Page 83 of Best Kept Secret

She also took out a bottle of wine that she recognized from the last time she’d been there. A few minutes later, she sat down at the kitchen table with her rewarmed lasagna and a glass of merlot. She ate and drank in silence, the nourishment settling her stomach but not her mind.

She recalled the first time she’d met Annie when Hudson had been walking her in front of the apartment. When she’d mentioned her mole, he’d said it was a family trait. It was a family trait, alright—his! Her other traits, specifically the blonde hair and blue eyes, obviously came from her mother, who was not Emily. Come to think of it, Kelsey had seen a picture of Emily on his dresser. How had she not noticed the differences between Emily and Annie? The answer was clear. She’d been too excited about the prospect of making love with him to question Annie’s parentage.

Now she was questioning everything—every look, every word, every sigh. Were they all lies? She thought they’d had a true connection, but had she just imagined it? Had she been seeing what she’d wanted to see all along?

Then she recalled Jared’s warnings and hated that he’d been right. Hudson had been lying to her all along. For all she knew, he had a slew of children with his mole yet to be discovered.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, but nobody was there to contradict her.

Still, she’d trusted him, tamped down her nagging doubts, and defended him to her brother and her friend. When Stacy had voiced her suspicion that he might be Annie’s father, she hadn’t wanted to believe it. Wait until Stacy found out she’d been right. She’d never say, “I told you so,” though. Kelsey could count on her support just like she’d supported Stacy when she’d gone through her divorce.

Divorce. She wondered if it felt kind of like this. A tearing apart of everything she thought she knew, leaving her empty and numb inside. To think she’d almost told him she was in love with him. If she had, she’d probably be feeling even more humiliated right now.

She’d willingly given him her body, but she’d almost given him her heart as well. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe she’d saved herself from falling any further. Jared had tried to warn her, but she’d been too stubborn and foolish to listen. Now she understood why he’d been so vehemently opposed to her getting involved with Hudson. Her brother had known about Annie all along, which meant he also knew about Sonia. What other secrets did he know about Hudson that she didn’t?

Her hunger satisfied, she stood up and took the empty container to the sink. She rinsed it and placed it in the dishwasher, and then she topped off her wine. Why not? She wasn’t going anywhere, though she was supposed to have gone with Hudson to the fireworks in the park.

She took the wineglass into the living room and curled up on the couch. Stacy’s house gave her comfort just like Jared’s and Hudson’s apartment had. Now she’d always think of it as the place she’d fallen in love and been hurt in one swoop.

The fact that Sonia had been so nice to her made it even worse. She probably pitied her, having been a victim of his charm herself. At least Kelsey wasn’t the only one who’d been swept away by his good looks, magnetic personality, and sexual prowess.

Maybe that was all it had been, a physical attraction that she’d mistakenly thought was love. It was all those ridiculous romance novels she read! Maybe they should redesign the book club and switch to a different genre, like historical fiction or mysteries. Yes, mysteries since that summed up life—one big convoluted mystery that could never be solved.

Why had he kept Annie’s parentage a secret from her? Why had Sonia shown up when she had? Why did Annie have to be so darn adorable? Why had she fallen in love with a man who didn’t believe in relationships? Why, why, why?!

Soon she reached the bottom of her wineglass, but she still didn’t have the answers, and her head felt fuzzy. She could either pour another glass and try to numb away the pain or talk this out with someone.

She’d silenced her phone soon after leaving his apartment, and she hadn’t looked at it since. She stood up and went back into the kitchen to retrieve it, but first she rinsed out the glass and put in the dishwasher. If she’d been at home, she might have left it on the counter, but this was Stacy’s house, and she abided by her rules. Then she dug her phone out of her purse and turned it on. Sure enough, there were several missed calls and text messages from Hudson, and one from Stacy.

She opened Stacy’s message first since she hadn’t screwed her over like he had.

Hey! Just wanted to let you know that we arrived safely. Have a great time with Hudson this weekend. Talk soon.

She felt Stacy’s happiness through the phone, and admittedly, it made her envious. Her friend was vacationing with the love of her life, a man who treated her like a queen and hadn’t lied or deceived her. Stacy was on the road to her happily ever after, which she greatly deserved, and where was she? Hiding out in Stacy’s house, drinking alone, and drowning in misery.

She needed to talk to someone, but it couldn’t be her best friend. She wouldn’t rain on her love parade. Jared was out of town with his new lady love, so she couldn’t call him, either. She didn’t want to hear, “I told you so,” right now anyway. Outside of those two, the person she confided in the most was Jenna.

Glancing at the kitchen clock, she saw it was after five. Jenna usually worked until five on Saturdays, but she might have a date for the Fourth. Still, it was worth a try. She padded back into the living room, plopped down on the couch, and dialed her number.

Jenna answered right away. “I thought you were with Hudson this weekend.”

“I was.”

“What happened?”

Kelsey opened her mouth, and the whole story tumbled out, starting with when she’d first met Annie and ending with Sonia confirming her fears. Jenna kept quiet until she found out that Sonia was not only her client but Annie’s mom.

“Unbelievable! Sonia talked about him quite a bit, but she never mentioned his name. She always referred to him as Annie’s dad.”

“What else did she say about him?” Kelsey asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

“Don’t torture yourself. Haven’t you already been hurt enough?”

“What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.”

Jenna sighed. “Well, I don’t remember much. I have so many clients, and they tell me all kinds of things. It’s hard to keep it all straight.”

“You don’t have to protect me, Jen. Like you said, the damage has already been done.”