Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) Page 9

  “It’s an African kufi hat. I got it on my first assignment for the Corps.” He reached for his coffee cup. “You want anything?”

  Parker shook his head and was about to take a seat at the small, round table when a man in an army uniform passed by. Parker had lost a high school buddy overseas and he had a tradition of honoring him. “I’ll be right back.” He stepped up to the counter with the soldier and handed the cashier a twenty. “I’d like to treat him.” He faced the clean-cut man without a wrinkle in sight and said, “Thank you for your service.”

  The young solider gave a quick nod. “Thank you, sir.”

  “It’s the least I can do.” He made eye contact with the teenaged barista. “Keep the change.” Then he made his way back to the Peace Corps recruiter and took a seat.

  “You forgot to get yourself some coffee.”

  “I’m fine.” Although Parker had once been a coffee connoisseur, he didn’t like how caffeine added to his already jittery hands. At that thought, he placed his hands beneath the table so they’d be out of sight. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

  “No problem. Americans are so hung up on time, rushing everywhere. Once you’ve been to a third world country, you appreciate a slower pace of life.”

  After the stress of running an ever-expanding company, Parker liked the idea of decelerating. “I’m so glad you contacted me. I filled out that application so long ago, I thought maybe you’d lost it.”

  “Our processing takes a while. Anyway, this is the last interview before you get your invitation. Shall we get started?” He opened up a file folder with Parker’s name on it.

  “I’m ready.” Except he felt a little warm. He decided to slip off his coat and hang it over the back of the chair.

  Clicking his pen, Caleb looked at his notes before making eye contact. “I see that you’re in your mid-thirties. What makes you want to join the Peace Corps now?”

  “Well, I’m at a cross-roads, I guess. I’m getting a divorce and my business is doing well. It seems like the perfect time. I had an uncle in the Peace Corps and part of me always wanted to follow in his footsteps.”

  “I see.” His expression remained neutral. “Is there any chance for reconciliation with your wife?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “Being away from friends and family is probably the hardest part of this job. If you’re already losing your partner, are you sure you won’t need the support of loved ones to help get you through this tough time?”

  He swallowed. “Even though I was married for sixteen years, the divorce was a long-time coming. I’m not upset about it. I wanted it.”

  “Are you romantically involved with anyone else at this point?”

  Parker’s leg bounced nervously. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and blow his chances. “I’m seeing someone, but it isn’t serious.” Guilt sliced his heart. How could he say that about Bethany? She was the best thing to ever happen to him, but the timing was all wrong.

  “How does she feel about your leaving the country for the next two years?”

  “I haven’t told her. She probably won’t be thrilled, but I want this more than anything.” He would miss her, but he squelched those feelings. Figuring he only had a few more good years left, he’d never intended for them to grow so close. Within a decade he expected to be dead and he didn’t want her to be around for that.

  “No one can visit you except during your vacation time and you don’t get any of that for at least six months.”

  “I understand.” He wondered if Beth and Hannah would be able to visit. Maybe he could talk Connie into it by emphasizing that it would be an educational experience for Hannah.

  The man in the colorful hat took some notes and didn’t speak for a minute. “Do you realize that communication will be difficult? There won’t be cell phones and the mail can be very slow.”

  “That’s all right. I wouldn’t mind going off the grid for a while.”

  Caleb cocked his head. “What are you running from?”

  Parker raised his hands in his defense. “I’m not running from anything.” Besides himself. “I’ve always wanted to volunteer and I think I have a lot to offer.”

  “Such as?”

  “Business savvy. I built my own company from the ground up and I’d like to help other people succeed the way I have.”

  “Tell me more about your business.” His pen was poised above the paper.

  “Ever heard of Mall Land?”

  “Sure. Another example of American excess.” At first he shook his head, then recognition crossed his features. His eyes grew wide and he turned a little crimson. “You’re that Parker DuBois?”

  Parker nodded. “I agree with you. Mall Land doesn’t give me the kind of personal satisfaction that I’m sure the Peace Corps will. I’m proud that I’ve created a lot of jobs, but when I look back on my accomplishments, I want there to be something more.” Swallowing, he hated to think how soon he would be looking back on a life coming to an end. He pushed away those thoughts.

  “Well, we have several villages in Africa that could use some guidance on how to create businesses. Would you be interested in going to Togo?”

  A smile spread across Parker’s lips. “I’ll go anywhere you need me.”

  “Good attitude. They harvest shea butter there. Ever heard of shea butter?”

  Parker shook his head.

  “It’s used in cosmetics, lotions and medicines.” Caleb became animated with his hands. “The women and girls crack open the nut from the shea tree with rocks. Then they crush it with a mortar and pestle before roasting it over an open fire in the hot sun. Finally, they add water and separate the oils.”

  “It sounds low-tech.”

  Caleb smiled. “Your job is to respect their ways while suggesting improvements. It’s a delicate balance.”

  “I’m all about respect.” Parker imagined building a factory which could harvest shea butter a hundred times faster than by hand. That was the American way, but would that destroy their tradition? “I could not only offer my business advice, but if necessary, I could bankroll projects.”

  “We don’t expect volunteers to spend their own money.”

  “But at Mall Land we’re committed to giving at least five percent of our profits away to charities. It might as well be a village in Africa.”

  “If that’s true, perhaps you’d be willing to fund a school in the village.”

  Parker nodded. “Gladly. I’m a big believer in the value of education. In fact, we hire college interns and give away $500,000 in scholarships every year.”

  “That’s great. We’re always trying to raise money for so many things: books, desks, sports equipment. When you go, you’ll see kids kicking around tattered soccer balls with their bare feet. It’s so different from the world in which we live.”

  “I can’t wait.” Parker’s knee started jiggling again. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so nervous or so excited about anything. “When do I start?”

  # # #

  When Beth returned home from the office, Kaylee ran up to her in the parking lot and said, “Save me!”

  Beth walked toward her place. “What do you need saved from?”

  “The woman my dad hired to watch me.”

  Picturing the woman with the big sunglasses and the baby stroller, Beth unlocked the front door. “You mean your aunt?”

  Kaylee followed Beth inside. “She’s not my aunt, just some mean lady.”

  Gesturing toward the couch, Beth waited for Kaylee to sit before she did. “How is she mean?”

  “She doesn’t do anything fun with me. She talks on the phone all the time, makes me change her baby’s diapers, which is really hard with only one arm.” She raised her cast as if to remind Beth.

  “Well, it doesn’t sound like she’s a great babysitter, but it’s not her job to entertain you. It’s her job to keep you safe.”

  “But you’re funner. I want you to be my babysitter.” Her voice turned int
o a whine.

  Flattered and annoyed at the same time, Beth smiled. “It’s ‘more fun,’ not ‘funner.’ And it’s your dad’s call on who watches you.”

  “But she’s terrible! She made me make my own lunch and everything.”

  “What did you make?” Surely the woman didn’t let Kaylee use the oven.

  “PB & J.”

  Beth released a breath. “I’m sorry you don’t like the woman, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  “You have to. Tell my dad how horrible she is to me.”

  “But she doesn’t sound horrible. She doesn’t sound great, but not horrible.”

  Chewing on her thumbnail, Kaylee looked deep in thought. “I don’t like her because she called me fat.”

  Beth sucked in air. “She did? What were her exact words?”

  “She said I was fat and clumsy and that’s why I broke my arm.”

  Anger pounded in Beth’s chest. “Are you telling the truth?” Even Kaylee’s dad said she tended to make up stories. Her little head nodded and tears shone in her blue eyes. Beth reached her arms out and pulled Kaylee into a tight hug. Stroking the little girl’s hair, she smelled a light peach scent. “You’re right. That was a mean thing for her to say.”

  “Even if it’s true?”

  Swallowing, Beth chose her words carefully. “It’s never OK to call someone names.” Even so, she would love to help Kaylee get her weight under control so she didn’t have to put up with a lifetime of rude comments. She wondered what kinds of exercise someone could do with a broken arm.

  Kaylee remained in Beth’s arms as tears ran down her chubby cheeks. Beth wondered if all eight-year-old girls cried this much. She’d only known her a few weeks and she’d seen her break down three times. Of course, anyone would probably cry when they broke their arm. She just wondered if Kaylee was more vulnerable since she didn’t have a mom there to kiss her boo-boos and read her bedtime stories. Did Jim do that? Good question.

  When Kaylee spoke, her voice sounded fragile. “Please talk to my dad and tell him how mean the babysitter is. I don’t like her. I don’t like her and I’m gonna run away the next time she comes over!”

  Panic jumped inside of Beth. “No, you can’t run away. I would miss you.” Not to mention all the creeps out there who might snatch an innocent girl. She took a few deep breaths, planning what to do. “I promise I’ll talk to your dad and see what I can do.”

  Kaylee sat up and looked her in the eye. “You will?”

  Beth nodded. “I’d do anything for you.” She gave her shoulder another squeeze. Part of her wasn’t quite ready to let her go.

  A few minutes later, someone pounded on her door. “Hold on!” Beth rubbed Kaylee’s back before she stood. She opened the door to see Jim’s fist in mid-air ready to knock.

  His cold gaze landed on Kaylee. “Go home. Now!” As soon as the child scurried away, he glared at Beth. “Did you report me to CPS?”

  “What? I don’t even know what that is.”

  “Child Protective Services. Just because Kaylee broke her arm while I was at work, some social worker is all up in my business. I can’t believe you ratted on me. I’m a good father.”

  Stepping back, she held up her hands as if that could settle him down. “No one’s saying you’re not. I don’t know what’s going on, but I didn’t call anyone about you.” Although she didn’t think Kaylee should be left alone, it wasn’t her place to do more than offer to babysit.

  Releasing his fist, he took a breath. “Well, someone called. I spilled my guts to you the other night and now CPS shows up at my door. It seems suspicious to me.”

  Shaking her head, she tried to think who might have reported him. “Maybe it was the doctor. She couldn’t believe Kaylee hadn’t gone for medical treatment the last time she broke her arm. Or maybe it was the landlady. When I called her about Kaylee’s lost key, she said something about how kids shouldn’t be left alone.”

  They stood in the doorway staring at each other. Suddenly he looked around as if embarrassed that someone might have heard their exchange. “You’re sure you didn’t report me?” His voice was quieter this time.

  “Positive.” She opened the door wider. “I’d like to talk to you, though. Why don’t you come in?” He did, but didn’t take a seat. She closed the door so they could talk privately. “I don’t know how to say this, but I’m concerned about the woman you hired to babysit Kaylee.”

  His face grew red again. “CPS said I’m not allowed to leave Kaylee alone while I’m on the road. Apparently it’s against the law to leave a child unsupervised, even though my parents did it all the time.”

  “I understand that, but Kaylee said that the babysitter is mean to her.”

  “Kaylee says a lot of things that aren’t true.”

  “She said the woman called her fat.”

  The color of his face washed out. “Maybe the girl could lose a few pounds, but that's no one's business.”

  Beth nodded. “What ever happened to your sister? I thought she was supposed to help out with Kaylee.”

  He took a deep breath. “The truth is I don’t have any family in town.”

  Why would he say that he did? Was it because he knew he’d get in trouble for leaving Kaylee alone overnight? She couldn’t imagine the stress of raising a child without the support of a spouse or family. That’s one reason she’d placed her baby for adoption all those years ago. She pushed away the memory. “Maybe I could adjust my hours at work so I’d be here when the school bus drops her off. I could keep an eye on Kaylee until you get home. In fact, we could go for walks in the neighborhood to get some exercise. I think she eats partly because she’s bored.”

  He crossed his arms. “You can adjust your work schedule?”

  “It won’t be a big deal.” Her palms moistened as she thought about approaching her boss. What mattered most was that Kaylee needed her. Now she had to spin it so Jim would go along. After all, that was what she did for a living: marketing. “It would be nice for me to have company anyway. You’d kind of be doing me a favor.”

  “I insist on paying you.”

  “No. We’re neighbors. We help each other out. Just like you showed me how to open the mailboxes.” She remembered as a child borrowing an ingredient from the neighbor when her mom had to bake a casserole at the last minute for someone in the congregation. People didn’t do stuff like that much anymore and she thought it was a shame. “And if I needed to borrow a cup of sugar, I’m sure you wouldn’t let me pay you for it.”

  His eyes seemed to lose their focus while he considered this. “The sitter really called Kaylee fat?”

  “That’s what Kaylee said. I don’t think she’d make that up. She was crying.”

  “I don’t need no charity and I don’t like owing people.”

  “Like I said, I’d like having someone to talk to on my walks. It’s an equal trade.”

  He uncrossed his arms and shook her hand with a firm grip. “You have a deal. At least until I can figure something better out.”

  # # #

  After sharing a quiet dinner with Hannah and Parker, Beth tossed and turned all night. She didn’t want Hannah to leave so soon. She had no idea the next time she’d see her daughter and she regretted that this visit hadn’t been the fun, bonding experience she’d hoped for. Whenever she managed to stop fretting about that, she’d start to worry about asking her boss for a different schedule.

  The next morning she left for work early, feeling groggy and nervous. When she walked down the hall of Healthy Habits Vitamins & Herbs corporate office, she saw the light beneath her supervisor’s door. She’d been in the marketing department for about six months and she still felt like the newbie. Taking a breath, she knocked on Lina’s door. She stepped inside when she heard the twenty-something call, “Come in.”

  Today Lina’s wild red hair was pulled back with a barrette at the nape of her neck. Looking creative and stylish, she wore a blue dotted blouse with pinstriped pants. Beth had
never figured out how to mix patterns so that it looked intentional and not crazy, so she admired this trait in Lina.

  Lina watered the fern in her window with a shiny copper pitcher. “Plants. So much less demanding than kids.” She smirked, probably assuming that Beth had chosen her career over motherhood, just as Lina had.

  “I have a proposal for you.” Beth remained standing so they’d be close to the same height. It was weird to work for someone a decade younger than she was. In the few months she’d reported to Lina, the young woman seemed driven, but fair. Beth had just asked for three days off to spend time with Hannah. Now she was asking for another favor and her palms grew damp in anticipation. “What if I came into work an hour early and worked through lunch. Could I leave at three o’clock?”

  Lina put down the copper watering can. “You mean today or always?”

  “Every day.”

  “Why?” Her full attention was on Beth now.

  Beth hesitated. “It’s so I can be there when the neighbor girl gets home from school.”

  “Is she your niece or something?”

  “No.” Now that she said it out loud, it did seem weird. She was risking her boss’ good graces for someone she hadn’t even known last month. The tears in Kaylee’s eyes as she told about the babysitter calling her fat flashed in Beth’s mind. Beth had to save her. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt some kind of connection with the girl. “It won’t affect my work output, I promise. I know other departments have flex time.”

  “Flex time is for parents.” Shaking her head, Lina sat down in her cushy office chair. “You get paid for your lunch hour, so you can’t skip it and leave early.”

  “Oh.” Since Lina gestured for her to sit, Beth took a chair across from her. She needed two extra hours. “What if I came into work two hours early?” God, she would hate that alarm clock every morning.

  Taking a breath, Lina steepled her fingers. She definitely had all the mannerisms of a boss figured out. Would she still choose this place over a baby when she was thirty-five? Beth didn’t think so. It was easy in your early twenties to think all you needed to be happy was a car that didn’t break down all the time and girlfriends to call when you wanted to go out. After living with a narcissistic college roommate for four years, Beth had found it refreshing to live by herself in her twenties. But a lot could change in ten years. Now she cared more about a child than she did about kowtowing to her supervisor.