Page 4 of The Secrets We Treasure

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“Mom! I’m thirsty.” Tray’s singsong voice floated from his bedroom. “Can I have more water and a piece of bread?”

A wry grin drifted over Treasure’s lips. She was wise to the little stinker. Tray was eight years old, going on sixteen. He routinely pulled out all the stops to postpone going to bed. The rule was that he could have water and bread before bedtime, but nothing else. She called back from the kitchen, “You’ve already had a glass of water and a piece of bread.”

There was a slight pause. “I know, but I’m still hungry. And thirsty,” he added.

This would continue all night long if Treasure allowed it. She’d take Tray the items he requested but would then put her foot down, insisting that he go to bed. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” Treasure sighed as she tore open the foil wrapper and pulled out a vanilla chamomile tea bag. She reached for the kettle of boiling water and poured it into a mug, appreciating the satisfying slurping sound the water made. She dropped in the tea bag so it could steep while she attended to Tray. Next, she went to the cupboard and retrieved a glass for water.

She placed the back of her hand over her mouth, stifling a yawn. Her day had started at five-forty-five a.m. After getting Tray ready and feeding him breakfast, she’d dropped him off at school before going to the first of three locations for photo shoots that included four wardrobe changes and two hairstyle redoes. While Treasure was grateful for her successful career as a reality TV star and social media influencer, tonight, she was spent, her body aching all over. The corners of her mouth were sore from smiling so often, and she was tired of having to portray exuberance and sunshine. After the photo shoot, she picked Tray up from school, helped him with his homework, and took him out for pizza and milkshakes.

Being a single mom was tough. Thankfully, Treasure’s late husband’s parents lived with her and helped take care of Tray. However, they were away visiting their daughter, who lived in Manhattan. Treasure had been excited about her in-laws going on a trip so she could have Tray all to herself. However, right now, it would be nice to have extra help—especially at bedtime. She’d already read Tray two bedtime stories.

Treasure was looking forward to curling up on the couch with a comfy blanket, sipping herbal tea, and watching something on TV. Ethan asked if he could come over so they could discuss some of the new items for her clothing line, but Treasure had put him off until tomorrow. There always seemed to be more tasks to complete than time in the day. Also, Treasure knew that talking business was Ethan’s way of finding an excuse to come over. He wanted much more from her than friendship or a business relationship. Not wanting to have a confrontation that would cause even more friction between them, Treasure kept dancing around the topic. Eventually, she would need to have a hard conversation with Ethan, but she needed to work up her nerve to do it.

Bread and glass of water in hand, she turned to step out of the kitchen when she heard a noise coming from outside the house. She jerked, glancing towards the large wall of windows beside the kitchen table. They were covered with plantation shutters, preventing her from seeing out. Or, more importantly, they prevented anyone from seeing into the house. What had she heard? She cocked her ears as her heartbeat accelerated, fear seizing her with a vengeance. Had she imagined the noise? Ethan had offered to come over and stay in one of the extra bedrooms while Helen and Kevin were away, but Treasure insisted that she and Tray would be fine. Having Ethan stay in her home would only complicate the situation more than it already was. Besides, the alarm system on the home was top-notch. The next-door neighbors’ dog barked—a snarly, territorial sound coated with an edge of suspicion. Her body was frozen stiff as a statue, dots of sweat popping over the bridge of her nose. Was someone outside? Maybe she should call Ethan and ask him to come over, after all.

Her eyes swept the room, stopping on her cell phone resting on the counter. She made a beeline for it. Putting down the water and bread, she clutched her phone with both hands, looking at the screen. Should she call Ethan? Or maybe she should call 911.

No, she’d better not do that. It was probably nothing. She didn’t need the negative publicity that was sure to follow if the police were called. Already the tabloids had gotten wind of her troubles and were blasting it in magazines and over the web. It was hard enough as it was for Tray to have a normal life. Treasure didn’t want to add insult to injury.

She strained her ears to catch the slightest sound, but there was only a deafening silence that muffled her ears. A couple of seconds later, the wind whistled against the house. This time, Treasure recognized the distinct sound of a tree branch scraping a dull fingernail against the house. Relieved laughter clipped her throat. Her father-in-law Kevin had been talking about the need to cut the tree branches away from the house so they wouldn’t fall and damage the house during a storm, but he hadn’t gotten around to it. She relaxed her shoulders as she let out a long breath. Her knees were weak with relief.

It was no wonder that she was on edge. Paranoia had been her constant companion ever since she’d started receiving threatening texts and emails. The police were brought in, which is how news of the stalker got leaked to the press. Or at least that was Treasure’s assumption. Detectives were still on the case but hadn’t been able to apprehend the culprit.

This person, whomever he was, was good at covering his tracks. And he was persistent. His texts ranged from being complimentary and saying that he wanted to marry her so he could protect her to ranting and raving about her prostituting her body by putting up pictures of herself on social media. All her photographs were tasteful, but that was beside the point. This person had no right to terrorize her. A shiver slithered down Treasure’s spine. She hated how vulnerable and weak the stalker made her feel. Even though she’d changed her phone number and email address repeatedly, the stalker had still managed to find her.

So far, the threats had been limited to texts and emails. But the situation could escalate at any time. The stalker was obviously unhinged. There was no telling what he would do. Her stomach knotted. Treasure had considered hiring bodyguards to protect her, Tray, and her in-laws. Maybe she should go ahead and pull the trigger. Helen and Kevin had been resistant to the idea, insisting that Tray needed to live as normal of a life as possible. Treasure sensed that it wasn’t only Tray that Helen and Kevin were concerned about. The two of them valued their privacy. Treasure understood all too well where they were coming from. Yes, she was a public figure, but it was something she fell into. Her foray into the world of reality TV began when she was working as a flight attendant and met Ethan in the first-class section of a plane. He was friends with one of the producers of the hit show The Singing Bachelor. Ethan saw star potential in Treasure. He asked if she could sing. When she responded a little, he encouraged her to try out for the show. Later, he became her manager, and the rest was history, as they say.

Treasure looked forward to the time when she could transition out of the public eye and focus on being a mom to Tray and managing her clothing and cosmetic lines. For now, however, she needed to capitalize on her celebrity status to get her businesses going full force. She was supremely grateful to have Helen and Kevin’s help. She called them her in-laws, but they were more like second parents. Her late husband Ben died of a heart attack when Tray was only six months old. Ben’s death was devastating. Helen and Kevin helped Treasure pick up the pieces and move forward.

As soon as Treasure started making real money, she purchased a stately home in Chestnut Hill, a historic neighborhood in Philadelphia. Then, she invited Helen and Kevin to move in with her and Tray. The four of them settled into a comfortable life. That is, until the stalker came on the scene. Treasure glanced around the kitchen, a trickle of unease running down her spine. With Helen and Kevin gone, it was bound to be a long night.

Her phone pinged, nearly causing her to come out of her skin. It was a text from Greer, checking to see how she was doing. Ever since they’d reconnected at Aimee’s funeral, Greer had been texting. First, the texts were sporadic—no more than two or three a month. Gradually, they increased to once a week, then two and three times a week. Now, they texted daily. A pang of longing went through Treasure, nearly stealing her breath. She was taken off guard by the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes. What she would give to have Greer here with her! No, she couldn’t go there. Considering all the turmoil that had transpired between them, Treasure needed to be grateful that they could at least be friends.

The truth was that she would never stop loving Greer. He’d been her first crush, her first boyfriend, her first everything. Treasure had dearly loved Ben, but even that relationship couldn’t compare to the all-consuming passion she’d felt for Greer. Maybe it was because Greer was the focal point of her childhood, forever intertwined with the mystical makeup of sea and sand that was the fabric of Honeysuckle Island. Every time Treasure so much as smelled honeysuckles, she would miss Greer so fiercely that she could hardly stand it.

Rather than responding to Greer’s text, she decided to wait until she got Tray settled into bed. That way, she could savor the conversation that was sure to ping back and forth. A few months ago, Treasure had been sorely tempted to tell Greer that she still had feelings for him. Thankfully, before she could make a complete idiot of herself and wreck their budding friendship, her best friend Laci intervened. Laci had grown up on Honeysuckle Island with Treasure and Greer. The three of them were inseparable as kids. Although they’d gone through rough spots where Laci pulled away, the three of them were once again close. Laci argued that there was no way Treasure could tell Greer how she felt about him. “Greer is still mourning Aimee’s death. Think about it, Treasure. The poor man lost his wife in that tragic accident. You need to give him time to sort through his feelings. Also, you don’t want to mess up your relationship with Ethan. He seems like a great guy, and he’s crazy about you.”

Knowing that Laci was right, Treasure took her advice and kept her relationship with Greer on a friendship level. What to do about Ethan? That was the big question here. Before Greer stepped back into Treasure’s life, she and Ethan had started dating. There was a time when she wondered if she could come to love him. After all, it was flattering to have a successful, take-charge man like Ethan be so taken with her. Now? Well, everything had changed. She didn’t want to hurt Ethan, but she had to be honest with her feelings.

Tray’s blood-curdling scream caused Treasure’s stomach to drop to her feet. “M—O—M!”

Clutching her phone, she flew into action as she ran to get to him. He met her in the hallway, his eyes wide with fear.

“What’s wrong?” she asked breathlessly as he dove into her arms.

“There’s a man in the window.”

Her heart nearly stopped. “What?” Her throat squeezed to the size of a toothpick. “Are you sure?”

He nodded vigorously, clutching her in a tight grasp, his head burrowed into her waist.

A loud bang caused them both to startle. Then came the sickening sound of breaking glass.

“He broke the window,” Tray cried as he broke into sobs.

Terror clawed at Treasure, covering her with a blast of heat so intense that she might’ve been standing in the center of an inferno. Her knees buckled as she fought to stay on her feet. The next second, the shrill peal of the house alarm pierced the air. Tray gasped, covering his ears.

This can’t be happening!A silent prayer wrenched through her mind. Please help us! With fumbling hands, Treasure dialed 911. “An intruder is breaking into my house,” she screamed when the operator answered.

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