Page 49 of Heart of a Hero

“Karen, please forgive me for just dropping by, but I wanted to talk to you. It’s been such a crazy week. This was the first chance I had to come by.” She glanced around. “Are your girls around?”

“No, believe it or not, they’re at a sleepover, so I have the house to myself tonight.” Uncertain what Belle needed to talk to her about, she offered, “Would you like a glass of wine?”

Belle smiled and nodded. “If you’re having one, then I’ll have one. I have to drive home, so I’ll be sure just to have a small glass.”

Karen invited Belle to make herself at home in the living room, and she hurried to get another wineglass. She poured a little for Belle and then poured a second glass for herself. “I’m really glad you stopped by. I’m having the kind of week where, as nice as it is to have some time alone, with the girls gone, I was feeling lonely.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Belle said. “I know there are times, as a mother, we crave some silence. Then, when it’s quiet, I wonder what they have gotten into or miss them if they’re gone.”

Karen nodded as she sipped her wine. “Is there something special I can do for you?”

Belle fiddled with her glass momentarily, then sighed as she held Karen’s gaze. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Mark.”

Karen battled the desire to shut the conversation down quickly but refused to be rude to someone like Belle, who always seemed to put others first. “Well, I’m not sure what there is to discuss.”

“Have I ever told you how Hunter and I met?”

Belle was married to Hunter Simmons, a North Heron Sheriff’s Department detective. Surprised at Belle’s opening question, she shook her head. Karen was anxious to hear what her friend had to say.

“I grew up in the area,” Belle began. “My mom was a drunk and a drug user, and I was raised mostly by my grandmother. We lived in a mobile home park. My grandmother was such a wonderful influence on my life. I started at Careway as a teen volunteer, became a nurse’s aide, worked to earn my LPN, and eventually became an RN. It’s been harder with kids, but I finally managed to get my master's in nursing administration.”

“You’re an absolute inspiration,” Karen said, meaning every word.

“I don’t know about that, but when I first met Hunter, he lived in a camper in the same park and worked at the nursing home in maintenance.”

Karen was surprised that Belle’s detective husband had worked in maintenance just a few years ago, but she remained quiet to focus on the story.

“Anyway, to make a long story short, drug thefts were going on at the nursing home, and the state police had an undercover operation to try to find out what was going on. During this time, I didn’t know Hunter was a suspect, but he and I began our relationship. I fell head over heels in love with a man who was somewhat of a rough biker but treated me like a princess. I told him about my life growing up, and I felt we had a true bond.”

Now, wholly enthralled in Belle’s story, Karen was almost afraid of what was coming.

“I showed up for work one day, and there was a huge number of law enforcement all around the nursing home. I saw Hunter, and I was terrified. I knew he hadn’t been dealing drugs, but I was horrified that somebody might’ve thought he was. It wasn’t until I rushed forward to defend him that I realized he had a badge clipped to his belt.”

“Oh my God,” Karen said, barely breathing.

Belle chuckled. “Yes, he was working undercover for the state police, and while I may have been a suspect at the very beginning, he quickly discovered I wasn’t, and we had a relationship. But of course, I didn’t really know who he was when the relationship began.”

Karen knew Belle and Hunter were married with a couple of children and a big house on the bay, and they were happy. And since Belle was in her house telling her all about Hunter’s duplicitous actions, she sighed. “I suppose you know what’s going on?”

Belle smiled softly. “Not everything, of course. Hunter told me how much Mark really likes you, and I have to say I was glad. Mark is a wonderful man and a wonderful father. I could easily see the two of you together.” She blushed and added, “Bess even mentioned that she felt sparks when the two of you met at Brad’s place when she was recuperating.”

Karen snorted. “Bess was high. I’m not sure the sparks were from anything other than her pain meds.”

Belle threw her head back and laughed. As her mirth slowed, she sighed. “You know, Karen, besides just seeing a friend who I thought might need cheering up, I’m not exactly sure why I came today. I guess I wanted to share my story, which was way morefudged upthan what happened to you.”

Karen lifted a brow. “Fudged up?”

Belle blushed. “We’ve got little ears at home that seem to pick up everything we say when we don’t want them to.”

“Well, my girls are older, and I know they hear everything at school. But, like you, I try to watch my cursing.”

The soft glow of the living room lamps bathed the two women in a warm, intimate light as they sat on the sofa, sipping their wine in comfortable silence. The quiet stretched between them like an unspoken understanding. Karen’s fingers traced the rim of her glass, her thoughts churning as the tension of the past week simmered just beneath the surface.

Finally, Karen said, “I know my anger at Mark this week was misplaced. He has a job to do. An important job. If someone is targeting the home health patients for stealing, I want them caught. It was just embarrassing and, well, to be honest, a little frightening and intimidating to be brought in for questioning. They explained that it was a more secure location than talking in my office, where we could have been overheard, and yes… as an employee who has been in the homes, I am certainly a suspect. I suppose I felt angry with Mark because I needed someone to focus my anger on.”

Belle leaned forward, nodding as the flicker of empathy in her eyes offered silent encouragement. “I understand. I was furious with Hunter. I felt used. I felt like he was just getting to know me to learn about the nursing home’s inner workings.”

The air left Karen’s lungs. “Yes! That’s exactly what I felt. When we met, the burglaries were already occurring and being investigated. I wondered if our new relationship was just a way to get inside information.”

---