Hidden Secrets

by Jannine Gallant

  “No, not really.” Her grip on Quentin’s hand tightened. “Actually, I’m the one who found the skull. Well, Leo uncovered it, but I was with him and Chris Long at the time.”

  Her dad held a scoop of ice cream poised over the slice of pie. “Are you okay, honey? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

  “It’s not a big deal, but the whole situation freaked me out. After discovering the necklace and hearing the story about its owner, the sight of that curved piece of bone felt a bit personal.”

  Ava’s eyes widened. “There’s obviously more to the gossip than I imagined, but if you’d rather not talk about it . . .”

  “I can see you’re dying of curiosity. You tell them, Quentin. I’m going to eat my pie and have another liqueur.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep.” Releasing his hand, she took the plate her mother passed across the table.

  “All right.” While he ate his dessert, he explained about finding the necklace with the L-E-G initials, turning it over to the police, and Paige’s trip back to the creek with Chris Long.

  “Wait a minute, the necklace you found near the skull belonged to Lucy Gordon?” Ava dropped her fork, and it clattered against her plate. “That’s horrible!”

  Paige straightened in her chair. “Lucinda Elizabeth Gordon, but I don’t think the authorities have confirmed the skull belonged to her yet. Why? Did you know her?”

  “I worked on several charitable events with Lucy’s grandmother. Poor Liz was devastated after her granddaughter disappeared. I can’t even begin to imagine her pain.” Ava’s blue eyes darkened. “Actually, you two knew Lucy, as well.”

  Quentin frowned. “We did?”

  “She babysat for you just a few days before she disappeared. Quentin, your mom was working day shifts at the hospital that week, and your dad was gone on an overseas trip. I had jury duty and needed someone to watch you both. Liz told me her granddaughter was in town for the summer and would be happy to make some extra money babysitting.”

  “Lucy?” His voice rose. “Lucy our babysitter was Lucinda Gordon?”

  “I vaguely remember having a sitter one summer a couple of years before you moved to Seattle. She took us to the pool when I wouldn’t stop begging.”

  “We were nine at the time, and she was practically an adult.” Quentin’s stomach knotted. “Lucy had long dark hair and a beautiful smile. The age difference didn’t matter to me in the least. After the first day we spent with her, I was completely in love.”

  “I remember you kept doing stupid stuff to try to impress her.” Paige set her glass down with a thump. “How come no one ever told me she disappeared?”

  “We didn’t tell either of you. You both liked her a lot and were disappointed when my jury duty ended. You would have been devastated if we’d mentioned her disappearance.” Ava’s brows pinched. “Although on the last day Lucy watched the two of you, something was bothering you, Quentin. You wouldn’t come tell her good-bye before she left.”

  He could picture the scene clearly, despite the twenty plus years since that day. Lucy had hugged Paige then smiled her beautiful smile at him. He’d hung back and clenched his fists in his pockets, hurt and angry because she’d let a man kiss her.

  “I was jealous. Lucy had a boyfriend, and my nine-year-old heart was broken.”

  Paige pushed away her half-empty dessert plate and turned to stare at him. “How did you know she was dating someone?”

  “I saw him. Well, I saw his back. Lucy disappeared outside, so of course I followed her a few minutes later. She was under the big willow tree in the front yard with a man, and they seemed to be arguing. Then the guy grabbed her and kissed her. I was all ready to charge across the lawn to defend her honor when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. After watching for a few minutes, I felt a little sick, so I went inside.”

  Paige touched his arm. “You should tell that story to the police. Chris said Lucinda’s boyfriend was a suspect at the time, but no one knew who he was.”

  “I only saw the dude from behind. He had brown hair and was big. Then again, I was a kid, so my perception could have been all off. Every grown man seemed big to me.”

  “Paige is right,” Sheldon said. “You should call the police. They may have suspects you don’t know about, and even a little information might point toward one of them.”

  Quentin nodded. “I’ll call Chris Long in the morning.”

  “Well, this was certainly a less than pleasant way to end a lovely Christmas day.” Ava pushed back her chair and stood up to collect the pie plates. “I’m sorry I asked about that rumor.”

  “I’m not, Mom.” Paige rose to her feet, as well. Her hands shook a little as she rested them on her hips. “Maybe what Quentin saw that day will help solve an old case and bring justice for Lucy. Let’s go finish the dishes, then Quentin and I need to take off. It’s getting late.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “Yes, I do have to help.” She disappeared into the kitchen behind her mother.

  Quentin stared at the wall and frowned as bits of the conversation his babysitter had had with her boyfriend echoed through his mind.

  “I won’t do it.”

  “. . . no damned baby . . . ”

  “If you’re serious about me . . .”

  “What’s bothering you, Son?”

  He jerked his attention back to Paige’s dad. “They were arguing about a baby. I didn’t understand what it meant at the time, but in hindsight, maybe Lucy was pregnant, and the guy wanted her to get an abortion.”

  Sheldon was silent for a minute. “You think he might have killed her because she refused?”

  “I don’t know what to think. It was so long ago, and I could be misremembering. I never thought about Lucy again after that summer.”

  “Tell the police what you know. It’s their job to sort out the facts and come to the truth.”

  Quentin did his best to shake off his sour mood and smiled. “I guess so.”

  “Not to change the subject, but I couldn’t help noticing your friendship with Paige seems to have changed course. I know my daughter is a grown woman who makes her own decisions, but a father can’t help worrying.” Sheldon turned his empty liqueur glass between his fingers. “You mentioned going back to Seattle after the Poseidon Grill has its grand opening.”

  “I always spend a lot of time traveling between my restaurants to keep them running smoothly.” His defenses rose. “As much as I’d like to spend more time here, I can’t change that.”

  “I understand your work is demanding.” He met Quentin’s gaze. “Does Paige realize you have other priorities?”

  “She knows I can’t shirk my responsibilities. Believe me, the last thing in the world I want is to hurt her.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute since I know how much you’ve always loved my daughter. As long as you both have the same expectations and she’s happy, I’m happy.”

  “That’s my goal, to make Paige happy.” When Sheldon rose to his feet, Quentin stood, too. “Traveling for work as much as he did, my dad was out of town more often than not while I was growing up. You always jumped in to help out when I needed a male role model and Dad wasn’t available. If I’ve never told you before how grateful I was, I’d like to now. It meant a lot to have you come on my Boy Scout camp-out with me and help me with my pitching when I was playing baseball.”

  “I was glad to do it, and I knew you appreciated having me stand in now and then. Your father thanked me more than once. He regretted missing out on so many important moments in your life. That was the main reason your family moved, so he wouldn’t have to travel as often for work.”

  “I was pretty angry when we left Siren Cove, but I ended up liking Seattle. Mostly, I missed Paige, but our friendship survived the separation.”

  “You two always had a special bond.” Sheldon looked up when his wife and daughter returned, followed by Leo. “Are the dishes finished? I was just plan
ning to come in and help.”

  “Sure you were, Dad.” Paige reached up to kiss his cheek. “We forgive you this time.”

  “Are you taking off?”

  “Yep. I have to work in the morning. I expect it’ll be busy, and Mindy took a few days off to visit her family.”

  Quentin followed her to the entry, shook Sheldon’s hand, and gave Ava a hug before thanking her again for the meal. Once Paige had told her parents good night, he carried the load of gifts they’d opened earlier in the afternoon out to his car. After Leo scrambled into the backseat and they were settled, he started the engine and pulled out onto the street.

  “What a relaxing day, well, except for the discussion over dessert.” Paige shifted to look over at him. “I hope you weren’t too bored.”

  “I wasn’t bored at all. Your parents are family to me.”

  “That’s good to know, since my mom is wondering when we plan to have the wedding. She suggested Valentine’s Day would be very romantic.”

  “What?” He braked hard at the stop sign and stared at her. “How did you answer that?”

  “Relax. I told her it isn’t happening.”

  “You did?” He couldn’t help feeling a little put off by the finality in her tone. “Maybe not right now . . .”

  “Because as much as I love you, I’ve come to the conclusion you aren’t husband material. Today pretty much cemented that knowledge in my mind.”

  He opened his mouth, then shut it to put a little thought into what he was going to say. They were halfway back to her apartment before he spoke. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or relieved you don’t sound angry with me. I’m leaning toward the former. Can I ask what I did to make you think I’m such a jerk?”

  “Not a jerk. You’re just not ready to make a commitment. You gave me a plane ticket to Hawaii for Christmas.”

  “We talked about a tropical vacation later in the winter.” He gripped the steering wheel a little harder. “I thought you liked my gift.”

  “I do like it. We’ll have a great time.”

  “Why do I hear a but in your voice?”

  “No but. We’ll definitely have fun. We always have a blast together. I’m not sure if I’ll still be sleeping with you in February, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take a friendly vacation.”

  He felt like his head might explode. He pulled into the alley next to her shop and parked in the lot behind it. Once he turned off the engine, he didn’t make any move to get out of the car even though Leo hung his head between their seats and panted.

  “Why wouldn’t we be sleeping together? If there’s one thing I do know—and I’m beginning to think there’s one hell of a lot I don’t—it’s that we’re perfect together in bed.”

  “Yeah, we are, which kind of sucks.”

  He pressed fingers to his temples. “You’re going to have to explain that one.”

  “My expectations for the next guy might be a little unreasonable.”

  “The next guy . . .” His voice faltered.

  “Yeah, the next guy.” She reached over and laid her hand on his thigh and patted it. “All these years I’ve been rejecting men because they weren’t you. Now that I know without a doubt you and I have different goals, I think I’m finally ready to give someone else a chance. Taking our friendship to the next level was the smartest thing I ever did. It freed me from false expectations.”

  “So, you plan to date someone else?” Anger coursed through him just imagining Paige with some asshole. “Does this guy have a name?”

  “Not yet. I intend to keep my options open.”

  When Leo gave a snuffling whine, Quentin felt like doing the same. “Why?”

  “Because I do want to get married and have kids. I want what Leah and Nina have. You don’t.”

  “Oh.” All the built up, self-righteous indignation dissipated like fog in a stiff wind. Pain took its place to eat at him. “So, you’re breaking up with me because I don’t want to have kids anytime soon?”

  “We’re not breaking up. We’ll always be friends. Nothing will change that. Ever. I’m not even opposed to continuing our physical relationship while you’re still here in town. As you pointed out, the sex is great.” She unfastened her seatbelt. “Are you coming inside or not?”

  Catching his breath became an effort as he digested everything she’d said. “Uh, I guess so.” Once he opened the car door and stepped out, Leo clambered across his seat to leap to the ground. The dog had probably scratched the leather, but at the moment, that didn’t seem like his biggest concern.

  He helped her carry in the armload of gifts from her parents, leaving the display board of vintage fishing lures she’d given him in the trunk. “Those lures will look terrific on the wall in my restaurant.”

  “I’m glad you like them.” She juggled her load to unlock the back door.

  After the dog pushed past him, Quentin locked up again and followed her up the stairs. “You know, you never explained why the plane ticket I gave you sealed my fate.”

  She glanced over her shoulder as she entered her apartment. “If you were committed to a future with me, that plane ticket would have been a ring.”

  He backed up a step, feeling like he’d been punched in the gut. “You expected a proposal?”

  Her smile held a hint of regret. “No, Quentin, I honestly didn’t. But I’ve been thinking long and hard about what I do want. I’m not upset with you. I’m irritated with myself.”

  He shut the door and leaned against it. “Why would you be angry with yourself? I don’t want that. I’d rather you were pissed at me.”

  “I know you better than I know myself, so I was an idiot to have expectations that aren’t even close to being in your wheelhouse.”

  He pushed away from the door to set down the soft wool blanket and boots he was carrying. “Drop that stuff and let’s go talk.”

  “Okay.” She piled books and a couple of sweaters onto the stack, then took his hand to walk into the living room. She curled up on the couch and eyed him steadily when he sat next to her and braced his elbows on his knees. “I had my say. Talk.”

  “If you want to get married, we’ll get married.”

  “No, we won’t.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “I know you love me and would do anything for me, but that isn’t what I want. I don’t want you to be guilted into doing something that isn’t right for you. Maybe in five or ten years you’ll want to settle down and have a family. I don’t want to wait that long.”

  “So, you’re going to keep sleeping with me until you find a guy who is ready?”

  She scowled. “If you say it in that tone, I sure as hell won’t.”

  “Sorry, but I don’t like the idea of you with someone else.”

  “And I’m not crazy about knowing you’ll go back to your love ’em and leave ’em ways the second I cut you off. We’ll both simply have to get over it.” Her eyes filled with determination. “Maybe it won’t be easy, but that’s what’s going to happen.”

  “Shit.” He flopped back against the couch. “I was so damn happy with the way things were going.”

  “I know you were. I’m happy right now, too. There’s no one I’d rather be with than you, and you know that. But I can’t fool myself into believing a casual relationship where we see each other as much as possible, but our lives aren’t connected on a daily basis, is going to be enough once you open the Poseidon Grill and return to Seattle.”

  “What if I make Siren Cove my home base instead of Seattle?”

  “That would be huge for you, Quentin.”

  “I know, but your livelihood is here. Your family and best friends are here. I can’t exactly ask you to pack up and move.”

  “I’d think about it under the right circumstances.”

  He studied her vulnerable face that reflected every emotion she was feeling. “I guess you would move for me, which makes me feel like a total douchebag.”

  She smiled. “Sometimes you really are.”<
br />
  “Gee, thanks.” He was quiet for a moment as Leo rolled over and moaned in his sleep. “You’re entitled to one hundred and fifty percent of my attention, and not a bit less. If I can’t give that to you, I don’t deserve you.”

  “Probably not.”

  “Do you want me to take off?”

  She scooted toward him and threaded her fingers through his. “No, because for right now, you’re still living here in Siren Cove, and I intend to simply enjoy having you around. It would be ridiculous to expect us to return to being just friends while we see each other on a daily basis. Neither of us would be able to pull that off.”

  He squeezed her hand a little harder. “I know I wouldn’t.”

  “So, we won’t even try. Once you leave town, we’ll go back to the way things used to be between us. Maybe I’ll meet a guy who’s willing to give me one hundred and fifty percent, and you’ll find another extremely sexy and slightly crazy woman to date. One day, I might even be willing to listen to your woman problems again and give you sane dating advice you probably won’t take.”

  “If I was smart, I’d listen. If I was smart, I’d make a whole lot of changes.”

  Her eyes were shadowed with regret. “I don’t want to change you. Then you wouldn’t be the man I love.”

  He lowered his gaze to the floor. Maybe not, but I’d probably be a hell of a lot happier in the long run.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dim light slanted through the blinds as Paige lay in bed with her head pillowed on Quentin’s chest, wondering if she’d made a huge mistake. Isn’t something better than nothing? Will I ever love another man the way I love him?

  His warm palm rested on her back. As his breathing changed from sleep to wakefulness, he stroked a thumb up and down her spine. An ache settled low in her belly and spread. When he rolled her beneath him and kissed her, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight.

  Finally, he pulled back a few inches to smile down at her. “I can’t imagine a better way to begin my morning.”

  “Me, either.”

  He nuzzled the side of her throat, then worked his way south to her breasts. As he took one tip into his mouth, she drew in a sharp breath and pressed her heels hard against the mattress.