His Temptation, Her Secret

by Barbara Dunlop

  “I feel like I’m living in a magazine,” Sage said.

  Melissa laughed. “I hear you. I grew up in a condo in Portland. It was nothing like this.”

  “Did you go through culture shock when you moved here?” Sage had seen Caleb and Jules’s gorgeous home.

  “Noah’s rebuilt my grandfather’s old house. It’s nothing like this. You’ve seen Jules and Caleb’s place, and Matt’s is impressive too. But TJ wins the prize for grandeur and opulence.”

  “Lucky me.” Sage wasn’t feeling lucky. She was feeling disoriented. “Do you want to sit down? A soda or iced tea? Or, really, pretty much anything on the planet.”

  TJ had three refrigerators, and all were well stocked.

  “Love to sit down. And anything to drink would be great.”

  Melissa chose a big leather armchair near the glass wall while Sage went to the butler’s pantry on one side of the living room.

  She chose a bottle of ginger ale and filled two glasses with ice from the dispenser. It was like living in a magic house. Everything was always at the ready.

  Melissa took two wooden coasters from the holder and positioned them on the small table between the armchairs. When Sage sat, she had a panoramic view of the water. She could see the Crab Shack and Neo off to one side, and the towering cliffs that curved around the edge of the bay and gave the small cluster of houses their privacy.

  “Have you heard about the Whiskey Bay Seaside Festival?”

  Sage shook her head as she poured.

  “We hold it every July in Lookout Park. There’s music, food, a homemade boat race, costumes and a scavenger hunt for the kids, and a dance and fireworks to finish up.”

  “It sounds like fun.”

  “It is. I’m on the planning committee. So I’m here in an official capacity, for two reasons.”

  Sage waited.

  “I’m looking for a donation, of course. TJ always donates. It’s really just a matter of how much.”

  The question made Sage uncomfortable. Although TJ had given her access to a joint account, she didn’t yet feel comfortable spending his money.

  “I’d have to check with TJ on that.”

  “No problem. I’m going to leave this year’s sponsorship information. Last year, he sponsored the main tent and the fireworks. But, more importantly, I wanted to invite you to join the planning committee.”

  Sage was surprised by the invitation.

  “It’s not too much work, I promise. And it’s fun. And it would be a great way for you to meet some of the community members.”

  Sage appreciated Melissa’s efforts to include her. But she couldn’t help being nervous. “How would people react to me joining?”

  “I expect they’ll be happy for the help.”

  “I meant...” Sage felt like the new kid in school. “What are they all saying about me?”

  “They’re curious,” Melissa admitted, her tone sounding genuinely sympathetic. She lifted her glass and took a sip. “The marriage happened fast, and everyone either knows or has guessed about Eli—since you and TJ knew each other in high school.”

  Sage couldn’t help but worry about her son fitting into the new community. An illegitimate child was hardly a scandal these days, but he would be a curiosity.

  “Mostly they’re happy for TJ. Everyone in Whiskey Bay loved him and Lauren. They were fantastic contributors to the community and fun to be around.”

  Sage grew even more nervous. “It sounds like a hard act to follow.”

  She wondered how deep the stigma of hiding TJ’s child from him would go. If TJ was such a beloved community member, people were likely to take his side, likely to look on Sage as the villain for depriving him of his son.

  “Oh, no.” Melissa looked contrite. “I didn’t mean it like that. People are happy for TJ and they want to meet you and Eli. Nobody is aware...”

  “That it’s not a real marriage,” Sage finished the sentence. She knew TJ had taken his close friends into his confidence.

  “Nobody knows that it’s anything other than a high school sweethearts’ reunion. How you and TJ work things out in your family is nobody’s business but yours.”

  “We weren’t high school sweethearts.”

  “TJ told us what happened.”

  Sage was surprised by that. In fact, she wasn’t quite sure she believed it. “What exactly did he say?”

  “He admitted to Caleb and Matt that it was a prank.”

  Sage digested the information for a moment. “I’m surprised he did that.”

  “It was idiotic, and he felt terrible.”

  Sage felt an unexpected sense of relief that somebody else knew the truth. “It was hard to wrap my head around it, seeing the man he seems to have become and square that with the entitled jock who slept with a woman as a joke.” Sage found herself ending the sentence on a bitter note.

  Melissa’s brow went up.

  The silence stretched to uncomfortable.

  “What?” Sage finally asked.

  “Is that what you think happened?”

  “That is what happened.”

  “Not exactly.”

  Sage’s relief turned to annoyance. “I was there.”

  “But he was only supposed to kiss you. That was the extent of the prank, to dance with you and kiss you. He never planned...” Melissa paused. “According to Caleb, TJ never intended to sleep with you. And back then he never told anybody he did.”

  The bottom dropped out of Sage’s stomach.

  The entire premise of her last ten years shifted.

  She struggled for words. “That’s... How can it be?”

  “Does he know you don’t know?” Melissa asked.

  Sage shook her head, then she shrugged, then she shook it again. “I don’t know.”

  “You should make sure.”

  Sage knew Melissa was right. TJ was still in the wrong. He’d still done something terrible. But it wasn’t anywhere near as terrible as she’d thought.

  Melissa gave a final squeeze and let go of her hand. “Now, the Seaside Festival. Are you interested?”

  Sage gave herself a little shake. “Yes. Sure. Thank you for thinking of me.”

  She was staying in Whiskey Bay. It was time to embrace that reality. She’d been inching toward forgiving TJ anyway, and this solidified it.

  Seven

  Back from an evening visit with Eli at the hospital, TJ had convinced Sage to join him and have a glass of wine. He’d chosen a nice vintage from the cellar and was pulling the cork at the butler’s counter in the corner of the living room.

  She was pacing the room, restless as she often seemed.

  He knew she wasn’t feeling at home yet, and he wanted to do something to smooth the way. “Why don’t you hire a decorator to take a look at the rooms upstairs?”

  Maybe once she had her own space, she’d settle in.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, pushing up the sleeves of her hunter-green cardigan sweater. She looked decidedly tense where she stood in the middle of the room.

  “Tell you to hire a decorator?” He turned his attention to pouring two glasses of the richly colored Cabernet Sauvignon. “Okay, hire a decorator.”

  She didn’t respond to his joke.

  He looked back to see her frowning.

  “Why didn’t you tell me what happened that night?” she asked.

  He lifted the glasses and moved, nodding toward the fireplace. Rain had started outside, and it would be a comfortable place to sit.

  “What night?” His brain skimmed from Matt’s wedding to the transplant to Eli’s move to Highside Hospital.

  “Prom,” she said.

  He stopped.

  “The prank,” she said.

  A wave of disappointment swelled inside him. Their hi
story was the very last thing he felt like revisiting tonight.

  It had been a good day. Eli was getting better and better. And all day at his downtown office, TJ had found himself looking forward to coming home to Sage.

  He started walking again, setting their glasses down on opposite sides of a small, round table between two armchairs. “You already knew about the prank.”

  He flipped the switch on the gas fireplace, bringing it to life.

  “You know what I thought,” she said.

  He had a pretty good idea what she’d assumed, judging by their fight the next day.

  “You let me keep thinking that,” she said.

  “You should sit down.”

  She didn’t. “I’m not angry.”

  He didn’t want to tower over her, so he sat anyway. “You sound angry.”

  “I’m baffled.”

  “It’s ancient history.”

  “History that’s followed us our entire lives. Were you supposed to sleep with me?”

  He met her gaze. “No.”

  “Then what?”

  “Meet you, dance with you, kiss you, get your number.”

  “And never call.”

  “And never call,” he admitted.

  “That’s horrible.”

  He closed his eyes, swallowing his regret for the thousandth time. For him, it had been about Sage. But a dozen other girls were involved, even more when you counted the years before and the years after. He wished he’d been strong enough to speak out back then. He wished he’d given more thought to the impact their little game would have on the innocent victims.

  “But not as horrible as I thought it was,” Sage said, sounding more tired than angry.

  He sat forward. “If I could go back...”

  She moved closer. “I thought you sleeping with me was part of the prank, that you’d bragged about it to your friends. All these years, I thought the absolute worst of you.”

  “I tried to tell you. The next day, when I tracked you down.”

  “I wouldn’t listen.”

  “And then I realized that explaining, excusing my actions, was more for me than it was for you. So I apologized and left it at that.”

  “And I hated you.”

  He reached for her left hand, touched the two rings. “You had every right to hate me.”

  “I might have chosen differently. If I’d known.”

  He wrapped her hand in his. “Now, this, this is why I kept quiet about it after meeting Eli. I don’t want you to second-guess yourself. This is on me, Sage.”

  She shook her head. “I couldn’t see past the anger.”

  He found himself drawing her closer. “You couldn’t see past the selfish jerk I behaved like that night.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “No.” He needed to be closer, so he drew her onto his knee. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I pretended it was yours because I felt so damn guilty.”

  She gazed into his eyes. “You stepped up. As soon as you knew, you stepped up.”

  She looked regretful and vulnerable. Protective instincts welled up inside him. He couldn’t stop himself from touching her face, stroking her cheek, tracing his thumb along her jawline.

  Her cheeks flushed and her lips parted. His body shifted to hug her, to draw her against his shoulder, to tell her it was all in the past and they were moving forward to the future. But somehow the motion turned into a kiss.

  His lips brushed hers. Then they settled and parted, deepening the kiss as desire, passion and satisfaction flowed through him. His arm went around her waist, hugging her close.

  An image of Lauren flashed in his mind, and guilt crashed down on him.

  What was he doing?

  He drew back, gaping at Sage in shock. “I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

  She breathed deeply. Then she disentangled herself from his hold, rising from his lap.

  He wanted to call her back, but he knew he didn’t dare.

  “We’re both emotional,” she said without looking at him.

  She took the opposite chair and lifted her glass of wine, taking a drink.

  He was definitely feeling emotional. Trouble was, he couldn’t pinpoint the emotion. What on earth was he feeling?

  “I don’t need a decorator,” she said, her tone growing crisper, more matter-of-fact. “I’ll pick some things out. I’m going to Seattle tomorrow.”

  “You are?”

  “I have some issues to clear up, some people to see.”

  He wanted to ask who and what, but it was her choice to tell him or not.

  “And Melissa came by today.” Sage kicked off her shoes and curled her feet beneath her on the armchair. It was the first thing she’d done that made her look at home. “She wants me to help with the Seaside Festival. She asked if you’d donate money.”

  TJ would have to thank Melissa for that. It was thoughtful of her to pull Sage into the community that way.

  “Did you agree to help?” he asked, reaching for his wineglass.

  “I did. Will you make a donation?”

  “We’ll make a donation.”

  Sage seemed to need a moment to wrap her head around that. “Can I tell Melissa how much?”

  He shrugged. “Donate whatever you want.”

  Sage stilled. “I’m in no position to make that kind of a decision.”

  “Sure you are. It’s your money too.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  He set down his glass. “You’re going to have to get used to it, Sage.”

  She didn’t argue, but her expression was mulish.

  “Tide Rush Investments has a budget for philanthropic donations. It’s been mostly dormant for a while because... There are reasons that don’t really matter. But it’s there. I’ll show you how to get into the accounting system. Take a look at what’s happened in the past. Get Melissa to tell you what the festival needs. Pick an amount, and call Gerry Carter. He’s the chief accountant. He’ll process the check.”

  Sage was still silent, blinking at TJ.

  “You’ll get the hang of it. I promise. And that platinum card I gave you? Gerry pays that bill too. But you have to take it into a store and buy something before he can pay it. Maybe a bed or a sofa, or a bike for Eli.”

  “This is hard,” she said in a hesitant voice.

  “It’ll get easier. Break the ice while you’re in Seattle. Buy a car or something.”

  She cracked a smile at that. “Buy a car with your credit card?”

  “First of all, it’s your credit card. And yes, it works on cars too.”

  She shook her head in resignation. Then she took what seemed like a bracing drink of the wine. “You may regret this.”

  “I doubt that.”

  After all she’d been through, all that he’d put her through, there was nothing she could purchase he’d regret. If it made her happy, she deserved it.

  * * *

  After lunch in Seattle with her colleagues from the community center, Sage had stopped to see Dr. Stannis and give her an update on Eli. The doctor was delighted with the news. It seemed she’d been following his case, getting reports from Highside Hospital staff. But she said there was nothing like a firsthand account.

  On the way out, Sage stopped at Eli’s old room to see Heidi.

  “Sage!” The little girl’s face lit up as Sage entered the room.

  Sage smiled widely in return. “You’re looking so good, Heidi.” She swiftly crossed the room to give her a gentle hug. “It’s so nice to see you. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m getting better,” Heidi beamed. “It’s not a real cast anymore, see?” She pointed to her leg that was encased in a brace.

  “You’ll be better in no time.” Sage smoothed back Heidi’s hair, happy to see the
color in her face and the animation in her expression.

  “I got to see my mom today,” Heidi said.

  “That’s wonderful, honey.” Sage assumed that meant Heidi’s mother was out of ICU.

  That was such a relief. Heidi was such a sweet little girl, and her mother was all she had for family.

  “I gave her a picture. I drew it of a tree with apples and oranges and pineapples.”

  “All on one tree?” Sage asked and settled onto the edge of Heidi’s bed.

  “It’s called artistic expression. I learned that from a book. Nurse Amy read it to me.” A cloud came over Heidi’s expression.

  “What is it?” Sage asked.

  “Nobody has time to finish The Brave Swan.” Heidi named the last novel Sage had been reading to them.

  Sage had forgotten all about the book. She felt terrible for leaving the girl hanging.

  “Do you still have the book?”

  Heidi pointed to the nightstand.

  “Good,” Sage said, moving to the bedside chair. “Let’s read some more of it now.”

  She read until Heidi fell asleep. As she kissed her on the forehead, she vowed to come back as soon as possible.

  It was late afternoon by the time she was on her way home. At the south end of the city, she drove past a car dealership. There were several in the block, their buildings big and bright, rows of shiny new cars parked in formation out front.

  She knew she wasn’t going to buy one. That would be beyond wild. But she was tempted to look around. She’d never even considered buying a new car before. What would it feel like to sit in the driver’s seat of something that had never been used, learn about the features, decide what she liked?

  She recognized a brand TJ had recommended and, in a moment of indulgence, she turned into the parking lot. She navigated her way to the showroom, finding several parking spots out front. She didn’t even make it out of the SUV before a friendly, well-dressed man approached her.

  “Good afternoon, ma’am.” He extended his hand.

  She shut the SUV door. “Hello.”

  “I’m Cody Pender. How are you doing today?”

  “I’m good.” She was a bit surprised at his overly solicitous manner.