Want to Know a Secret? (28)

“Oh, come on! Elliot wouldn’t do that to you.”

I swallow. “Yeah. I’m sure you’re right.”

Maria excuses herself to go to the bathroom. She’s been over enough times lately that she doesn’t have to ask where it is. Even though we haven’t known each other that long, there are times when I feel like I’ve known her for ages. And I’ve completely forgotten about what she did to me during that book club. Well, I haven’t forgotten it, but I know she didn’t do it on purpose.

I glance out at the backyard, to where Owen and Bobby are playing together. They look like they’re playing tag. I still feel uneasy about how Bobby disappeared from the backyard that time. And the text message. But then again, nobody stole him—he left on his own volition, according to Maria. Either way, I’ve been keeping a much closer eye on him lately, especially now that the text messages have continued. The only thing besides school I allow him to do is go to the park to play soccer with Sean Cooper. I trust Sean.

A buzzing sound draws my attention away from the backyard. It’s coming from Maria’s purse. Her phone must be ringing on silent.

I start to call out her name to tell her she’s got a phone call, but then I realize something. Her iPhone is lying on our kitchen table.

I glance over at the hallway leading to the bathroom. No sign of Maria. I get up out of my seat and look down inside her purse to see what’s making the noise. I try not to touch anything, because I don’t want her to think I’ve been going through her purse, even though I sort of am.

There’s a phone in there. A flip phone.

Why does Maria have a flip phone in her purse when she has a perfectly good iPhone? That is really strange. It looks like one of those burner phones that you can buy with a prepaid card if you don’t want somebody to track you down. But why would Maria have one of those?

I glance at the hallway one more time, then quietly remove the phone from her purse. It stops ringing just as I get it in my hand. I open it up and see a number on the screen, but no name attached.

Why would Maria have a burner phone? Who has she been calling with it?

And then I think of all those text messages from blocked numbers. That couldn’t be Maria, could it? Why would she do something like that? It doesn’t make any sense.

And then a text message appears on her screen:



When can we meet?



My mouth falls open. Is Maria having an affair? Is she cheating on Sean? I can’t imagine Maria doing something like that, but why would she have a burner phone in her purse and be arranging clandestine meetings with someone?

The area code on the number is local. It’s somebody from around here.

I look for a scrap of paper to scribble down the number, but before I can find one, I hear running water from down the hallway. I quickly snap the phone closed and drop it back into her purse. I can’t let her know I was digging around inside her purse.

“Mom!”

I nearly jump out of my skin at the voice coming from behind me. It’s Bobby and Owen. Their hands are caked in fresh dirt, and my son also has some on his cheeks. That’s a good indication they’ve been having fun.

“Mom, Owen pushed me!” Bobby whines. He scrunches up his freckled nose.

Owen folds his skinny arms across his chest. “No, Bobby pushed me.”

I groan. “Can’t you both say you’re sorry?”

“No!” Bobby looks affronted. “Owen pushed me! He pushed me off the swing and I fell on the ground.”

Admittedly, Bobby’s pants legs are caked in dirt. But that’s nothing unusual.

Owen blinks eyes that are rapidly filling with tears. He has Maria’s dimples even though he’s not biologically related to her, but he has his father’s blue eyes with long eyelashes. He looks like the sort of kid who will be handsome someday. A real ladykiller, but he doesn’t know it yet. “I didn’t push you. I was on the swing and you said it was your turn, but it wasn’t. And then you pushed me off.”

Thankfully, Maria emerges from the bathroom at that moment. The boys reiterate their dilemma to her, both of them insisting that they were pushed. At this point, I really don’t care who pushed who. I’m sure even if Owen pushed Bobby, he didn’t mean anything by it.

“You both need to say you’re sorry,” Maria says firmly. “Now.”

After a bit more coaxing, both the boys mutter apologies. I don’t know what’s so hard about saying sorry. It’s like apologizing is physically painful for them. I say sorry about a hundred times a day. Even if it’s not my fault.

“I better take Owen home now.” Maria flashes an apologetic smile. “I think the boys have had enough of each other today.”

“Would you like some raspberry tartlets to go?”

She looks longingly at the plate. “I would, but I shouldn’t. Honestly, April, I’m going to gain twenty pounds living next to you.”

We hug goodbye and Maria drops her iPhone into her purse. I’m dying to ask her why she has a burner phone, but I suspect anything she tells me will be a lie. I still can’t believe she’s having an affair. Especially when she’s married to Sean, who is crazy sexy.

But the other explanation is too disturbing to consider.

After Maria and Owen leave, I decide I better get Bobby in the bathtub. I turn to look at my son, and that’s when I noticed the darkening red patch on the right knee of his jeans.