Table of Contents
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Copyright (c) 2018
The Art of Hiding
By
Kathleen Grace
Chapter One
Could he actually be this dumb? Kelly pushed the restaurant door open, almost slamming it behind her.
Across the room sat an attractive blonde man, healthy caramel tan, white teeth flashing as he smiled at his companion; a stunning brunette. The brunette was murmuring something under her breath as she traced the lines on his palm with an intimate finger, lowering her head she lightly brushed his hand with her lips, keeping her eyes locked with his.
Kelly walked stiffly over to them and the man looked up startled and quickly pulled his hand away from his companion, puzzled, the dark-haired beauty looked from Stephen to Kelly.
Kelly cleared her throat and gave a frosty smile, “Stephen, I’m surprised to find you here.”
Stephen half rose to his feet. “Kelly, darling, I was going to call you?”
“Were you?” Kelly said in a cool tone.
“Yes. I… we…”
“I thought you were home in bed with the flu?”
“I was.”
“She wouldn’t have anything to do with your spending the day in bed, would she?” Kelly gestured to the brunette.
“Well, I’m feeling much better now,” he muttered looking truly ill.
The bewildered brunette spoke up suddenly. “Look here, I don’t think I appreciate your tone. It’s an innocent meal you don’t have to come in here acting like the betrayed girlfriend.”
Kelly’s eyes narrowed. “Betrayed girlfriend, you took the words right out of my mouth.”
“Look maybe you could talk about this some other time? We’re trying to have lunch,” said the seemingly unflappable brunette.
“I’m talking to Stephen, not you.” Kelly’s eyes flashed. “There seems to be some confusion about his state of health.”
The brunette smirked, “Look honey, what’s the mystery? He wasn’t feeling well, and now he’s feeling much better.”
“I’ll bet he is.”
Swinging around Kelly walked to the door of the café before she did something she’d regret. The sudden urge to douse Stephen with his glass of ice water had almost been overwhelming.
“Kelly.” Stephen called, scrambling to his feet; “It’s not what you think.”
Kelly shut the door of the restaurant behind her and jumped into her car. She sped off as Stephen burst out the door of the restaurant, followed by the very smug looking brunette.
Completely in shock, Kelly steered her car down the quiet streets of the little California town of Sea Light Cliffs. Driving in a daze, she slowed to a halt at the stop sign and turned onto the highway that followed along the ocean cliffs. She wasn’t the type to have a scene in a public restaurant, but the sight of the brunette kissing Stephen’s palm had infuriated her beyond reason. With a shiver, she kept driving along scenic Highway 1, the ocean was Sapphire blue, pushing gently up onto white sands, leaving foamy ruffles behind. Feeling numb, she made a right onto a dirt road that wound around and up until she stopped in front of her white summer cottage with a stunning view of the ocean below.
As she got out of her car, she wondered how everything could look so neat and in order when her world was crumbling around her. She went into the cottage and stared at the phone. The urge to talk to someone about what had just happened was strong, but she had very few people she trusted. Kelly wasn’t close to many people, despite being in Sea Light Cliffs four years. She kept mostly to herself for reasons she didn’t want to think about. Her best friend was Gayle Pritkin, but she would be at work at this time of day. Gayle and Stephen were two of the few people who Kelly trusted, she swallowed a lump in her throat. Her small list of trusted people had just shrunk.
She went into the kitchen mindlessly going through the motions of preparing coffee. She scooped the grounds and measured the water, all the while the messy scenario she’d just come from spinning around in her head. Stephen had said it wasn’t what it looked like, but how could that possibly be true? Kelly kept remembering the way the two of them had been gazing into each other’s eyes. The intensity of that look, and the kiss the girl had placed on his palm, was the damning.
She covered her face with her hands. What was he thinking, sitting there in broad daylight like that? What a rat, and not a very smart one. What the hell was he doing? The more she thought about it the angrier she got.
She’d known Stephen for two years. They were practically engaged and set to move in with each other this week. In fact, they would have been engaged if Kelly had given into Stephen’s many proposals. Kelly had known she couldn’t marry Stephen; at least not any time soon. There were reasons from her past that made it too complicated. She should have known better than to even get as close as she had with Stephen. But she’d been lonely after keeping to herself for so long, and he’d been so persistent and charming… and now this. Who was that woman?
It’s not what you think
Had she over reacted? Stephen was always accusing her of being too headstrong, too suspicious. Was this woman a longtime friend of Stephens, was she a business acquaintance or maybe a long lost cousin? Her sinking heart knew the truth: that look between them was not one of friendship. The caressing lips on his hand made it all too clear, not to mention the feigning illness this morning. You don’t break a date with your girlfriend because you have the flu and then show up having lunch with some beautiful stranger. Not to mention he’d acted guilty, like a kid caught doing something wrong.
Stephen had thought she was working today. He must have believed she would be safely tucked away up here painting her new series and she should have been. Kelly was usually so disciplined when she was working, a part of her now wondered if she’d had a tiny suspicion somewhere deep down.
Stephen wasn’t a very good liar; or so she’d thought. Maybe she was wrong, and maybe he was a superb liar. Perhaps there had been hundreds of lame excuses she’d been suckered by. How many times had he had secret rendezvous while she sat up in her studio painting away?
She poured a cup of the freshly brewed coffee, wishing for something stronger, but even as upset as she was, booze for breakfast was definitely out. She jumped as the phone rang beside her. She let it ring about ten times and then slowly lifted the receiver.
“Hello?” she said trying to sound cool and collected.
“Kelly, darling, you’ve got to listen to me.” Stephen’s worried voice came over the line. “I love you. Do you think I’d ever do anything to jeopardize that?”
Kelly felt numb as she clinched the phone. “Are you serious? Stephen how stupid do you think I am?”
There was a long silence as Stephen gathered his thoughts. “I don’t think you’re stupid at all darling, that’s why I know you don’t want to do anything drastic like throw away our two years together.”
Kelly let the pause stretch before she answered. “I didn’t throw them away Stephen, you did. I mean, she kissed your hand for God’s sake.”
He sputtered on the other end of the line, “Well, honey… I can easily explain that.”
“Great, let’s hear it.”
“Well…” The silence on the end of the line made her heart sink.
“That’s what I thought.”
“That’s not fair Kelly. I’m upset, and it’s
hard for me to think right now.”
“You shouldn’t have to think that hard if you’re telling the truth.”
“Kelly, it’s kind of complicated. I’m not talking about needing to think up a lie,” he added hastily. “I’m talking about trying to put it in a way that you will listen and not over react again.”
That irritated her. “I did not over react. I found you sitting in a restaurant with some strange woman slobbering all over your hand, Stephen.”
“I mean by jumping to conclusions. You didn’t even wait for me to explain or introduce you for that matter.”
“Fine, explain it to me now.” Her voice was brittle.
“Like I said; it’s complicated.”
“I’m trying to be more than understanding here considering how angry I am, Stephen.”
“Listen, you just need to take a breath and realize you’re doing that untrusting thing you do.”
“I’m untrusting for a reason.”
“Honey, you’re making something from nothing.”
“Nothing is all the information I’m getting from you.”
“There isn’t anything I could say that would satisfy you when you get like this,” he said condescendingly.
“Maybe when you get your story straight, you can try it out on me,” Kelly snapped, clicking down the receiver with great self-control, and swallowing a lump in her throat. She’d been hoping against hope that Stephen would come up with some plausible explanation. But, he didn’t seem to have one, and she wasn’t really ready to listen to what he was trying to pass off as the truth. She needed time to calm down before she would be patient enough to hear Stephen’s attempts at an explanation.
Her heart was heavy as she took a sip of her coffee. The phone began ringing again, and she walked away from it and out of the house across the lawn.
She sat down on the edge overlooking the ocean and watched the waves crashing white onto the brown jagged rocks below. The brilliant blue ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see. Fluffy white clouds dotted the afternoon sky. Clumps of purple blue lobelia and white alyssum scattered around the edge of the cliff and fluttered in the gentle sea breeze.
What she needed most was a chance to regroup and make a plan. Obviously Stephen wasn’t going to make it easy on her, if the sound of the ringing phone carried across the grass was anything to go by. As soon as she got this squared away, she would live her life alone, free of men and all the lies. Maybe she should just pick up the phone and let him have it. She should just let him know she meant it. It was over for good, finished. Her pride told her to end it, but her heart ached with the thought of breaking it off.
For the first time since the scene with Stephen, tears welled up in her eyes. She’d trusted Stephen as much as she trusted any man. He must have played her so expertly. Every time she’d had a suspicion he had somehow made her feel she was in the wrong, that she was paranoid. Maybe she was; she had a reason to be. This wasn’t the first time she’d been made a fool of, but she was determined it would be the last.
What was she going to do? This was so hurtful and humiliating. Most of her things were packed already for her move and many of the curious locals knew she was moving in with him. She’d made the grand gesture to give up her little cottage and move into Stephen’s bigger house. She wasn’t about to move in with him now just to avoid the embarrassment, but it was all so messy. There was also the matter of her family. They thought Stephen was great. He could do no wrong, in her mother’s eyes especially, and her sisters would be only too willing to believe his excuses.
Kelly groaned and buried her head in her arms; she was so engrossed in her misery, she didn’t hear the car drive up or the footsteps approaching her.
“I’m sorry, is this a bad time?” a strange male voice asked.
Kelly’s head jerked up, and she gazed into a curious, sympathetic pair of light green eyes. They scrutinized her pale tear stained face, taking in her tousled copper hair and damp dark blue eyes. For a moment the man’s brow flickered almost as if in surprise, then the look was gone.
“Oh.” She scrambled to her feet, “A bad time for what?” The stranger smiled, and she noticed straight white teeth and dark chestnut close-cropped hair.
“To look at the house.”
“The house?” Kelly brushed hair from her eyes “I’m afraid there’s some mistake, this is my home… was my home… well it is still where I live.” The words sounded jumbled even to her embarrassed ears.
“You live here?” His voice sounded startled and his green eyes looked down to a paper he was holding in his tan lean hand. “I’m sorry. Maybe I have the wrong address. Is this 645 Berry Lane?”
“It is.” Kelly felt the blood draining from her face. “This is my house. I mean I rent this house,” she stammered.
“Well, uh.” The man seemed uncomfortable. “This is odd. I’ve already signed the lease and left my deposit for this unit; looking it over was really just a formality. I don’t live in the area, I just flew in today and wanted to give the place a once over before actually moving in next week.”
Kelly closed her eyes and sighed. “Well, there’s a slight problem. I won’t be leaving in a week.”
The man studied her closely, his green eyes searching her face. “I understood the occupant was moving out.”
“Well, there’s been a change of plans.” Kelly’s face flushed, and she covered her eyes with dark lashes. “It’s a really recent change.”
The man cleared his throat and then held out his hand, “Let’s start over, my name is Peter Barris. I’ll admit I’m confused. Maybe we should call the realtor and sort this out. I’ve been dealing with a Mrs. Rhyne?”
Kelly took his tanned hand in hers and shook it briefly. “Yes, she handles the rental of this cottage. I’m Kelly Martin, let’s go inside and use my phone.”
Peter made the call while Kelly washed up her breakfast dishes. He was on the phone about five minutes, then put the receiver down quietly. “She’d like to speak to you.”
Kelly wiped her hands on her shirt and picked up the phone. “Hello Mrs. Rhyne.”
“Hello Kelly. What’s this about you not being out in one week, Sweetie? Do you need a few more days?” Mrs. Rhyne’s voice was bursting with curiosity.
“Well, uh, I won’t be leaving after all. There’s been… well… a slight change of plans.” Kelly was only too aware of Peter’s eyes burning into her back.
“What, since when? Darling you’ve never hinted at this to me. You know, it’s my job to book the cottage.” Mrs. Rhyne’s voice was indignant.
“I know, but; well, I just found out myself this morning.” Kelly tried to keep her voice low; she felt the desire to keep her private mess private.
“Are you ill dear?”
“No. It’s a little more complicated than that.”
“Death in the family?”
“No.”
“Well, dear, this really is a mess, this really is.” Mrs. Rhyne sounded quite disturbed. “As you know, dear, this is our busiest season. That your cottage was open was a miracle in itself; there are absolutely no other rentals available. Mr. Barris has already signed his lease, and he’s paid money…”
“But this is my home,” Kelly cut in. “You can’t just throw me out.”
“Well of course no one wants to throw you out, dear. But you voluntarily gave up your cottage, Kelly; nobody made you do it. I hope you’re not implying anyone from our office pressured you, dear?”
“Of course not.”
“Well that’s a relief, because it did sound like you were implying that.”
“Mrs. Rhyne I never meant to say that. I just meant my situation has changed… well… dramatically in the last few hours and I won’t need to give up my cottage.”
“Oh heavens, but whether you need to or not might just become a moot point Kelly dear. You signed a contract with me ending your lease and promising to vacate by the end of next week; I’m afraid that’s legally binding.”
“But—”
“Mr. Barris flew all the way from Ireland, dear. We can’t be inhospitable.”
“But—” Kelly sputtered.
“I’ll call around, dear, I’ll call around. Maybe over in Lakeshore there’s something for you.” Mrs. Rhyne hung up.
“For me?” Kelly couldn’t believe it. She’d lost her boyfriend and home in one swoop? She turned, the disconnected receiver still buzzing in her hand. She glared at Peter and hung up the phone.
Peter’s face was flushed. “I’m sorry, I… I just flew in assuming everything was on schedule. I gather you’re having some sort of personal crisis.”
Kelly winced. “I’m not having a personal crisis.” She shrugged. “And anyway, that’s none of your business.”
“No, but this cottage is.” His voice had an edge to it. He glanced around at the many packed boxes stacked against the walls. “You certainly look like you were planning on leaving.”
Kelly looked up at him. “Well, something’s come up and I’m not going. At least, I’m not ready to go, and nowhere to go even if I was ready. This has been my home for four years, and now you’re going to just throw me out?”
Peter’s expression softened. “I can’t honestly say I know what to do. I came here only because I had the cottage booked. I planned one week in the local hotel, and then the cottage for the remainder of the summer. I made a lot of arrangements to be here, and I can’t change them this late in the game.”
Kelly sat down in a kitchen chair and sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I’ve had a rotten morning, and it’s only getting worse. I have nowhere else to go either. I can’t afford to stay in a hotel the entire summer, nor do I want to. Any suggestions?”
Peter shook his head and lifted his eyebrows. “I have one solution that is totally out of the question.” Kelly looked up and met his green eyes; they seemed to burn right into her. “We could live here together.”
Kelly felt her mouth drop open. “You’re a complete stranger. You could be a psycho for all I know.”
Peter’s white teeth flashed against his tanned face. “You know Mrs. Rhyne obviously has checked my background, she wouldn’t lease the place to just anyone. I’m extremely respectable.”
The Art of Hiding Page 1
