Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) Read online

The two males and one female followed him into the room with the large mahogany table and floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, the sun glistened on cars driving through the puddles left by yesterday’s storm. Within twenty-four hours, the temperature had fluctuated from the forties to the sixties. “Welcome to springtime in Indiana.”

  They chuckled. “I can’t wait to go to Florida,” one of the guys said.

  Was that one Larry or Michael? Parker kept getting them confused. They looked like brothers--both had brown hair, average-looking builds—except one of them appeared to be trying to grow a moustache. They were from nearby Notre Dame’s business school and did everything together. The woman, however, was from Parker’s alma mater, Indiana University, and he always remembered her name was Elaine.

  “Are you going there for Spring Break?” Parker asked them.

  “No, don’t you remember?” one of the guys said. “You needed us to work over Spring Break, so you said we could take a week as soon as we finished our project.”

  The other guy laced his fingers behind his head and smiled. “Two more weeks and we’re outta here.”

  Parker hated that they could see how fuzzy his memory could be. Just then his focus landed on his hands. Sure enough, they were twitching so he moved them under the table. “Of course. What are you working on today?”

  Elaine, who’d tried to tame her corkscrew curls with a low ponytail, made eye contact with the other interns before speaking. “Well, we were waiting to hear what you wanted from us. You said you needed us today, but didn’t give us any details.”

  Again Parker searched his brain. Yesterday he’d received that frantic call from Ivy and on the way out the door, he’d noticed the interns around the water cooler laughing a little too loudly. He was paying them good money on top of giving them valuable experience and it made him mad to see them goofing off. They spent way too much time swapping stories at the water cooler. But what did he intend for them to work on today? He couldn’t recall.

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Part of this internship is for you to take initiative. I want you to go over the Mall Land sales figures for each of our locations and tell me about trends. Why are sales higher in Indianapolis than in Lansing? What should we do to make Mall Land more profitable? Use your brains. Impress me. Stop waiting for me to tell you what to do. I’m not your father.” As the last sentence slipped from his mouth, he stood and marched out the door.

  Out in the hall, he heard the interns whispering. “What’s wrong with him?” “Do you think he’s on something?” “Did you see his hands trembling?”

  Shit. He couldn’t keep his secret much longer.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  As soon as Beth got home from work the next day, someone knocked on her door.

  Holding a box of thin mints, Kaylee stood on her stoop, looking up at her with those lonely blue eyes. “Wanna cookie?”

  Oh, yes. Beth desperately wanted a cookie. It was a crime how much so. “Are you selling Girl Scout cookies?” If so, she’d buy some and leave them in the break room at work.

  “No. I thought maybe we could watch some more Star Trek together.”

  “Does your dad know you’re here?” Beth suspected he did not.

  Kaylee shook her head. “He’s at work. After school, I usually eat my snack, watch TV and wait for him to come home.”

  Beth was starting to understand why Kaylee had put on a few too many pounds. She was eating to fill the void. Part of her wanted to help the girl discover healthier alternatives, but it wasn’t her place. “I’d love to hang out with you, but I don’t think your dad would like that.”

  “He won’t even know. He works all the time.”

  “What about your aunt? I thought she watched you.”

  She put her free hand on her hip. “I’m a big girl. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  Her moxy brought a smile to Beth’s face. “Aren’t there other kids your age in the apartment complex? I bet they’d like to play.”

  Kaylee looked down at her feet. “None of them like me.”

  Beth’s heart cracked open a little more. “I didn’t have many friends when I was growing up, either.”

  “Were you fat, too?”

  A lump formed in Beth’s throat. “You’re not fat. You’re just. . .a little. . . .” She couldn’t find the right words.

  “That’s OK. I know I’m fat.” She shoved an entire chocolate cookie into her mouth and chewed with her mouth half-open.

  This poor girl really needed a mother. “Fat is such an unkind word. Don’t call yourself that.”

  “That’s what the other kids call me.”

  Beth closed her eyes for a moment in sympathy. “Kaylee, you have to ignore those kids. What matters is what's on the inside.”

  Shrugging, Kaylee clearly did not believe that was all that mattered. She bit into another cookie. “Can I come in or not?”

  “I’d love to spend time with you but I’m afraid your dad wouldn’t like that.” Did she dare risk it? She hated to make Kaylee feel rejected once again. She also didn’t want her to go and polish off that box of thin mints. “The sun is shining. Why don’t you play outside? That will make the time go faster.” The complex had a little jungle gym across from the parking lot and the sixty degree temperature felt amazingly warm after yesterday's storm.

  “Nah. I’ll talk to ya later.” She headed next door.

  “If you need anything, let me know. I just don’t want to make your dad mad. It’s important to respect your parents.” She winced at the fact that she’d made the word plural. Kaylee didn’t seem to notice.

  After she closed the door, Beth walked into her tiny kitchen, suddenly ravenous. Cookies, ice cream--she needed something sweet. But she knew she wouldn’t find any of those things. She decided to microwave some popcorn. While she waited for it to pop, she changed out of her work clothes into a yellow T-shirt and capris. Ninety seconds later, the timer beeped and she took her snack to the living room.

  Without even thinking, she looked out the double windows to see if Kaylee had decided to go play. But she wasn’t there. The swings sat empty. The climbing wall vacant. Knowing she had some time to kill before Parker stopped by for their dinner date, Beth flipped on the TV. In her peripheral vision, she noticed movement outside. She looked up to see Kaylee riding a little turquoise bike around the parking lot, her dark hair blowing behind her in the wind.

  Beth put down her bag of popcorn and opened the front door. “Kaylee, don’t you have a helmet?”

  The girl smiled sheepishly. “I forgot.” She pedaled up to the stoop and ran inside her place. A moment later, she walked out with a pink helmet latched on her head.

  Standing in the doorway, Beth called. “Watch out for cars.”

  “Okay.”

  Beth returned to her seat where she could watch Kaylee. She turned off the TV and focused on the little girl. Too bad Kaylee didn’t have anyone to play with. She clearly needed a friend. No friends, no mom, a father who worked all the time. Beth shook her head.

  Kaylee took one hand off the handlebars and waved at Beth. Surprised, Beth grinned and waved back. She didn’t realize Kaylee had noticed her watching. Beth needed to do something to reassure Jim that Kaylee was safe and welcome at her place. He wasn’t easy to talk to. When they’d met at the mailboxes, he’d helped her with the lock and she’d asked if he liked living there. He’d said he and his daughter had been at the apartments for a couple of months and were satisfied. Satisfied. Kind of an odd choice of words. He’d walked away and she could tell he wasn’t much of a talker. She supposed driving a truck didn’t give him much opportunity to practice conversation.

  She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to his wife. And where was this aunt that was supposed to babysit? Kaylee appeared to be an official latchkey kid, as far as Beth could tell. And eight-years-old seemed too young to be left on her own.

  Now that Kaylee knew she had an audience, she started showing off. She pedaled faster past Bet
h’s window, then down the length of the sidewalk, jumped the curb and circled back onto the parking lot. She straightened her legs and stood up while rolling by. Next time she stood and took her hands off the handlebars to wave. Beth waved back, cringing at the little girl’s risk taking. After a few more passes, Kaylee lifted her front wheel a few inches from the ground. She practiced and practiced as if determined to pop a wheelie that would impress.

  Beth’s chest filled with tenderness for Kaylee. Too bad her father wasn’t home to witness this. The girl seemed hungry for attention yet Beth had been told to mind her own business. Maybe it was wrong of her to let Kaylee climb into bed with her. Beth wasn’t her mother or even a relative. Yet it had felt so natural. Was that a crime?

  A silver sedan pulled into the lot and sped toward Kaylee. Beth stood up and held her breath, hoping the driver would slow down. “Look out!” she yelled into the window. The car swerved and so did Kaylee, causing the child to plow into a parked car. Her body flew over the handlebars, rolled over the hood and crashed onto the pavement.

  Beth ran out her front door, not bothering to close it behind her. Kaylee’s wailing burned her ears. She rushed to her and stroked her head. “Are you okay?”

  Tears flooded Kaylee’s face, her nose scraped raw. She cradled one arm with the other. “It hurts! It hurts!”

  Beth studied the bloody forearm. “Can you move it?” She demonstrated bending and straightening.

  Shaking her head, Kaylee didn’t even try.

  “I know it hurts, but I need to know if you can move it. Just a little?”

  “Owww!” The arm didn’t appear to move.

  Scanning the area, Beth realized the silver car had left the scene. Jerk! An old woman walking her beagle looked at them with concern. Beth’s focus returned to Kaylee. “When’s your dad coming home?”

  “I don’t know.” Her sobbing had quieted, but hadn’t stopped.

  Beth’s pulse thudded inside her head. Think. Jim Stein told her to stay away from Kaylee. He would be mad if she stepped in. But she couldn’t ignore this. “Let’s go inside and put ice on it to see if that helps.”

  Kaylee stayed locked in place. “It hurts too much!”

  That was it. “I’m taking you to the hospital. I’ll be right back.” Beth dashed through her open door and grabbed her purse. As quickly as possible, she returned to Kaylee’s side. “Let me help you up.” Careful not to touch the injury, she wrapped her arm around Kaylee’s waist. Once they stood, Kaylee limped her way to Beth’s Chevy.

  After Beth opened the back door, Kaylee looked at her with a furrowed brow. “Where’s your booster seat?”

  “I don’t have one. Just wear your seatbelt.”

  “But it’s against the law. Dad said never to break the law.”

  “I know, but this is a special circumstance.” Beth waited for the girl to climb in, then buckled the belt for her. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Methodist Hospital. Parking as close as she could, Beth escorted Kaylee into the ER, where a few patients sat in chairs waiting for their turns. A man hacked with a smoker’s cough and an old couple sat bickering over whose fault it was that he fell off a ladder.

  Overall, the place didn’t look too swamped, which brought Beth a little relief as she headed toward the check-in desk.

  A middle-aged woman with her hair pulled back into a bun offered a tired smile to them. “May I help you?”

  Beth took charge. “She fell off her bike and I think she may have broken her arm.” Kaylee leaned against the desk as if she didn’t have the energy to stand.

  The woman assembled some papers onto a clipboard. “I’ll need a copy of your insurance card.”

  “Well, I have insurance, but she’s not covered. I’m her neighbor and her dad’s at work.”

  “We need a parent to consent to treatment. Do you have written consent?”

  “No.”

  The woman shook her head disapprovingly. “All babysitters should have a Medical Treatment Authorization and Consent form signed by the parents for situations like this.”

  “I’m not her babysitter. . .” Who was Beth to Kaylee anyway? “I live next door and I witnessed her almost get run over by a car. Are you going to deny this poor child treatment because I’m not her legal guardian?”

  The receptionist held up her hands as if to calm Beth down. “Can you call her parents?”

  Beth glanced at Kaylee, whose tears had finally subsided. In fact, the child was staring at the TV across the room. Was Beth overreacting? Was Kaylee fine now? She didn’t know. Maybe parents had a sixth sense about these kinds of things, but Beth was completely naïve. When she’d helped raise her ex’s niece, they’d never once ended up at the hospital. She touched Kaylee’s shoulder lightly to get her attention. “Do you have your dad’s phone number?”

  Kaylee’s eyes glistened in the fluorescent lights as she nodded. “It’s in my back pocket.”

  Beth carefully reached in and pulled out a slip of notebook paper. Stepping aside from the counter, she dialed the cell phone. Mr. Stein didn’t answer. It went straight to voicemail. Great. “Uh, this is your neighbor, Bethany. I’m afraid Kaylee fell off her bike today and I think she may have a broken arm. We’re at Methodist Hospital.”

  Squaring her shoulders, she approached the counter. “I’ll be glad to pay for her treatment. Can we get an X-ray now?”

  “Fill out these forms and bring them back to me.” She handed Beth the clipboard and a pen.

  “But can’t she see a doctor now? She’s in pain.”

  “I’m sorry, but you need to fill out the forms, then we’ll get to her as soon as we can.”

  Beth rolled her eyes as she and Kaylee walked to nearby seats. Kaylee’s attention honed in on the TV mounted across the room, set to ESPN. Maybe she wasn’t that bad after all. How much would an unnecessary visit to the ER cost? Hundreds of dollars, no doubt. Thousands, maybe? Beth pushed the thoughts aside. If Kaylee didn’t have a broken arm, at least she’d have peace of mind. It would be worth it either way.

  The first line of the paperwork already stumped her: Patient’s full name. “Kaylee, what’s your middle name?”

  “Um. . .Skye. With an e.”

  Beth consulted with Kaylee about every question. She had to skip the social security number. History of headaches, allergies, chicken pox, etc. All nos. Did she have up-to-date vaccinations? Yes. Did anyone in her family have diabetes or heart disease or depression? Yes. Her mom had been depressed.

  Although Kaylee answered each question with confidence, Beth didn’t know whether to believe her or not. Beth certainly didn’t know her complete medical history when she was eight. Finally, she completed the paperwork as best she could and she left Kaylee watching TV as she headed back to the counter.

  The woman took the paperwork, her smile long gone. “Who are you again? You said you’re not the babysitter?”

  “I kind of watch after her, but not officially.”

  “And you still haven’t gotten a hold of a parent?”

  Stealing a glance at Kaylee, Beth lowered her voice. “Her mom is dead and her father works a lot. I left him a message that we’re here.”

  “Is she allergic to any medications?”

  “I don’t know.”

  The woman sighed.

  Causing a scene certainly wasn't Beth's style, but she had to stand up for Kaylee. She leaned on the counter. “Look, she just needs an X-ray. Maybe it’s not broken and we can go home.”

  “How will you pay for this?”

  Beth pulled out her Visa and let the woman swipe it. The bickering old couple walked past her as they headed for an exam room. Beth looked around for the cougher, but he was gone. Her spirits lifted in the hopes that Kaylee would soon get relief, but the receptionist told her to take a seat.

  Making her way back to Kaylee, she followed the child’s gaze to the baseball game on the screen. “Do you like baseball?”

  “Sure. My dad played in the major leagues once.”
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br />   “Really?” Beth thought of the tall man whose life seemed to be falling apart since his wife died. Could he have been successful at one point? “What team did he play for?”

  “The Chicago Cubs.”

  Beth didn’t remember a player named Stein, but that didn’t mean anything. She didn’t follow sports. For her, she’d rather spend a sunny day in the park, reading a romance novel.

  A voice came from the left. “Kaylee Stein?”

  Beth stood up and patted Kaylee’s messy hair as they followed a red-headed nurse down the hall and into an exam room. The woman in green scrubs stuck a thermometer into Kaylee’s ear for a few seconds. “No fever.” The nurse took Kaylee’s pulse. “So you fell off your bike?”

  “I crashed.”

  Beth cleared her throat. “A car came barreling through the parking lot and she swerved to miss it. Unfortunately, she ran into a parked car.”

  “Oh, dear.” The nurse cleaned the scratch on Kaylee’s nose. "I like your nails. Did you paint those yourself?"

  Kaylee pointed at Beth with her good arm. "No, she did."

  Gently, the nurse rolled up Kaylee’s torn pant leg to take care of her knee. “Let’s get an X-ray before I bandage your arm. Mom, you can wait here.”

  “I’m not her mom. Just a friend.”

  Kaylee’s face lit up. “My best friend.” Beth’s heartbeat accelerated.

  Wincing a little, Kaylee let the nurse help her off the exam table and they left the room.

  It touched Beth that Kaylee liked her so much, yet it seemed tragic she didn’t have a best friend her own age. Beth picked up a nearby Midwest Living magazine and flipped through it to help pass the time. She couldn’t focus on any of the articles, but soon Kaylee returned and the nurse left them alone.

  Within a few minutes, an African-American doctor, with a stethoscope around her collar, swept into the room. She smiled, revealing teeth as white as her lab coat. Her skin was radiant and Beth thought she could’ve done absolutely anything she wanted for a living—from doctor to model. “Good evening,” the doctor said with perfect diction. “It sounds like you’ve wrestled with a car and didn’t exactly win.” Again, with the brilliant smile.