Page 75 of Forbidden Secrets
Delaney leaned in and whispered, “This was over thirty years ago, but Martha said she saw them together.”
“Ooh, now it’s getting juicy,” Mel said.
“No kidding.I’ll let Walker finish,” Delaney said as she lifted a fussy Harper onto her lap.
Walker continued, unfazed.“One night, Martha had to go back to the office because she’d left her wallet in her desk.It was dark, but she heard voices in the break room.There shouldn’t have been anyone in there, so she went to investigate.The door was cracked.She saw a woman with her back to the door, blonde hair a mess, adjusting her blouse.Grafton was in uniform, his shirt untucked, and he was zipping his pants.”
Melanie blinked.“Wow.Did she recognize the woman?”
“No.The angle wasn’t right, and she didn’t want to risk getting caught.But she did hear the woman mention a baby.Said it was hers and she’d do what was best for it, and she wasn’t going to ask for a divorce.Grafton responded, but Martha couldn’t make it out.The woman got louder, saying how much she liked Neil but couldn’t live on a captain’s salary.”
“Ouch,” Melanie muttered.“This is more salacious than a soap opera.”
“I know,”Delaney breathed.“But there’s more.”
Mel’s gaze was glued on Walker as he resumed the tale.
“The woman said it’d be easy to convince her husband the baby was his.It’d be proof their fertility problems were fixed.That’s when Martha slipped out.”
Melanie stared at them, mind racing.“That…that’s twisted.And it sounds an awful lot like what Rhonda pulled.”
“Exactly,” Delaney said.
Walker took Harper and let her stand on his lap.“It may not help with what we’re doing, but it paints a bigger picture.”
“If that woman carried to term, her child would be about our age,” Delaney pointed out.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Mel stood outside Gage’s mudroom, worrying her bottom lip.It was a little past noon.Lunch time, right?She raised a hand to knock, then hesitated.What if he was busy?What if she’d misread everything?
Her plan had seemed less fraught when she’d decided on it while driving back from Sisters.
Maybe she should text him first, see if this was a good time.Or she—
The door swung open and her thoughts derailed.Gage filled the open doorway, expression inscrutable and every inch the gorgeous distraction she couldn’t stop thinking about.Dark jeans.Gunmetal gray shirt.Sleeves rolled to the elbows.
Would there ever be a time when the sight of him wouldn’t feel like a hit to the solar plexus?
Pancake poked her head around him, tongue lolling in greeting.
“You must be psychic,” she muttered.“I was just talking myself out of bothering you.”
“Saw you on my security monitor,” he said, then looked her over.“Nice sweater.Nervous energy.You were definitely going to knock.”
“I was.Maybe.”She tried to smile.“I like your shirt.You probably have Zoom calls or something.I should go.”
“You could.”His lips twitched.He caught her hand and tugged her inside.“Or you could tell me why you’re so nervous you’re nearly vibrating with it.”
“I’m not vibrating.”
“You so are.”
The door closed behind her with a click.“Addy okay?”
“At school.”
“Any emergencies?”
