Uncovering Secrets: The Third Novel in the Rosemont Series (24 page)

“I
can’t,” Maggie began and turned to Susan, who had already slipped off her shoes
and donned one boot.

“Come
on, Mom,” Susan said. “They’re right. You don’t want to spend your honeymoon in
a cast.”

Maggie
looked between Amy and Susan, and slipped off her shoes. With John’s help, she
tugged on the practical footwear and concealed them under the layers of hem.

“See,”
Amy said, “you hardly even notice them.”

Maggie
took a tentative step. “You’re right. Much better. Thank you for thinking of
this.” She kissed her daughter-in-law on the cheek.

The
wedding party formed a receiving line, and Maggie and John introduced Maggie’s
children and grandchildren and hugged and kissed their friends for the next
forty-five minutes. Even Frank Haynes shook Maggie’s hand warmly. “Thank you
for coming, Frank,” Maggie said. “I’m looking forward to meeting your friend.
Your RSVP said that you were bringing a guest?”

Haynes
recoiled slightly and cleared his throat. “She was called out of town on a
family emergency,” he said. He’d been sure that Loretta would find the prospect
of spending the day at Rosemont irresistible and would change her mind, but she
had not.

“I’m
sorry to hear that.” They stared at each other awkwardly. “I look forward to
meeting her another time. Glad you’re here, Frank,” she said as she turned to
the next person in line.

At
twelve thirty, Pete positioned himself at the head of the receiving line and
announced that lunch was being served. “I’m stealing the bridal party to take
them to their table. Everyone else—please find your table, and we’ll let
you know when you can visit the buffet.” Groans emanated from those left in the
receiving line. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a chance to visit with the bride and
groom after lunch.”

Pete
motioned to the wedding party to follow him. “We plated your lunches,” he said.
“We decided the wedding party shouldn’t go through the buffet line. I want the
two of you to relax and eat.” He eyed them sternly. “I’m going to stand at the
end of your table to make sure you have everything you need and to chase people
away.”

“I’m
starved,” John said.

Maggie
smiled. “I was too nervous to eat breakfast, so I’m hungry, too. Good idea,
Pete.”

Pete
beamed and ushered them to their seats.

Maggie
enjoyed everything on her plate; though reflecting on the meal later, she
couldn’t remember what she ate. What she did remember was looking out at the
sea of their friends talking and laughing, sitting in groups enjoying lunch or
milling about the lawn that sparkled in the midday sun.

She
turned to look at the rear façade of Rosemont, the sun glinting off the
windows. Susan followed her mother’s gaze. “Look at how the sun hits the
windows. If I didn’t know better,” she said, “I’d swear the house was winking
at us.” Maggie smiled at her daughter and nodded.

Pete
approached the table at one fifteen. “I think it’s time to cut the cake.”

The
five-tiered masterpiece of cream-colored fondant decorated with white roses had
been wheeled to a spot in the center of the tables. Waiters were busily passing
out glasses of champagne, and an expectant hush settled on the crowd.

Pete
handed the couple two Waterford champagne flutes Maggie recognized from the
collection at Rosemont. Mike picked up his glass, cleared his throat, and
began. “Thank you all for joining us today for this very happy occasion. When
our mother moved here, my sister and I had misgivings. What would happen to her
so far from us? Well, what’s happened to her is that she’s made a new life in a
town filled with the most charming and hospitable people we’ve ever met, and
she’s married a man that my sister and I have come to love very deeply—a
man of sterling character and deep integrity. John—welcome—we are
honored to be one family.” Mike turned to the crowd and raised his glass. “To
Maggie and John. May God bless them with a long and happy marriage!”

Maggie
and John entwined their arms and sipped champagne as the crowd raised their
glasses and clapped. All except Frank Haynes, who quietly made his way to the
exit.

Maggie
carefully cut a small slice of cake from the bottom layer, and placed it on the
plate Pete handed to her. John ate the small bite she held up to his mouth on a
fork, then he smiled mischievously and grabbed a large chunk of cake.
Don’t
you dare,
Maggie mouthed to her new husband. He laughed and broke off a tiny
piece and fed it daintily to her. The photographer, who had been busy all day
snapping candid shots, took their photo and leaned in. “Can we get some formal
pictures? The light is perfect right now.”

They
finished the wedding portraits in front of the soaring staircase of Rosemont.
“This is such a magnificent setting,” the photographer said. “My camera loves
it. I could take pictures here all day. But I’m sure you’d like to get back to
your reception. I’ve got more than enough photos.” Maggie sighed and turned to
John. “We should go back to mingle with our guests. I know we haven’t spoken to
everyone.”

Susan
stepped in front of them. “That is impossible, Mom. You’ll never get out of
here if you don’t leave now.”

“We
can’t do that,” Maggie gasped.

“Sure
you can,” Aaron said. “That’s the beauty of being the newlyweds. You get to
leave when you want to.”

“John?”
Maggie turned to him.

“I
have to agree with these two,” he said. “And I’m exhausted from it all. I’m not
used to this.”

“I’ll
need to get my suitcase,” Maggie said. “And say goodbye to Mike and Amy and the
girls.”

Susan
shook her head. “I packed your bag for you, and it’s already in the car.” Her
eyes sparkled at John. “You’re going to love the fabulous honeymoon John’s
planned. And you don’t need to say goodbye. We were all in agreement on that.”
She put her arms around both of them. “I love you both to pieces. Take good
care of each other. And have fun! We’ll get Rosemont cleaned up before we leave
on Monday morning.”

“But
I should stay for the rest of my wedding reception,” Maggie stated feebly,
knowing she’d been defeated.

“We’ll
take pictures and send them to you,” Susan assured her.

“We’ve
got it all set up,” Aaron said. “Let’s go back to the lawn, and I’ll signal
Marc. He’s going to play ‘How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You).’ We’ll start
clapping and cheering, and you’ll take her hand.” He turned to John. “Run along
the side of the house to the Town Car waiting out front. It’ll take you to the
airport hotel where you’ll spend the night before you fly out in the morning.”

Maggie
looked at John and nodded. They walked onto the lawn, the music began, he took
her hand, and they were off.

***

Maggie sat back in her seat at the gate the next morning
and watched her handsome husband—what wonderful words those
were—approach with two steaming cups of coffee. They’d arrived at the airport
for their trip to Cornwall the recommended two hours ahead of their scheduled
departure, sailed through check-in, and now had plenty of time before they
boarded their flight.

“Cornwall!”
Maggie said as John handed her the paper cup. “I’ve always wanted to go there.
Ever since I read
The Shell Seekers
years ago. The hotel you picked in
Penzance looks charming. We can do everything at our own pace.”

“And
the Internet connections are limited,” John said. “So you’ll be forced to
unplug and pay attention to your new husband.”

“Nothing
I’d rather do. Which reminds me,” she said, setting down her cup. “Let’s see if
the kids sent us those photos.” She removed her tablet from her carry on and
opened her email. “Here they are. They’ve sent us pictures from the reception
and from the week before.”

They
leaned over the tablet together and were scrolling through the photos when
Maggie froze. “Who are those people?” John asked. “It looks like they’re in a
hospital.” He turned to her. “Maggie. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Maggie
stared at the photo for a full minute, holding her breath. She slowly exhaled
and turned to John. “This is Sophie and Sarah’s friend who came for the
sleepover last week,” she said pointing to Marissa. “Her little sister was in
the hospital, and Susan stopped by to deliver presents they’d picked out for
her and her mother. I’m assuming that’s her little sister with the doll and
matching dress. And this must be their mother.” She tapped the screen.

John
nodded. “So? Why is this upsetting you?”

Maggie
struggled to draw a breath. “Because that woman is Loretta Nash.” She turned to
John. “
Paul’s
Loretta Nash. The woman he had the long-standing affair
with—the one in Scottsdale he supported like a second family. And this
little girl,” she said, moving her finger back to Nicole, “the one that is so
sick. She must be Loretta’s daughter. She would have been born around the time
of Paul’s death, so she’s the right age to be Paul’s child.” Maggie leaned
close to the screen. “Her eyes are Paul’s eyes.” Maggie turned to John,
wide-eyed, fighting down her rising panic. “Susan and Mike may have a
half-sister, right here in Westbury.”

The End

Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed
Uncovering Secrets
, I’d be grateful if you wrote a review.

Just a few lines would be great. Reviews are the best
gift an author can receive. They encourage us when they’re good, help us
improve our next book when they’re not, and help other readers make informed
choices when purchasing books. Reviews keep the Amazon algorithms humming and
are the most helpful aide in selling books!  Thank you.

To post a review on Amazon or
for Kindle:

1.
    
Go
to the product detail page for
Uncovering
Secrets
on Amazon.com.

2.
    
Click
“Write a customer review” in the Customer Reviews section.

3.
    
Write
your review and click Submit.

In gratitude,

Barbara Hinske

Just for You!

Wonder what Maggie was thinking when the book
ended?

Exclusively for readers who finished the book,
take a look at
Maggie’s
Diary Entry
.

Acknowledgements

I’m grateful for the wisdom and support of many gracious
and generous people:

To
my wise medical consultant, A. D. Jacobson, M.D.

To
my cadre of attorney friends (who never dodged a phone call from me): Michael
Scheurich, William Novotny, Mark Herriot, Jason Castle, and Howard Meyers.

To
knowledgeable accountants: Robert Hinske (my incomparable older brother), Lela
Lawless, and Linda Blessing.

To
the professional “dream team” of Linden Gross, Jesika St Clair, Mat Boggs,
Suzie Welker, Mitch Gandy, and Jesse Doubek.

To
Matt Hinrichs for my beautiful cover.

To
my beta readers, Helen Curl and Deb Vesey.

To
the Tooms family for generously allowing me to use their Texie as my Eve.

To
the best friends and supporters in the entire world: Jeffrie, Georgia, Donna,
Charla, and Norma.

To
my loyal and encouraging children: Kate, Edward, and Adam.

Book Club Questions

1.
    
Have
you ever abruptly changed your mind about a major life decision, and were you
happy you did?

2.
    
Have
you ever trusted someone that betrayed your trust?

3.
    
Have
you ever found or inherited a valuable collection or treasure? What did you do
with it?

4.
    
If
you got married at your current age, what would you plan for your wedding?

5.
    
What
new trends or traditions have you seen at a recent wedding you attended or
heard about?

6.
    
What
traditions would you like to see revived?

7.
    
If
you were to go on a honeymoon now, where would you go?

8.
    
Have
you ever travelled to a place (or wanted to) because it was a setting in a
novel?

9.
    
Have
you participated in agility trials or hospital pet therapy visits with your
dog?

10.
 
What is the most
unexpected weather “surprise” that you’ve experienced and how did you handle
it?

About the Author

BARBARA HINSKE is an attorney by day, bestselling
novelist by night. She inherited the writing gene from her father who wrote
mysteries when he retired and told her a story every night of her childhood.
She and her husband share their own Rosemont with two adorable and spoiled
dogs. The old house keeps her husband busy with repair projects and her happily
decorating, entertaining, cooking, and gardening. Together they have four grown
children and live in Phoenix, Arizona.