Tainted Love (Sweetest Taboo #2) (8 page)

When the rumors started circulating about Mr. Stevens hooking up with another student, I’d believed them. Of course I had – he had a history of doing just that. I’d seen the girl, and though she didn’t look anything like Isabel, she did look at Mr. Stevens as if he walked on water. That had been enough proof for me.

Which brought me right back around to the question of my sister. What was she doing here with that man? She was an adult, now, and I couldn’t stop her from having a boyfriend, but I could sure as hell tell her what I thought about it. I wondered suddenly if she knew about the rumors. I wondered if she knew about the other girl – Christine, or Christy, or something like that. Most of all, I wondered if I should find my sister and say something to her, knock some sense into her. She was old enough to make her own decisions, but she should at least be reminded of what she was getting herself into before she delved too deeply into a big mess.

Maybe I should just call mom and dad, I thought. Or the cops.

***

“Isabel, you’ve got to calm down,” Tom said, holding me tightly. “Everything’s fine, sweetheart, you’re blowing this all out of proportion.”

“What if he saw us?” I gasped. “What if he saw me and is calling my parents right now, telling them that I’m here with you? What if he’s called the cops? This could get you in even more trouble!”

He sat back, holding me at arm’s length, and looked deeply into my eyes. We were sitting in the back of a café, having rushed in after we lost sight of Tony. I’d just told him about seeing Tony, and how I thought he might have seen me. Tom had, as usual, been the voice of reason, suggesting that I call Tony and feel him out, but recommending that we sit and collect ourselves first.

“Nothing’s going to happen,” he said softly. “Do you think we’ve gone through all of this, and spent so much time apart, only for the universe to put something else in our way? Don’t you think it’s time for us to have some good luck on our side? Everything’s going to be fine, Isabel, I promise. Even if he does tell your parents, you’re a grown woman now. They can’t stop you from having a boyfriend.”

I gulped. He was right, of course, but that didn’t make it any easier. I didn’t want Tony ratting me out to my parents. I didn’t want to have to deal with the disappointment or judgment that I knew would come from that home. I didn’t want the questions or accusations or assumptions…I didn’t want my parents to think any less of me, I realized, and they would if they knew about this. They would realize that something had happened between Tom and me when I was in high school, and that I’d lied to them about it.

That thought stopped me cold. I loved Tom, but I loved my parents too, and I didn’t want them to be disappointed in me or to stop believing in me. Tom was right – I had to call Tony and make sure that he hadn’t seen me. If he had, maybe I could call on his emotions, make him realize that telling my parents would hurt them more than it would hurt me.

I took a deep breath and reached for my phone. Tom tried to stop me, but I held a hand out to him, shaking my head. I needed to get in touch with Tony before he did anything stupid. I punched in the numbers from memory, swallowing repeatedly to get my voice under control.

He picked up on the first ring. “Hello?” he asked abruptly.

“Hi Tony, it’s Izzy,” I answered, trying to sound upbeat.

“I know, goof, I saw your name on the caller ID,” he said. I listened closely, trying to make out any emotion in his voice. Was that impatience I heard? Disappointment? Suspicion?

“How are you?” I stalled. I hadn’t come up with a plan before I called, and now I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to say. How did one ask a question without actually asking the question?

“I’m fine, and you?” he answered. “Are you back in DC already? That seems like a quick trip.”

I glanced at the clock, realizing suddenly that I hadn’t thought about that at all. I’d told my parents that I was flying back to DC to start my internship right away. “Well I don’t like to waste any time, you know,” I answered quickly. There was no use lying to him about being in DC if he’d just seen me – it would just get me in more trouble. “What’re you up to?”

There was a long, pregnant pause on the other line. “I’m out of town at the moment, actually. Came up to Westlake to do some shopping for the house.”

I bit my lip. We were in Westlake right now. This was a direct admission, then, that he was in town. But would he have said that if he had actually seen me? Wouldn’t he mention the fact that I should know where he was, since I’d just seen him? Or was he playing coy, waiting for me to get myself in trouble by asking the wrong question?

Tony and I hadn’t been as close as some siblings when we were younger, but we’d never played games with one another. And we’d always stood up for each other when necessary. If he’d seen me, he’d have told me. I was sure of it.

“Well then I won’t keep you,” I said quickly. “Don’t want to make you forget anything! I just wanted to call and let you know that I got here safely. Give me a call when you’re free, okay?” I hung up the phone without waiting for a response and threw myself back in the seat, heaving a sigh of relief.

“So?” Tom asked, waiting for my report.

“I don’t think he saw me,” I answered quietly. “He would have told me if he had. Launched right into a lecture, no doubt. I think we’re safe.” I looked up at him, the start of a smile on my lips. “I’m starving, let’s go get some dinner and then go back to the B&B.”

Tom grinned and stood, reaching out to help me from my chair, and we strolled out of the café and toward the Mexican restaurant.

***

I hit the ‘end’ button on my phone and looked at the screen for a moment. Izzy hadn’t been able to get off the phone with me quickly enough, but I couldn’t blame her. She’d definitely seen me, and she’d called to find out whether I’d seen her. I’d lied, of course, and played stupid, but that would have been what she was expecting. Or hoping for. We’d always stuck up for each other when we were kids, and she’d think this was no different. If I’d seen her, she’d probably expect me to give her a lecture right there over the phone.

I hadn’t, of course. I’d let her get away with it. After I saw her, I’d stalked toward a local bar and had three beers in quick succession while I thought about the situation. I had a couple of choices, really. I could call her and tell her what I thought of the entire situation, including the rumors about Mr. Stevens. Or I could call my mom and dad and just tell them, which would – in the end – break their hearts. Or I could call the cops. The last choice, which I would have gone for when I was younger and more naïve, would actually have been the worst – it would have hurt everyone involved, and I was able to acknowledge this when I calmed down enough.

Isabel was making a mistake, a big one, and I knew it. Anyone would be able to tell her as much. Mr. Stevens had taken advantage of her, and the rumor was that he’d been taking advantage of other girls since his affair with Izzy. In the end, she’d find out about that and be hurt. But this was her mistake to make, and I didn’t think I could protect her from it.

I could, however, make sure that she found out about Mr. Stevens and his little obsession sooner rather than later. Izzy probably wouldn’t listen to me if I tried to tell her about the rumors. But she’d listen to other people, and I didn’t think it would be hard to find old friends willing to tell her that Mr. Stevens hadn’t been completely faithful to her while she had been away at college. With any luck, I could be the force that ends the relationship before it goes to far, if it hasn’t already.

Chapter Six - Here With Me

I
decided not to think any more about Tony or what he may or may not have seen. After all, talking to him on the phone hadn’t given me any real insight, and what was the point in worrying over something that might be nothing at all? If Tony had seen us, surely he would have said something by now. Or he would have called my mother, who would definitely have said something. I hadn’t heard anything from anyone, and I took that to mean I was in the clear.

Besides, we were coming to the end of our honeymoon period. I only had a few more days before I was due back in DC for that internship, and the time was passing quickly. I didn’t want to darken our last moments together with despair and sadness. Tom and I awoke on our last day and headed down to the dining room for breakfast. It was the same thing we’d done for the last two weeks – same dining room, same decorations, even the same menu – but this morning it felt different. The sun was shining less brightly, I thought, and the waitress didn’t look quite as welcoming. Did she know that today was our last day? They must have wondered how long we would stay, and what we were doing there. Although Westlake was a pretty enough town, it certainly wasn’t a vacation destination. I wondered now if they thought we were suspicious at all. As I looked around the restaurant, trying to memorize everything about it, I felt as though people were staring at us. Certainly they had a reason to look – we’d just come in, after all. But were they noticing us for the first time, wondering what a twenty-year old was doing with a man in his late thirties?

I ducked my head and rushed toward our usual table, reprimanding myself for letting my imagination get out of control. I was just being overly dramatic because of my emotions, that was all. Tony had made me nervous, and now I was letting it ruin my last morning, despite my best intentions. Tom followed me, with a questioning look on his face.

“Are you okay, Isabel?” he asked quietly when we were seated. “You seem…” His voice faded off as he tried to think of an adjective for my mood, and I waited. “Unsettled,” he finally finished.

I nodded. “I’m just sad that it’s our last day together, and it’s coloring my mood,” I answered. Although I tried to conceal my apprehension, I wasn’t sure Tom bought it at all. In fact I was sure that he hadn’t. He’d always known me better than anyone else, and had been very adept at reading my moods. He probably could have listed every emotion I was feeling this very moment, if I’d asked him to. The thought brought a rush of affection with it, and I almost started to tear up. I wasn’t ready to leave him.

He nodded in response, and was quiet for a moment. “I know what you mean,” he finally said. “I know you have to go back to school, and get on with the rest of your life. I know it’s the best thing, and we have to deal with it, but I don’t know how I’ll stand it. Getting to spend these two weeks with you has been amazing, a dream come true actually, and now you’re going to go away again, and I don’t know what I’ll do. I feel…lost.”

I looked at him closely. I was upset over leaving him, and I thought he was probably upset too, but a part of me didn’t believe it. I wondered how upset he really was. I’d caught him on the phone again two days earlier, having a hushed conversation with someone. He’d hung up as soon as he saw me, without saying goodbye. It certainly wasn’t the reaction of an innocent man, and it had made me suspect him even more. I don’t know why it bothered me so much though, knowing what I was about to return to when I got back to my other life in DC.

Even worse, though, Vicky had called me several days earlier, assuming I was on the East Coast again, and filled me in on the ‘juicy details,’ as she had called them, about our hometown. Two of our friends from high school had just announced that they were getting married, and Vicky herself was now worried about finding an appropriate date for the events. One of the guys on her swim team had developed a crush on one of the girls, and caused some trouble in the locker room. Vicky’s brother was dropping out of high school, or at least threatening to. And then came the kicker: the cheerleader (who she now remembered to be named Christine) had been asking around for Coach Stevens, wondering where he was and when he would be back. The man in question, of course, had been gone for about two weeks now, away on ‘personal leave,’ and no one had known where he’d disappeared to. The girl seemed to be quite put out by the whole thing, especially when she needed a ride somewhere, but she’d stopped asking after the first week. It was all very questionable, according to Vicky, who had (personally) never believed in anyone’s innocence when it came to the rumor mill. She had heard the rumors when we were in high school, she said, and believed every one of them. For all she knew (she went on), that man was off with a student somewhere, doing God-knew-what, and trying to get away with it. He was supposed to be having summer try-outs for the cheerleading team, which he was now coaching year-round, according to Vicky.

I’d looked toward the bed at that point, where Tom was sleeping, and wondered myself about his innocence. How many people out there were talking about him, wondering where he was and what he was doing? How many were girls he was involved with? And why hadn’t he told me that he was playing hooky from his relatively new position as head coach of the year-round cheerleading team?

As if I were one to talk.

Still, we’d reconnected during this time, and I felt myself falling prey to his love once again. He had a way of speaking that made me feel like I was the only girl in the world, and when he touched me, all doubts flew from my mind. We’d been shopping for furnishings for our house, after all, and had even gone to look at several properties for sale. Surely he wouldn’t have done all that with me if he were seeing anyone else.

It had taken a full day of introspection, and several firm conversations with myself, but I’d finally convinced my mind into believing just that. I needed to stop thinking so much and trust my gut, which told me that Tom loved me and would do just about anything for me. We were meant to be together, I was sure of it, and if I could just stop putting doubts into my own head, I’d probably be much happier.

And now it was time to leave. Back to school, back to my college friends, back to my roommates, and back to the real world. We’d spent the last two weeks in a wonderland, but now I had responsibilities I had to attend to, and evidently so did he. I was sorry to leave him, but there was also a part of me that was glad to be going back to school, to the normality that life at Lincoln University afforded me. I’d never intended to come home for so long, after all, and I’d left most of my stuff in my apartment. I hadn’t made a lot of friends at school, but there were a couple of people that I missed dearly, and couldn’t wait to hang out with again. I needed to get home and see whether I could finish that internship, and think about whether publishing was my future career track or not.