Secrets Kept

by Allie Everhart

  We find Henry in the back yard tending the smoker. I can already smell the ribs and it's making me hungry.

  "Gramps," Gavin says, holding my hand and leading me over to Henry. "I want you to meet someone."

  Henry is a nice looking man. Average height with a stocky build, white hair, and a neatly-trimmed white beard. He's wearing tan cargo shorts and a short-sleeved, light blue button-up shirt.

  "Welcome," he says, smiling at me. "Kate, correct?"

  "Yes. Nice to meet you."

  "I'd shake your hand but..." He holds his hands out, showing me the soot on them from the smoker.

  "That's fine."

  He nods behind me. "I've got drinks over there on the table if you'd like to help yourself."

  "I'll get it," Gavin says.

  "Give your grandpa a hug first," he orders.

  "Yes, Sir." Gavin smiles and gives him a hug. "So how've you been?"

  "Back's been bothering me but other than that I'm good." He takes the dishtowel that was over his shoulder and wipes the soot from his hands. "Met a lady friend."

  "You did?" Gavin asks as the three of us walk to the table. "When did this happen?"

  "Last week. At the shooting range." He pours some lemonade in a glass.

  Gavin chuckles. "You met a woman at the shooting range? You sure you want to date her?"

  "Hell, yes. A woman who knows how to shoot a gun? That's hard to find." He hands me a glass of lemonade. "You know how to shoot?"

  "Yes, but I haven't done it for a few years."

  Gavin looks at me. "You shoot guns?"

  "My dad was a cop. He taught me."

  "Oh. I guess that makes sense."

  Henry pours himself a glass of lemonade. "Gavin doesn't like guns. His dad told them they were bad. Brainwashed the kid."

  "He didn't brainwash me," Gavin says, grabbing a beer from the cooler. "Guns are dangerous. It's a fact."

  "They're only dangerous if you don't know how to use them, which is why your father should be promoting gun education instead of trying to take guns away from us."

  "Fewer guns means fewer lives lost."

  "Sounds just like his father," Henry says to me as he shakes his head. "You can argue about it all day with him. He'll never change his mind."

  "You want one?" Gavin holds up the bottle of beer to me.

  "Maybe later."

  "I'm having mine now since I have to drive later." He pops the cap off. "So Gramps, tell us more about this new girlfriend of yours."

  "I don't know that much about her yet. We're going out next week." He sits at the table across from where I just sat down. "You said your father's a cop?"

  "He was. He's not anymore."

  "Did he retire? Or was he hurt in the line of duty?"

  Gavin glances at me. "Gramps, maybe we could talk about something else."

  "It's okay," I tell him, then look at Henry. "My dad had a drinking problem so they let him go."

  "Oh." He nods. "Sorry to hear that."

  "He's a private investigator now. Has his own business."

  "And how about you? Are you pursing a career in criminal justice?"

  "No." I laugh a little at the thought of me being a cop. "Never even considered it. I work as a caterer."

  "She catered a dinner party Dad had at the house," Gavin says to Henry.

  "Was this one of his campaign events?" Henry's eyes dart to me. "Gavin's father doesn't talk to me, so half the time I don't know what he's up to."

  "Do we have to get into this right now?" Gavin swigs his beer. "I'm sure Kate doesn't want to hear about your feud with Dad."

  "It wouldn't be a feud if your father would stop being a jackass."

  I cough on the lemonade I was drinking. The way Henry said that just now was funny, but I disguise my laugh with a cough.

  "Just because he doesn't share your views doesn't make him a jackass," Gavin says. "Anyway, Kate was catering the event that night. That's how we met."

  Henry turns to me. "So you had to serve a roomful of rich snobs hoping their donations will get them favors from my son if he gets elected?"

  "Um—" I start but then Gavin interrupts.

  "It wasn't a campaign dinner. It was just a dinner party with some of his friends."

  "What friends? He doesn't have any friends, at least not any real ones. He left his real friends behind years ago, in favor of a bunch of rich people who don't give a shit about him. And he doesn't give a shit about them. He uses them just like they use him."

  "You don't know that," Gavin mutters, seeming annoyed.

  "Who was at the dinner?" Henry asks Gavin in an effort to prove his point. When Gavin doesn't answer, Henry asks me, "Did you know any of the people there?"

  "Not really. Except for that Kensington guy. The one who's on TV a lot."

  Gavin glances at me. Was I not supposed to say that? But his grandpa asked.

  "Pearce?" Henry says.

  "No. The older one."

  "Holton?" Henry laughs. "Well, there you go. Just proves my point. My son would never be friends with Holton Kensington. The man owns a damn chemical company. His manufacturing plants are known to pollute the water, the air. Goes against everything Niles stands for. Just being seen with Holton could harm his campaign." He looks at Gavin. "So what was Holton doing at your father's house?"

  "They're friends," he says. "Golf buddies. Whatever."

  "Since when?"

  Gavin shrugs. "I don't know. They probably got to be friends when I was away at college."

  Henry huffs. "They're not friends. Your father's getting something out of it. Or Holton is. They've got some kind of arrangement going."

  Gavin rolls his eyes. "Enough about Dad. Let's talk about something else."

  Gavin steers the conversation to school and his classes but my mind is still thinking about what Henry said. He's right. Why would Niles be friends with someone like Holton? And if they're not truly friends, then why was Holton there that night?

  Chapter Thirteen

  "So I'm guessing your grandfather's a Republican?" I joke as we're driving back.

  Gavin glances at me and smiles. "What gave you that idea?"

  "Pretty much everything he said."

  "Yeah, he doesn't hide his beliefs."

  "Is that why your dad and him don't talk much?"

  "That's part of it."

  "What's the other part?"

  "My grandpa doesn't approve of my dad's lifestyle. He thinks he's just trying to show off by having a big house and buying expensive cars. He always tells my dad that a man's worth isn't defined by material objects but by how he treats others. How he contributes to the world."

  "And what does your dad say?"

  "That he should be able to do both. Help others and have nice things."

  "What do you think?"

  "I can see both sides. I agree that buying stuff just to show off isn't good but I don't think that means you can't have nice things. If you have the money and you want those things, for yourself and not to prove something, then I think it's okay."

  "Do you agree with your grandpa? Do you think your dad buys stuff to impress other people?"

  "Yeah. Definitely. But I understand why. He has a chip on his shoulder because he grew up poor and feels the need to prove that he's made it."

  "Still? Even after being governor? I think everyone knows he's made it. He doesn't have to prove anything."

  "It becomes an addiction. You get nice stuff but then hang out with people who have even nicer stuff and then you want more. It's like this never ending game to keep up. And my mom is used to always having the best so she spends even more than my dad."

  "Does your grandpa like your mom?"

  "No but they pretend to get along in the rare times they see each other."

  "Do you guys have holidays together?"

  "No. My grandpa refuses to go to our house and be served by hired help, and my parents refuse to go to my grandpa's house and eat whatever he cooks, so we just don't h
ave holidays together. We did when my grandma was alive. She was the peacekeeper. But now? My dad and grandpa are too stubborn to come to any kind of agreement."

  "That's too bad."

  "Yeah, it is. And I get stuck in the middle. I want to see my grandpa on Christmas but I feel guilty if I don't spend the holidays with my parents."

  Gavin's phone rings and he answers it through the car. "Hey, did we forget something?"

  "No." Henry's voice rings through the speakers. "Just wanted to see if she liked the ribs."

  Gavin smiles at me. "She loved them. Hasn't stopped talking about them since we left."

  It's not entirely true. I haven't talked about them but I did love the ribs. I loved them so much I ate too much and stuffed myself. But Henry somehow still managed to convince me to eat his rhubarb cobbler, which was delicious.

  "She's a nice girl," Henry says. "Polite. Has a good head on her shoulders. And she's pretty. Can't ask for much more."

  "Yeah, she's great." Gavin smiles at me.

  "She's a keeper. Hell of a lot better than Leighton. All that girl wanted is a rich husband."

  Gavin clears his throat. "Gramps, can we talk later? I'm in the car with Kate. We're not home yet."

  "Oh, okay. We'll talk later. Tell Kate I said hello and that I hope to see her again."

  "I will. Talk to you soon." Gavin ends the call and says to me, "Well, you impressed him, which has never happened."

  "I'm sure he's liked other girls you've dated."

  "I don't let him meet many of the girls I've dated. And the few he's met he hasn't liked."

  "Why not?"

  "Because they were like Leighton. Rich and demanding and only interested in a guy for his money or earning potential."

  "You've never dated a girl who's not like that?"

  "Not until now. It's not like I went out of my way to date girls like Leighton. I've just always been surrounded by them so it's all I knew."

  "And then you met me and decided to try someone different than what you're used to?"

  "I wasn't thinking about that when I met you." He looks at me as we sit at a stoplight.

  "Then what were you thinking about?"

  "I was wondering why you were crying and how I could help."

  "And then you decided to ask me out?"

  "No. I decided that when I saw you serving at the party. I was determined to find you and ask you out. But I wasn't thinking about that when I found you crying. It was only after you were feeling better that I decided to make a move."

  I laugh. "You didn't really make a move."

  "I asked you to dinner. That could be considered making a move, or at least the first step in making a move. And I've made many moves since then."

  "True."

  "I might make another one tonight if you invite me upstairs." He parks in front of my building.

  "Hmm. I don't know. We've been together a lot this week. I might need a break."

  "Shit, really?" He sounds hurt. "You should've said something. I didn't mean to take up all your time."

  "You didn't." I lean over and give him a kiss. "I was just kidding." I open my door. "C'mon. Let's go. I want to see what new moves you've got tonight."

  "New ones?" he asks, catching up to me as I walk to the door. "You don't like the old ones?"

  "I like the old ones. New or old. Either works for me. Just hurry up."

  We walk into the lobby and to the elevators.

  "Why are we hurrying?" Gavin asks as we go into the elevator.

  "Because I've wanted you to make a move all day but you couldn't with your grandpa there." We go inside the elevator.

  "That's why we had to leave." He backs me against the elevator wall and kisses me.

  "You shouldn't do that in here," I tell him.

  "Why not? It's just us."

  "I know but someone might get on."

  He turns around and pushes the stop button on the elevator, causing it to come to a sudden halt.

  "What are you doing?" I ask.

  "Making a move."

  "You already did. Now c'mon. We'll finish this upstairs."

  A sly grin creeps up his cheeks. "You ever done it in an elevator?"

  "No, and I don't plan to."

  "Why not?" He kisses my neck as he slowly lifts my dress up to my waist.

  "Gavin, stop. What if we get in trouble?"

  "We won't get in trouble. People can use the other elevator."

  "But—"

  His lips stop me, his tongue going in my mouth, his fingers sliding under my panties.

  This is wrong. Doing this in the elevator? And yet it's hot. Naughty. Forbidden. Something I never thought I'd do. I can't believe Gavin would do it. He keeps surprising me with stuff like this. Letting his bad boy side out.

  "Gavin," I say, attempting to protest when he lifts me up against the wall. But I don't protest enough to stop him, because I really don't want him to stop, which is why I'm frantically undoing his pants as he kisses me. Once he's free I slip on the condom he gave me.

  "We're not really doing this, are we?"

  He thrusts inside me and I suck in a breath, still not believing this is happening but loving that it is. I grab hold of him and we do it. Right there in the elevator. We're both so hot for each other that it doesn't take long for us to finish. And just as we do, a loud buzzing noise rings from the elevator. Gavin pushes the start button then quickly puts his pants back together as I fix my dress.

  The elevator goes up a floor then stops. The doors open and my neighbor gets on. Mrs. Flandry. She's in her seventies and has three cats.

  "Hello, Kate," she says, smiling at me.

  "Hi." I give her a quick wave. I hope my face isn't red but I'm sure it is.

  "Excuse us," Gavin says to her as he pulls me out of the elevator. I'm so out of it, I didn't even realize we were on my floor.

  "I can't believe we just did that," I whisper to Gavin as we walk down the hall.

  "Why?" He stops at my door.

  "Because that's something people do in movies, not real life."

  "I bet it happens more than you think it does."

  "Have you done it before?" I'm still whispering.

  "No. And I didn't think I would."

  "Then why did you?"

  "I like to live in the moment, and at the moment, it felt like something we should do. But I wouldn't have done it if you'd told me not to."

  "I did tell you not to."

  He smiles. "By yanking my belt off? Undoing my pants?"

  I laugh. "Okay, maybe I wanted to but it was still risky. I've never done something like that."

  "Well, now you can say you did." He gives me a kiss, then opens my door and we go inside.

  He's so nonchalant about the elevator thing. I'm still freaking out. What if there were cameras in there? What if someone saw us?

  Oh, well. If they did, it's too late now. And I did enjoy myself, more than I thought I would. It makes me like Gavin even more knowing he's got that spontaneous, live-in-the-moment side to him.

  "Can I use your bathroom?" he asks.

  "Sure, and you don't have to ask."

  Moments later, we meet up in the kitchen. Megan appears with her laptop and sits on the couch.

  "Did you guys have a good day?" she asks.

  "It was great," I say, opening the fridge. "The ribs were delicious. And Henry made his own baked beans and a rhubarb cobbler. He really knows how to cook."

  "He learned to cook in the army," Gavin says. "He didn't cook much when my grandma was alive but the past few years he's been getting back into it. He likes watching those cooking shows."

  "If he ever needs anyone to taste-test his food, I'm game," Megan says.

  "We'll bring you along next time," Gavin says.

  I hand him a soda. "I thought you didn't go up there much."

  "I didn't before but I will now that I live here. He loves cooking for people. He'd be happy if I brought more people to feed. We'll bring Decker too," he says
, directing his comment at Megan. He walks over to her. "You two are still going out, right?"

  She stops typing on her laptop and her eyes shoot to Gavin. "He said we're going out?"

  Gavin glances at me. "Oh, um, I didn't actually talk to him about it. I just assumed you two were dating."

  "Not really." Megan says it like she doesn't care if they're going out or not, even though I know she does. She really likes Decker.

  "You spend a lot of time with him," I say, going over to stand by Gavin. "I'd say you're going out."

  "We're just friends." She starts typing again.

  "Do you want me to ask him?" Gavin says. "Just to be sure?"

  "No!" Megan shouts, then cringes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just don't want you asking him that."

  "But don't you want to know?" He sits down on the chair that's next to the couch.

  "I already know," she says, furiously typing on her keyboard. There's no way she's typing for real. It's too fast.

  "He could ask just to be sure," I say. "Maybe Decker thinks you're more than friends. Wouldn't you want to know that?"

  "No." Her fingers plunk harder on the keys. "I'm not looking for a relationship, so even if he wanted to be more than friends, it wouldn't work. I'm moving as soon as I get a job."

  "You could date long distance," Gavin says to Megan as he pulls me down on his lap.

  She shakes her head. "That never works."

  "You don't have a job yet so why don't you just date him?" I ask.

  "Maybe we could all go out sometime," Gavin says. "I'll talk to Decker about it."

  Megan stands up, holding her laptop. "Would you two stop playing matchmaker? Decker and I are friends. That's it!" She huffs and storms off to her room.

  "I think she's in love," Gavin says when she's gone.

  I laugh. "Totally. I was just about to say the same thing."

  "What's wrong with you girls? Why do deny liking a guy when you really do?"

  "Guys do the same thing."

  "No we don't. If we like a girl, we tell her, or we make it clear some other way, like texting or calling the girl repeatedly until she finally agrees to go out with us."

  "You didn't do that with me."

  "I didn't have to. You agreed to go out with me the night we met."

  "You kind of forced me into it."

  "I didn't force you. I asked you to dinner. You could've said no."