Rebecca's Little Secret (14 page)

Rebecca took a piece and bit into it, as did Chelsea. As they chewed in silent companionship, Rebecca said softly, “What were you confused about?”

“Oh, life, I guess. Maybe my engagement. That’s what upset Mother. She had great plans for me after my marriage. She felt with my social connections through Jeff, I could soon become president of Junior League. She was upset that I showed no interest in that future.”

“What if—what if Joey and I moved away? Would that help clear things up?” That comment came out of the blue and Rebecca wasn’t exactly keen on the idea, but she immediately knew it was what she had to do. She couldn’t handle being around Jeff constantly if he married Chelsea. And she didn’t want to be responsible for breaking up their engagement.

“Why would you do that, Rebecca? I thought you and Joey were very happy here.”

“We are. But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t be happy somewhere else. If we moved, to, say, Oklahoma City, we’d be close enough to visit occasionally, but not so close that we’d be in everyone’s lives every minute of every day.”

Chelsea stared at her, saying nothing.

“I know it’s been difficult for you since Jeff found out about Joey. He’s so focused on Joey, which includes me, ever since he found out.”

“Yes, but—”

“You’ve been more than patient and understanding, Chelsea. But if you’ll just give me a couple of days more, we’ll be out of your hair.”

“You would do that? You would completely uproot your lives just to make things easier for me?”

“And Jeff. You both had a future planned before we burst into your lives.”

“Rebecca, I don’t think—”

“It’s all right, Chelsea. I’ve known for a while that life was becoming too difficult for you. I tried to warn Jeff, but he couldn’t see it. But I’ll take care of everything. Just be patient.”

“No, Rebecca—”

But Rebecca didn’t wait for any more conversation. She kissed Chelsea’s cheek and hurried out of the house.

Leaving Chelsea even more confused than ever.

R
EBECCA FELT AS IF SHE’D
understood Chelsea’s confusion. She wasn’t prepared to be a stepmother. But even more, it must have hurt her every time Jeff had shoved her aside for Rebecca and Joey.

It had hurt Rebecca, too. Because she’d wanted to be beside Jeff, to be important to him, but not at Chelsea’s expense. She’d been letting Jeff place her in an impossible position.

Now she was going to do what was right and fair. It wouldn’t be easy. That much she already knew. But the pain was her own fault. Well, not the pain of leaving Vanessa and Rachel, Will and Vivian. But the pain of leaving Jeff was her fault.

She decided the easiest way would be to do what she had to do and not leave anyone the time to argue her out of it. When she got back to her room, she pulled out the trust papers she’d signed. She thought she’d remembered Will saying she had the right to withdraw the money whenever she wanted.

Carefully making a list of what she must do before leaving, she planned her and Joey’s escape for early Saturday morning. If they got away by nine o’clock, they could be in Oklahoma City by one o’clock. They could have lunch there, find a hotel and then start looking for a place to live. And with Jeff’s money, they could afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment, which would be much nicer than what they’d had in Little Rock.

Then she would find a day care for Joey and a job for herself, and they would be all set. And lonely. But they would survive, and they could come visit their family once every two or three months.

Then they wouldn’t be a burden to anyone, or interfere in other people’s lives. She fought back a sob just as the phone rang. She didn’t answer it, knowing Betty would do so. She was afraid she knew who was calling.

With a deep breath, she tried to sound normal when
she picked up the phone after Betty had called up the stairs to her.

“Hello?”

“Becca, it’s Jeff. You didn’t call back.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot. Chelsea just has a slight cold. Another day or two in bed and I’m sure she’ll be feeling fine. I took her some chocolates and told her we were missing her. It seemed to cheer her up.”

“But why isn’t she taking any phone calls?” Jeff asked, puzzlement in his voice.

“Because her mother has convinced her that she shouldn’t talk to anyone or appear in public until she’s at her best. You know her mother.”

“Yeah, I guess I do. Well, thanks for checking on her. How are you and Joey doing? I’ve missed you two this week, too.”

“Joey’s missed you, too. But we’ve been busy. Were you able to do any good with Rachel’s mother?”

“I’m working on it. She’s not an easy woman to deal with.”

“Well, no, she doesn’t sound like a wonderful person, stealing from her child.”

“She even makes your parents sound good.”

“Yes, she does.”

“So when can I see you and Joey again?”

“Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight?”

“I’d love to. I’ll be there by six-thirty.”

Rebecca hung up the phone feeling terribly guilty. She’d asked Jeff over without checking with either Vivian or Betty first. But that was the least of her sins.

Rebecca hurried down the stairs to tell Betty that she’d invited Jeff for dinner and was fully prepared to apologize profusely.

But rather than chastise her, Betty was excited. “Oh, good. I baked some coconut cream pies for dessert tonight. I think he’ll really like them.”

Rebecca almost burst into tears. Then she hugged Betty and promised to help in any way she could.

“Don’t be silly, child. We’re having roast beef tonight. It’s been cooking for a couple of hours already. The vegetable dishes are already prepared. I’m baking frozen rolls that I’ve had rising for an hour and dessert is already made. All I have to do is set the table, and if you do that, I’ll have nothing to do.”

Rebecca hugged Betty again. Then she went searching for Vivian to confess her dastardly deed. She found her in the library, writing a letter.

“Vivian, I invited Jeff for dinner tonight without asking you first. I apologize—”

“That’s nice, dear. Is Rachel coming for dinner as well?”

“Yes, she is. Oh, I forgot to remind Betty that Rachel’s coming.” She whirled to head back to the kitchen, but Vivian stopped her.

“She knows Rachel would probably be here. When will she actually move in with us?”

“Today,” Rebecca said, not realizing until that moment that her twin would be moving in two days before she planned to move out.

Vivian looked at Rebecca sharply. “You’re okay with her moving in, aren’t you?”

“Oh, yes. I think it was terribly kind of you to invite her to stay here. I think she was feeling very much alone after her mother’s betrayal.”

“Yes, I suppose she was. Just as you had felt alone after your parents’ rejection of you and Joey.”

“Yes. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you how much your welcoming arms meant to us. Joey has become a different little boy from your and Will’s acceptance of him.”

“I feel sorry for your parents, Rebecca. If you want to invite them for a weekend, I could put them up in a hotel. You could let them get to know Joey. Maybe that would change them.”

“No, Vivian. I won’t do that. I contacted my mother several times after Joey’s birth, inviting her to lunch so she could meet Joey. She refused every time because she was afraid my father would find out.”

“I know, dear. But it’s hard to live under someone’s thumb and make the right decisions. I know, because Vanessa’s father was that kind of man.”

“I don’t think he was as bad as my father.”

“Maybe not as bad, but only because I fought him on many subjects.”

“My mother had no courage. And I won’t invite that man to meet Joey. My worst fear would be that he
would
like Joey and would try to mold him after him.”

“Perhaps you’re right, dear. All I can say is that we are the lucky ones since we have you and Joey in our lives.”

Rebecca burst into tears. Vivian immediately rose and put her arms around Rebecca. “Child, why should that make you cry?”

Rebecca shook her head, unable to explain. Finally, she lifted her head and wiped her eyes. “It’s just that you and Will are the kindest, nicest people on the earth, and yet you say you’re the lucky ones.”

“That’s no reason to cry. I think you’ve been taking on the stress in everyone’s lives lately. You need to get more rest this evening.”

“Yes, yes, I will. I’m sorry, Vivian.”

“Stop apologizing, child.”

“But you’re the one who should be crying. You’re pregnant.”

“Oh, no. That’s something to celebrate.”

“You’re right, of course, but that didn’t stop me from crying when I was pregnant.”

“Yes, but you were alone, Rebecca, and I’m surrounded by loved ones. That makes a big difference. Family makes all the difference in the world. That’s why I had Will start this search for your siblings.”

“I’m glad. I guess I’d better go tell Joey his daddy
is coming to dinner. That will encourage him to get cleaned up.”

Rebecca slipped out of the library, regretting her burst of tears. She didn’t want to give Vivian any reason to think anything was wrong. She knew she was doing the right thing. She’d realized Jeff couldn’t continue to put Chelsea third in his life without there being repercussions. But he hadn’t listened to her.

So she would have to be the one to make everything right. It wouldn’t be that hard on Joey. He would know his daddy loved him and he would get to spend time with him every once in a while. And Rebecca would bring him to see Will and Vivian and Rachel and Vanessa when she could.

It would be all right. She kept repeating that to herself all afternoon as she packed one of their big suitcases. When Joey came in and caught her, he wanted to know what she was doing.

“I’m storing away your summer clothes. The suitcase is a good place to keep them until it gets hot again. That won’t be for a long time, you know.”

“I know. We’re learning about winter at school. Did you know that in some places, they have snow all the time?”

“Yes, I did know that, Joey. I’m glad you’re learning so much.”

“It doesn’t snow here much.”

“No, I’ve heard it doesn’t. But it does get cold. You can’t wear short pants in the winter.”

“That’s okay. I like wearing jeans.”

“Good. We probably need to buy you another couple of pairs.”

“Daddy said he would buy me some clothes. Maybe I’ll ask him for more jeans.”

“No!” Rebecca realized she’d spoken too sharply. “It’s just that your daddy is putting away money for your college education, and that takes a lot of money. So he’s paying more than his share. And he’s giving me money every month to take care of you. So I’ll buy you more jeans.”

“Okay. Is everything okay, Mommy?”

Rebecca quickly hugged her child. “Yes, of course, sweetie. Everything’s fine.”

She hurriedly put the suitcase under her bed as soon as Joey had left the room. It was almost time for Rachel and Vanessa to come home, and she doubted either of them would have accepted her explanation. If she had to confess her departure this far in advance, she would never be able to get away. She knew she wasn’t strong enough to withstand the persuasions of her family.

W
ILL STOPPED BY
J
EFF’S OFFICE
that afternoon to ask him a question about his work. As they finished talking, Will suggested he come to dinner that evening.

“Actually, I am coming. Rebecca invited me this afternoon.”

“Oh, good. Oh, hello, Bill. How are you settling in?” Will asked as they ran into Bill as Will was leaving.

“Pretty well.”

“Say, Jeff’s coming to dinner this evening. Why don’t you come, too? I always hated eating alone when I was single.”

“Are you sure it won’t be too many people?”

“I’m sure. Vivian loves meals with lots of guests.”

“Then I’d love to join you.”

Jeff nodded as Will turned to say goodbye, thanking him for his invitation to Bill. Jeff had intended to offer to have dinner with Bill, but he couldn’t turn down an invitation from Rebecca. He’d tried to explain Chelsea’s deal about her mother, but Bill was having trouble grasping how a strong-willed woman could run roughshod over her entire family.

Bill hadn’t met Mrs. Wexham.

“You think it’s okay that I accepted, don’t you?” Bill asked.

“Of course it is. Will wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t wanted you to come. I told you they were nice people.”

“Yeah. You never say that about Chelsea’s parents.”

“No, I don’t.” He smiled at Bill and retreated to his office.

Just before he got ready to leave the office, shortly after six, his phone rang. He answered since Harriet had long gone home. “Jacobs.”

“Jeff, it’s Chelsea.”

“Well, hi, there. You sound good. Your cold must be getting better.”

“Uh, yes. Have you talked to Rebecca since she came to see me today?”

“Yes, I have. In fact, I’m going to have dinner with all of them in a few minutes. Bill’s going with me, too. By the way, you should call him. He’s been very worried about you.”

“Yes, but—did Rebecca sound okay?”

“Yeah, she sounded fine. Why?”

“I—I just wondered.”

“What made you think—”

“I have to go now.”

And he again heard the dial tone in his ear. He appeared to have a strange effect on the women in his life. But why had Chelsea thought something was wrong with Rebecca?

He stopped by Bill’s office to let him know he was ready.

“Chelsea just called.”

Bill’s head snapped up. “She did? How did she sound?”

“Just fine. She called to see if I’d talked to Rebecca since she’d visited her.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. She apparently thought she’d been upset. But I talked to Rebecca, and she sounded fine to me.”

“Did you tell Chelsea I’d been trying to call her?”

“Yes, and I told her that she should call you. But I also told her you were going to dinner with me at the Greenfields’, so she probably won’t try until later.”

“I see. Maybe I’ll try her after dinner.”

“She might be going to bed early tonight, to make
sure she’s over her cold. Why don’t you call her tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that might be best.”

In Jeff’s car on the drive to dinner, Bill seemed almost jittery to Jeff. “Is anything wrong, Bill? Are you unhappy with our business arrangement?”

“No, everything’s fine. And Harriet is having a friend come in to interview for the secretary job. The woman is working as a legal secretary now, but she’s very unhappy with the law office she’s currently working for.”

“That sounds promising, unless she’s one of those people who are usually unhappy.”

“I think Harriet would know it if she were one of those kind of people.”

“You’re probably right. You’ll know when you interview her.”

“Yeah.”

Jeff parked the car in front of Vivian and Will’s house, and before either man could get out of the car, the front door opened and Joey came running toward them.

“Now, there’s a welcome every man should get,” Bill murmured.

Jeff hurried out of the car and met his son with his arms open. He swung him up into his arms for a big hug.

Then Bill asked for a hug, too. Joey willingly gave him one, but he remained in his father’s arms.

“Does your mommy know you were coming out
to meet me?” Jeff asked as Rebecca appeared in the doorway Joey had left open.

Joey shook his head, a guilty look on his face.

“Then I think we’ve got some explaining to do,” Jeff said.

“Hi, Mommy,” Joey said, fear in his voice.

“Stop acting like I’m going to beat you, young man,” Rebecca said. “But you shouldn’t leave the door open, and you shouldn’t leave the house without telling an adult.”

“But, Mommy—”

“Yes, ma’am, Mommy,” Jeff said insistently.

“Yes, ma’am, Mommy,” Joey repeated. Then he turned to his father. “What’s ‘ma’am’ mean?”

They all burst out laughing.

Bill supplied the answer. “That’s a polite way to address ladies.”

“Oh. So I should call my teacher, ma’am?” Joey asked.

“You could, but probably you should just call her by her name. Mrs. whatever her name is.” Jeff smiled to accompany his words.

“Mrs. Peabody,” Joey supplied.

“Well, I think Mrs. Peabody would prefer that you call her Mrs. Peabody instead of ma’am.”

“Mommy likes me to call her Mommy, don’t you, Mommy?”

“Yes, sweetie, I do. But it’s good to know polite words in case you’re talking to another lady.”

“Okay.” He wiggled out of his dad’s arms when
they reached the house. “I’ll go tell Betty you’re here.”

After the boy disappeared, Jeff said, “Thanks for helping me out of that conversation.”

Bill laughed. “I was hoping it would continue. It’s not often I see Jeff bested in a conversation.”

Rebecca smiled, but she didn’t laugh.

“Are you feeling okay?” Jeff asked, thinking again about Chelsea’s phone call.

“Yes, fine. This week with Rachel coming into our lives has been wonderful but a little bit stressful, you know, adjusting,” Rebecca said.

“But you’re getting along all right, aren’t you?” Bill asked in surprise.

“Oh, yes, of course, but it’s amazing how often we know what each other is thinking.” She was worried about that. Rachel would leave tomorrow morning and be gone for a couple of weeks. If she could hide her turmoil from Rachel until the morning, she could manage to pull off her departure.

“I guess that would be hard to adjust to,” Bill said.

“Yeah,” Jeff agreed belatedly. “I’m not sure I’d like it.”

Rebecca didn’t want to continue to discuss her relationship with her twin. “I think Will is waiting for us in the library. And I’m sure Betty will be bringing in hors d’oeuvres soon.”

She smiled and waved them into the house.

After the two men reached the library, Bill whispered, “That’s the second time Rebecca bested you in a conversation. She’s dangerous.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jeff shook hands with Will and sat down. “Will, have you talked to Rebecca today?”

“Um, I think I spoke to her at breakfast. I’m not at my best early in the morning.”

“No, I mean this afternoon. She just showed us in here and disappeared.”

Vivian entered at that moment. All the men greeted her. Then Will asked, “Is Rebecca doing all right?”

“Why do you ask?” Vivian stared at her husband with wide eyes.

“Jeff was wondering if everything is all right. Rebecca showed him and Bill in here and then disappeared.”

“Perhaps she wasn’t quite ready for guests. I’m sure she’ll be down soon.” With a smile, Vivian sat down beside Bill. “We’re so glad you could join us this evening, Bill.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Greenfield. I’m looking forward to a home-cooked meal.”

“Call me Vivian, Bill. And that’s Will. Right, dear?”

“Definitely Will,” Will agreed with a grin. “Vivian rules the roost around here, Bill, so you may as well give in.”

The door opened again and three young ladies entered.

“Oh, Rachel and Vanessa, you’re back,” Vivian greeted them.

“Bill and Jeff are joining us for dinner. And Rebecca, they were concerned that you hadn’t joined us yet.”

“I’m sorry. I hadn’t finished fixing my hair when I ran after Joey. I thought I’d take a minute to get the hair out of my eyes.”