Want to Know a Secret? (21)

And then one day, while we were talking in my kitchen, he leaned forward and kissed me.

Of course, that’s as far as it ever went. The one kiss. I enjoyed it for maybe a split second, then I came to my senses and pushed him away. Of course I did! I couldn’t go through with something like that. I couldn’t do it to my husband or Mark’s wife. It was just wrong.

Yes, I felt neglected by Elliot, but I still loved him. And also, can you imagine what my Sweet Secrets viewers would think if it got out that I was cheating on my husband with another man?

I explained all this to Mark. And he totally got it. And now we’re just friends again. That’s it.

Yet somehow somebody has a photograph of Mark and me taken during that one kiss, snapped through my living room window.

One thing. I do one thing wrong in my entire life, and now I’m being threatened with it.

I have no idea what they plan to do with it. But a photograph like that could destroy my marriage if Elliot ever saw it. If it got out on the Internet, it would destroy my cooking show—part of my image is being a wholesome home cook, and nobody will want to watch me if I’m a cheating bitch. Nobody would believe that it just happened one time, and I pushed him away. This photograph could mean the end of my life as I know it.

I need to figure out who’s doing this. And what they want from me.

But one thing is certain. This person means business.





Chapter 12


Comment on April’s Sweet Secrets YouTube video:



Here’s a secret you don’t know about April Masterson:



She dropped out of culinary school after four months.

Is this the person you want to be taking cooking lessons from?




This afternoon, Sean took Bobby and Owen to the park to practice soccer. Bobby was so excited about it. There was a part of me that was scared he was never going to want to play soccer again after the incident with Leo (who did not have a broken nose, by the way), but fortunately, the pep talk from Sean worked. He told me excitedly that he was going to get really good at soccer like Leo and Owen.

My latest video on making brownies went up this morning. Immediately, there was an onslaught of nasty comments. A lot of them just said my brownies looked gross, which they absolutely did not. But a few of them were more pointed.

Like the culinary school dropout one. I never told anybody about that. I used to have this idea in my head about being a chef, but as soon as I started culinary school, I realized it wasn’t for me. So I dropped out.

It’s not something I’m proud of. We always teach Bobby not to give up. And the commenter made a good point. Why should people take cooking lessons from a cooking school dropout?

Anyway, I deleted all the negative comments.

To take my mind off the whole thing, I went to visit Maria at Helena’s. I figured it must get boring for her in the middle of the afternoon. Also, I had an ulterior motive: I wanted to use her discount. There’s a silk scarf that I’ve been admiring at the store for ages, but I just can’t justify how much it costs. I’ll never hear the end of it from Elliot. But with her discount, maybe it will be okay.

I feel intimidated the second I walk into Helena’s, like I always do. It’s strange because Maria herself is not intimidating. But this store is. It’s bright and shiny, with handbags and scarves and shoes and perfumes on little shelves along the walls. The clothing is in the back, and I’m scared to even look at the prices.

My YouTube channel is doing well. It’s made me a minor local celebrity. But I’m not making the sort of money from it where I could drop a couple of grand on clothing. Maybe someday, but not yet.

The store is nearly empty, as I predicted, and Maria is sitting quietly at the desk in the back. The door jingles as it closes, and I notice that a man is standing next to the door wearing a uniform. He’s also built like a linebacker. Security. I guess they need it in a place like this.

“April!” Maria looks thrilled to see me. “What are you doing here?”

“Shopping.” I join her at the desk and rest my purse on top of it. “Also, I thought I’d keep you company. The boys are playing soccer.”

Maria beams. “I know! It’s so cute.”

“Sean is so good with the boys.” I try to keep the jealousy out of my voice. Her husband is not only really sexy, but he’s also a great dad. I definitely wouldn’t say that first part though. “I’m surprised you don’t have half a dozen kids.”

“Actually,” she says quietly, “I can’t have kids.”

I look at her in surprise. “Did something happen with Owen’s birth?”

She hesitates a moment, then shakes her head. “I’m not Owen’s birth mother. His biological mother… died several years ago. He doesn’t even remember her. I adopted him after Sean and I got married.”

“Oh.” The questions swirl around my brain. I had no idea Maria wasn’t Owen’s biological mother. I wonder how Sean’s first wife died, but I can’t ask that. She must’ve been very young though—it was undoubtedly something tragic. “You and Owen look alike.”

She beams. “Thanks. People say that a lot.” She raises her eyebrows at me. “How about you? Are you one and done?”

I toy with the chain around my neck. “Um, not exactly.” I haven’t talked to anyone around here about our fertility problems, but something about Maria makes me feel like I can open up to her. “Elliot wants another baby, but no luck so far. So…”