A Weekend Getaway (27 page)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I especially appreciate the advice of my first readers, Judy
Post, Jennifer Newton, Paula Adams, Kelley
VanBuskirk
and everyone at Scribes. My agent, Amanda
Luedeke
,
also offered great insight into making this a stronger story. Thanks to Ann
Wintrode
for her editing skills and Michelle Fry and Tara
Storey
for helping with my research. Most of all, thanks to
my husband, Mark, for his support along the way and to my daughter, Amanda, who
inspires me.

Now
Available on Amazon:

NEXT DOOR
SECRETS

By
Karen Lenfestey

When Bethany meets her precocious 8-year-old neighbor,
Kaylee, it stirs up a longing she’s been trying to quell. At 35, she has a job
she enjoys and a sweet boyfriend who cannot promise her tomorrow. She tells
herself no one gets to “have it all,” but little Kaylee seems to need Beth just
as much as Beth needs her.

Beth’s boyfriend, Parker, loves her so much he’s decided to
leave her. Bit by bit, he pulls back, figuring it’s better to break her heart
now rather than later. If he were gone, he’s sure Beth would see that the
family next door has room for one more.

Parker isn’t the only one acting strange these days. Beth
starts to suspect that the reason
Kaylee’s
father
keeps pushing her away is because he’s hiding something.
A
secret big enough to destroy a family.

NEXT DOOR
SECRETS

By
Karen Lenfestey

CHAPTER
ONE

Lightening flashed across the evening sky, illuminating a
little girl sobbing on Bethany’s stoop. The child’s head rested on her pulled up
knees and her dark hair hid her face, but there was no mistaking that despair
rocked her small frame.

Beth parked her car in the lot and stepped into the bitter
wind. A big storm was about to let loose. As she turned up the collar of her
trench coat, she rushed toward the girl, trying to remember her name. She’d
seen her around the neighborhood, but only from a distance. “
Kaylee
?”

The tiny head shot up and the eyes gazing back at Beth were
so blue, the breath caught in her throat. Tears shone on the girl’s chubby
cheeks as her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

Beth figured the girl was about seven or eight.
Too young to be sitting out here alone.
“What’s wrong?”

The girl used her turquoise mitten with a hole in the thumb
to wipe her nose. “My dad said not to talk to strangers.”

Beth nodded. “That’s good advice. I’m your neighbor.” She
pointed to her door on the right. “Your dad helped me figure out the trick to
opening the mailboxes.”

“You have to jiggle the key.” She straightened up as if the
conversation had distracted her from her woes.

The man hadn’t bothered to introduce himself, but she’d
noticed the name Jim Stein on the mailbox. “Anyway, I heard him call you
Kaylee
once, but I guess we’ve never formally met.” She
could barely resist the urge to sit down and wrap an arm around the girl, but
she didn’t want to spook her. With a smile, she waved. “I’m Bethany, but my
friends call me Beth.”

Kaylee
blinked at her with dark
eyelashes stuck together by tears.

The wind blew a strand of Beth’s dishwater blonde hair into
her face. “It’s going to start pouring any minute. Why don’t you go inside?”

“I can’t. My dad gave me a key, but I lost it.”

“Maybe we could call your dad.”

The girl shook her head. “He’ll be mad.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand. He wouldn’t want you to sit
outside in this weather. When’s he coming back?”

She shrugged.

“So no one else is home?” Beth knocked on the door just to
make sure. No answer. “What about your mom? Where’s she?”

Her lower lip jutted out and she looked as if she might start
to cry again. “She died.”

Sympathy jabbed Beth’s heart. No little girl should have to
grow up without a mother. “Sorry.” She wasn’t sure what to say. “Tell me your
dad’s phone number and I’ll call him.”

“555-1246.”

Beth pulled out her cell phone and dialed. “I’m looking for
Jim Stein.”

An elderly man answered. “Wrong number.” Click.

Lightening flashed again, resembling the jagged branch of a
tree. Beth returned her attention to
Kaylee
. “Are you
sure that’s the right number?”

The little girl twisted her mouth to the side. “I think so.”
A crack of thunder made her tremble.

Beth certainly didn’t want to negate the child’s instincts
not to trust strangers, but she couldn’t let her freeze out here either. Her
gaze landed on the numbers mounted on the door behind
Kaylee
.
1246. That was her address, not her phone number. “We could put a note on the
door telling your dad that you’re with me. At least that way you can stay warm
until he gets home.”

“I don’t know.” She twisted a lock of hair near her ear and Beth
noticed the lobe burned pink.

“How long have you been out here?”

“Since the school bus dropped me off.”

A check of Beth’s watch revealed that it was five thirty.
Kaylee
had probably been outside for at least two hours.
“Don’t you have a hat?”

“I lost it.”

Kids. They were so busy noticing butterflies and dandelions
that the little details like keeping track of a hat or a key slipped their
minds. Beth couldn’t help but smile. “You know what would be perfect? We could
make hot chocolate while we wait for your dad.”

“Do you have Swiss Miss?”

“I don’t think so. But I have real cocoa. We could make it
the old-fashioned way.”

“Will it have marshmallows?”

Suddenly Beth hated how she had to keep treats out of her
pantry for fear of putting the weight back on. If she’d known she was going to
have company, she would’ve gladly stocked up, but a trip to the store was out
of the question now. She needed to get
Kaylee
inside.
“We’ll have to check. I’ll be right back.” She dashed inside her apartment,
found a piece of paper and wrote a note to
Kaylee’s
father. Once outside again, she taped it to her neighbor’s door. “See? He’ll
know you’re with me.”

Just then the heavens unleashed the downpour they had
promised. On instinct, Beth reached her hand out, but
Kaylee
didn’t take it. She did stand, however, and follow Beth inside.

The air warmed Beth’s cheeks as soon as she opened the door
to her apartment. She hung their coats on pegs before they walked through the
living room into the small kitchen. The window above the sink blurred with
violent raindrops.

Kaylee
climbed up on one of the
island’s barstools and swung her legs back and forth. “Your place looks just
like ours!”

Nodding, Beth pulled out the Hershey’s cocoa and scanned the
back for a recipe. “I used to love making hot cocoa with my dad when I was your
age. We’d drink it in the basement and watch Star Trek.”

“What’s Star Trek?”

Beth’s jaw dropped open in mock surprise. “What’s Star Trek?
You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The girl shrugged. Once the milk was warmed in the
microwave, Beth stirred in the cocoa and sugar and placed it in front of
Kaylee
. “Be careful you don’t burn yourself.” She watched
as
Kaylee
took a sip. “Do you like it?”

“Not as good as Swiss Miss, but it’s OK.”

Beth chuckled and headed for the living room where she kept
her DVD’s on a bookshelf. Star Trek, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine,
Voyager, Enterprise—they were all here. The original series’ special
effects would probably make
Kaylee
laugh. But
Voyager’s Captain
Janeway
, the first female captain,
would be a good role model for a little girl. Beth pulled out the pilot episode
and turned toward the kitchen. “Bring your cocoa in here and we’ll watch a
little Star Trek while we wait for your dad.”

“I’m not allowed to drink in the living room. Dad says I
might spill.”

Again Beth smirked. “That’s okay. Those are your dad’s
rules, but in my apartment, it’s fine to drink in the living room.” She’d
cleaned up many spills while helping raise her ex-boyfriend’s niece and she
still had the bottle of stain remover in the closet.

Kaylee
climbed off her stool and
carried her mug slowly across the carpet. She gingerly placed it on a coaster
before sitting cross-legged on the couch. A grin radiated from her face.

Beth allowed her gaze to linger on
Kaylee’s
features a little longer. This was such an unexpected treat—having a
child sitting in her living room. A second later something intangible squeezed
Beth’s chest. She’d walked away from her chance for hugs and hot cocoa and all
the good stuff kids could bring. What if she’d missed her only chance? A sigh
escaped her lips.

“What’s wrong?”
Kaylee
asked.

“Nothing.”

“You look sad.”

“Nope.”
Time for a distraction.
Beth grabbed the remote and hit “play.” “This takes place in the future in
outer space.” When the horns started playing the familiar theme song, her
spirits lifted a little. The melody always made her feel as if she should stand
up and salute.

They watched as the ship encountered a displacement wave and
killed some of the crew. Beth scanned
Kaylee’s
face
to see if it was too much. A frown pulled at the girl’s lips.

Shaking her head, Beth realized she hadn’t ever watched this
episode through the eyes of a child. “Just remember this is pretend.” She hoped
that would help ease her distress.
Kaylee
gripped her
mug and continued to fixate on the screen.

Rain continued to pelt the windows, but it became like white
noise that they soon forgot. Throughout the show, Beth kept sneaking glances at
the child, thinking,
This
is what it would be like to be a mom.

Toward the end of the episode, the phone rang. Beth jumped
up, hoping it was
Kaylee’s
father, but then realized
if he saw the note, he’d just walk over. “Hello?”

“It’s me.”

Recognizing her boyfriend’s friendly voice, she carried the
receiver into the kitchen so she wouldn’t disturb
Kaylee
.
“Hi, Parker.”

“I’m afraid I need to cancel our plans tonight.”

She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearly seven.
“That’s OK. I’m babysitting the neighbor girl and I have no idea when her dad
will get home.” Peering into the living room, she saw that
Kaylee’s
attention was still glued to the sci-fi show. Beth lowered her voice. “I hope
he wasn’t in an accident or something.”

“He’s probably just stuck at work.” It sounded as if Parker
were calling from his cell while traffic whirred in the background. “Since when
do you babysit?”

“Starting today.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea
considering.
. . .” He probably worried that she’d get too attached, just as she had with
her ex-boyfriend’s niece. She still kept Emma’s picture tucked away in her desk
drawer because it hurt too much to look at her.

“To be honest, I don’t know. What’s keeping you busy
tonight?”

“Ivy called.”

Beth groaned before he could finish.

“I have to go. She’s desperate and she needs my help.”

Beth tapped her forehead against the wall. Ivy had been
stealing Parker away from her for sixteen years.

To find out what happens next,

Buy NEXT DOOR SECRETS by Karen
Lenfestey
at Amazon today!

Other
Books by Karen
Lenfestey
:

A
SISTER’S PROMISE

WHAT
HAPPINESS LOOKS LIKE

ON
THE VERGE

MADE
FOR TWO: A Romance Novella

A
MOM’S LIFE: WARM FUZZIES, FOOD & FUN

FRIDAY
A LA MODE: A Prequel to
A Weekend Getaway

NEXT DOOR
SECRETS

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