Secrets Kept

by Allie Everhart

  "Yeah, I know. But you'll still come over when you're done, right?"

  "Maybe you should come over here. It's gonna be loud on your floor when everyone gets back from drinking."

  "You're right. I'll meet you here instead." His lips brush against my neck. "We'll resume where we left off."

  "Sounds good." I kiss him, then get out of bed.

  "Hey, get back here."

  "I have to go or I'll be late."

  "I'm gonna head out while you're in the shower so I need to say goodbye now." He pulls me down to him and kisses me. "Love you."

  "Love you too." I smile every time I say that. And every time I hear it.

  Two hours later, I'm at the Bishop mansion, walking around with a tray of shrimp. It's strange to be back as a server after being here for lunch. I haven't seen Celeste yet tonight but I saw Niles just briefly before he disappeared into the dining room where some men were talking.

  Tonight everyone is scattered around the expansive living room that's just off the foyer. The Bishops hired a man to play the grand piano and the sound echoes off the high ceilings, making it hard for people to hear each other. I'm guessing that's why groups of men keep stepping into the dining room to talk. The women remain in the living room, mingling with glasses of wine in their hands.

  "Would you like some shrimp?" I ask a tall older woman with sleek white hair.

  "No, thank you, dear," she says, waving me away. "I'm watching my figure."

  She doesn't need to watch her weight. She's stick thin, like every other woman here.

  It's a slow night. I've been walking around with this tray for almost an hour and still haven't gotten rid of the shrimp.

  I go up to Mia, who's holding a tray of miniature pastries that have barely been touched. "Why isn't anyone eating tonight?"

  "Beats me." She starts to yawn but then stops herself.

  "I know. I'm tired too."

  Her lips turn up. "Gavin keep you up all night?"

  "Shhh." I look around. "I don't want his parents to hear."

  "Like they don't know you're getting it on with their son?" She snickers.

  "Mia!" I whisper. "Stop talking about him."

  "So where is he tonight?" she asks, ignoring my request. "I thought he'd be here."

  "He went to a party with the guys on his floor. He hasn't been spending much time with them so he thought he should go."

  She nudges me. "Put your game face on. The ice queen is coming this way."

  I turn and see Celeste walking toward us wearing a silky white evening gown that drapes over her svelte body and swishes on the floor as she steps quickly and purposefully in her high heels.

  I'm already feeling nervous and she hasn't even spoken to me yet. I was hoping to avoid her tonight but I guess that's not happening.

  "Kate." She stops right in front of me, showing off her phony smile. "Could I have a word?"

  My nerves are on edge and I can hear how fast I'm breathing. I'm sure Celeste can too. I'm giving her the upper hand, which I shouldn't do. I shouldn't let her intimidate me. I'm dating her son, who I may be spending the rest of my life with. If so, Celeste may be my mother-in-law someday, which means I need to learn to get along with her. But just being around her freaks me out. Despite telling myself to be strong, I still find her intimidating.

  "I better get back to work," Mia says, taking off with her tray.

  Damn her. Just when I need her, she leaves.

  "Is there an issue with the shrimp?" I ask Celeste, wishing that was the reason she wanted to talk. A problem with the shrimp is easy to fix. A problem she has with her son and me dating is not.

  She points to my tray. "Perhaps you could put that down."

  I locate a tray stand just a few feet away and go set the tray there, then return to Celeste.

  "Let's step aside." She grabs hold of my elbow and leads me down a narrow hallway, stopping at the end.

  We're alone. Just the two of us. Sure, there's a roomful of people just down the hall but I doubt any of them would help me if I needed it.

  What am I thinking? Celeste isn't going to hurt me. She's so skinny she'd probably break a bone if she even tried. I'm being ridiculous. This is Gavin's mother, for crying out loud. And I love Gavin, so how bad could his mother possibly be? She raised him, after all.

  I straighten my posture and look her in the eye. "What is it, Mrs. Bishop?"

  She pauses and I prepare for the worst. She's going to tell me to stop dating her son, or else. I'm not sure what the 'or else' is but I'm sure it's not good. She has money, and money is power. And I get the feeling she uses that power to get what she wants.

  "It's about Gavin," she says.

  I brace myself, waiting for it. The warning. Ultimatum. Whatever it is she's going to use to keep me away from her son.

  "What about him?" I ask, my voice breathy and higher than normal.

  She sighs. "Gavin's birthday is coming up and I'm struggling to figure out what to do for it."

  That's it? That's why she pulled me aside? I let out the breath I was holding and force myself to relax.

  "I'm sure anything you plan will be fine," I say.

  "It has to be more than fine. I want the party to be something he'll enjoy and remember."

  "Well, what did you do last year?"

  "We didn't see him. He spent his birthday with Leighton. They went to New York for the weekend."

  So he took his girlfriend on a romantic trip to New York, just like he did with me. Why does that make my stomach queasy? It shouldn't. It doesn't mean anything. It's the past and he lived close to the city so it makes sense he took her there.

  "For his gift last year," Celeste continues, "Niles and I paid for Gavin to go on a trip during his winter holiday. He and Leighton went to France for three weeks. Leighton has friends there. She studied in Paris for a semester during her freshman year."

  I finally get what she's doing. She didn't take me aside to ask my opinion on what to do for Gavin's birthday. She took me aside to remind me what type of girl her son typically dates. The type of girl he should date, which is clearly not me, according to Celeste.

  "I'm sure Gavin would appreciate just a small party here at the house," I say, ignoring her references to Leighton. "Maybe invite some of his friends from Moorhurst. I'd be happy to help you organize it."

  "And what do you know about planning parties?" She smirks and looks down at my uniform. "You're a server."

  "I know how to plan a party," I say, trying not to show my anger. "I could even do the cooking." I set my eyes on hers. "Gavin loves my cooking."

  She stares back at me. "Or maybe he just says he does in order to get what he wants."

  My anger is now boiling over at her insinuation, but I take a breath and say, "Mrs. Bishop, if you have something you want to say to me, then just say it."

  She cracks a condescending smile. "Your comment just proves how little you know about our world. Gavin's world."

  "Meaning what?" I ask in a biting tone, not able to hide my anger.

  "Proper etiquette dictates that one does not just blurt out whatever thoughts enter one's head, especially if those thoughts could be considered unpleasant."

  She sounds like someone out of the Victorian era. If these rich people could only hear how ridiculous they sound when they talk like this.

  "Mrs. Bishop, I know you don't like me. But Gavin does. And despite our differences, we're happy together. So I'd appreciate it if you'd leave us alone."

  My comment doesn't faze her. She remains completely calm, that rude smile still on her face. "Gavin liked Leighton as well. In fact, he loved her. He planned to marry her." She pauses. "And perhaps he still will."

  I clear my throat. "Are we done here?"

  She lets out a laugh. "Oh, my dear Kate. We are most certainly not done." She motions to my uniform. "Go. Continue with your serving duties. And get rid of the shrimp. It's been out too long." She turns and walks away.

  Guess I'm not surprised
by our little chat. I knew it was coming, and actually I thought it'd be worse.

  I really don't care that she doesn't like me, and I don't take it personally. Her only reason for not liking me is because I don't have money but she'll have to get over that. Gavin and I love each other and there's nothing she can say or do that will change that.

  Back in the living room, I find my tray and take it to the kitchen. As I'm dumping the shrimp, I see Niles walking in.

  "Kate." He smiles at me. A real smile, like he's actually happy to see me.

  "Hi, Mr. Bishop." I set my tray down.

  He walks over to me. "Please...call me Niles. There's no need to be formal. The way Gavin talks about you, it sounds like you might be part of our family someday."

  Did Gavin really tell him that or is Niles making assumptions? I can't imagine Gavin telling his parents we might get married someday but maybe he did. Maybe that's why Celeste is so angry at me.

  "I don't know about that," I say. "We haven't dated that long."

  "So you haven't talked about it?" Niles leans back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest, still smiling.

  "Not really," I say, not wanting to say much until I know for sure what Gavin told his parents about us.

  "Well," Niles continues, "I must say, you've captured Gavin's heart. I haven't seen him this smitten with a girl since Leighton. After they broke up, I thought he'd need at least a year to get over her, and then suddenly he meets you and...well, I must say I'm surprised at how quickly he moved on."

  Here we go with Leighton again. Do his parents not know you're not supposed to bring up the ex? Obviously, Celeste intentionally did it because she hates me, but I think Niles actually likes me so he shouldn't be talking about Gavin's ex-girlfriend.

  As if he could hear my thoughts, he says, "Pardon me. I shouldn't be talking about Leighton with you. It's just that she was such a big part of our lives for so long that sometimes I can't help myself."

  "It's fine." It's really not, but at least he recognized it and sort of apologized.

  "For what it's worth, I think you're a lovely girl. I see why you caught Gavin's attention."

  "Thanks," I say, then realize it sounds stupid. What am I thanking him for? I glance over at the tray of spinach-filled pastries that's next to the oven. "I should get back to work."

  "Of course." He unfolds his arms and steps away from the counter. He turns to leave but then stops. "Oh, and don't worry about Celeste. It takes her a while to warm up to people."

  I nod and give him a smile, then go to get the tray of appetizers.

  Niles leaves and I feel somewhat relieved by the fact that I'm not completely hated by Gavin's parents. At least his dad likes me. I didn't expect that. I thought Niles would hate me as much as Celeste does. But he didn't grow up around wealth so maybe that's why he's more open to accepting my relationship with Gavin.

  Whatever the reason, I'm just glad I have someone on my side. I'm going to need that in order to survive whatever Celeste has planned for me.

  I don't trust her. But at least I can trust Niles.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Any leftover shrimp?" I hear a familiar voice ask. Then I feel his arms go around my waist and his lips on my neck.

  I smile and look back to see Gavin behind me. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the party."

  "I was there a couple hours. That's long enough." He turns me around, keeping me in his arms, and kisses me.

  "We're not supposed to do that in the kitchen."

  "Says who?"

  "Carol. If she caught us, she'd probably fire me. "

  "She can't fire you. She works for my parents, so if I tell her I want to kiss you, she has to go along with it."

  "Not if it makes your mom mad. I don't think she'd be too happy seeing us make out in her kitchen."

  "She doesn't care. The fact that I'm here means she gets to see her son."

  "Have you seen her tonight?"

  "I saw her just now on my way to the kitchen."

  "Does she know you drove all the way here to see me?"

  "I didn't come out and say that but I'm sure she knows that's the reason. I don't normally drive over an hour on a weeknight to see my parents."

  "And what did she say? I mean, when she saw you here?"

  He laughs a little. "I don't know. I can't remember. Why all the questions about my mom?"

  I shrug. "No reason."

  "Did my mom say something to you?"

  "Um, no." I glance away. "Not really."

  "Kate." He waits for my eyes to return to his. "Tell me what she said. Was it about us?"

  "Gavin, there you are. I—" Celeste stops mid-sentence when she sees me in Gavin's arms. "Oh. I'm terribly sorry. I thought you came in here to get a soda."

  "I did." He lets me go and turns to her. "But I also came to find Kate."

  She forces out a smile. "You two are so darling together. Can't spend a minute apart. I was just telling Kate what a lovely girl she is and how I'm so happy the two of you are together."

  Lies. Nothing but lies. I want to call her out on her lying but that would just make Celeste hate me even more.

  "We are happy," Gavin says, pulling me into his side. He kisses my head. "Kate's made me happier than I can even describe."

  His mom coughs a little. "My throat seems to have a little tickle. I think I need some water."

  "I'll get it." Gavin takes a glass from the cupboard behind me as Celeste glares at me. I glare right back.

  "Here you go," Gavin says, handing her the water.

  "Thank you." She takes a sip of it, then sets it down and waves him over to her. "Come, Gavin. I want to introduce you to Mr. Cavenaugh. He's a friend of your father's and a major contributor to the campaign."

  "I'm not really here to work tonight."

  "Politics never takes a day off, Gavin. You know that better than anyone. Now would you come with me, please?"

  "Go ahead," I tell him. "I have to get back to work anyway."

  He gives me a quick kiss. "I'll come find you later." And then he takes off with his mom.

  When Gavin asked me what his mom said, I never answered, which means there's a chance he'll ask me again. If he does, what do I say? I don't want to start a war between his mom and him. Maybe it's best if I just keep quiet. Besides, Niles knows his wife is giving me a hard time. Maybe he can convince her to back off and be nice to me.

  "Kate, you need to get those pastries out there, pronto," Carol says, racing past me.

  "Yeah, I'm going," I say, picking up my tray.

  Luckily, tonight is just a cocktail party. It's going on longer than it was supposed to but at least it's not followed by a dinner. In another hour, I'll be able to go home and take a hot shower. With Gavin. My mind wanders to an image of that.

  "What is taking so long?" I hear Carol's voice and snap out of my dreamy state to find her standing next to me, her hands on her hips. "Is this because Gavin showed up? You're too flustered to work now?"

  "No. Of course not." I hurry to finish transferring the pastries from the baking sheet to the tray. "See? Done." I hold the tray up to her.

  She rolls her eyes. "This is why you never mix business with pleasure. The business side always suffers."

  "Sorry. I'll get out there." I try to go around her but she stops me and takes my tray.

  "I'll have Mia do it. You're too out of it to serve the guests. I don't want you spilling on someone, or worse, spilling on the furniture. Celeste has warned me repeatedly that I'll be paying for any damages to the house or the furnishings."

  "What a bitch," I mutter, then quickly cover my mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that out loud."

  Carol's lips tilt up just the slightest bit, but then her serious look returns and her posture straightens. "We need more ice. Can you go to the pool house and get some? There's a bag in the freezer."

  "Sure."

  Carol adjusts the tray in her hand, then quickly walks out of the kit
chen to the party.

  I seriously need to get it together. If I keep letting myself get distracted by Gavin, I'm going to lose my job. Good thing Carol is in a decent mood today. Normally she'd scold me for daydreaming. She didn't even scold me for calling Celeste a bitch, probably because she agrees with me.

  It's a chilly night and I shiver a little as I make my way to the pool house. It's a long walk. I have to go all the way around the pool, then follow a long sidewalk to the small house. There are lights on the outside of it but they aren't turned on so it's hard to see. I find the door handle and once I'm inside I flip on the lights, both interior and exterior, but find that the exterior ones are burnt out. Great. I'll probably trip trying to carry the bag of ice back to the house. At least the patio lights are on, helping to light some of the path.

  I find the twenty-pound bag in the freezer and yank it out, then walk back to the door and turn the lights off.

  "Stand back," I hear a man say as I come out the door. I freeze, not sure if he's talking to me or someone else.

  I'm about to ask but then hear another man speaking. "You lied to me." He sounds drunk, his words slurred. "You said I wouldn't get caught. And now they're after me."

  "I told you, we'll deal with it," the other man says. He sounds familiar but I'm not sure who it is. As a server, I overhear so many conversations that it's impossible to identify who's talking.

  "You said that last time!" the drunk guy yells. "You said you'd take care of it but you didn't!" I see a shadow in the distance, the man stumbling forward. "You lied! All of you! You rich fucking bastards!"

  "Quiet!" the other man says. I see his shadow stepping up to the man. "You knew the rules. Why didn't you follow the goddamn rules?"

  "What rules?" The man scratches his head, his movements rapid and fidgety, like he's on something. "I don't know what that means."

  "It means you made a mistake by coming here tonight. What were you thinking, coming to my house? Interrupting my party? My guests?"

  His house? So the mystery man is Niles? Now that I think about it, it does kind of sound like him.

  "No!" I hear the drunk man say as he stumbles back, putting his hands up. "Mr. Bishop, please, I didn't mean to—"