Page 10 of My Secret Valentine

I glance at the clock. “Garden room?”

She nods and leads the way to the glass-enclosed room where Claire used to grow orchids. I haven't changed anything in here since she died. The plants are gone, but the wicker furniture remains, along with the view of the mountains.

Lainey sits in Claire's favorite chair. The sight does something strange to my chest.

“This isn't working,” she says quietly.

“I know.”

“The gossip’s started and I know you don’t want that.”

“I did hear a bit about a nanny trying to catch a single dad husband.”

She twists her hands in her lap. “Oh, damn that’s so embarrassing. I really should just go.”

“Don't.” I cross the room in two strides, stopping just short of touching her. “Don't say you should leave.”

“Then what should I say?” She looks up at me, eyes bright with challenge and something else. “What are we doing here, Steve?”

I don't have an answer. Or maybe I have too many answers, none of them simple. None of them safe.

The doorbell rings, startling us both. Through the garden room windows, I can see Margaret's car in the driveway.

Lainey stands quickly, smoothing her shirt though it doesn't need it. “I should check on Maddie.”

I watch her go, my heart pounding. When I open the front door, Margaret's expression makes my blood run cold.

“We need to talk about the photos Jenny's mother just showed me,” she says quietly.

“What photos?”

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lainey

“You need to see this.” Sarah slides her phone across the coffee shop table, her usual cheerful expression replaced with concern. “They're all over Facebook.”

My stomach drops as I look at the screen. The photos aren't scandalous, not really, but they tell a story. Steve and me in the park, sitting closer than employer and employee should. Us at the grocery store, his hand on the small of my back as he reached past me for something on a high shelf. The worst is from the night of the storm – a shot through the living room window of us in the blanket fort with Maddie, the candlelight making everything look intimate and secret.

“Jenny's mom took them,” Sarah explains, stirring her untouched latte. “She's been watching the house, apparently. Says she's 'concerned about Maddie.'“

“We weren't doing anything wrong.” But my voice sounds weak even to my own ears.

“I know that. But honey, this is Hope Peak. People love a scandal, even if they have to make one up.” She reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. “How's Steve taking it?”

The memory of his face when Margaret showed him the photos makes my chest tight. “He's... quiet. More than usual.”

“And Maddie?”

“She doesn't know anything's wrong. Yet.” I take a sip of my now-cold coffee, trying to gather my thoughts. “But she's smart. She notices things.”

“Like the way you look at her dad?”

“Sarah!”

“What? I've known you since we were kids, Lainey. I know that look.” She leans forward, lowering her voice despite the nearly empty café. “And for what it's worth, he looks at you the same way.”

Before I can respond, my phone buzzes. It's a text from my old college roommate, Emma:Just got offered a job at Harper & Blake Publishing. They're looking for more editors. Interested?

---