Uncovering Love

by Kacey Shea

  “HELLO, CAN I HELP YOU find anything specific?”

  We had just walked into Restoration Decor & More and were browsing through the storefront when a small Asian woman approached us. She had jet black hair cut into a stylish medium length cut with layers framing her face. She wore a simple black dress that accentuated her delicate frame. Her dark eyes were calculating, though, as if she already knew we hadn’t stopped in the store to shop.

  Jon handed her a business card and introduced us. “Hello. My name is Jonathan Beltran and this is my partner, Evelyn Harper. Are you the shop owner?”

  “Yes, I’m Sunny Lee, and this is my store.”

  “We would like to ask you a few questions if you have some time.” She returned Jon’s friendly look with a suspicious one of her own. I smiled and tried to ease her apprehension.

  “We would really appreciate just a few minutes of your time. We have been contracted to look into the shop owner next door, Harold Blackman. I promise we will be brief.”

  She still looked skeptical but conceded, “Okay, but if a customer comes in I will need to attend to them.”

  “Of course.”

  “Why don’t we sit over here?” She motioned for us to sit at a large wooden table with distressed white legs and a dark brown stained top. We each took one of the six matching chairs, Jon and I on one side and Sunny across from us.

  Jon pulled a notepad and pencil from his back pocket. Nice move. I needed to get one of those. It made him appear much more official. Jon took the lead on questioning.

  “Okay, let’s start with the basics. How well do you know Harold Blackman?”

  “Well, we’ve had neighboring shops since I opened here almost three years ago. Besides waving to him or sometimes talking with his daughters, I don’t know him at all.”

  “You said you speak with the girls from time to time. Can you tell me more about that?”

  “Yes. Elena loves to come in and look at the latest stock items. Sometimes she spends the afternoon in her father’s store doing homework and comes over when she is finished. She is interested in interior decorating and has a good eye for it. I enjoy our little talks. She is such a sweet and kind girl, despite what she’s been through this past year.”

  “You are referring to the divorce?” Jon clarified.

  “Yes, if you can even call it that. More like a full out war since that whore of a woman decided to walk out on her marriage!” At my raised eyebrows she continued.

  “I’m sorry, but I have no tolerance for that type of behavior. You choose to make a commitment to someone, become a mother and bring children into the world, those are all promises made between your spouse and God. You cannot just walk away from it when life becomes difficult! What kind of person does that? Not a good one, I tell you.”

  Okay, then. I guess we knew her stance on infidelity. Sunny and Harold were a perfect match in that regard.

  “And you think Mrs. Blackman walked away from her marriage because it was difficult?” Jon prompted.

  Sunny thought for a moment before answering. “From what I have seen, which has been very little, mind you, Harold is not an easy person to get along with. He likes order and routine, and I think Jolene was a bit too artistic and free spirited to fit into that mold.” She leaned forward and lowered her voice, despite that we were the only three people in the store.

  “I used to hear them arguing behind the store. I wasn’t trying to be nosy, but they were very loud and my store is so quiet.” She paused briefly to make sure we understood. We both nodded, encouraging her on.

  “Jolene wanted to be more adventurous . . . in the bedroom. Things I cannot dream of, let alone speak of out loud, and Harold refused her. Countless times, if what I overheard was true. Jolene apparently took that as an invitation to satisfy her urges elsewhere.” She shook her head and made a sound of disgust.

  “A mother with two impressionable daughters has no excuse for that kind of behavior. I’m just glad she is out of the picture now. Elena seems much happier since her mother moved away. Elena and Violet witnessed more arguments between their parents than any child should have to. Their mother didn’t even try to hide her promiscuous sex life from her daughters. In fact, she boasted to them about it. Disgraceful.”

  “What about the older child, Violet? Do you ever speak with her?” I asked.

  Sunny shook her head sadly, “No. I pray she will not follow in her mother’s ways, but I fear that has already happened.”

  “What do you mean by that? Have you seen something or has Elena said anything?” Jon questioned.

  “It’s only my suspicion. That girl has too much freedom and no mother to look after her. I’ve seen the way she speaks to her father and sister, and I can only assume she will follow a path similar to her mother.”

  At that moment a bell chimed and an elderly couple walked inside the store.

  “If you’ll please excuse me, I must get back to work now.”

  “Yes. Thank you so much for your time, Miss Lee.” I stood and extended my hand to shake hers; Jon did the same.

  “If anything else comes to mind that you think would be helpful in our investigation, please give us a call.” Jon added.

  Sunny narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips in question. “What exactly are you investigating?”

  Jon answered, “We were contracted to look into the current safety and emotional environment of the girls. Our client has chosen not to be mentioned. Thank you again for your time.”

  We exited the building and walked to my parked car before speaking. Jon unlocked the doors and we both slid inside.

  “Well, that was basically a dead end.” Jon started my car and I nodded.

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t seem as though she hates Harold, so that’s a good sign, right?”

  “I guess, but I hate this matchmaker shit. It seems she doesn’t tolerate infidelity or skipping out on marriage, so maybe that will suffice.”

  My phone vibrated in my hands and I looked down to see I had a text.

  Tate: I’m missing my favorite client today.

  I smiled. As much as I enjoyed being free from PT, I had been pushing thoughts of Tate from my head all day. Jon’s comment earlier was really bothering me. I shouldn’t care if he was gay or straight, and with anyone else I couldn’t have cared less. So, why was the thought of him batting for the other team causing me disappointment?

  Evie: I didn’t know you trained Channing Tatum???

  Tate: Haha! See, no one else has made me smile all morning but you just did.

  Evie: But seriously, back to Channing. Hook a sister up?

  Tate: Now you’re just hurting my feelings.

  Jon watched me intently so I slid my phone back into my purse. It was tempting to spend the entire car ride texting Tate. “So what’s our next move, McGyver?”

  “Well, I say we grab lunch and decide our next move. I want to tail Violet again after school to see if I can figure out what the hell she’s up to. We probably need to interview Blackman again too. Together this time, to see if there are any leads we missed the first time.”

  “Okay, sounds good to me, but I need to be back before five. I’m going over to Melissa and Drew’s tonight to babysit. I’ve gotta get my baby fix in; it’s been over a week.” I smiled just thinking about my adorable niece. It seemed she was changing every week and I loved that I was able to be a part of it. I was nowhere ready to be a mom myself. Hell, I didn’t even have a job or a boyfriend so it was probably going to be a while, but I loved being Auntie Evie. It was especially satisfying to give her back at the end of the night and sleep comfortably in my own bed without interruption.

  “Okay, let’s grub then I’ll drop you back at the apartment.”

  “Just go already. I’ve got this!”

  My sister had given me the rundown of Claire’s evening routine for the fourth time. She was a little overprotective. Not to say I couldn’t blame her. Claire was the most precious baby I had ever laid eyes on. Sure, I w
as biased, but even if I wasn’t her aunt, I’d still think she was beautiful.

  “Okay, babe, that’s enough. Evie has everything under control and we’re almost late for our reservation.” Drew came into the room, stepping behind my sister and wrapping his arms tightly around her slim waist. They were the cutest couple. He winked at me and then kissed her cheek sweetly, making Melissa blush. “Enough, you animals! Get a room already!” I joked and Melissa rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, okay, I’m ready.” Melissa leaned down to kiss Claire, who was playing contently with a plastic toy in my arms. “Be good for your Auntie, sweet girl.”

  Drew leaned down to kiss the top of Claire’s head and then mine before following Melissa out the door. “Stay out of trouble, you two!” he called out before closing and locking the door behind them.

  I spent the next two hours feeding, bathing, playing, and finally rocking my sweet niece. This was the moment I looked forward to most. She was cuddled up across my chest, her head over my shoulder and turned into my neck. One arm was wrapped tightly around my neck, the other tucked into the crook between my body and arm. I swayed the chair back and forth with my feet. Her breathing started to slow to a more rhythmic pace and I knew she was moments away from being out for the night. I cherished these sweet moments the most.

  In these quiet moments I knew someday I wanted this for myself. To be a mother and rock my own child to sleep each night would be the greatest blessing. An image of Tate holding a small child, tucked gently in his strong, muscular, tattooed arms flashed in my mind. Okay, wow, where did that come from? I thought back to the way he interacted with his nephews. He was gentle but authoritative. Kind and loving in his words and actions towards Eli and Ezra, yet they weren’t running the show.

  That he was good looking, funny, kind, and good with kids was . . . well, it was a complete turn on. I had never been one to feel a biological clock tick, but Tate had somehow caused my baby fever to spike. He was sexy as fuck, and I was suddenly uncomfortable having these thoughts with my sleeping niece propped on my shoulder. Not that she could hear or understand what I was thinking, but I suddenly felt too hot just thinking about him.

  I lay Claire in her crib and crept out of her room. I walked downstairs to the living room and then to the kitchen, cleaning up the few cluttered items I found along the way. I poured myself a glass of water and grabbed a box of crackers from the pantry. I pulled my phone from my purse and took a seat at the table, prepared to entertain myself until my sister and brother-in-law returned.

  I checked my text messages first. My most recent ones from Jonathan had me smiling as I scrolled through.

  Jon: Another night following twinkle toes. She’s back at the dance studio.

  Jon: I’m bored.

  Jon: QT! Send me something funny.

  Jon: I’m caught in my own personal hell. An episode of Dance Moms, the parking lot version.

  Jon: Just talked with Stacey, she’s been harassing my phone all day.

  Jon: I told her we’d have a full report by Monday.

  Jon: She’s a pain in the ass.

  Jon: Swan princess left the dance studio and went straight home to the apartment again. I set up a meeting with Blackman for tomorrow morning at nine. That work for you?

  The last text was sent only a few minutes ago, so I replied letting him know tomorrow morning worked. I was eager to meet Mr. Blackman after everything I had heard about him from Jon and especially after meeting his love interest, Sunny Lee. I don’t know why, but I hoped there could be a connection between the two. Sunny was a little hard around the edges but she obviously cared for his girls, and it seemed he could use a companion in life.

  I clicked over to see if I had any other unread messages. I was secretly hoping to hear from a certain personal trainer. I had a few from Tate.

  Tate: Looking forward to seeing my second favorite client tomorrow.

  Tate: Channing booked an early morning appointment, sorry.

  I smiled and shook my head. He was such a dork, but I loved it. Oh shit! I stared blankly at my phone as a stream of emotions flooded my mind all at once. I was falling for him. Crap, crap, crap! This was bad, very bad. What the hell was wrong with me, investigating for our first client and I fall for the one guy I’m not supposed to? A deep feeling of dread came over me. I wanted to throw up.

  At that exact moment my sister and Drew unlocked the kitchen door and came in from their evening out. They were talking softly, but stopped as soon as they caught sight of me.

  “Uh-oh. I know that look. Who kicked your puppy, little sis?” Melissa came over to the table and sat down across from me.

  “I don’t have a puppy, Mel,” I grumbled, and let my face fall into my hands.

  Drew just laughed. “Okay, that’s my cue. I’m heading upstairs for the night. Thanks Evie for babysitting.” He came behind my chair and gave me a quick hug. He moved behind Melissa’s chair, giving her a lingering hug and I could hear him whisper. “Thanks you for an amazing date night. I love you.” Drew gave her a soft kiss on the cheek before walking up stairs.

  “Okay, spill. What has my beautiful girl looking so troubled?”

  “I don’t even know where to start,” I said dejectedly.

  “Just talk, Evie. I’ll sit here all night if I need to.”

  I didn’t want to talk about anything, but she’d never let me leave until I gave in. This was one of the many reasons I loved her. It didn’t matter how old we were, she always looked out for me.

  “Okay, so you know how I’m investigating that trainer for one of our clients?”

  She nodded. “Tate, right?”

  “Yes, Tate. Well, I’ve had to spend a lot of time with him, getting to know him because he’s not big into social media and because he’s such a private person.”

  “Did something happen with him? It’s okay, Evie, I’m your sister. You can tell me anything and I promise I’ll still love you.”

  “I didn’t mean for anything to happen with him. I’ve been completely professional. Well, as much as can be expected given the circumstances. I just can’t get him out of my head. His laugh. The way he makes me feel. His kind and generous nature. His love of good food. His damn washboard abs and tattoos for days. Ugh! I just can’t get him out of my head. I’m really falling for him.

  “I look forward to every time we meet. I wait for his texts because they make me smile, and every time I find out how fucking perfect he is for our client’s laundry list of expectations I get pissed, because I want there to be something wrong with him so I can have him!”

  I tapped my forehead on the table a few times before my sister grabbed my face in her hands, tilting my face to meet her eyes.

  “I must be going crazy because I don’t do things like this. It’s not like me and I want to stop being attracted to him but I can’t seem to do that.”

  I stared at my sister’s concerned face with an unhappy one of my own. “Help me? I don’t know what to do.”

  “Aww, Evie.” She scooted her chair closer to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “What does your heart say? When you push all the should bes and have tos away, what does your heart say about this man?”

  Her words instantaneously halted my swirling thoughts and I answered honestly. “Love him.” I gasped and she smiled sadly at me.

  “Oh god, Mel, what am I going to do? Jon is going to kill me for this. Our client hired us to look into him, and she has major pull in the community. She will ruin our business. How do I even start a real relationship with Tate when the entire thing has been built on a stack of lies?”

  “Now those, my dear, are the questions only you will be able to answer. Be patient with yourself, don’t do anything rash, and if it’s meant to be then I’m sure you’ll find a way. Just don’t lose who you are in the process, okay?”

  I smiled at her and it suddenly hit me that I was severely eating up the alone time she and Drew had planned together this evening. They didn’t get much adult only t
ime with an infant in the house. I babysat for them regularly so they could have time together without Claire. I usually was more considerate, but my sister caught me in a weak moment. I was glad I told her, though. I felt much better already, just getting my feelings out in the open.

  “Ugh, I’m so sorry. I’ve ruined your night out. I’m sure Drew isn’t too happy with me monopolizing your time right now. Romantic evening sans baby followed up by a late night of sister-in-law drama.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about Drew.” She waved a hand and winked. “We snuck into the bathroom during dinner and let’s just say I think he’s fully satisfied for the night. As am I!”

  “What? No!” I covered my burning ears. “I don’t want to hear things like that out of your mouth!”

  “What, because now that I’m a mom I’m not allowed to have any fun sexual escapades with my husband?”

  “No! Of course you are. But you’re my big sister and Drew is like a brother, so I just like to pretend you don’t have sex together.”

  She laughed. “You do know how Claire was made, right?”

  “Oh God! Stop already! Yes, I get it! You have hot sex together! Now that’s an image I won’t be able to get out of my mind. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  We stood from the table and she pulled me into a warm embrace. “I love you, Evie. You have a good heart and you deserve to be happy. I know everything will all work out. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

  I nodded and pulled away, took my keys out of my purse and walked to the door. “Good night, Mel. I love you and thank you for talking. I feel better already.”

  “Keep me posted okay?”

  “I will.” I closed the door and headed to my car. My sister was right; I just needed to be patient. Things always worked out if they were meant to be, and even though I wasn’t sure what that meant for me, it was okay. In the meantime, Jon and I had work to do in the morning and I needed to focus on that.