Secrets Kept Page 3

  "Carol, I need my phone," I tell her as she makes notes on her invoice for tonight.

  "You know the rules," she says, not looking up from her notes.

  "This is an emergency. Megan's picking me up and I forgot to call her to tell her I'm almost done."

  "You're not almost done. I need you to help with clean-up. You won't be leaving until twelve or twelve-thirty."

  "Then can I just call her and let her know?"

  Carol sighs and goes over to her purse where she has our phones. She takes mine out and hands it to me. "Go outside. And make it quick."

  I go out to the back patio and sit on one of the lounge chairs that surrounds a massive pool.

  Turning on my phone, I see a photo of Kurt and me. It appears every time I turn my phone on. I forgot to change it.

  Staring at the photo, I remember that night. It was in July and we went to a carnival and Kurt won me a stuffed heart. I was so excited. It was the first time a guy had ever won anything for me. The stuffed heart is still sitting on my bookcase. I need to throw it out.

  I call Megan. "Hey, sorry I'm calling so late. You know how Carol takes our phones."

  "Yeah, so are you done?"

  "No, she said it'll be at least another hour. Probably won't be out of here until twelve-thirty. I'm really sorry. I didn't know it'd be this late."

  "Don't worry about it. I'll plan to be there at twelve-thirty."

  "Thanks. I owe you."

  "You doing okay?"

  "I guess."

  "You know you were way too good for him, right?"

  I nod. "Yeah."

  "So don't waste any more time thinking about him. There's someone else out there. Someone so much better."

  People always say that but it doesn't help. It just makes you long for some great guy who may not even be real. Right now, I'm doubting that good, honest, faithful men even exist, so finding one who's single, lives in my area, and wants to date me sounds damn near impossible.

  "Megan, I have to go."

  "Yeah. See you soon."

  Before going back inside, I quickly check Facebook. I know I shouldn't but I can't stop myself. I go to Kurt's page and see that he's already switched his relationship status back to single. I scan through his photos. The ones with me are gone. Erased. Like I didn't even exist in his life.

  My heart sinks and I choke back tears. I shouldn't be sad. It's good he's out of my life. So then why do I feel like my heart's been crushed?

  Chapter Three

  Suddenly, unexpectedly, I burst out crying, tears flowing like a dam broke loose. I set my phone on the lounger and cover my face with my hands, sobbing.

  Last night, and all of today, I was able to hold back the tears, but now they're breaking free, pouring down my cheeks, dripping onto my black apron.

  If Carol catches me, I'll be in so much trouble. She'll probably fire me. But I can't stop. The tears have started and show no signs of stopping.

  "Hey," a voice says from behind me. I turn and see a guy coming up next to me. He sits down on the other lounge chair, facing me. The chairs are close together so when he's seated our legs are almost touching.

  "Anything I can do to help?" he asks.

  I shake my head, still crying, even more so now, because this guy, whoever he is, will probably go tell Carol I'm out here crying and then I'll for sure be fired.

  "Hey." He puts his hand on mine. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

  I glance up and see him looking at me. I must look like a mess. Nose red and swollen. Makeup running down my face.

  Good thing it's dark out here, although the lights around the pool are pretty bright. I'm sure he can see what a mess I am.

  I can see him just fine. He's hot. Thick dark hair that's mussed up in a sexy, bed-head way. Deep set eyes that appear to be a shade of blue. Strong, square jaw, shadowed by a layer of stubble. And full lips that are now lifted into a smile, showing off a slight dimple in his cheek.

  Of course I run into this guy now, when I'm a crying, sniffling mess. Not that he'd be interested in me, but still.

  "I just need a minute." I wipe my face and take a deep breath. "You can go inside."

  "And leave you out here crying? Sorry, but that's not who I am. I see a girl crying, I have to at least try to help." He's wearing jeans and pulls something from his pocket. A cocktail napkin from the party. "Here." He hands it to me. "It's clean. I promise."

  I take it and dab my eyes, then unfold it enough to blow my nose. "Thanks."

  "You're welcome." He's still staring at me. "So what's your name?"

  "Kate. Kate Norris."

  "You work for the catering company?"

  I nod, sniffling. "Are you going to tell my boss I'm out here?"

  "Why would I do that?"

  "Because this isn't where I'm supposed to be."

  "What do I care if you're out here?"

  "I don't know. I just...I don't know."

  He looks over at the house, then back at me. "You want to talk about it? About why you're out here crying?"

  I swallow and shake my head. "No."

  "Why not?"

  "Because it's stupid. And embarrassing."

  "Stupid and embarrassing are my specialities." He leans back on his hands. "Go ahead. Try me."

  "I'd rather not." I dab my eyes with the napkin, which is now wet from my tears.

  "Here." He pulls another one from his pocket and hands it to me.

  I feel a smile forming. "Do you always carry napkins around?"

  "Yeah. Why?"

  He's so serious, it makes me laugh. "It just seems kind of odd."

  "Is it?" He shrugs. "Guess some might think it's stupid. Or embarrassing." He smiles. "See? Like I said. Stupid and embarrassing. My specialities. So shoot. What's making you cry?"

  "I really don't want to talk about it. I promised myself I wouldn't." I blot my face with the napkin.

  "It has to do with a guy," he says.

  I look at him but don't answer.

  "Let me guess. Your boyfriend?"

  I nod.

  "You found him with some other girl?"

  I nod again.

  "How long did you date him?"

  "Eight months."

  This time he's the one who nods. "I'm guessing this happened recently? Him and this girl?"

  "Yesterday. Our eight month anniversary."

  He cringes. "Ouch. You caught him on your anniversary? That's tough. No wonder you're crying. I can't believe you showed up for work tonight."

  "I was hoping it'd take my mind off it. And it did, for a little while, but then...I guess I couldn't hold it in any longer. This is the first time I've let myself cry about it."

  "Kate!" I hear Carol's voice coming from the house. I'm definitely getting fired. She may be my mom's friend but she's also a businesswoman and she won't stand for unprofessional behavior. And sitting out here, crying, is definitely unprofessional. "Kate, are you out here?"

  I stand up. "Over here."

  The guy stands up too. I don't even know his name.

  I stay where I'm at as she comes over to us. I'd rather have her fire me out here than in front of the other staff.

  The guy walks up to her, his hand extended. "Gavin Bishop. Nice to meet you."

  Bishop? As in the owners of this house? So he's Niles' son?

  Oh, God, I am SO getting fired.

  "Nice to meet you too." Carol shakes his hand.

  "I hope you don't mind but I saw Kate out here and started talking to her. She was on her way inside and insisted she had to get back to work, but I'm kind of a talker." He glances at me, then looks back at Carol. "Anyway, please excuse her absence. It was purely my fault, not hers."

  Carol nods. "Certainly. I assumed something must've held Kate up. She's one of our hardest workers."

  "I better get back to work," I say. I try to go around Gavin but he's blocking my path, still standing in front of Carol.

  "Since the evening's pretty much done," he says to Carol, "
do you mind if she stays out here? I was in the middle of telling her a story and I'd really like to finish."

  "How long will it take?"

  "Probably until the end of her shift. My stories are very long."

  I almost laugh at the expression on Carol's face. She looks confused but also a little angry, because if she agrees to this, she'll have to do my work.

  "You'll still get paid for her time." He takes out his wallet and pulls out a hundred dollar bill. "Here's a bonus for the inconvenience."

  She waves it away. "That's not necessary. As a Bishop, you're technically the boss, so yes, if you'd like Kate to remain out here, I suppose that would be fine. Is that okay with you, Kate?"

  "Um, yeah. It's fine."

  "Then I guess I'll be going back inside." She turns to leave, but then turns back and says to me, "Do you have a ride home?"

  "Yeah. I called Megan."

  She nods and walks back to the house.

  "Your boss seems like kind of a hard-ass," Gavin says once she's inside.

  "She's not that bad. She's strict about rules but she's a nice person outside of work. She's a friend of my mom's."

  "Do your parents live around here?"

  "My dad lives about an hour away. My mom lives in Florida but she used to live here."

  "And how about you? Where do you live?"

  "In a small town, about an hour away. I assume you've heard of Moorhurst College? I'm like two miles from there. I share an apartment with my friend, Megan."

  He smiles. "Yeah, I've heard of Moorhurst. I go there."

  We live in the same town? Why have I never seen this guy before?

  "Are you a freshman?" I ask, although he looks too old to be a freshman.

  He chuckles. "I'm a senior. I transferred from Princeton."

  "Why'd you transfer?"

  "You probably already know this, but my dad's running for the Senate. I wanted to be closer to home so I could help him with his campaign."

  "And your dad was okay with you leaving Princeton? I mean, Moorhurst is a good school, but it's not Princeton."

  "Actually, my dad always wanted me to go to Moorhurst so he encouraged me to transfer."

  "Still, that's a big deal. You must really want to help your dad."

  "My dad's my hero. Maybe that sounds lame but it's true. He came from nothing and ended up being governor. And now he might be a senator. I want to make sure he is. He's one of the few politicians who's honest and actually wants to help people. The government needs more people like him."

  When Niles Bishop was governor, I was a little kid so I have no idea if he was a good governor or not. And I haven't paid attention to his Senate campaign. I don't pay attention to politics.

  "Going back to you," Gavin says, "you want to talk about the asshole or are we done with him?"

  I laugh because I've been calling Kurt the asshole since I found him with that girl.

  "What's so funny?"

  "You called him the asshole. That's what I call him too, like he doesn't even have a name anymore. For the record, his name is Kurt."

  "I like asshole better."

  "Me too." I smile.

  How did I go from hysterical crying one minute to smiling and laughing the next? This guy is obviously skilled in cheering people up. I didn't think I'd be smiling or laughing for weeks.

  "Thanks," I say.

  "For what?"

  "Making me feel better. And for saving me from getting fired."

  "No problem." He pauses. "She really would've fired you?"

  "I was out here too long, so yeah. And I'm not supposed to use my phone during work but I had to call my friend for a ride home."

  "You don't have a car?"

  "I do, but it has a flat tire. I didn't have time to fix it before work."

  He motions to the phone in my hand. "Call your friend back. Tell her I'll take you home."

  "No, that's okay. It's too far to drive there and back. Megan will come get me."

  "I'm not coming back. I'm going to Moorhurst tonight. Back to the dorms."

  Should I let him drive me? But I work for him, or at least his parents. So is it weird if I accept a ride from him?

  "Kate?"

  "Um, sure. Okay. Let me call Megan back." I walk away from him as I call her.

  "You're already done?" she answers. "I thought you said—"

  "My shift's not done. I'm calling because I got someone else to take me home."

  "Who?"

  "A guy I met at the party. He lives close to us so he's just going to drop me off."

  "What guy? Who are you talking about? Is it a guy you work with? Or someone else?"

  Knowing she has a thing against rich people, I didn't want to tell her. But I might as well be honest. If she sees him at our apartment she'll find out anyway.

  "It's Gavin Bishop."

  "The governor's son?"

  "His dad hasn't been governor for years."

  "I know, so former governor. Whatever. Why is his son there?"

  "The house I'm at is his."

  "Seriously? How much do governor's make? They're supposed to be public servants. They shouldn't be making enough money to buy a mansion like that. I totally need to do an exposé on this. I wonder if my boss at the magazine would—"

  "Megan, I have to go. Can we talk about this later?"

  If I let her continue she'd have me on the phone all night, outlining her story. She wants to be an investigative reporter so she's always on high alert for some kind of scandal to reveal. But I don't think there's a story here. If I remember right, I think I read in the papers that Gavin's mom is from a wealthy family. She probably paid for this mansion.

  "You sure you can trust this guy to drive you home?"

  "I think I can trust the son of a governor."

  "You can't trust politicians. Or their kids. If their kid murders someone, they just cover it up. That's how it works."

  I laugh. Sometimes she can be a little over-the-top with her theories. And she has endless theories about the rich. She always thinks they're up to no good.

  "Well, if he murders me and they try to cover it up, I trust you to reveal the truth and get me justice."

  "Just let me come get you. I don't mind. Really."

  "I'll be fine. Just go to bed."

  "I can't sleep knowing you're riding home with a possible murderer."

  "He's not a murderer."

  "How can you be sure?"

  "I have to go. We'll talk later."

  When I turn around, I see Gavin smiling at me. How much of that did he hear?

  "What'd your roommate say?"

  "She wants to know if you're a murderer."

  He chuckles. "Yeah, I caught that part. Are all guys murderers or just me?"

  "Just some guys, but especially sons of politicians."

  "And why is that?"

  "Because they can use their connections to cover it up."

  "Sounds like the mob, not politicians."

  "Some would say they're one in the same."

  "Is that what you believe? Before you answer, I should probably tell you I'm a political science major."

  "Oh. Sorry. Did I offend you?"

  "Not at all. I'm used to it. Most people hate politicians and think they're corrupt. And some are. But that's true for all professions."

  "I guess."

  "So am I driving you home or not?"

  "You are, if the offer still stands."

  "It does. But you want to hang out here a little longer? It's a nice night. We could talk some more. Get to know each other a little better."

  "You want to get to know me?"

  "I do. Is that a problem?"

  "No, but I doubt after tonight we'll see each other again."

  "Why wouldn't we?"

  "I'm sure you're busy with classes and whatever activities you do on campus. And I'm always working. I doubt we'd run into each other."

  "We would if I asked you out." He smiles. "So what do you say? Will you
go out with me?"

  He's so casual about it. And bold. Not a hint of nervousness.

  Kurt was confident like that. It's what drew me to him. And then he cheated on me. I don't want that happening again with Gavin. He doesn't seem like he'd do that but how would I know? I didn't think Kurt would cheat on me but he did, and probably had been for months.

  "I think I need a break from dating," I say.

  "I think you need the opposite."

  "And why is that?"

  "You need to forget about the asshole and go out with someone who will treat you the way a woman should be treated."

  "Which is how?"

  "Go out with me and you'll find out."

  I cock my head. "You don't have a girlfriend?"

  "No. And by the way, that time you DID offend me. I wouldn't ask you out if I had a girlfriend."

  "Sorry. Blame it on the asshole. Because of him, I've lost all trust in men."

  "Then I need to help you get it back. So what do you say? Dinner? Tomorrow night?"

  "Tomorrow is Monday."

  "Yeah? You have to work?"

  "No. I just don't usually go on dates on a Monday. Guys usually only want to go out on the weekends."

  "Not if they really like the girl."

  Is he saying he really likes me? He just met me. But I just met him too and I already like him.

  "Okay. Tomorrow it is."

  "Good." He gives me a smile, showing off that hint of a dimple in his cheek.

  So I guess I have a date.

  What a strange night, or more like a strange 24 hours. Last night I was in my bed, dead to the world, trying to sleep off my sorrows. And now I have a date with an extremely hot, extremely rich guy who, so far, doesn't seem like an asshole.

  Maybe Megan was right. Maybe there IS someone better out there for me. And maybe I just met him.

  Chapter Four

  "Nice car," I say as Gavin turns down the road that goes to my apartment. He has a brand new silver Audi with black leather seats. I don't know much about cars but this one is loaded up so I'm sure it cost a small fortune.

  "My dad got it for me last summer. And he got himself a new Mercedes. He special ordered it. Loaded it up with stuff I've never even seen before."

  "Like what?"

  He shrugs. "I can't remember. Just gadget type stuff."