Sneaking Around

by St. Klaire, Stephanie

  He was a sweetheart of a man, never on her Facebook blasts, or was that the answer right there? Ben had a secret? Evelyn knew it, and she’d been blackmailing him, hence no Facebook posts? Is she that dark and ornery? She was Evelyn Shirley — of course she was.

  So, what was she holding over poor Ben’s head? This was going to be the victory worth waiting for. Not only were they going to even the score, but they would reveal Evelyn for the snake in the grass she was and spring Ben from her venomous grips!

  She’d figured it out! Molly had the mystery solved, most of it anyway, and she couldn’t wait to tell Seth.

  They needed to get there early, before Evelyn could sneak in…

  The sun had just passed the hills to the west, leaving only stray shadows of light dancing across the valley. Seth and Molly had arrived at Ben’s, which had long since closed, leaving the parking lot quiet. The couple pulled straight into a parking space in the far corner, rather than back in, hoping to look less conspicuous that way. They perched themselves in the rear cargo area and watched from the shadows, one empty parking lot over from where Evelyn was expected to be.

  It would be less obvious to eagle-eye Evelyn, and they could duck down low, not to be seen, without missing any action. After sharing her suspicions with Seth, he agreed with Molly’s ideas and took their sleuthing a step further. Seth had stepped into Ben’s earlier, just before closing, to order Ben’s famous pulled pork sandwich to go.

  When he entered from the front, he slipped a small piece of heavy-duty tape on the inside of the door, so it could shut, but not latch, allowing them easy access later in the evening. He made sure to leave through the back, taping that door as well.

  They were becoming real 007s, proud of the high level at which they were playing the game. Tonight was the night. The couple was certain they were going to get the last laugh, beating Evelyn at her own game. Facebook would document the entire scandal, once and for all.

  The final rays of light faded as the starry night took over. They had long since finished their delicious barbecue and gone over their plan and the possible discoveries numerous times. It was fool proof. They quickly exited Seth’s SUV and made it to the back of the vehicle where Seth began to put the rear seats down so they wouldn’t feel so tight.

  While he fidgeted with the buttons, Molly caught a glimpse of something familiar. Upon closer look, she noticed it was a bag from her store between an emergency kit and the rear seat slowly folding down. As the seat gave way, Molly saw not one, but several bags, and each contained…you guessed it — books!

  Molly reached inside the vehicle and picked one up and looked inside, gaining Seth’s attention. She picked up a second one, then another. All full. Confused by her findings, she turned to Seth, only to find his surprised face and him already stumbling for words.

  “You haven’t read any of these? They’re still in the plastic sleeve.” Fluster and what sounded like a bit of hurt laced Molly’s question.

  “Uh, no. Not yet. I, uh…haven’t got to those yet.” He had about as much confidence in his own words as he did that Evelyn was a saint.

  Molly pulled out more bags, finding more and more books, all still carefully placed in their protective sleeve. “Seth, this is…this is like everything from the last few months.”

  Molly’s face dropped from confusion to sadness. She didn’t understand. Molly wasn’t sure she wanted to understand. There was not a good reason for something like this. Not one she could decipher anyway.

  “Some of these are the special editions I ordered in,” she went on. “We talked about these books. You told me your favorite parts. I don’t understand. What gives?”

  Seth was reeling, panic was settling in. He hadn’t thought this far ahead. He never imagined her finding them, so he didn’t have a good excuse prepared. “I just haven’t read them yet.”

  Lame excuse, but all he had for now.

  “Seth, then why keep coming in for more?” Molly asked.

  He looked around, aware of their surroundings and the high chance Evelyn could swoop in at any moment and catch them. Again.

  “Here,” he grabbed her hand and helped her into the SUV, following close behind, “let’s get in before we get caught out here.”

  They climbed in, Molly somewhat reluctant, not sure what to think of her discovery. As they settled in, she couldn’t help but notice the cooler — the same cooler he had packed with food, snacks, and drinks for every one of their super snooping outings — and her heart warmed.

  “The books?” Molly asked, hoping there was good reasoning in his behavior.

  “The books.” Seth looked out the window, then to his wringing hands before he looked at her. “I don’t read.”

  “Don’t read?” she asked. The whole situation struck her as odd, but his admission even more so.

  “I mean I can read.” Seth laughed. “But don’t like to…read,” he finished on a quiet note. Seth was embarrassed by the admission and knew Molly would piece this together to figure out his weakness.

  “I don’t understand. If you don’t read, why keep coming in?” she asked. “Why all the books?”

  “Uh, look. I don’t like reading, it’s not my thing, never has been.” Seth paused, mustering up the courage. She was really going to make him say it. “I like…you,” he confessed, feeling the weight of his secret and insecurities finally lifting from his weighted shoulders.

  Molly’s head cocked, still confused by whatever was going on. “Me?”

  “You,” Seth emphasized. “I would come in to see…you.”

  Molly shook her head. He still wasn’t making any sense. He spent good money on these books. “Seth, but we talk books. You seemed…”

  “Interested?” he interrupted. “I was — am…in you. I would come in to ask you out and never quite got the courage. You would start talking about books, get so excited, and you were so passionate about it, so I just…bought them.”

  “That’s a lot of books. I’m not that great at sales.” She laughed.

  “I was there to see you. The books were just a means to see you, Molly.” He let out a deep sigh, feeling relieved to finally tell her what he had been wanting to tell her for months. “You took my breath away the first time I saw you. You were painting the storefront, covered in paint, days before opening. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since.”

  “Seth, that was nearly nine months ago,” Molly snorted, her face quickly turning serious when she realized he wasn’t kidding.

  “I know. I just thought I’d eventually get the nerve, and then…Evelyn,” he admitted. “I didn’t have to ask you out. Molly, I’ve spent the last nine months falling for you and I don’t think there’s anywhere else to fall. You’re always on my mind — morning, noon, and night. My best days are spent with you. When I’m not with you, I can’t stop thinking of you.”

  Molly sat expressionless. “Seth…I don’t know what to say.”

  Disappointment crept in as he anticipated what was to come. What Molly was about to say, and what she thought about his declaration. Seth tried to read her expression, but she wasn’t giving anything away.

  “I didn’t think — I didn’t know, Seth,” she said quietly, finding his eyes again with hers.

  This, Seth thought, is where it happens — where Molly says she isn’t looking for anything but friendship. This was the big letdown, so he braced himself for what she was about to say. Here was the friend-zone speech.

  “I didn’t think you wanted to date me. I thought this was just…it,” Molly went on. “I mean, we had fun, but I thought that was all it was for you,” she admitted.

  “You what? You just want to be friends, then…with benefits or something?” Seth’s tone was a little harsher than he intended, but it was the best he could do. He was about to get a broken heart.

  With her head shaking wildly, Molly corrected, “No. I wanted you too, Seth.”

  And there it was, the words he had been hoping for and thought he would never
get. “You…want me?”

  “I have been chasing something for years, looking in all the wrong places. Then there was you.” Molly smiled. “I’ve never had someone listen to me, protect me, care for me like you do. You wanted me for me. I thought what I saw in you was an image of what I wanted, not what I could have. I thought this was just about…Evelyn.” Molly’s words warmed Seth as much as they stung. The time they had wasted playing cat and mouse when they could have been something so much more was frustrating, but he would find a way to forgive himself for that later.

  Right now, he was going to kiss her, and he did. Long, hard, and full of new promise. For a man of few words, Seth had plenty to say tonight — but not nearly as much as this kiss spoke to her heart. He held her close with no intention of letting her go, and every intention of telling her what she needed to know more than anything else tonight.

  With her sweet face in his hands, Seth held her stare. “Molly, I lo—”

  Before Seth could finish his thought — his big emotional declaration — he was interrupted by Molly yanking him down. Headlights entered the parking lot, scanning for a place to park. Evelyn Shirley.

  CHAPTER 14

  Her timing really was incredible. It never ceased to amaze him. That woman ruined everything. Sitting low, peering over the ledge of the rear hatch, the couple watched Evelyn make her way to the rear entrance of Ben’s Brakes & BBQ. Evelyn paused at the door, sweeping the lot with a quick glance before stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

  Seth and Molly stalled for only a moment while surprise settled in. They actually caught her. They caught the elusive evil one…Evelyn freakin’ Shirley. The only thing they still needed to figure out was what they just caught her doing. Several minutes passed and Evelyn was still inside. It was time to move in. It was time to bury this once and for all.

  Seth stood at the rear entrance of Ben’s, back against the wall with Molly to his left. He checked the door and found his tape trick had held — another quick win for Seth and Molly. It seemed this was their night, and they were on a roll. They moved inside, their clandestine skills well-polished. Score three for team Seth and Molly!

  Muffled voices could be heard in the distance as they entered the building. One was male, one female — the rest, they couldn’t make out. Slowly moving toward the sound, the voices grew louder, nearly clear enough to understand when they suddenly stopped. Seth and Molly leaned flat-backed against the wall in a rear hallway, across from the bathrooms. They waited, hoping the silence wasn’t a sign they had been detected. If they had, there was a window in the bathroom across from them and Seth was prepared to launch Molly through it and take one for the team if needed.

  The storefront and dining area were at the opposite end of the hallway. It was dark and not likely where they were going to find their person of interest. The chatter had to be coming from the lit hallway only a few feet ahead. If memory served, Seth believed that hallway ran behind the dining and kitchen straight to Ben’s office. It also led to the double doors that opened to the shop where Ben serviced vehicles. The couple crept to the lit hall, checking for anyone in the open hall before rounding the corner. Not a soul could be seen, but a light cast along the area. It was coming from the office.

  “They must be in there, the office,” Seth whispered, barely audible.

  “This is it, isn’t it? We’re about to find out what she has on Ben!” Quiet excitement rushed through Molly. Revenge sat just a few feet away. “This is like one of those old organized crime movies where the mob boss collects tax for protection.”

  “It’s Evelyn,” Seth replied. “Pretty sure she’s collecting blackmail money, not offering protection.”

  Molly choked on a laugh, covering her mouth. They were too close to blow it now. When she struggled to tamp down the snorting, Seth took control of the situation by distracting her. With her back flat against the wall, Seth took her mouth and kissed her until she didn’t remember where they were or why. When he broke the kiss, Molly’s unsteady balance let him know his plan worked. No snorting laughs.

  Their excitement grew to a near giddy as they crept along the quiet hall nearing Ben’s office. Molly quickly grabbed Seth’s arm just before the door, stalling their effort ever so briefly so she could hand him her cellphone, camera ready to capture the big moment. She wanted to document the surprised look Evelyn was certain to display when she realized she was had. Seth nodded, and they moved in on Evelyn’s secret.

  Seth smiled and winked at Molly over his shoulder just before proceeding the final few feet to where all hell was about to break loose. The office door wasn’t completely closed, but still too much for them to get a good look inside.

  Dancing shadows and the shuffling sound of feet was all they had — nothing to snap a picture of. Seth gently opened the partially closed door to expose the view they were seeking. Side by side, anxiety was high, when they finally burst through the door.

  Seth began snapping as many pictures as his thumb could manage on the trigger. Pictures they wished they could unsee. Pictures that would haunt them for days to come. Pictures that told a much bigger story than either had anticipated. They caught Evelyn all right…in the passionate embrace of Ben, who was branding her as his — with his mouth. Ewww.

  Awareness among Ben and Evelyn dawdled because they were too consumed by each other to notice they weren’t alone. It was only when the loud gasps of surprise escaped the young couple that Ben noticed Seth and Molly out the corner of his eye. Ben went rigid, attracting Evelyn’s concerned attention. She followed Ben’s gaze, looking over her own shoulder, where she found Seth and Molly, stunned, watching the jaw-dropping sight. Crusty, cranky Evelyn Shirley was making out with Ben at the Brakes & BBQ. Score one for Evelyn — nobody saw that coming.

  “What on earth!” Evelyn shrieked, not missing the cellphone directed right at her.

  “W-W-We can ask the same thing!” Molly stuttered before finding her confidence to question Evelyn right back.

  “I beg your pardon, young lady!” Evelyn fired back, dark, soulless eyes pinned on Molly. “Well, start talking, you hooligans!”

  If this didn’t play out right, it was clear Molly would have to leave town. This woman was pissed.

  “You’ve been harassing Molly for months now on Facebook,” Seth started. “You have lied about her, smeared her name, and for no reason at all,” Seth defended Molly. She wasn’t in this alone. This was one encounter Molly got to win.

  A maniacal chuckle seethed through partially gritted teeth as Evelyn responded, “Please, I’ve only shared my findings, like I do about everyone!”

  “Lies, Evelyn,” Seth retorted. “You spread lies!”

  “So, Evelyn, we know you sneak out nearly every night after dark,” Molly said, finding her voice. “We know why now.”

  Molly abruptly took the cellphone from Seth and turned the screen toward Evelyn so she could see the picture Molly had Facebook ready. One click away from revenge, Molly said, “Lucky for Ben, your face is really the only one I managed to get in this shot, Evelyn.”

  Molly took pleasure in revealing her plan in such a way and sealed it with a wicked grin and ornery wink. Oh, this felt so good. Whoever said revenge wasn’t the answer to anything didn’t know Evelyn Shirley. Now, the guy who said paybacks are a bitch had it right. Molly was the payback bitch and loving it.

  “Well, I… I…” It seemed Evelyn was at a loss for words for a change. A lone tear streamed down her cheek. “I never meant to hurt anyone. I just…I don’t even have an excuse.”

  “Then why?” Molly almost felt bad for the old broad. Almost.

  “Well, I have buried two husbands in my life, but had three loves,” she admitted, turning to look at Ben, clearly the third love. “People deserve to know the truth about everything. I’m saving them…from fantasies and fairytales.”

  “Three loves?” Molly looked from Evelyn to Ben several times, waiting for her to elaborate. She started to assume this was one o
f those gut twisting stories that would make her feel guilty and change her mission. Man, she hoped not. She was one button push away from Facebook glory.

  Ben smiled sweetly at Evelyn, swiping the tears slowly dribbling. “Evelyn and I, we were sweethearts once upon a time. We planned a life, but the war happened. I was gone for a long while.” He looked to Evelyn again. “Too long. I came back, and Evelyn was married, had just had a child.”

  “Oh my,” Molly replied. Evelyn was a mother?

  “Since we’re sharing,” Evelyn snorted, finding it hard to be as sharp toned as she wanted. “My first husband and our son didn’t make it…” She paused. “They didn’t make it home to me one night. I was a young, childless widow.”

  Molly and Seth looked at each other, guilt settling in. This wasn’t going to end the way they wanted.

  “By then, Ben was married, had a family of his own.” Evelyn looked at Ben with a forced smile. “I was happy for him.” Evelyn patted Ben’s hand, that fake smile still intact.

  Not that treating people as horribly as Evelyn had was excusable, but Molly and Seth couldn’t help but understand. She was bitter, hardened…sad. Just when they thought they knew it all, Evelyn continued with her heartbreaking story. Of course, it was worse than they thought — much worse.

  “Then my Harvey came along,” Evelyn said, staring off. “We didn’t have any children, but we had each other. Those were some of the best years of my life. Then he passed suddenly, just a few years back. Age, they said. When you get to be our age, it seems there doesn’t have to be a reason to pass on and leave people behind. It just…happens.”

  And there it was. More guilt. Seth and Molly felt an inch tall. They wanted to believe this was all a hoax, a means to stay off Facebook, but not even Evelyn could be so low as to tell such a tear jerker. Evelyn Shirley was an asshole — but now they knew why.

  Ben picked up Evelyn’s story where she left off and filled in the blanks. “We were both widowed by then. We first rekindled a friendship, helped each other through the hard days.”