Secrets, Lies & Love

by Roseanne Dowell

  "We're adults. I think we have the right to see who we want. It's not like we're having an illicit affair. It's just a dinner date." Patrick grinned. "Besides I want to talk to you about your house. We'll call it a business dinner if you want."

  He was right. They were adults, and they were both single. Who cared what the town thought? She was probably the topic of gossip anyway after Pete saw that kiss last night. Not to mention the dead body.

  She shrugged. "What the heck. Why not?"

  "Good, I'll pick you up at seven. We may as well call it a day. Go home and have a good soak in a hot tub, relax those muscles."

  Meghan looked at the clock. Only two o'clock. Still early, but her body felt like she put in an eight hour day. "Oh, do you have that number?"

  "What number?"

  "The handyman. You said you knew someone."

  "Oh, yeah." Patrick snapped his fingers. "It's in my office."

  Meghan followed him and stood next to his desk. If she sat down, she didn't think she'd be able to get up.

  Patrick flipped through his rolodex, stopped, pulled a note card from his drawer and wrote the number down. "You probably remember Harry Butler. He was a couple years older than me. Does good work. Started his own business about six years ago."

  "Don't recall the name. But he would have been a lot older than me." Meghan took the slip of paper from him. "I'd like to get those windows fixed right away. I wonder when I can get back in to start cleaning up."

  "Guess you'll have to call Pete." Patrick stood and came around the desk to stand next to her. "I'm surprised you haven't heard from him by now. Wonder if they found out who the victim was."

  "I'll give him a call when I get home. See what he has to say. Thanks." Meghan started to move away. Patrick was too close.

  Way too close.

  Next thing she knew, he reached out and brushed her cheek with his thumb, pulled her to him and lowered his mouth to hers. Just a wisp of a kiss that sent her mind reeling. Her body started to lean in to him, as if it had a mind of its own. A sound at the door stopped her.

  "Uh, excuse me, Mr. Mac," one of the boys said. "We're finished with those boxes. Where do you want the rest of them?

  Patrick dropped his hand and walked to the door, smiling. The kids were going to have a field day with this. He could almost hear them now. Not much he could do about it. The damage was done. Besides, nothing wrong with kissing a beautiful woman, was there? "The first two go in the eighth grade classroom, and the last two go to the seventh grade." He turned back to Meghan. "I'll see you tonight." He winked at her and followed the boys out to the gym.

  Meghan caught her breath. Patrick kissed her, not to comfort her like last night. But because he wanted to. Her insides trembled. Did she have a chance with him? She had no idea. All she knew right now, she wanted him like she'd never wanted a man before. Sure, she'd dated other men. But deep down, none of them compared to Patrick.

  Meghan took a breath and went back to her desk to get her purse. Now they'd done it. By tonight the news of that kiss was going to be all over town.

  Chapter Six

  Meghan eased herself into the hot bath, grateful she didn't have to share the bathroom. She could stay in here as long as she wanted. She leaned against the sloping back of the claw foot tub. Nothing better than these deep, old-fashioned tubs. Well, nothing better if you couldn't have a spa bath, that is. She'd give her eye teeth for the one in her parent's house with its six jets set just at the right spots to ease her achy muscles.

  But you couldn't have everything. It had been high on the priority list of things to do in her aunt's. But that was before she'd seen it. Now it fell to the bottom of the list. It was going to take almost all her inheritance money to get that place livable again, without the added luxuries. No matter, she was bound and determined to bring it back to its original glory. It had been one of the first houses here in Littleton, and no way was she letting them destroy it.

  Eminent Domain be damned. She'd fight tooth and nail to save that house. One of the first things she'd do is apply for the historic homes site. That ought to stall any further action by City Council. She made a mental note to find out how to go about that. Surely, she'd find the information on her computer. Time to unpack her laptop.

  She got out of the tub and wrapped herself in the big bath towel. One of the luxuries the boarding house provided. She wrapped her hair in a smaller towel and went back to her room, dressed, and unpacked the laptop. May as well get right down to business. Lord only knew how long it would take, but once the application was sent, she hoped it would stop the Town Council from going any farther. She punched in the keys for the National Register of Historic Places and clicked on the criteria.

  According to the website, The Rowlings' place definitely fit the bill. Besides the fact it met the structural description, the old place was associated with events that contributed to historical significance history, since Wm. McKinley stayed there.

  How could the National Register of Historical Places refuse her request? She continued to search the site to see how to apply for the register. She became so involved, she forgot the time until someone knocked on her door. Meghan jumped up and opened the door.

  "Are you coming down for dinner, dear?" Aunt Clara asked.

  "Oh, no, I'm sorry, Aunt Clara. I'm going out for dinner. I forgot to tell you." Meghan looked at her watch. "Darn, time got away from me. I've got to get ready."

  "That's okay, dear. You have a good time. Are you going out with Patrick?"

  The knowing smirk on Aunt Clara's face stabbed through Meghan. She could tell by her look, the gossip mongers were already at it. "Yes, and I'm running late." She closed the door before Aunt Clara could say anything else.

  What the heck. Let them talk. She couldn't stop living just because people had nothing better to do. Besides, she enjoyed Patrick, liked being with him. If something came of it, great, if not, well, so be it. She pulled the damp towel off her head and grabbed the blow dryer.

  Thank goodness Aunt Clara had knocked on the door. Patrick would be here before she knew it. Shoot, she forgot to call Harry and Pete. She wanted those windows fixed ASAP. She made a mental note to call them first thing in the morning. She didn't have time now. One more night with broken windows wouldn't make any difference. God only knew how long they'd been broken. A long time, if the trash left there was any indication. Besides with all that crime scene tape up, she doubted if anyone would venture inside.

  Meghan put the last touches to her makeup, looked in the mirror and smoothed her dress. Not over-dressed, she hoped. Patrick didn't say where they were going. Not that there were many choices here in town. Oh, pooh, she thought, the dress was fine for where ever he took her. It wasn't like it was fancy. Heck, they could go to a fast food place, and she'd be fine.

  She ran down the stairs when she heard Patrick's voice talking to Aunt Clara. "Hi," she said, breathless.

  Patrick let out a low whistle. "You look great."

  He didn't look too bad himself in his black casual pants and tan shirt. Golden highlights flecked in his dark brown eyes.

  "Ready?" Meghan noticed the look of approval on Aunt Clara's face.

  "You youngsters have a good time. I won't lock the door." Aunt Clara said.

  Meghan trembled when Patrick put his hand on her back. The slight touch sent heat coursing through her. Maybe this date wasn't such a good idea after all. Sure, she'd only been seventeen when they moved away, but even then she'd been in love with Patrick. Okay, maybe infatuated was a better word since they hadn't spent any time together, and she really didn't know him. But they definitely shared a physical attraction now. Something told her falling in love wasn't far behind. Just the little she knew of him appealed to her.

  "I thought we'd take in that new Chinese Restaurant, if that's okay with you." Patrick's voice brought her back to the present as he held the car door open for her.

  "Sounds great. I love Chinese food." Meghan fastened her seat belt
and leaned back to enjoy Patrick's company.

  "Muscles sore?" He put the key in the ignition and looked at her.

  "Not too bad. The hot bath helped."

  "Won't be as strenuous tomorrow. You'll have to start working on the class lists for the teachers." He leaned over and kissed her.

  As his lips brushed hers, Meghan leaned toward him. She could get used to this real quick. But they couldn't sit here necking in front of Aunt Clara's house. She forced herself to pull away. "We better get going."

  Patrick turned the key in the ignition and chuckled. "Worried about town gossip?"

  "A bit. You are the principal and my boss, after all."

  "True, but I'm also a man, single, and you're a very attractive woman." He pulled away from the curb. "I do have a life outside of school."

  Meghan relaxed and leaned against the seat. "True, but you also have a reputation to uphold. You're supposed to set a good example for your students."

  "I'd hardly call kissing a beautiful woman setting a bad example." Patrick took her hand and raised it to his lips. "So, did you call Pete and Harry?" Patrick pulled his car into the restaurant parking lot, got out, came around the car, and put his arm around her as he led her into the restaurant.

  "No, would you believe I got so wrapped up in research about putting the house on the National Historical Registry, I almost forgot our date?"

  "Forgot our date? I'm crushed." Patrick put his hand to his chest and laughed. "What did you find out?"

  "Well, according to everything I read, the house definitely qualifies, but I have to go through the state first. I filled out the application and saved it. But before I can apply, I need to get the windows and shutters fixed. They require pictures of all sides of the house. I need to send the application in as soon as possible."

  "Good. Maybe that'll stop further action, at least temporarily. But what about the porches and the balustrades?"

  The hostess showed them to their table, delaying their conversation.

  "You know it's going to take a while to get that place back to its glory days." Patrick pulled out her chair.

  "I know. I need to call Harry first thing in the morning too. If he can make the house look presentable, I know a few photography tricks."

  "If there's anything you need, I'd love to help. I offered to fix things for your aunt, but she always refused. The town was about ready to condemn the place and force her to go to assisted living just before she passed away." Patrick sat and took her hand across the table.

  "Poor Aunt Beth would have hated that. She never told me she needed help. Probably figured I had my hands full with my mother. Still, I could have made arrangements for someone to stay with Mom if I had known." Meghan held back tears. She'd have been here in a heartbeat if Aunt Beth would have called. "She always sounded so cheerful on the phone. I had no idea things were so bad. I don't understand it. She had the money to fix the place up."

  "Don't forget the windows weren't broken and the shutters only came loose after your aunt died. Don't get me wrong, the place still needed plenty of work, but she always refused my help."

  The waiter came to take their order, and Meghan looked around the restaurant. Someone at the far corner of the bar looked familiar.

  "Is that Pete?"

  Patrick glanced in the direction she indicated. "Sure looks like him."

  As if he knew they were talking about him, Pete turned and waved at them, picked up his drink, stood and walked toward them.

  "I was going to call you tomorrow, Meghan. We're done with your house, so you can go back. I'll send someone along to remove the crime scene tape first thing in the morning." Pete pulled out a chair and sat across from Patrick.

  "So what did you find out, Pete? Who's the victim?" Patrick asked.

  Meghan wasn't crazy that Pete joined them. Hopefully, he wouldn't stay long.

  "Don't know yet. We're going to put a picture of him on the late night news. See if we get any hits."

  "So no idea who killed him then either?"

  "Nope, no leads. Case is cold as ice."

  Patrick shifted in his chair and shrugged. Meghan wished Pete would leave. No reason for him to sit here. She didn't like the way he stared at her either.

  "So, you're gonna try to fix that old Rowlings' place," Pete set his hand on top of Meghan's.

  "I'm going to try." Meghan pulled her hand away and set it in her lap out of his reach.

  Pete shoved his chair back, stood and stared at her for a minute. "Mighty big undertaking for a little thing like you. You need anything, you give me a call."

  Meghan nodded, and the waiter brought their food, saving any further comment. "That was uncomfortable," she said. "I don't like the way he looks at me, like he's undressing me with his eyes."

  "Pete's okay. Just a bit lonely since Lorena left him. He went crazy for a while. Hit the bottle and didn't go to work. Damn near lost his job. Fred Warring talked to him. Not sure what he said, but Pete straightened up and hasn't touched a drop since. Drinks soda when he comes here."

  Meghan glanced toward the bar. Pete still stared at her. Something about him bothered her. She turned away, ignoring him.

  "So what made you become a teacher?"

  Patrick shrugged. "I don't know. I always liked working with kids. I thought about doing social work, but something about teaching sounded more satisfying. Having part of the summer off doesn't hurt."

  "I knew you liked kids. I pictured you with a half a dozen or so, by now."

  Patrick laughed. "I love kids but I'm not sure if I want that many. Right now, I only have one, Olivia."

  "Only one? How old?"

  "A very active five-year old." Patrick put his hand on hers and turned her palm up, entwining their fingers together. "How about you? No kids?"

  Meghan shook her head. She would have loved to have children. "No, didn't have time. So, what happened to your wife?" She hoped the question wasn't too personal, but needed to ask.

  Patrick leaned back. "That's a long story. The gist of it is she wanted to live in a big city. Small towns were too boring. She left when Olivia was just a baby. Payton didn't even want to have a child. Was afraid it would disfigure her body. I was afraid she'd have an abortion, but I think that scared her more than having a baby." Patrick rubbed his hand over his face.

  "I'm sorry." Meghan almost wished she hadn't asked. It still hurt him. She could see the pain in his eyes.

  "We were both too young. We met senior year in college and married right after graduation. Payton wanted excitement, glamour. When I look back now, I wonder what attracted us to each other. I think we were infatuated." Patrick leaned forward and took her hand again.

  "When I took the job here, Payton thought small town life would be exciting. She pictured herself in the garden club, a hit at the country club." Patrick took a sip of his drink and laughed.

  "When she found out the country club was little more than a place to golf and have a burger, she had a fit. Ranted and raved for days about what a hick town this was. She begged me to move to New York, or at least a big city like Cleveland or Columbus. But I had family here. I grew up here. Besides, I didn't want the kind of life Payton wanted. Our marriage was over almost before it started. She found out she was pregnant and agreed to stay through her pregnancy. I thought being a mother might make a difference. Those nine months were the best of our marriage. I swear the hormonal change worked wonders in her. She became more domestic. Started cooking and baking. She even entered one of her cakes in the County Fair. Won second prize. She seemed content. As soon as she had Olivia, things changed back." Patrick paused when the waiter approached to refresh their drinks.

  "Payton wasn't cut out for motherhood," he continued. "Suddenly, she felt claustrophobic, her words. Said she felt like she was being suffocated. Everything she enjoyed during her pregnancy now annoyed her. She quit cooking. Hell, she quit doing everything. The house was a disaster. She barely took care of Olivia while I was at work. She gagged changing d
iapers. I had to hire someone to come in and help during the day. That left Payton free to drive to Cleveland. What she did all day, I have no idea." Patrick paused for a breath and sipped his drink.

  "She wouldn't come home until late at night, if at all. Once, she stayed out for three days. When she came back, she asked for a divorce." Patrick shifted the salt and pepper shakers. "That's pretty much the whole story.

  "I'm sorry." Meghan couldn't think of anything else to say. She couldn't imagine anyone not wanting a baby. She'd give her eyeteeth to have a child. Patrick's child.

  "No matter. I'm over it. It's hardest on Olivia, but she has Grammy and Papa. Not to mention my sisters who spoil the daylights out of her." Patrick brought Meghan's hand to his mouth and ran his lips over it. "I'd like you to meet her.

  Heat stirred deep in her stomach. Patrick's eyes radiated desire. "I'd like that." The words came out little more than a whisper.

  After dinner, Patrick stopped his car in front of Aunt Clara's. He leaned over and kissed Meghan.

  Meghan's heart did a queer little leap in her chest, and her pulse sped up.

  He ended the kiss and looked at her.

  The air sizzled between them. Heat reeled through her insides. Her heart beat so hard, she thought it would burst.

  Patrick opened the door, slid out, and went around her side. By time he got there, Meghan was already out of the car. He walked her to the door.

  "Thanks for a great dinner." Meghan wished she could invite him in. She hated for the evening to end.

  Patrick leaned down, kissed her cheek. "I'll see you in the morning."

  "Night." Meghan opened the door, went inside and leaned against it. She put her hand to her lips and still felt the warmth from Patrick's kiss.

  Chapter Seven

  Early the next morning, Meghan woke filled with plans for the day. First order of business was to call Harry. Hopefully, Patrick would let her leave during her lunch hour. After work, she planned on spending the evening cleaning the kitchen. Once the house was clean, she could assess the damage. Although most of it appeared to be outside. Inside, she thought she could get away with elbow grease and paint.