Page 32 of Want to Know a Secret?

I press my ear against the window, which is freezing cold against my cheek. It doesn’t help. I can’t hear a word. I better get inside before somebody sees me.

I try to be as quiet as I can when I open the front door. It occurs to me too late that I could have gone in through the back. The second I step inside, I hear Elliot’s voice. “Gotta go.”

Well, he sure got off the phone fast when he heard his wife coming in.

“Hi, honey.” He jumps to his feet and comes to greet me at the door. “How was your book club?”

“Great.” I try to keep my voice even. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh, nothing too exciting.”

“Doing work?”

“Yeah, mostly.”

Who were you talking to just now? I want to ask him the question, but I also don’t want to sound like a crazy jealous wife. I can’t figure out a way to ask him the question without it sounding that way. And I can’t tell him about the text messages I’ve been getting—not after that threat they made about circulating the photo of me and Mark.

I push past him and go to the kitchen with the tray containing five remaining turnovers. I had meant to store them in the refrigerator for later, but instead, I shove one of them into my mouth. Then another. God, these are good.

Before I know it, the turnovers are gone. The apple and sugar and flour feel heavy in my stomach—I never indulge myself like that. I can’t believe I allowed myself that moment of weakness. Tomorrow I’ll have to make up for it.

I start washing the tray, because I can’t go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink. And God forbid Elliot would ever help me with that. Elliot wanders into the kitchen, yawning. He rubs a hand over his bald scalp. “I’m exhausted. Want to go up to bed when you’re done?”

The hot water feels nice on my cold hands. I love washing dishes. I find it relaxing. “I guess.”

He puts his arms around my waist from behind, and I feel myself stiffen. Who was he talking to on the phone? It’s driving me crazy. I could ask him, but he’ll just lie and blow it off. What’s he going to say—oh yeah, I was just chatting with the woman I’m having an affair with.

“Hey.” I clear my throat as I turn around. “Could I use your phone for a second?”

His expression freezes. “For what?”

“Mine is out of batteries and I want to look something up.”

“What do you need to look up?”

Great question. “Bobby has a half-day one day next week and I can’t remember what day.”

Ooh, that sounded very legitimate.

Elliot frowns at me. “You need to know that right now? At ten o’clock at night?”

“I need to plan for the week.” And also, I need to take a peek at his call list.

He glances over at the refrigerator. “Isn’t that a list of all the holidays and half days posted on the fridge?”

Dammit, he’s right. My organizational skills have backfired.

My brain is struggling to come up with an alternate reason to look at his phone, but before I can, he kisses me on the cheek. “I’m going upstairs. I hope you can come join me soon.”

I watched him trudge up the stairs to our bedroom. Those text messages are getting me paranoid. Just because he was on the phone when I walked in and then quickly hung up, it doesn’t mean he was doing anything suspicious. It doesn’t mean he’s cheating on me.

Although it wouldn’t be the first time.

As soon as I finish the dishes, I take out my phone one last time. I look at the text message, still on the screen. After a moment of hesitation, I swipe to delete the message.

Chapter 15

Owen and Bobby are becoming best friends. And honestly, it’s a relief.