What Lies Beneath: Romantic Suspense (2 page)

“But mom-”

“No, buts. It’s getting late and you’ve got school Tomorrow.”

“I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of each other,” Mr. Devereaux said.

He took out a business card and handed it to me. I glanced at it. It listed his name and phone number. There was no business title or profession listed.

“Now, that’s my private number,” he said. “You call whenever you like.”

He smiled at me like a used car salesman while brushing his light brown hair out of his face. His blue eyes sparkled with a degree of charm. If he wasn’t a cheater and a creep, he would have been cute.

I stuffed the business card into my pocket and walked across the lawn to Aiden. As usual, he was taking forever to collect his things. I put his dinosaurs in his backpack and told him to tell Bella goodbye. I had the urge to flee this madhouse before I was cornered again.

“Bye Bella.”

“Bye Aiden!” she screamed.

I winced, then laughed. Bella was loud, but adorable in her own outspoken way.

“Thank you for having us, Bella,” I said.

“Thank you very much for coming,” she responded; perfectly polite, but in a way that sounded rehearsed.

I took Aiden’s hand and led him towards the gate. I didn’t want to go through the house and get trapped in another conversation with Mr. Devereaux or Theo.

“Don’t forget to call now,” Mr. Devereaux said with a wave.

I smiled politely and dragged Aiden back to the car.

“Bella says I can come back whenever I want,” he said.

“We’re never coming back here again.”

3

After dealing with a litany of why’s from Aiden, I finally managed to get him off to school. He’d spent all evening and all morning demanding to know why I refused to go back to the Devereauxes’ house.

I couldn’t tell him the truth, that Bella’s father was a creep and her mother was manipulative and cruel. Ultimately, I quieted his demands for answers by promising him he could invite Bella over sometime to play. He seemed satisfied for the moment, but I was sure that would change.

I was relieved to see him off to school. I drove away and briefly considered going by the art supply store and picking up paints and brushes. In a moment of grief and anger, I’d thrown away all my art supplies. I never regretted the decision until this morning. I’d woken up to the sight of a Goldfinch perched outside my window. I’d never seen one at this time of year. My first instinct was to worry that the little bird was hurt, but it soon flapped its black wings and started to groom its yellow breast.

The bird’s coloring was a stark contrast to the dead leaves outside. I desperately wanted to capture the image in paint, but I’d thrown everything out. The only art supplies in the house were Aiden’s crayons and whatever remained in my husband’s art room, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in there.

I laid in bed a bit longer and watched the Goldfinch hop along the windowsill. I was afraid to move lest I scare it away. Eventually, I had no choice. I had to get up and get Aiden ready for school.

To my surprise, the bird didn’t fly away. He tilted his head to the side and watched as I dressed. In that moment, I became strongly convinced that there was something more to the bird. Its presence was an omen. What I didn’t know was whether he brought good tidings, or a warning of doom.

After dropping Aiden off at school, I drove down Mainstreet. When I came to the art supply store I slowed. I wanted to stop, but a nagging voice told me to move on. I was convinced my artistic talents had died along with my husband. There was no point in continuing to think I had what it took to call myself a painter.

I drove slowly. I could still stop. It wasn’t too late. A car horn blasted from behind me. I jumped and hit the accelerator. I sped past the store feeling rattled. Without thinking, I pulled up to a local coffee shop and went inside.

The last time I’d been inside was with my husband. As I entered the shop, the smell of freshly brewed coffee hit me. I was awash in memories. I could see myself sitting with Tom by the window after a night in the city. We’d come home late, but we had no desire to go to bed. We ended up in the all-night café talking and laughing.

“Excuse me,” a voice said from behind me.

The dreamlike state I was in burst.

“Sorry,” I said, stepping aside so a woman could get past. I was blocking the door. Suddenly, I wanted to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. I turned to leave.

“Sabine!” a woman called from the other side of the store.

I pretended like I didn’t hear her and opened the door.

“Sabine!” she called again.

There would be no escape. Maddie was on me, grabbing me by the arm and spinning me around. Before I could stop her, she wrapped me up in a big hug, squeezing the breath out of me.

I coughed and hugged her back gently.

“God! It’s been forever,” she said.

Maddie and I used to be friends, but we drifted apart in the wake of Tom’s death.

“Yeah, how are you?”

“Good, good. How are you?”

She narrowed her eyes and examined my face closely as if she was trying to decipher a puzzle.

“Good,” I lied.

She nodded slowly. “Would you like to sit down?” she said delicately.

The fact that she was treating me like I was fragile proved how little she thought of my mental state. Maybe she was right. I hated to think I was that far gone, but Maddie’s face was twisted with concern.

I let her lead me to a table in the back of the café. She took the liberty of ordering a cappuccino for me. I told her I was in a rush, but she insisted I stay and have a coffee. I relented though not without protest.

“So, what’s been going on in your life?” she asked. “Anything exciting?”

My life consisted of taking care of Aiden and little else. It’s hard to explain how all-encompassing grief can be. It was like my life had come to a standstill the night I got the call about Tom.

“The usual. Nothing special,” I said, not wanting to talk about the depressing truth.

“No men in your life?”

I laughed. “Just Aiden. He’s a handful. I don’t think I could handle anymore.”

“You never know. You might meet someone when you least expect it.”

I shrugged and thought of Theo. There could never be anything romantic between us. It felt like a betrayal of Tom to even consider falling for another guy. Theo was cute though. I tried to tell myself the attraction was just physical and nothing more.

“Speaking of men,” I said. “Have you ever met Mr. Devereaux?”

“Yes! He’s the worst.”

“I took Aiden over to his house yesterday for a play date. Mr. Devereaux started hitting on me as soon as his wife was gone. He gave me his number and told me to call him.”

“Please tell me you’re not going out with him?”

“No! Of course not. He creeped me out. He wouldn’t stop touching my leg. It made me super uncomfortable. Besides, even if he wasn’t a creep, he’s married. I’m not getting involved with a married man.”

Maddie frowned as if considering something.

“What?” I asked. “Don’t tell me you’re involved with a married man?”

“No.”

She laughed off my question, but there was something off about her response. It was none of my business what Maddie did. Still, I couldn’t help but worry she’d gotten mixed up in an affair.

“You know, Mr. Devereaux got a girl who works here pregnant,” she whispered.

“Does Mrs. Devereaux know?”

“I don’t think so. As soon as her baby bump started showing, she disappeared.”

“Permanently?”

“No. She came back a year later. Her stomach was flat and she never mentioned a baby. Everyone assumed she had it in secret then gave it up for adoption. She stayed on here for a while, but left a couple years ago.”

This was the first I’d heard of any of this, but I wasn’t surprised. Mr. Devereaux struck me as the type to have more than a few skeletons in his closet.

“Best you stay far away from him,” Maddie said.

“Trust me, I’m way ahead of you. Aiden’s furious.”

“Why?”

“He’s quite taken with Mr. Devereaux’s daughter, Bella. She’s really sweet. I hate to punish the kids by keeping them apart, but that house is just too much for me. His wife was a real bitch to me, too.”

I was surprised by how angry I felt at the memory of the way she’d callously used my husband for her benefit. I’d spent most of the last year wandering around in a daze, feeling numb. This was the first time I’d felt really angry in ages. Maybe talking with Maddie had brought out something in me I’d lost.

“What did she do?” Maddie asked. She leaned in confidentially as if someone might be listening.

“Nothing,” I said, losing the desire to rehash it. “She was just rude.”

“Well, that’s the Devereauxes for you. Have you seen their hot manny?”

I sipped my coffee and nodded as if I was disinterested. “Yeah. He was at the house, why?”

I was curious about the gossip surrounding him, but I couldn’t just come out and say it. I didn’t want Maddie to know I was interested. It was too embarrassing.

“He’s easy on the eyes. Don’t you think?”

“I suppose. I didn’t really notice,” I lied.

“‘Didn’t really notice,’ please! How could you miss him? He’s a ten.”

I smiled and bit my lip.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“C’mon, what are you thinking? I can see that gleam in your eye.” She studied my closely, like she was trying to figure out a particularly challenging puzzle. “You do think he’s hot, admit it,” she said.

“He’s cute, but…”

“But, what?”

I shook my head dismissing her question.

“Did he ask you out?” Not waiting for my response, she said: “You should ask him out. Ask him out for coffee or for a date in the city.”

“I’ve never been good at approaching men.”

Not true, actually. I approached my late husband first, pursuing him even after we’d had a disastrous first date. He’d spent the whole night babbling about work. Then when he tried to kiss me, he tripped and fell into me. I slipped on the icy sidewalk and landed flat on my ass. We laughed about it later, but at the time I thought we’d never see each other again.

Sometimes, I wonder if I’d never called him up for a second date if he’d still be alive now. It was too depressing to think about. A part of me felt cursed. My father had died young too. I had no memory of him. He died a couple months after my birth. Was any man who got too close to me destined to have the same fate?

“I’ve been busy lately,” I lied. “And, you know, Aiden is a handful. I don’t have much time for dating.”

“Make time. A man like that doesn’t come around often.”

“Mrs. Devereaux seems quite taken with him,” I said.

I dangled the bait in front of her, hoping she’d pick it up and spill everything. Were they sleeping together? I shouldn’t care, but the idea bothered me.

“Mrs. Devereaux is fond of most guys.”

Maddeningly, she didn’t elaborate.

“Do you think they’re…?”

“Sleeping together?” Maddie shrugged. “No. I don’t think so. He doesn’t strike me as the type to fall for her charms.”

I wasn’t so sure. Mrs. Devereaux had a tight, fit body, long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her skin was tanned year round and she had an aggressive confidence that men seemed to like.

I’d experienced firsthand how mean and territorial she could be. I pitied anyone who made an enemy of her. I doubted the men she slept with cared though. They got theirs and she got hers. Cheaters weren’t interested in much else.

Was Theo the type to sleep with a married woman though? The idea grossed me out. He was their child’s caregiver. He was a trusted figure in the home. To sleep with the mother of the child you’re responsible for seemed worse than normal infidelity.

“So, are you going to call him?” Maddie asked.

“Maybe,” I said, trying to placate her. I checked my watch. “I’m running late,” I lied.

“It was good to see you.”

“You too. Hey, call me.”

I stood and turned to leave, but Maddie grabbed me and squeezed me with a tight hug.

“I’ll call you,” she said.

I sensed she didn’t trust me to call her. She was probably right to distrust me.

I managed to free myself from her iron grip and head out the door. When I got in my car, I saw I had a missed call. It was from a number I didn’t recognize. The person had left a voicemail. The sound of Theo’s voice, deep and a bit raw, filtered out of the phone.

“Sabine, it’s Theo. In your hurry to leave yesterday, Aiden left a few of his toys behind. I thought I could drop them off at your place, or you could come and pick them up? I wish you hadn’t left before I had the chance to say goodbye. Maybe we can finish having our cup of coffee sometime? Call me at…”

I listened to the message again then shut off my cell phone. Bella could bring Aiden’s toys to school and give them to him. We didn’t need to go back to the Devereauxes’ house, or have Theo come over.

I started my car and headed home.