Next Door Secrets (Secrets Series Book 2) (12 page)

“Yes.”

“The first night I
was there, I was crying in the bedroom, looking at that picture. Two older
girls laughed at me and ripped the picture in half.”

“That’s terrible.”

“I told them my
mom was going to come get me and they said my mom didn’t care about me. They
said I’d never see my mom again. I tried to explain how Mommy was an Indian
princess and Dad was a famous baseball player, but they called me a liar. Then
they dug through my bag and took my stuffed rabbit and flushed it down the
toilet. My foster mom blamed me, made me mop the bathroom floor and didn’t let
me watch TV for a week.”

Beth found it hard
to breathe, hard to accept that this poor little girl had suffered so much in
her short life. “Where was your sister?”

“They took her
somewhere else.”

So many questions
bombarded Beth she didn’t know how to choose. “How long did you live there?”

She shrugged. “A
long time. Longer than they said when they took me away. Months later, they let
me go home to Mommy’s house.”

“Do you know why
they took you away in the first place?”

Kaylee
looked at the ground.

“That’s all right.
You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

The girl worried
on her lower lip until it was chapped. “Sometimes Mommy got sick and she
couldn’t take care of us. But sis and me knew she loved us.”

“Of course she
did.” Beth rested her hand on
Kaylee’s
shoulder. “I’m
sure she loved you very much.”

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

When he arrived at
the office, Parker marched straight to the break room where he expected to find
the interns. Elaine surveyed an open box of donuts as if she were fighting an
internal battle. The other two were nowhere in sight.

Parker stepped
closer and caught a whiff of chocolate frosting. "Where are Larry and
Michael?"

She glanced at her
watch. "They must be running a little late."

"I wanted to
talk to all of you. What happened last night? Hannah came home drunk."

"Really? We
had some wine with dinner, but not enough to get drunk. I left early because I
had some homework due for my on-line class."

"Who gave
Hannah wine? She's not twenty-one."

Her eyes grew
wide. "The waiter asked to see her license so I
assumed.
. . ."

"Well, she's
not. She's still in high school." His hands fisted at his sides. "I
can't believe I trusted you guys."

She held her hands
up in protest. "Hey, I didn't do anything. She must’ve had a fake
i.d.
"

Maybe Hannah
wasn't as innocent as he made her out to be. He still wanted to yell at
somebody. "I want the name of the restaurant. I'm going to call the owner
and give him or her a piece of my mind."

She gave him the
name of a local Italian restaurant. "Sorry I didn't watch out for Hannah
better." Reaching in her purse, she pulled out some bills. "Here's
the money you loaned me last month for rent. I really appreciate all that
you've done for me, and I'm sorry about last night."

He unclenched his
fists and reached out. Just as he did, the break room door swung open and in
walked Michael and Larry. One of the bills fell to the floor and landed in some
donut crumbs. Larry ended up stepping on it as he came to grab himself a powdered
donut.

Elaine dropped to
the floor to pick it up. "Oops. Here you go."

Noticing a brown
footprint emblazoned on Andrew Jackson's face, Parker cringed. He turned toward
the male interns. "What the hell did you do last night with my
daughter?"

Larry's mouth
dropped open and he exchanged a look with Michael before speaking.
"Hannah's your daughter? I had no idea." He stepped back as if he
thought Parker might hit him.

The truth was
Parker was tempted. That was a father's right, wasn't it? To hit the jerk who
took advantage of his teenaged daughter? He got her drunk and what else?
"I want to hear exactly what happened last night."

Another exchange
took place between the guys. The powdered donut remained in mid-air because
Larry seemed to have lost his appetite. "Um, nothing. We went to dinner
and we all ordered drinks. Then we left. Right, Elaine?"

She shrugged.
"I didn't see you leave."

Larry’s moustache
twitched. "Well, Michael and I drove Hannah home right after Elaine left
and I swear we hadn't had that much to drink."

Michael nodded
without speaking. He had a deer in headlights look about him.

Parker crossed his
arms. "It was pretty late when Hannah got home."

"She said she
might go to Notre Dame," Larry said. "So we drove through campus and
then took her home."

Parker ground his
molars. The guys probably gave her a tour of their dorm rooms, too. "I
don't believe you. As far as I'm concerned, you broke the law last night,
providing alcohol to a minor, and I am terminating your internships. You're
done. Good bye."

The three of them
froze. Larry dropped his donut back into the box. "Seriously?"

"Yes."
Parker narrowed his eyes at him. He always thought Larry was a little
squirrely. Michael would be better off if he found himself a new best friend.

Michael raised his
hands to his face. "Oh, man. This can't be happening. The semester’s
almost over and I need these credits."

"Unless you
want to tell me what really happened and who’s to blame for my daughter throwing
up all night, you're terminated."

For the third time,
Michael and Larry exchanged knowing glances, but neither of them spoke.

Elaine's eyes
remained wide. "Am I fired too?"

Parker mashed his molars
together a moment longer. "No. You left before the situation got out of
hand. I'm still going to call the restaurant to check your story. If it
matches, then you may stay." He faced the guys. "I'll walk you to the
exit."

# #
#

Once Larry and
Michael were gone and he chewed out the owner of the Italian Bistro, Parker
still didn't feel better. An e-mail and photo from Ivy labeled “Baby’s Trip to
the Park” taunted him. He deleted it without opening it.

His gaze landed on
his desk and the twenty that Larry had stepped on. For some reason, he gathered
all of the money from his wallet and headed to the executive restroom. He
turned on the faucet and rinsed each bill and then laid them on the counter to
dry. "Money is dirty," he mumbled to himself. Searching his pockets,
he found two quarters and a
dime which
he rubbed with
liquid soap before rinsing.

 
Afterwards, he returned to his desk and
went on with business as usual until Tina announced it was quitting time. For
once, he was anxious to leave, too.

On the way to his
car, he thought about how he would spend his evening. Oftentimes, he and Beth
would meet for dinner. As he thought about her now, guilt forced its way
through his veins like a vine of poison ivy. He’d hated to hurt her by ditching
her this morning. Truth be told, he probably shouldn't see her tonight, either.
So, on his way home from the office, he stopped by a florist.

The tiny shop
burst with colors and a pleasant floral scent. A bell on the door announced his
presence and a teenaged girl greeted him. He walked up to the glass
refrigeration case to gaze at the selection. “I’d like to send a bouquet to
someone.”

She pushed her
glasses up on her nose and stood next to him. “What type of flowers would you
like? Roses?”

“No.” That sent
too strong of a message. He simply wanted to cheer Beth up. “An assortment of
spring flowers would be nice.” He pointed at a pink and white bundle that
included daisies. He seemed to recall those were her favorites. “I like those.”

“No problem.” She
walked around behind the nearby counter and started typing on the computer.
“When would you like them delivered and to whom are we sending them?”

Smiling at a
teenager who used the word “whom,” he told her Beth’s address. “It doesn’t
matter when you send them. Pick a random date.”

The teenager
furrowed her brow at him. “Huh?”

“Just send them
sometime in the next week. They’re not for a special occasion or anything.”

“Oh, it’s an
apology bouquet.” She nodded as if she were very familiar with this type of
order. “What do you want written on the card?”

He swallowed. “I
don’t want a card. I want it to be anonymous.”

“That doesn’t make
sense. In order for an apology to work, the person has to know from whom it
came.”

There she was
again with her proper English. He figured she was a straight-A student, just
like Hannah. Hannah—he’d liked spending time with her, but he was glad
she was miles away from Larry. He took comfort in knowing Connie would keep a
close eye on her to make sure she stayed focused on school and not boys.

The edges of the
florist’s thin lips turned up. “Unless this isn’t an apology bouquet but a
secret admirer one.” She adjusted her glasses again.

Nodding, he pulled
out his wallet, which for
once,
didn't have any cash
inside. “So, can you assure me she won’t know who sent them?”

“I’ll put a note
in the computer. Secret admirer flowers are so much better than ‘I’m sorry’
flowers.” She offered him an encouraging smile. After she gave him his total,
she took his Visa card and swiped it. “Anything else I can do for you?”

“I’m good.” As he
walked out the door, he felt his guilt dissolve a little.

# #
#

On the edge of
falling asleep, Beth wondered why Parker had ditched her twice in one day--no
breakfast or dinner. He'd been acting weird ever since he saw Ivy and it
worried her.

In the darkness, a
pounding noise got her attention. It sounded like someone was knocking on her
door. She sat up and listened. Yes, that was her door. She pulled on her robe
and went to look through the
peep hole
. Standing on
tip toe
, she closed one eye and recognized the man as Jim.

She opened the
door a crack. “What’s the matter?”

“It’s
Kaylee
. She’s sick and I don’t know what to do.”

At this point,
Beth heard
Kaylee
screaming in pain. “Oh, my gosh. Is
she hurt?”

“She woke up
moaning about thirty minutes ago and it seems to be getting worse. I don’t know
if I should take her to the hospital or what.”

Beth opened her
door wider and followed him next door. The sound of
Kaylee’s
cries told her where to go. She found
Kaylee
lying in
bed holding her stomach with her good arm. “What’s wrong?”

“It hurts! It
hurts!” Moaning, she curled inward.

Beth looked at
Jim. “What did she eat for dinner? Maybe she has food poisoning.”

“She ate a
hamburger and fries. What did she eat when she was with you?”

“Just those
muffins.” Beth searched her memory for any other snacks she might have
consumed. Had she gorged herself on her stash in the closet? “That’s all I can
think of. Can you call her pediatrician?”

“She doesn’t have
one yet. I’m afraid if we go to the hospital, CPS will take her away.”

Putting her hand
on
Kaylee's
forehead, she checked for a fever, while
addressing him. “But this isn’t your fault.”
Kaylee
let out another scream and Beth turned to Jim. “She doesn’t feel warm, but
she’s kind of scaring me.”

"I took her
temperature and it was normal."
  

“Did you look at
Web MD?”

“Yes. It could be
anything from appendicitis to gall stones to an ulcer.”

Then she
remembered one time when they thought her ex’s three-year-old niece had
appendicitis. It turned out she was constipated. “
Kaylee
,
when was the last time you went poo?”

Kaylee’s
eyes blinked innocently. “I don’t know.”

“Let’s get her
into the bath with warm water and see if that helps.” Of all the food stashed
in the girl’s closet, not one thing had any fiber. Who knew the last time she’d
eaten something healthy?
 

Jim dashed to the
bathroom and had the water running by the time Beth escorted
Kaylee
in.

As she pulled off
Kaylee’s
night gown
, he looked
away.

"Don't get
her cast wet." He rushed out of sight,
then
returned with a plastic bag and rubber band. "Could you wrap this for
me?" He stood out in the hall.

Quickly, Beth
covered the cast with the plastic. The tub was encircled by a collection of
rubber
duckies
and half-used bottles of shampoo, one
of which
Kaylee
knocked over as she climbed in.
                  
                    

“Lie down and let
the water cover your stomach,” Beth said.

Closing her eyes,
Kaylee
moaned. She wrapped her good arm around her middle and
didn't seem to notice when the ends of her hair got wet. Beth put down the
toilet lid and took a seat. Clasping her hands, she prayed this would work.
                                                                                                                                      
Within ten minutes,
Kaylee
smiled with relief.
"I feel better."

Beth felt her
shoulders unclench. "Good. Stay there while your dad and I talk." She
headed out of the room and signaled for Jim to follow her to the kitchen. With
cream-colored laminate counters and oak cabinets, the room matched hers. On the
stove sat a square pan of uncut brownies, which left the lingering scent of
chocolate in the air.

He ran his fingers
through his tousled, brown hair. "Thank you so much. She seemed to be
miserable, but I was
afraid.
. . since the last doctor
might’ve reported me to CPS. . . ."

With the kitchen
island between them, Beth stood across from him. "I only knew what to do
because
my.
. ." How to explain her relationship
with Emma, her ex-boyfriend’s niece? "My niece had the same thing happen
once. I'm thinking that
Kaylee
needs to eat more
fruits and vegetables. She eats too many processed foods and too many
sweets."

His mouth formed a
straight line. "I spoil her because I'm gone so much." His Adam's
apple bobbed. "Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?"

She should go back
to her place, but she realized she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep.
Inhaling a deep breath only reminded her of the nearby brownies, which she
didn't want to think
about.
"Got any chamomile
tea?"

"I'll check.
The people who lived here before me left a bunch of tea." He opened the
cabinet next to the microwave and searched. "Here's something called
Sleepytime
." He read the label. "It has chamomile
in it."

"Perfect."
She pulled up a stool while he heated the water and fixed her a mug. Her mind
returned to how he shied away when
Kaylee
climbed
into the bath. "It can't be easy raising a little girl all by
yourself."

"I'm doing my
best." He placed the bag of sugar in front of her with a spoon.

"Of course.
She's lucky to have you." Wondering if he had any
Truvia
,
she hesitated, but then decided not to bother asking.