The Secrets She Kept

by Brenda Novak

  “We’ll see. For now, I’m just hoping I can meet my payments.”

  She held up a white paper sack. “I brought you a doughnut.”

  “What for?”

  “Because,” she said, and then she did something very uncharacteristic—she pulled Nancy into a hug. “You’re going to be okay,” she whispered. “I’m here for you and so is everyone else on Fairham.”

  The lump that swelled in Nancy’s throat almost choked her. She couldn’t speak, but Jade didn’t seem to mind.

  “Call me if you need anything,” she said as she drew back.

  “Thanks,” Nancy murmured, but by then her sister was gone.

  * * *

  Keith loved being back at the helm of his company. He loved being in California, too. “There’s no beating LA,” he said aloud as he drove to work. It was February, still winter almost everywhere else, and he didn’t even need a coat. No dark clouds or rain hung over the horizon, only endless sunshine.

  He sang along to Hozier’s latest album as he got on the freeway. But a few minutes later, he ran into traffic, which seemed to be snarled for miles and miles, and all of the enthusiasm he’d forced since his return began to wilt as he inched along behind the bumper of the vehicle in front of him. So what if LA was sunny most of the time? There was no smog and very little traffic on Fairham. He could easily get wherever he wanted to go. And Nancy was there...

  With a curse, he jerked his mind away from the woman who seemed to consume more and more of his thoughts. He wasn’t going to dwell on Nancy. She wanted more than he could give, and if she couldn’t be happy with what he had to offer, there was nothing he could do to change that.

  He’d moved on fine the last time he’d left Fairham, hadn’t he? He’d just do the same thing.

  Turning up the music, he sang even louder. Then he used Bluetooth to call Dahlia. Although he’d promised to text or call the minute he got back, he hadn’t yet mustered the enthusiasm to talk to her. But he was desperate to distract himself in some way, so he had to override his reluctance to see other women, get swept up in the usual flow. With a little effort, hopefully he could stop craving the woman whose smile felt like sunshine regardless of the weather.

  “Hey, gorgeous,” Dahlia said.

  He grimaced. The breathy quality of her voice seemed so contrived. “Hey.”

  “You finally home?”

  “Yeah. Got back a couple of weeks ago.”

  “I’ve been waiting. It’s been so long I thought you were never going to call.”

  The pouting seemed contrived, too. Or was it him? He hadn’t been himself lately, hadn’t even been working out. Just moving listlessly through each day required all his energy. “I’ve been busy. But I was thinking we could get together for dinner tonight.”

  “At your place?”

  He knew what would happen if she came over. He almost suggested a restaurant so he wouldn’t feel obliged to take things quite that far.

  On the other hand, maybe sex with another woman was exactly what he needed... “Sure.”

  “What time?”

  “Eight?”

  “See you then,” she said, but instead of looking forward to their date, he dreaded the moment she’d knock on his door. And even after she arrived and they’d eaten—and she started removing his clothes, he had to stop her.

  He felt no desire for her whatsoever; he just wasn’t interested.

  After she left, he wanted to call Nancy, but he texted Maisey instead. How’s Nancy doing with the flower shop?

  His sister didn’t respond. It was three hours later on the East Coast. He figured she’d get his message in the morning and he’d hear from her then. A few minutes later, however, his phone pinged.

  Keith, it’s the middle of the night.

  Sorry. I was just worried about her.

  You should be sleeping.

  He couldn’t sleep. Is she getting by?

  Who?

  Quit playing stupid!

  While I appreciate everything you’ve done, big brother, and I love you dearly, I’m not giving you any information on Nancy.

  I didn’t ask about Nancy. I asked about the business.

  Sure you did. It’s only been two weeks. Nothing’s changed with the business.

  Thanks for nothing, he wrote back and went to bed, but it was several hours before he fell asleep.

  * * *

  “How are things going with that dating site?” Maisey asked.

  Nancy glanced up from the “get well soon” arrangement she’d started. She’d told Maisey that as much as she loved working with her, she couldn’t pay her to stay on. She was trying to cut costs so she could cover her own salary, the rent and all the rest of the overhead and make her first payment to Keith on schedule, which she was determined to do. Although she was trying to maintain the status quo, it was going to be hard enough just to keep Marlene on. But Maisey had insisted on coming in to help, anyway. She said she enjoyed it, needed her “girlfriend” time.

  “It’s fine,” Nancy said.

  “Any interesting men on there?”

  Nancy thought of the pharmacist she’d gone out with twice. In the beginning, she’d felt optimistic about him. She still liked him, but their relationship hadn’t taken off the way she’d hoped. After they went to the movies, he’d asked her out on a third date, but she’d turned him down. She couldn’t feel any attraction to him when she was in love with someone else. She’d left her profile up, but she wasn’t currently active on the site. “A few.”

  “No one in particular?” Maisey pressed.

  “Not yet. But I have very little time for dating, anyway. If I want to succeed with this shop, I need to stay focused. One slow month could put me under. Heaven forbid I have two in a row.”

  “You’re going to be fine.”

  “I hope so. But it’s February. Thanks to Valentine’s Day, February’s a good month. What about March?”

  “March will be a good month, too.”

  Nancy wasn’t so sure. Josephine had real talent when it came to creating arrangements people wanted. Even after working at Love’s in Bloom for seven years, Nancy feared she wouldn’t be able to duplicate that “something special” Josephine brought to any endeavor.

  Maisey reached across her for some greenery to add to her own arrangement. “So you’re not hearing from that lawyer anymore?”

  “Tom? No. I broke that off—” she was about to say “when Keith was here,” but she didn’t want to bring up Maisey’s brother “—a while ago.”

  Maisey made a clicking sound with her tongue. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”

  “I’m fine with being alone,” she said, but she’d never felt more isolated or bereft in her life. Any moment she wasn’t working she spent moping around her house, thinking of Keith. She told herself she should still be dating, searching for a mate if she hoped to have a family. The only way to put an end to the loneliness was to do something about it. But losing Keith a second time had created what felt like a physical ache that’d settled deep in her bones and wouldn’t ease up. She wanted to start a family, wanted a baby—but she wanted it to be his baby.

  On Valentine’s Day, she’d sent him a text to say she hoped he was doing well. He’d texted her back immediately to tell her he missed her. He’d even tried to call, but she hadn’t picked up. She wasn’t going to give in and accept less than she wanted; she’d just wanted him to know that she wished him the best.

  “You’ll find the right guy eventually,” Maisey said.

  The bell rang, signaling a customer. Nancy was going to answer, but Maisey beat her to it. She wiped her hands and disappeared out front. A second later, she called back, “Nance? I think this is for you.”

  Nancy was expecting a delivery of new vases from
a manufacturer she’d found online. Although she’d told the driver to come around the back, she figured this must be him, that he hadn’t listened—so her jaw dropped when she saw Keith standing in the store holding a dozen long-stemmed red roses he’d obviously purchased somewhere else.

  “What are you doing here?” she cried. She’d thought he might return eventually—to see his family and take care of his holdings—but she’d never dreamed she’d see him again so soon.

  “I came back for you,” he said simply.

  She looked at Maisey, whose smile widened slowly. “Did you know about this?” she asked.

  “No,” she replied, laughing. “But it’s about damn time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Keith said, but he wasn’t talking to his sister. He was talking to her. “I hope you’ll take me back.”

  Nancy accepted the flowers he thrust at her. “Take you back? What exactly does that mean?”

  Keith chuckled softly as he stepped close and pulled her into his arms. “It means I’ve been miserable since you stopped seeing me. It means I can’t get you out of my mind.” He pressed his forehead to hers and lowered his voice. “It means I can’t live without you, Nance.”

  Maisey must’ve taken the flowers, because the next thing Nancy knew, she had her arms around Keith’s neck and was kissing him with all the feelings she’d kept bottled up for the past few weeks. “I could kill you for what you’ve put me through,” she whispered when she could speak.

  “I’m sorry. But you know me.” He offered her a sheepish grin. “I have to do everything the hard way.”

  She still wasn’t sure how this translated to their lives. “So...are you moving home?”

  “Yes. I’m moving into Coldiron House, where I belong,” he said. “And you’re moving there with me.”

  Nancy’s heart nearly stopped as he took a velvet box from his pocket. “Oh, my God,” she murmured.

  “Will you marry me?”

  Inside was the most beautiful ring she’d ever seen. “Are you sure?” She studied him, trying to read the strength of his commitment. “I don’t want you to do anything you might later regret.”

  “After what I’ve been through the past few weeks without you? I couldn’t be more sure,” he said and slipped the ring on her finger. “Maybe it took me a while to meet you halfway, Nance. But I didn’t make this decision lightly.”

  “What about your business?”

  “I can run my business from here, eventually move more of my holdings to the east coast. I’m not going to leave you now.”

  EPILOGUE

  HUGH POINTER SAT in his office, staring at his phone. Six months had passed since his daughter was indicted for murder. Sitting through her trial, watching her go to prison, had been excruciating, especially since he blamed himself. If he’d never met Josephine, never fallen in love with her, none of this would have happened. But he couldn’t change the past, and who knew what Marliss might’ve done in the future? She’d never been quite right. As much as it pained him to admit it, that was the truth.

  “Are you going to do it?”

  He glanced up to see his wife standing at the entrance to the room, watching him. After Marliss was arrested, they’d separated for a few months, but then they’d gotten back together. That was why he hadn’t made this call sooner. He’d been determined to put Lana first, to win her back and be the husband she deserved. But the desire to reach out had been there all along. Part of him felt he owed it to Josephine, as well as Keith. It was just that after everything he’d put Lana through, he wasn’t sure he had the right to fulfill that desire, even now that so much of the truth was already out.

  “I’d like to,” he told her. “Are you sure you’re okay with it?”

  She frowned. “I won’t pretend it’s easy for me.”

  “If I didn’t love you and our kids, I would’ve left you for Josephine years ago, Lana.”

  “I know that. And Keith is as innocent in all of this as I am. But...it’s still hard.” She stared at the carpet for several seconds, then she lifted her gaze. “Go ahead,” she said and left the room.

  He listened to her steps fade down the hall before picking up the phone.

  When Keith answered, he sounded surprised—which was nothing more than Hugh had expected. They hadn’t spoken to each other since the funeral. “Hello?”

  “Keith, it’s Hugh.”

  “I figured as much. I don’t get many calls from Australia. How are you?”

  “Recovering somewhat. You?”

  “I’m better than ever, actually—about to be married.”

  Hugh couldn’t help smiling. “It’s about time,” he teased. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

  “Nancy Dellinger. You might’ve met her at Mom’s funeral.”

  “I admit I wasn’t paying much attention to the guests that day.”

  “Completely understandable.” An awkward silence ensued, during which Hugh cast around for the best way to approach what he had to say. Keith eventually prompted him by asking, “What can I do for you?”

  He almost chickened out, then cleared his throat. “I have something to tell you, Keith. Something that might be rather...upsetting—although I hope it won’t be too terribly bad, given your age and the fact that you’ve already lost both parents.”

  “I’m listening,” Keith said, but there was some reserve in those words, some caution.

  “I admit it’s something I’ve wanted to address for quite a while.”

  Silence.

  “Are you there?”

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  He fidgeted with the stamp dispenser on his desk. “Your mom and I—we were together a long time. I mean, it was in fits and starts but...we could never fully walk away from each other.”

  “How long?” he asked. “Pippa told me it was more than fifteen years.”

  “It was forty-two years, to be exact,” he said. “I met her the same year I married Lana.”

  When Keith didn’t respond right away, Hugh got the impression he was starting to catch on. “That’s most of your life—and all of mine,” Keith eventually said.

  “Yes.”

  “Is there any significance in that?”

  Unsure of how he might react, Hugh tightened his grip on the phone. “Yes,” he said again.

  “Are you saying that...that Malcolm wasn’t my father?”

  “He thought he was.”

  “I guess that’s a no.”

  “There’ve never been any tests. We can do that if...if proving it matters to you. It isn’t necessary for me.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “I’m sorry if this disappoints you, but...I was hoping you’d rather have a father who’s alive, and who wants a relationship with you, than one who died so long ago.”

  Nothing.

  “Malcolm was a good man,” he went on. “I’m not trying to replace him. I’d just like to get to know you. But I’ll completely understand if...if you’re not interested.”

  When he still didn’t get an answer, he figured that was his answer. “Okay, well, I’ll be here if you change your mind,” he said and was about to hang up when Keith finally spoke.

  “The wedding’s June 30. I’ll send you an invitation.”

  Hugh got to his feet. “You’d like me to come?”

  “Yeah. I’d like you to come.”

  Keith’s voice had conviction in it, and that made Hugh feel the invitation was sincere. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll be there,” he said, and for almost the first time since he’d met Josephine, he felt he had his life back.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE SECRET SISTER by Brenda Novak

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  IF YOU’VE READ any of my other books, you
’ll know I enjoy working with flawed characters. I think it’s because I love a good “come from behind” win. The bigger the challenge, the sweeter the victory, and that’s often how it goes in my stories. People figure out how to get on top of their lives, how to beat back their demons—let’s face it, we all have them—and thrive. Nothing is more encouraging to me, so I hope you will enjoy this story about a man with a checkered past who finally comes to terms with his difficult upbringing and controlling mother—and finds love.

  If you like this book, look for The Secret Sister, which is another Fairham Island story. And if you’ve already read that, maybe you’d enjoy a novel from my popular Whiskey Creek series, which focuses on a group of friends who’ve grown up together in a small town in California’s Gold Country, not far from where I live.

  I love to hear from my readers—and I always respond. Feel free to get in touch with me via my website at www.brendanovak.com. Enter my monthly drawing while you’re there, and sign up for my mailing list so that I can send you an email whenever I have a new title out. You can also download a PDF of my entire book list, which, with more than fifty books in my backlist, is getting quite extensive.

  I hope you enjoy your visit to Fairham Island!

  Brenda Novak

  The Secrets

  She Kept

  Brenda Novak

  Reader’s Guide

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  One of the main themes of this novel is forgiveness. What would you say each character has to forgive? And do you feel that being able to forgive will improve their lives? In what ways?

  Some people handle adversity better than others. Why do you think that’s the case? What makes the difference? How can one person thrive in spite of their difficulties while others get crushed beneath them?

  At times, we suffer from the bad decisions of those we love. It often doesn’t seem fair and can cause quite a bit of resentment. What are the dangers of harboring resentment? What’s one way you believe we can overcome resentment?

  Most people believe that, to a greater or lesser degree, forgiveness should be part of everyone’s life experience. But is there a line beyond which we are justified in holding a grudge? Do you feel that certain characters in this story crossed that line? If so, which one(s)? Would you be able to forgive that person if you were in the same situation?