Senna's Secret

by Karen Tjebben

  He rolled out of bed and stretched. “Hey,” he called through the bathroom door, “Can I grab some breakfast?”

  “Sure,” she replied over the sound of the toilet flushing. She opened the door, leaned against the door jamb and peered into her bedroom. “I need to get showered for work. I’m going to be late. I’m sorry.” She gave him a disappointed smile. “This is not how I imagined our first morning after.”

  “I’m just glad there is a morning after.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Get showered. I’ll start the coffee.”

  “You’re amazing,” she replied with a smile and closed the door.

  He picked his underwear up from the floor and pulled it on. Then he grabbed his shorts. Since he worked outside, he wouldn’t bother showering this morning. No one he worked with would notice or care.

  Josh entered the kitchen and started pulling open cupboard doors. He started near the coffee maker. It would make sense to keep the coffee near the coffee maker. Once he found the coffee and the filters, he slid the brown paper filter into the machine, scooped the coffee, and pressed start.

  A knock sounded at the door. His looked at the door suspiciously. This wasn’t his place, but he didn’t want to ignore it in case it was important. People don’t usually knock on doors this early.

  The knock sounded again as he cut across the room. He leaned towards the door and looked through the peephole.

  “Damn,” he muttered. It was Mark, Senna’s brother. What was Mark doing here? And better yet, Mark would wonder what he was doing there? Should he get Senna and hide? Let her decide when she wanted their relationship to be known?

  “Senna, I know you are home.” Mark pounded on the door again. “Your car is still in the parking lot. This is important.”

  Josh let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt. He unbolted the door and turned the knob. He came face to face with Mark. He was busted.

  Mark stared at Josh as his brain whirled. What the hell was Josh doing at Senna’s this early in the morning? Why was Josh at Senna’s? Why did Senna have Josh at her place this early on a work day? Despite all the different ways he asked himself that question, he still couldn’t figure out a reason.

  Josh read the confusion on Mark’s face. It was like Mark’s gut knew why Josh was there, but his cognitive function had shut down, and he couldn’t acknowledge why Josh was there.

  “Hey, come in,” Josh said, motioning inside the condo.

  Mark stared at him in confusion as he walked past him. Then his brow furrowed. He asked, “Did she already hear? Why would she call you?” Mark shook his head in confusion.

  “Why are you here?” Mark continued. “And where the hell’s your shirt?” He tossed a hand in the direction of Josh’s washboard abs.

  Josh wasn’t sure what to say. Mark wasn’t making any sense. “Senna and I talked last night.” He figured Mark could fill in the blanks.

  “Yeah, that’s good. Why are you here now?” Mark made a confused face and looked around the room. “Where’s your shirt?”

  Okay, could Mark be this dense? Maybe Josh would have to spell it out to Mark. “Um, we talked, and…” he paused, hoping Mark could fill in the rest for himself. When Mark just stared at him, he added, “Things happened.”

  Mark shook his head in confusion. That made no sense. How would Josh and Senna talking last night, lead to her knowing about the fire this morning?

  Mark asked again, “How did she find out?” Who told her about Martin and the recordings? It made sense for Josh to be here if she knew, but he was surprised she called Josh and not him when she heard the news. He was the cop.

  Josh set his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about. What is it that you think she found out?” If anyone had found something out recently, it was him, but no way was he going to reveal the secret of Senna’s miscarriage to her brother.

  Mark ignored the question and looked around for Senna. “Where is she?” He tossed his hands out.

  “In the shower. I’ll let her know that you’re here.” He started down the hallway towards her bedroom.

  “Wait,” Mark called and shuffled towards Josh. “You can’t go back there. She’s showering.”

  Josh turned around slowly. Was Mark truly unable to process why Josh was shirtless in Senna’s condo this early in the morning?

  And this guy was a cop?

  “Mark, Senna and I are back together. I spent the night.” Josh hoped he’d put that clearly enough.

  “You slept with my sister?” Mark’s mouth fell open. “You two just met again. What the hell?”

  Josh lifted a shoulder, “I love her.”

  Love? Mark scoffed. “Love? You haven’t had contact with her in a decade.”

  “Yeah,” Josh nodded, a little uncomfortable. That was true. “I love Senna. I have since the day we met.”

  Senna heard Josh and Mark’s heated voices in the hallway. She couldn’t help but smile when she overheard Josh say that he loved her. She should have moved back to Avenel years ago. She should have dealt with the past and forged a future with Josh instead of hiding in fear.

  She stepped out of her bedroom with her hair wrapped up in a towel and her bathrobe on. “What’s going on?” she asked as she met Josh in the hallway. “Will this take long? I have to get to work.”

  Mark’s countenance fell when he remembered the terrible information he had to share. “You haven’t heard the news yet?” He shook his head. “No one’s called you?”

  “What news?”

  Mark tilted his head towards the main room. “You should sit down.”

  Senna’s heart raced. “Oh my god, did something happen to Mom or Dad?”

  “No,” Mark assured her. “They’re fine.” But they wouldn’t be when they heard this news. He sat on her recliner while she and Josh sat on the sofa.

  “Last night there was a fire at the shopping center where Reid Accounting Firm is.”

  Senna’s mouth dropped open. “Did someone get hurt?” Genuine concern laced each word.

  “No,” Mark shook his head. “But Martin did show up. He entered the office and grabbed a flowerpot from the bathroom.”

  “I don’t understand,” Senna said. She leaned forward and made a confused face. “He went to get that ugly flowerpot? That makes no sense. Did he get hurt?”

  Mark shook his head.

  Josh didn’t like the turn this story was taking. “What was in the flowerpot?” he asked.

  Senna looked from Mark to Josh and then back to Mark. “What did you find? God, was he into drugs?”

  Mark knew he needed to get the words out, but this was not going to be easy. “There was a camera in the flowerpot. He’s been recording people.”

  “A camera?” Senna’s world disappeared for a moment as everything went black. She leaned forward and supported herself with her elbows on her thighs. Resting her head on her hands, she took in slow breaths and waited for the nausea to pass.

  Mark continued, “The judge issued a search warrant last night. We raided his house and claimed his computer. Our tech geeks are going through it right now.”

  “All of them are going to see me. Going to the bathroom,” she added expressively. “What the fuck!” she roared. She’d changed her shirt in there.

  Josh had his own anger roiling in his gut at this news. To think that Martin Reid had been recording people in the bathroom for his own pleasure churned his stomach. “What’s going to happen to that piece of shit?” he asked.

  Mark began, “He’s at the police station. We’re holding him right now. He’s asked for a lawyer.” He leaned forward in the chair and caught Senna’s gaze. “This affects a lot of people. He did the accounting for most of the businesses in town. We are telling people that anyone who went to the office and used the restroom should assume they were recorded. The police are not watching all of the videos. They’re just watching the beginning in order to see who needs to be
contacted.”

  She stood from the sofa and paced. “Oh, my god,” she mumbled. “That pervert’s been recording me.” She slapped her hand against her chest. She’d never felt so violated, so disgusted. “I actually felt sorry for him.”

  “I know,” Mark said.

  Josh watched her pace the room. She didn’t deserve this. No one did. Cutting his gaze back to Mark, he said, “You said the guy was safe.”

  Mark took in a deep breath. “On paper he was. He’s never had a ticket or any type of violation. No one has ever complained about him. He flew under the radar.”

  Josh stood and stopped in front of Senna. Settling his hands on her arms, he looked her in the eyes and said, “You’ll get through this. I’ll be with you ever step of the way.”

  “I’m unemployed,” she grumbled. “A pervert’s been spying me.” She took a quick breath. “Re-cord-ing me,” she shouted, “and now I don’t have a paycheck.” She exhaled loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose between two fingers.

  How she found herself unemployed two times within a few months was mindboggling. “There isn’t another accounting firm in Avenel that I can even try to get a job at.”

  Josh was going to do everything he could to put a positive spin on this nightmare. “Then you’ll have to open your own firm. I’m guessing there’s a sudden need for a new accountant in Avenel and your non-compete clause is null and void. You’ve already got your client base. You won’t find a better time to start your own company.”

  She let out a breath as she shook her head in disbelief. She hadn’t planned to open her own firm; at least not for a few more years, but this would be the opportune time. “Maybe you’re right,” she whispered.

  She prayed the bastard went to jail.

  26

  Six Weeks Later

  Lang Accounting. She liked the sound of that.

  Senna spun in a slow circle and took in the room. It was small for retail space, but she didn’t need a large office. This shopping center consisted of two parallel, rectangular, two-story buildings with parking between them. Senna’s store was nestled between Aster’s Atelier and Calla’s Candy Factory. She’d met both women and instantly liked them.

  She’d been devasted when she learned of Martin Reid’s criminal activity, especially when she learned that her visits to the bathroom made up a large portion of Martin’s deranged recordings. Those recordings had been viewed by several police officers and the district attorney. She prayed Martin would take a plea bargain so she wouldn’t be dragged through a trial. The evidence against him was undeniable. Prison was in his future.

  Senna did feel sorry for Ms. Reid. The woman had been clueless to her son’s depravity. She’d cried in shame and humiliation before the entire town at Martin’s deeds. She even visited some of the local churches and apologized before the congregations. Their family home was now up for sale, and she’d moved to Virginia to get away from the pitied, angry looks of the islanders.

  But Senna wasn’t going anywhere. Instead of hanging her head in embarrassment, she was going to use her name recognition to lure people to her accounting firm.

  In a feeble attempt at self-preservation, she did her best to pretend that none of her interactions with Martin truly happened. She wasn’t sure how psychologically healthy it was to pretend an embarrassingly humiliating event didn’t happen, but denial was getting her through each day.

  She’d taken out a business loan to cover her start-up costs. The rent in the shopping center was average for Avenel. The location was fine. She wasn’t paying prime rent for something on the boardwalk, which was good because her business didn’t rely on tourists. Both tourists and locals frequented this shopping center because of the large variety of stores.

  Since the six weeks when her life fell apart, she’d purchased everything she’d needed. She scanned the room. Her desk was pushed to one side and two comfortable chairs were on each side of the entrance. There was a back area that consisted of a small kitchenette and a restroom. She was not decorating the restroom at all. It was going to be boring, yet obvious to anyone in there that she did not have a hidden camera in the privy.

  Josh came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “This is amazing,” he said. “You should be really proud of yourself.” She’d had some rough days in the past few weeks, but he’d been by her side every day.

  Senna turned her head to gaze at him over her shoulder. A smirk formed on her lips. “Thank you. It is exciting. Only two more days until I officially open.”

  She couldn’t believe how supportive the townspeople were. When she’d contacted Martin’s clients, all of them promised to use Lang Accounting. On Monday, she was throwing a celebratory opening day party. It was going to be a small meet-and-greet so she could personally talk with all of her clients. She was both nervous and excited about this. Opening her own business was a huge undertaking, but she knew she could do it.

  “Are all of the snacks ready for Monday?” Josh asked.

  “Yes, Dahlia’s Delights is catering a variety of cookies. And my next-door neighbor, Calla from Calla’s Candy Factory is bringing a sampling of her different fudges and homemade candy.”

  “Dang, girl. I may just show up for the food,” Josh teased.

  “I know, my calorie count will be high on Monday,” she added. Having all the treats around would challenge her will power. “Hopefully I’ll be so busy with the clients that I won’t have time to graze all day on the obscene amount of sugar.”

  But there was another reason why she could gain weight.

  Josh shifted her around so that they faced each other. “You know I love you,” he said.

  The truth of his words was evident in his eyes. They seared right through her and pierced her heart. Her stomach squeezed tight with nerves. “I need to let you in on a secret.”

  His eyes narrowed as a mischievous grin slid on his face. They’d been officially back together for six weeks. “We’ve been together practically every free moment. How could you possibly have a secret?”

  His brow pinched. “Why do you look so nervous? Did you take out a bigger loan than you said? Are you concerned about the financial responsibilities?” He knew all about the stress of starting a business. As awesome as it was to be your own boss, it was equally nerve-wracking, especially in the beginning. The responsibility fell solely on the owner’s shoulders.

  She let out a little laugh that was tinged with nerves. “No, nothing like that.” She’d debated letting him in on the secret earlier, but she was afraid she would jinx it. Even now she was afraid.

  By the look on her face, he knew she was nervous, or was that expression more scared? He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her flush with him. “Look, whatever it is, I’m here for you. There is nothing we can’t handle.”

  She rose up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his lips. “Ten years ago, I made a huge mistake. I don’t want to make it again.”

  She stepped away from him and went to her purse on the desk. Unzipping the bag, she took out a small box and held it in her hand. “Do you remember the first time we made love?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not back in high school. Back in September? When we got back together.”

  He took the few steps to her and slid his hands over her hips. His heated gaze was sensual. She loved it when he looked at her like that. She felt beautiful, powerful, desired.

  She placed a hand on his chest to keep him from getting too close. She needed to do this, and they shouldn’t get distracted.

  “Slow your roll, mister,” she cooed. “The condom broke.”

  His heated blood from all the things he wanted to do with her went ice cold. His brain froze in place like a car engine without any oil. Everything in his head just stopped.

  The look on his face didn’t bode well. She couldn’t believe she was reliving this with him. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him until she knew for sure.

  “Are you okay?” she ask
ed, brushing her hand over his chest.

  He swallowed hard. “Are you pregnant?” As much as he wanted kids, he hadn’t planned to be a daddy in nine months. “You said you were on the pill.” He cringed once the words hit his ears. He hadn’t meant to sound accusatory.

  She held the pregnancy test box up for him to see. Lifting a shoulder, she said, “We’re about to find out. And yeah, I was on birth control.”

  She shook her head and hated having to vocalize the words because it sounded so stupid. “On the drive cross-country, I couldn’t find my birth control pills for two days. I remember laughing with my mom about it because it didn’t really matter. I wasn’t having sex with anyone.” She barked a laugh. “Well, I just forgot about those two days. I’m sorry.” Dang, she didn’t know the etiquette of telling your boyfriend of six weeks that you might be pregnant.

  “Hey, hey, hey,” he stepped closer and wrapped her in a hug. He kissed the top of her head. She’d already miscarried their first baby ten years ago. God, he prayed that if she was pregnant that she wouldn’t miscarry this one. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one giving her negative vibes.

  He stared into her eyes. “I’m with you, whatever the outcome. I love you.” He paused, and then continued, “We used a condom, and you were on the pill. If you are pregnant, then we know it was meant to be.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m good with that.”

  She prayed he felt that way if the test came back positive.

  He tilted his head towards the restroom at the back of the office space. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?” he asked.

  She nodded and shook the box between two fingers. “Yeah, I need to go pee on a stick,” she teased and then laughed. She was thankful that he was taking this so well. Considering her business was in its infancy, she hadn’t planned on growing an infant in her belly at the same time. But if Fate blessed her with a baby, she couldn’t imagine a better man as the father.

  She went into the bathroom and set the pregnancy test box on the vanity beside the sink. He stood just outside the door and peeked in at her. He wasn’t sure if he should go in there with her. They hadn’t reached that level of intimacy yet. Watching someone use the restroom crossed the line from intimate to intrusion in his mind. But if she wanted him in there, he’d go in there.