “What’s wrong?” Kaylee asked.

  “Nothing.” Why did she still let the past bother her? She had a handsome boyfriend now. Was it possible he might reconcile with Ivy?

  She forced herself to focus on the here and now. It only took one swipe of the paint brush on each of Kaylee’s tiny nails, so she was done quickly.

  A grin spread over Kaylee’s face. “Pretty!” She wiggled her pink fingers and toes.

  Beth reached for her hairbrush and started stroking Kaylee’s hair. It was so dark it almost looked black and it had a subtle peach scent that must’ve been from her shampoo. She inhaled and smiled. “You have shiny hair.”

  “I got it from my Mommy. She was an Indian princess like Pocahontas.”

  Beth wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not. “What tribe was she?”

  “Cherokee. They were the only tribe to have their own written language.”

  Maybe the girl knew what she was talking about. She got her hair from her mom, but where did she get those hauntingly blue eyes?

  After their primping party, Beth got a set of flannel sheets and wrapped them around the love seat cushions. “You can sleep out here. It’s just your size.” A flash of lightening shone through the horizontal blinds.

  Kaylee’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Can’t I sleep with you?”

  “No. But I’ll leave the door open so if you need anything, I’ll hear you.”

  They crawled into their beds. Outside the storm raged on with random thunder claps rattling the window panes. The rain sounded as if it had turned to sleet.

  Five minutes later, Kaylee stood next to Beth’s face. “Can’t I sleep in here? I promise I’ll be quiet.”

  Even though she had a queen-sized bed, Beth worried how it would look.

  “Pleeeeeease.” Kaylee’s hands clasped together in prayer.

  Beth paused. “I could sleep on the couch and you can be in here.”

  “No. I want to be next to you. I’m scared. My mommy used to let me sleep in her bed whenever it rained.”

  And now she didn’t have a mommy. A lump in Beth’s throat nearly choked her. Finally, she relented and lifted up the sheets. Kaylee climbed in and covered her head with the pillow. Since it was probably way past her bedtime, it didn’t take long for her breaths to switch from shallow to deep. Curled up like a comma, her body radiated heat and serenity. Happy that her mere presence brought comfort, Beth enjoyed listening to the child’s steady breathing.

  At some point, the rhythm of the rain lured Beth to sleep, too.

  Until pounding on the front door jerked her awake. The glow-in-the-dark alarm clock displayed ten forty-six. Kaylee wrestled with the covers and rolled over.

  Beth leaped out of bed and jogged to the living room. She looked through the door's peep hole and saw an angry man scowling at her.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Dressed in a black Harley-Davidson leather jacket, the unshaven man held her crumpled note in his hand. “Where’s my daughter?”

  Recognizing Jim Stein, Beth opened the door wider. “Hi! I see the storm finally passed.” He ignored her.

  Rubbing her eyes, Kaylee stumbled in from the bedroom in her too-big T-shirt and bare feet. “Daddy!” She gave him a hug around his knees.

  Cringing, Beth worried that Kaylee wasn’t bundled up enough for the chill Jim had ushered into the foyer. “She lost her key and I couldn’t let her sit outside, so I invited her in.”

  Kaylee held out her fingers. “We had hot chocolate and watched TV and look! Beth painted my nails.” The girl grinned until she glanced at her father’s stern face.

  His back remained rigid. “Get dressed so we can go home.”

  Kaylee grabbed the clothes that Beth had left folded beside the couch and headed for the bathroom.

  He pointed his finger toward the bedroom. “Is that your room? Were you sleeping with Kaylee?”

  Feeling dirty, she crossed her arms. “I fixed up the sofa, but she got scared from the thunder. She said she used to sleep in her mom’s bed whenever it stormed.” Fidgeting, she wished she’d put on her robe before answering the door to a strange man. “I tried calling you at the police station, but they said you weren’t there.”

  “Of course I wasn’t. I’m not a criminal.”

  “Kaylee said you were a police officer.”

  He shook his head. “You must’ve misunderstood her. I drive a truck.”

  Beth swallowed her protest. How could she have misunderstood that? “Anyway, she lost her key and didn’t remember your cell number. I called the landlady, but no one answered at the number on your application, either.”

  “I just switched jobs.”

  “Oh.” Beth watched Kaylee return to the room and pull on her coat and frayed mittens. “Anyway, she was no trouble at all. In fact, if you ever need a babysitter, let me know.” She smiled at Kaylee who returned her glowing expression.

  He shook his head. “Won’t be necessary. My sister babysits. She was supposed to come over tonight after work.” He waved his hand dismissively. “It’s none of your business.”

  Ignoring his gruffness, Beth waved at Kaylee. “Good night.” After waving back, Kaylee took her dad’s hand and stepped outside.

  Jim Stein did not respond. Not even with a thank you, which made Beth wonder what else he was holding back.

  # # #

  The private line rang in Parker’s office and he hoped it was Beth. Last night they’d had to cancel their date and after seeing Ivy, he’d really wanted to spend time with his girlfriend. He wanted to gaze into the eyes of someone who’d take in a little girl she didn’t know just because she needed a warm plac
e to stay. He scanned e-mails as he reached for the ringing phone.

  “It’s a boy!” Ivy’s lyrical voice came over the line, but it sounded a little off.

  “Is he all right? You said he’s early.”

  “He’s tiny, but he seems OK. Three weeks early.”

  He stopped reading his e-mail. Ivy didn’t have the emotional or financial stamina for a preemie. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Aww. Just yesterday you couldn’t wait to dash out the door to get away from me. Now you’re acting like you care.”

  “I do care. It’s an innocent baby.”

  “Do you want to see him?”

  He gripped the phone tight enough that his hand hurt. “Send me a picture.” It was hard for him to be so cold, but he wanted Ivy out of his life.

  Silence hovered between them until she broke it. “This boy is going to need a father.”

  “You’re right. But just because you’re alone doesn’t mean I’m going to swoop in and be your knight in shining armor. I've spent too many years playing that role and I’m through.”

  “You know in the eyes of the law, he’s yours.”

  He flinched despite the fact that his attorney had already informed him of the antiquated law. “I also know now that he’s born, we can finalize the divorce.” Apparently, in Indiana you can’t divorce your wife while she’s pregnant. Even if the child belongs to another man.

  “You’re ruining what should be the happiest moment of my life.”

  He sighed. “Don’t blame this on me, Ivy. Good bye.” He slammed down the receiver. Damn, that woman could get under his skin.

  Shaking away thoughts of Ivy, he strode out the door and down the hallway. The best way to forget about her was to focus on work. He’d check on the interns. As he approached the water cooler, he noticed the conversation between the three college students abruptly stopped. They raised their paper cups to him. “Good morning, Mr. DuBois.”

  He nodded toward the nearby conference room. “Let’s talk.”