Senna’s Secret
Karen Tjebben
Senna’s Secret is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, or events is coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 Karen Tjebben
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the author. For information regarding permission visit: https://www.facebook.com/karentjebbenauthor.
First Published Edition: October 2019
Cover art by Betibup33 design from The Book Cover Designer
Printed in the United States of America
Senna’s Secret is dedicated to my wonderful husband and precious daughters. Michael, thank you for your encouragement and support through the years. You are my hero. Girls, you fill each day with laughter, hugs, and joy. I’m blessed to be your mother.
A special thanks to Carol Hamilton for her help and input on Senna’s Secret.
Table of Contents
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Thanks for reading Senna’s Secret.
You can find Karen at:
About the Author
1
Senna Lang blew out a breath as she surveyed the disaster in her living room. At some point, she knew it would look fabulous, but right now, fabulously overwhelming and migraine producing more accurately described it.
Cardboard boxes of all sizes were piled on top of each other and resembled a sprawling Jenga game that could tumble at any moment. Her furniture was pushed against the wall, waiting to find its place in the open-concept area that would serve as her living room, dining room, and kitchen. But before she could define the space with furniture, she had to unload her past from the ugly brown boxes that cluttered the floor.
How she managed to cram ten years of memories and accumulations into a U-Haul truck, she didn’t know. The cross-country drive from Burbank, California to the long, narrow strip of islands known as The Hidden Banks off the coast of North Carolina had been uneventful. When not catching up on the island gossip with her mom, they listened to several sugary-sweet romance novels in the cab of the U-Haul. Listening to the intimate scenes described in the books with her mom in the passenger seat was cringe worthy, but they both survived. Thankfully, her father brought up the rear of their small caravan in her Kia Sorento. She couldn’t have done the cross-country trip without her parent’s help.
Unpacking all of her stuff from the moving van could have taken her a few days, but she was thankful that her brother Mark, a lieutenant with the Avenel Police Department, had found some guys from the police force to help her unload the U-Haul.
They unloaded her life within a few hours. She paid them a good sum for the work and would be eternally grateful for the help. Now she just had to find a place for all her stuff so she could walk through the room without initiating a chain reaction that would result with the towers of boxes falling onto their sides with their contents spilling out.
The decision to leave California and come home to Avenel hadn’t been hard to make. When she lost her job at the television studio in Burbank, she took that as a sign to go back to her roots. The place where her life began, and her heart still resided. Even when she lived in California, there was a piece of her in this small town. Avenel was home to all of her ‘firsts’. Her first date, first boyfriend, first kiss, first….
She shut down that line of thought because it led to the dull, persistent pain centered in her heart. Most of the time she could ignore the ache, but sometimes she couldn’t help but wonder what her life could have been if she hadn’t screwed everything up with Josh. Would they be living in a two-story bungalow with water views and wrap around porches? Would they have a couple of kids and a rambunctious but friendly dog?
No. Fairy tales didn’t come true. She knew that. Unrealistic expectations were propagated by children’s literature and romance novels. There was no prince desperately searching for her, to rescue her from the humdrum existence and monotony of life. Rather she was the one in control of her destiny. Her happiness in her future was entirely up to her. She may have screwed it up ten years ago, but she’d learned her lesson. No more screw-ups.
She’d moved to California when she left for college. After graduation, she didn’t return to Avenel for anything other than quick visits. She liked her life on the West Coast. It was easier to ignore the heartache in California, but when she lost her job, the pull of Avenel was too strong.
She’d heard the rumors and seen the pictures on social media of her childhood friends’ successes. Not only were they excelling in their jobs, they were finding love. She prayed that she could find the right man for herself in Avenel.
She bent over and pulled open one of the boxes. Her heart clenched in her chest as the photo collage stared her in the face. Maybe she should’ve thrown away some of her old pictures from her high school days. The memories were bittersweet.
All through her school years, she’d had great friends, but once they graduated high school, everyone went their separate ways. That was normal, just another fact of life. But as she stared at Josh’s face in the picture, all the memories and ‘what ifs’ rushed over her and stole her breath. The sting of tears moistened her eyes.
She didn’t want to cry. What happened, happened. If she could change things, she would, but like the saying goes, ‘what will be, will be’.
During the trek across the country, her mom filled her in on Avenel gossip. She knew that Josh had moved back to the island after college and owned his own business. She just didn’t know any key details about his life.
Was he dating someone? Was another woman enjoying the pleasure of being in his arms? Was another woman bringing smiles to his face? Love to his heart?
God, she needed to stop thinking like that. She would never enjoy the warmth of his embrace or the thrill of his touch again. They’d had their chance, and it was gone, never to return again. Even the thought of developing a comfortable friendship with him terrified her.
What if he asked the questions whose secrets she swore never to reveal? Could she break her silence? Would he still care for her once he knew her secret?
Biting her lip, she stared at the collage of pictures from their senior trip to Washington D.C. Josh, with his ever-present smile, was in every single one. That trip changed her life in ways she’d never imaged possible as a young woman. Her world had shifted on its axis, but then everything disintegrated.
She dropped the picture on top of the pile in the box and replaced the lid. She would push that box to the corner of the room and deal with it later, just like she did with her fears and regrets. Later. She’d work on them later.
A knock on the front door jarred her from her thoughts. Striding across the room, she pressed her palms against the door as she leaned in and peeked through the peephole. A smile spread across her face at the sight of her brother Mark and her best friend Dahlia Collins. Pulling open the door, she greeted the happy couple. “Hello. It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s so good to see you,” Dahlia said. She’d been counting the days to Senna’s return to Avenel. She walked right into Senna’s open arms and gave her a hug.
It had been too long
since they’d actually seen each other. Texting and social media allowed them to maintain their friendship, but actually being with someone could never be replaced by technology. Dahlia gave Senna a gentle squeeze and then stepped out of the embrace.
Staring at her brother, Senna cocked her head and put a little teasing attitude in her words, “How nice of you to show up after your men did all the work.”
Mark lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “That’s why I’m the police lieutenant. I’m good at delegating,” he teased. “Just be glad I found you some guys to unload that truck out there. It’s bigger than I thought it would be. Do you need help returning it?”
Senna shook her head. “No, Dad’s going to help me do it tomorrow. We have to go to the mainland. He’ll bring me back.” The Hidden Banks had a few mom-and-pop moving companies to help with local moves, but there wasn’t a large national moving business on the islands.
Changing the subject, Senna set her hands on her hips and bit her bottom lip. “So, it’s true,” she said. Her eyes bounced between the happy couple. “You two really are a thing.” As teens, Dahlia had the biggest crush on Mark. It was wonderful to see the two of them together now. Would Dahlia end up a sister-in-law?
Mark let out a snort. “Did you think I was lying when I told you that Dahlia and I were seeing each other?” Mark had dated a lot in his twenties, but now that he was with Dahlia, he couldn’t imagine having the tiniest bit of interest for another woman. At the rate their relationship was going, they’d be married within the year.
“No.” Senna’s eyes twinkled with humor. “I just hadn’t expected Dahlia to look so excited about it. I thought that maybe you were exaggerating her interest in you. Or maybe you’d pulled her over for speeding and she decided to date you rather than get a ticket.”
“You know that’s impossible. I never speed,” Dahlia replied with a mischievous glint in her eye. Teasing Mark was becoming one of her favorite past times.
“I know. Do you still drive like a grandma?” Senna asked with a light chuckle.
In high school, Dahlia always had a string of cars behind her as she sputtered down the road like one of those Looney Tunes characters in her grandmother’s jalopy. The ocean air had taken its toll on the thirty-year old car. Scratches in the paint were ringed with rust, and one of the side mirrors had been busted. The actual mirror had been replaced with a mirror that didn’t quite fit in the unit. Overall, the car worked well, but it was not pretty.
“Funny,” Dahlia replied, tucking her auburn curls behind her ear. “That thing lasted me through college.”
Dahlia stepped around Senna and dragged Mark behind her to check out Senna’s new place. Walking into the middle of the room, she cooed, “Oh, this is nice. You even have an ocean view.” Floor to ceiling windows looked out at the ocean.
“Thanks,” Senna closed the main door and followed them into the one open spot in the midst of all the boxes. “That’s what sold me on this place. The view, the floorplan, and the fact that I can walk to just about anywhere from this location. Senna’s Secret is only a few minutes away.”
Dahlia eyes widened as she held up a finger. “Now that’s a perk,” she said. “I expect to see you frequently. At least once a week so we can catch up.”
“You know it,” Senna promised. She wasn’t through hazing her brother or Dahlia yet. Her gaze darted from Mark to Dahlia and back to Mark again. “Does he know?” She asked Dahlia.
“Know what?” Mark asked hesitantly. He knew that Senna and Dahlia shared more secrets than he could imagine. He was confident that he didn’t want to know most of them.
Dahlia laughed. “No way. I didn’t want it to go to his head.” She crept up on tiptoe and planted a kiss on Mark’s cheek.
Mark was confused. It was hard enough following Dahlia’s conversation as she jumped from one topic to another without any transition but seeing the dubious smiles the two women shared aroused his curiosity.
“What could go to my head?” he asked suspiciously.
Senna laughed out loud and pointed at her childhood best friend. “Dahlia’s huge crush on you. She was ob-sess-ed,” she broke the word down into syllables and emphasized each part, “with you for years. It’s good to see the two of you together.”
Mark shifted his stance and raised a brow at Dahlia. “Is that true?” He’d never noticed her flirting with him in their teen years.
Dahlia’s cheeks flushed. “I wouldn’t say I was obsessed. Senna’s exaggerating,” she lied. She was totally obsessed. “I just thought you were cute. It was just a simple, school-girl crush,” she explained and downplayed her feelings.
Senna barked a laugh. “Tell yourself that all you want, Dahlia. I know the truth.”
Dahlia’s eyes sparkled as a crooked smile brightened her face. “Yes, but I did my best to hide it from Mark. Apparently, I did a good job of it.”
Senna nodded her head. “Oh, my goodness, Dahlia always asked me questions about you. She stared at you with dreamy eyes.” Senna held her hands to her chest and tilted her head dreamily to imitate a young, obsessed Dahlia. Then, shifting into a serious expression, she added, “You were pretty clueless to not notice her attention.”
“Men,” Dahlia said with a roll of her eyes.
“Oh god, enough of that.” Mark knew they had a ton of work to do and didn’t want to get hung up on man bashing or his inability to read women. “Where do you want us to start?”
Senna let out a groan and scanned the room. She took a few steps and set her hand on the top of one of the towers of boxes. “This tower of boxes goes to the kitchen.” Glancing Dahlia’s way, she asked, “Would you mind starting here?”
Dahlia made her way to the boxes and lifted the lid off the top one. Picking up a bundle of brown paper, she unrolled the small package to reveal a drinking glass. “Sounds easy enough.” She looked over her shoulder at the kitchen area. Strips of blue painter’s tape were stuck on the cupboard doors. “I see you’re just as organized as you used to be.”
“You know it,” Senna replied. “Each blue strip of tape has the label for what goes where. The kitchen should be relatively easy to set up. Plates, glasses, pots and pans, everything has a place.” Earlier in the day, while the men unloaded her truck, she’d gone through the kitchen labeling cupboards so it would be easier for Dahlia to unpack.
As a teen, her friends teased Senna about her OCD regarding time-management and neatness. Everything needed to be in the right place, and she was never late. Both of those characteristics served her well in her career as an accountant.
Mark shook his head. His sister had always been organized. While his bedroom had been a mess, Senna’s had been oddly neat for a teenage, clothes-hoarding girl. “What about me? What’s my job?”
Senna gave him a sweet smile. “You, dear brother, get the amazing job of hanging my television on the wall. And then I have other jobs for you.” Jobs that required strength that she didn’t have. She scrunched up the muscles in her face to give him an ‘I’m sorry’ and an ‘I’ll owe you big time’, expression. “Hopefully we can empty enough of the boxes that we can arrange the furniture in here before you leave.”
“Hmm,” he grunted. “I should have known. You know, Senna, this is why you need a boyfriend.”
“What?” Senna replied offended. “I don’t need a boyfriend to put up my television.”
One of Mark’s eyebrows rose in disbelief. “Really?” His gaze bounced from the large screen television to the blank wall that would bear the weight of screen.
Senna smirked. “That’s why God gave us brothers.”
Mark snorted but refrained from giving a reply. Instead, he shook his head as he made his way to the big screen television. “Have you contacted Josh?” He looked over his shoulder at Senna. “Does he know you moved back to town?”
Mark wasn’t especially close to Josh, but they were casual friends. He knew that Josh would be there if she’d asked. Even if he just showed up to help hang the television. G
etting that thing up on the wall was going to be a pain in the ass. He hoped the two women could lift one side of the television while he lifted the other.
Dahlia froze in place at the mention of Josh. With the box of glasses in her arms and pulled against her chest, her mouth dropped open. “Oh my god, I hadn’t even thought about that. You and Josh could get back together.”
How had Dahlia missed that? Was she so wrapped up in her own fairy tale saga that she’d failed to talk to Senna about Josh? “Does Josh know that you’re back in town?”
Senna knew that Dahlia would hurl a thousand questions at her, so she should have been better prepared. Unfortunately, instead of controlling the situation with well thought-out answers, she did her best to ignore their weighty glances and gave a non-committal shrug. “I don’t know. I didn’t tell him. I haven’t talked to him for years.”
Ten to be exact. After moving to California, she’d ignored his calls and texts. Eventually, he stopped sending them. “He may have heard about my return through the grapevine.”
Dahlia made her way to the kitchen counter and set the heavy box down. She turned and faced Senna. “You need to call him. Do something. Wouldn’t it be awesome if you two reconnected?”
Senna bit her bottom lip. She felt like Janus, the two-headed Roman god. One part of her would do anything to reconnect with Josh. The other part of her knew that it would be painful for both of them. Could she do that to him? Would that even be fair after all this time?
Senna began, “I can’t even think about that right now.” She spread her arms wide and motioned towards the dumping ground of cardboard boxes in the room. “First, I need to get everything in order before I can even think about contacting him. Besides, what am I going to say?” She began in a sarcastic voice, “Hey, Josh. Let’s hook up.” She set her hands on her hips and continued, “I’m just going to let things go the way they naturally go. What will be, will be.”
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