Love Believes (Sully Point, Book 5) (17 page)

Her mother's brow furrowed. "At a seafood place?"

"Well, you know I'm careful about the seafood
right now. And I'm craving beef. They make fab sandwiches here of all kinds,
but I think their roast beef is the best. Probably because of the horseradish
sauce. They really should sell that stuff."

Sophia shrugged. "Feeling okay?"

"Mom...when will everyone stop asking me
that?"

"Once you have the baby, of course."

"So what have you been up to in Sully
Point?"

Sophia looked around their table carefully.
"There's nobody near us to hear, right?"

Maggie looked too, and shook her head. "What
is it?"

"Well, I went to take Beth's measurements.
And by the way, I should get yours too. I'll get some maternity clothes whipped
up for you. Don't worry, they won't look like maternity clothes!"

"Okay, thanks. You went to Beth's and...What?"

"I found out the truth! But you can't tell
anyone what I'm going to tell you, Maggie. You really can't."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Am I not the best
secret-keeper in the family?"

"Honestly? Not really, but I know you love
your sister so you'll keep it quiet."

"What? What is it?"

"She's involved with that lovely Mr.
Christopher, that's what," Sophia said, triumphantly.

Maggie sat back in her chair, feeling stunned.
"But...she told me! Just yesterday, she said there was nothing between them...that
sneak!"

"You can't blame her. They want to keep it a
secret for a while so they don't have to deal with town gossip and people
prying, you know."

"But you're telling me, aren't you?"

Sophia shifted in her chair. "I had to tell
someone, after all. But we can't let your father know. I'm not sure he'd
approve. That's why we can't tell anyone else."

"Oh brother, I so want to tell!"

"Maggie, no. I'm telling you because you're
such a good daughter."

Maggie leaned across the table and whispered as
some other people came into the restaurant. "You just had to tell someone,
anyone. I know how much you gossip in that fashion world of yours. But don't
worry, I'll keep the secret."

"Good! Let's order your sandwich, and then
you can tell me about your latest project."

Maggie nodded, even as she knew she'd have to tell
her husband, Eric. After all, she thought virtuously, married people shouldn't
keep secrets from each other.

* * * *

Late in the afternoon, Eric was in the local
discount store looking for a cheap storage unit to use in the garage. He ran
into Sam, who was buying what looked like ten or so cell phones. "I'm
trying to figure out what you need with all those phones, Sam."

Sam shrugged. "It's Joshua's latest thing.
But why are you buying that storage unit here? You could get a better one at
Frank's hardware store."

"I know, but then I'd have to talk to Frank,
and he has this way of always getting information out of me."

"Huh, what kind of information?"

"Secrets. Things I'm not supposed to talk
about."

"So what's the latest secret?"

"Sam, didn't I just say..."

"Oh sure, but I'm not my father-in-law. I'd
never blab stuff all over town. Believe me, I know about the Sully Point gossip
mill."

"Hmm. Maybe I should tell you. She is your
sister after all."

"What? Which sister? Is it something about
Maggie and the baby?"

"No, no, they're fine, doing great. No, it's
about Beth." Eric stepped closer to Sam after looking up and down the
aisle. Softly, he said, "Beth is involved with the director,
Christopher."

"What? Who told you...Maggie? Is she sure?"

"Yes, says she got it from a very reliable
source."

"Who would...our mother! She went to see Beth
yesterday. That must have been when she found out. She can never keep a
secret."

"Well, we're all supposed to keep it quiet.
They don't want anyone to know yet, just FYI."

"Okay, but thanks for letting me know."
Sam walked off looking a bit dazed.

Eric wasn't at all sure he'd just done the right
thing, but if Beth was his sister, he'd want to know. Checking out, he wondered
just what Joshua was doing with the phones.

* * * *

"Anna! Are you here?" Sam called out as
he walked into the house.

"In here," she said from the living
room.

"You won't believe what I just heard,"
Sam said, entering the living room.

"Never mind that now. Did you bring the
phones?"

"What? Oh yeah, sure. Here." He held out
the shopping bag to her.

"Let me just give these to him. And we should
thank our lucky stars that he isn't interested in eating them or putting them
in his mouth at all." She headed quickly down the hall.

Sam settled onto the couch and stared at the
painting on the wall across from it. Anna had done it, the year they'd met. He
smiled at her as she came back into the room.

"All set. He's a happy camper now." She
sat down next to Sam and he put his arm around her shoulders.

"We're sure we're doing the right thing with
him?"

"You know what they said," Anna replied.
"Let him follow his interests wherever they take him. Give him structure
but let his mind roam free. He's still aggravated by having to spend the day in
his room. He keeps telling me that he was helping your phone."

"I shudder to think what he'd be like if we
imposed no discipline at all, Anna."

"I know, and I agree with this. You'd told
him before not to touch the phone. Anyway, what did you hear while you were
out?"

"That Beth and William Christopher are in a
relationship."

Anna turned to face him. "Sam Carter. I can't
believe you're listening to stories of town gossip."

"It was Eric who told me."

"Eric."

"Yep. Supposedly, the happy couple want to
keep it a secret for now. So don't let on that you know. I just wonder if this
is the best thing for Beth. He's older than her, and he's been in the theater
business a long time. What if she thinks it means more than it does? Maybe he
does have affairs with his leading ladies all the time."

"I don't know...he doesn't seem like the type
for that. Who told Eric?"

"Maggie."

"Maggie! How did she find out?"

"Mom."

"Sophia? Maybe she just listened to some
gossip on the street."

"Mom got it directly from Beth."

"Oh."

They sat silently, with Sam stroking Anna's hair.
Finally she said, "I guess we keep the secret then. Maybe it will work out
okay."

"I hope so. She deserves someone good."

"Come on. Let's go check on phone boy."

As they walked down the hall, they suddenly heard a
bunch of phones, ringing at once, accompanied by riotous giggling. They took
off running.

* * * *

Julia decided to leave a memo about costs included
for costumes on Beth's desk. She printed it out and realized she hadn't heard
Beth leave, so she ran up the stairs to her office. Right as she was about to
open the door, she heard a giggle.

"William! Wait till we get to your house,"
Beth's voice said, floating through the door.

"Then let's leave now. It's the end of the
day and I want you," Mr. Christopher said.

Julia stood staring at the door for a second, and
then quickly tip-toed back to the stairs and ran down them lightly.

She had just dashed over to her desk, when the two
of them came downstairs. They were talking construction costs, which almost
made Julia laugh. But she kept her face calm and waved to them. "Have a
good night!"

The two waved and were out the door. Julia waited
a minute and then burst out laughing. So they were having a secret romance?
Well, she thought, good for them.

She closed up the shop and went home. Cody was
already there, in the kitchen with Jennifer in her high chair. Jennifer loved
to watch Daddy cook. For that matter, so did Julia, seeing as how she couldn't
cook a thing. She waved hello to them and headed upstairs to change clothes.

Over a dinner of pork chops with potatoes,
carrots, and biscuits, she couldn't hold it in.

"Cody. I have to tell you what I heard
today."

"Is it gossip?" he asked. "Remember
how we said were going to rise above all the gossip in this town?"

"It's not gossip. It's what I actually heard,
with my own ears, outside Beth's office this afternoon."

Cody's eyebrows flew up. "You were listening
outside her door?"

"Not exactly. I went up there to give her
something and right when I got there I heard them talking. They were...you
know...together. They were planning to go to his house. They are having an
affair."

Jennifer chose that moment to toss a chunk of
potato at her father, who caught it deftly with one hand while still staring at
Julia.

"I wonder if anyone else knows," Cody
said.

"I don't know. Should we say something to
them? Let them know we know?"

"Hmm. I don't think so. Clearly they want to
keep it private, so we'll give them their privacy."

Julia frowned. "Now just how am I supposed to
give them their privacy about it when I know and I have to see them both every
day? This ought to be interesting. But I agree it should be a secret. I mean,
what if Maelynne found out? It would be all over town, reinforcing those lies
she was spewing about them in the beginning."

"Might be uncomfortable for you, Jules, but I
think it's best to let them believe it's their own thing. For a while. Now tell
me, did you notice the new seasoning I used this time?"

Julia blinked several times and then smiled
sweetly at him. "Why yes! It really added something."

"Oh brother. You really can't lie worth a
damn, can you? You wouldn't know a bit of parsley from a bay leaf if it bit you
on the--"

"Cody! Jennifer," Julia said, trying not
to laugh.

"Right. Just do the best you can."

* * * *

The next morning, Cody walked into his father's
hardware store looking for a claw hammer. When Frank saw him, he came over quickly.

"Listen, Cody. I've been thinking about how I
invited Mr. Christopher, or William, to the dinner tomorrow. And how everyone
has told me there's nothing between him and Beth. So I was thinking maybe I
should invite a date for each of them. You know, like a surprise blind date.
What do you think?"

Cody went from staring at saws to gaping at his
father. "A...surprise...blind date. For both of them."

Frank nodded vigorously. "That's right. Two
attractive single people. I was thinking I'd ask the leading man from the play
for Beth and--"

"Dad, no. Just...no."

"Why not?"

Cody sighed. "Can you keep your mouth shut if
I tell you something?"

Frank reared back, clearly offended. "Cody,
of course I can. I'm the soul of discretion, you know that."

"Yeah, well, anyway...you can't invite dates
for them because they are, in fact, together. Beth and William. It's just that
they're keeping it quiet right now. I don't think anyone is supposed to
know."

Frank's eyes went wide as he digested this piece
of information. "Well, what do you know. I was right on track after all.
That'll show those girls."

"No, you can't go telling them. I mean Julia
knows, but that's it. Okay? Please?"

"Sure, son, sure. If anyone knows how to keep
his mouth shut, it's me."

"I mean it, Dad."

"Right you are. Now then, did you want one of
these hammers?"

Cody stared at his father for a moment, sighed, and
picked out a hammer. At least he'd managed to head off the whole blind date
surprise.

* * * *

Frank was on the phone to his eldest daughter Holly
as soon as Cody left the store. "Holly, good to hear your voice."

"What's going on, Dad? Do you need me to
bring anything else?"

"No, no, I just thought I'd give you a head's
up, since you haven't been around in a while."

"Head's up about what?"

He heard her voice calling away from the phone,
"Jason, can you get Harry out of the tub?"

Then she was back. "Sorry. Harry has the day
off from school and he loves taking baths in our big jetted tub."

"How's the little guy doing?"

"Growing like a weed. And anxious to meet the
whole family. Anyway what was it I need to know?"

"You know Beth, Sam's sister? Well, it turns
out she's having an affair with Mr. Christopher, the director of the
Playhouse."

Silence came from the phone. Then Holly said,
"Dad. I can't believe you called to tell me gossip like this! You're
terrible. What business is it of any of ours what Beth is doing?"

"Well, see, I thought you should know the lay
of the land."

"Dad...honestly, I don't even know what to
say to this. Don't go telling anyone else!"

"Well, sure, Holly. I can keep a secret. But
after all, she is family."

A large sigh came through the phone at his ear.

"Okay. I need to go. We'll see you
tomorrow."

Frank put the phone down and thought about it. He
wasn't wrong. She was a part of the family. And family deserved to know what
was up with each other. Nodding to himself, he put in a call to his wife.

"Betsy, I was right. I have to tell you all
about it. Oh, you didn't call that actor yet, did you? Turns out the blind date
idea is off."

* * * *

When Beth arrived at work that day, she ran into
Julia coming from the coffee room.

"Oops," Julia said, as she came close to
spilling her coffee.

"Hey, Julia. How's it going this
morning?" Beth asked, making her own coffee.

"Fine, fine. Everything is good. How about
you?"

"Everything is fantastic. I feel great
today," Beth said, giving her a sunny smile. "I'd better get up
there. Is William already here?"