Want to Know a Secret? (36)

His eyes grow wide. “Why can’t I open the door?”

Brianna is standing outside the building, just watching Elliot’s car drive off. There’s a distinctly proprietary expression on her pretty features.

“Why aren’t we getting out of the car?” Bobby demands to know.

“I…” I swallow a lump in my throat. “It turns out Dad isn’t here. We’re going home.”

Bobby cries in protest, but I don’t care. I start up my engine and get the hell out of there.





Chapter 21


Dear residents of Pine Street,



Just a reminder for those of you with pets or who are considering purchasing pets:

There are no loud noises such as barking permitted on the block after 10 PM.

Please don’t leave fecal matter from your dog on the street for the rest of us to clean up.

Pets should never be outside of the house without a leash. If they are in your backyard, I would expect them to be tied to a tree by their leash.

There is a limit to one dog per household.

Prior to purchasing a pet, you must submit a written application to the block captain (Julie Bressler). Your application must include the breed, weight, and size of the animal.



Sincerely,

Julie Bressler, Block Captain




This afternoon, Sean took the boys to the park to practice soccer.

I felt a bit uneasy about the whole thing, because Maria and Sean have been treating me somewhat coldly lately. I don’t know why, because I’m perfectly nice to them both. It seems like Maria goes out of her way to avoid me lately.

Anyway, Maria is at work this afternoon, so it was just Sean and the boys. And Bobby was so excited about it, there was no way I could say no.

Also, the fall carnival is next weekend, and between helping organize that and squeezing in an extra episode of Sweet Secrets to make up for the one I didn’t get to do at the nursing home, I’ve been overwhelmed. Two of our volunteers just backed out this week, so right now, I’m going to be selling tickets and also running the bake sale. And of course, I’ve got the silent auction to worry about. Helping with this carnival is a job in itself.

On the plus side, I haven’t gotten any more mysterious text messages. Maybe whoever was harassing me decided I’ve had enough.

After spending the whole afternoon making calls to some of our sponsors and confirming the inflatable company got their payment, I decide to relax a bit with some baking. I pull out my recipe for a pineapple upside-down cake, which I haven’t made in ages. I absolutely love pineapple upside-down cake. The buttery, brown sugary pineapple juice that seeps down into the cake from the slices on top make the cakes so moist, soft, and buttery. I did a show on pineapple upside-down cake last year. My secret is using tons of butter, and also substituting pineapple juice in the recipe for water.

And as luck would have it, it’s cooling off just as it’s time to pick up Bobby from the Cooper house.

I put the upside-down cake onto a plate and carry it over to the Cooper house. I remember how excited Sean was over my apple turnovers, so I figure he’ll really enjoy this. Nothing makes me happier than somebody who loves my cooking.

I ring the doorbell with my right hand while balancing the cake on my left. After a few moments, the door swings open and Sean is standing there wearing jeans and a T-shirt, except the T-shirt does very little to conceal the muscles in his chest. His eyes widen when he sees the cake.

“I brought you an upside-down cake,” I announce. “Fresh out of the oven.”

“Wow…” He steps back to let me inside. “That looks great. But… well, I don’t want to spoil dinner. So I better not.”

“One piece isn’t going to spoil your dinner!”

“Yeah…” He runs a hand through his thick brown hair. It makes me miss when Elliot used to have hair. “I better not.”

Wow, great. Now what am I supposed to do with this huge cake? “Maybe I’ll just leave it in the kitchen then. You can have some after dinner.”

“Okay.” Sean follows me to the kitchen, and while I gently lower my cake onto the counter, he hollers out to Bobby in the backyard that his mother is waiting. “He says he’s coming.”

“Okay, thanks.”

He rifles through some papers on the kitchen counter. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

My stomach flutters. “Yes?”

He picks up a piece of paper and shakes it in his hand. “So I mentioned to Julie when I saw her the other day on the street that we were thinking about getting a dog. And today I found this taped to our door. Is she for real with this?”

I take the piece of paper. It’s Julie’s standard dog rules. “No, it’s not a joke.”

“Who does she think she is?” He shakes the paper again and it crumbles in his big hands. “I’m not submitting an application to her. It’s my house and my property. If I want a dog, I’ll get a goddamn dog.”

“You should.” It will drive Julie absolutely crazy. “You should get a pit bull.”

He grins crookedly. He has a very cute smile. “You know, I think I will.”

I really, really hope he gets a pit bull.

“Anyway.” Sean looks down at the cake and then back at me. “So… are you going to grab Bobby or…? Because Owen has to get started on his homework…”