House Of Secrets (24 page)

“So does that mean you aren’t giving up on me . . . on us?” I asked.

For a minute he said nothing and then I heard him sigh. “I wasn’t sure you wanted me to keep trying.”

“I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted either, until I really thought I might lose you.” I gazed at the water from the deck table. The aroma of sweet honeysuckle wafted on the air. “Mark, I know our relationship has been a challenge, but I . . . well . . . I want it to work out.”

“I’m glad to hear you say so.”

“Me too,” I had to admit. “I’d like it all to work out.”

“So does that include the job? Dad’s been bugging me to get a commitment from you.”

I drew a deep breath. “I’ve never been good at commitments, but you can tell him yes on the job. With one provision.”

“Name it.”

I smiled. “I need some time to work from Boston.”

“What are you proposing?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that very thing. I’d like to suggest that I work out of my home and come into New York City twice a week. For example Tuesday and Friday.”

“Tuesday and Friday. For how long?” he asked, seeming to give the matter serious consideration.

“Just until the end of the year.”

I could almost see him frown and calculate exactly how many months we were talking about. When he answered, I nearly laughed aloud.

“That’s six months.”

“Yes. I need that time, Mark. If it won’t work,” I said, sobering, “then I’ll have to say no to the job. However, if you’ll give it a chance, I promise that you won’t be sorry. I’ll do the work of two editors. I’ll keep extra long hours when I’m there.”

He actually chuckled. “I wasn’t so concerned about the job having your attention as I was me having your attention.”

“I considered that too.” I smiled. “I thought maybe, if it was necessary to have face-to-face communication more than twice a week—maybe you could come to Boston for a day or two. For instance, you could come back on Fridays with me and stay at my condo in the city while I stayed at Dad’s. We could have the weekend to see each other—even work together, and then focus on work Monday and take the train back to New York on Tuesday.”

“I have to say, I like the way you think. But what am I supposed to do Wednesday and Thursday without you?”

I laughed. “There’s always the telephone and email.”

“Not the same, but I suppose it’s a doable compromise.”

I grew serious again. “It would just be until the first of the year. I think I can wrap up things by then. I want to use this time to go to counseling with my sisters and see what the outcome is with Piper’s health. And I think we need time to adjust to our new . . . relationship.”

“So you’d move to New York City full time after the first of the year?”

“That depends.”

“On what?” Mark’s curious tone only served to make me feel ornery.

“On the next phase of our project together.”

He was quiet for a moment, and I thought perhaps I’d said the wrong thing. I was just about to backtrack when he spoke again.

“Well, phase two is quite a serious portion of the project.”

His statement took me by surprise. “I see, and what might that involve?”

He chuckled. “Well, phase two will require a commitment.”

“What kind of commitment?”

“Nothing too major . . . just you and me together forever and ever and ever.”

“Oh. Is that all?” I glanced at my left hand and thought of how a ring might look. “Well, I suppose that’s something to take under consideration.” I got up and walked to the deck railing. The Seattle ferry was approaching and I couldn’t help but think of that first trip I’d taken with Mark. I’d been so unnerved by his nearness, but at the same time there had been a comfort and ease I couldn’t explain.

“I like the sound of permanency,” I said without really thinking. “Forever is something I’ve never really felt I could count on.”

“Well, if I have anything to say about it, you can count on it with me.” Mark’s voice stirred my heart. “And you know you can count on it with God. Between Him and me, you should never need to worry about being loved.”

“Love?” I questioned. He had told me he loved me when I took him to the airport, but I still had a hard time believing it. I longed to hear Mark declare his love for me again. He didn’t disappoint.

“Yes, love. I love you, Bailee Cooper. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

I gave a contented sigh. Finally my life was moving forward. The chains of the past had been broken. “I was hoping that was part of phase two. I think I like the way this is coming together.” I thought I might start to cry from the sheer joy of it all.

Mark didn’t seem to realize the importance this moment held for me. He gave a chuckle and added in his teasing manner, “If you like this phase, just wait until you hear what I have planned for phase three.”

T
he months passed in a most productive manner. I was happy to discover that Dinah not only approved of my new Christian values, but was in fact a Christian herself. She had done a remarkable and professional job of keeping her faith to herself, but when she learned of my life change, the first thing she did was invite me to come to her church. Our counseling also changed for the better, as she was free to help me explore more biblical ways to experience healing. It wasn’t long until Dinah was actually talking about the day I would be able to stop seeing her as a therapist altogether.

I gave Dinah’s nondenominational church a try and found it very much to my liking. Judith and Dad even joined me one Sunday, and by October it became a habit. Mark attended on the weekends when he could be in Boston—which were most of them. Geena and Piper still wanted little or nothing to do with religious matters, but that was all right. They were both willing to attend counseling with a new therapist we had chosen together. It wasn’t Mark’s friend, but rather someone the friend had recommended, and the changes brought on by our time together had been remarkable.

Overall, autumn brought with it a healing of hearts that I had never thought possible. We still had our issues and I continued to have nightmares occasionally, but now I had better ways to deal with them. I found prayer to be a remarkable help. Perhaps the best thing about my life now was the sense of freedom I possessed. My past had always held me hostage, but no more. It wasn’t that the past had changed, but I had. And that made all the difference in the world.

My new routine became something I cherished rather than avoided. Mark and I had just arrived back in Boston after a grueling and chilly Friday in New York. The economy was forcing some changes in the way things were being done at the publishing house, and freelance editors were to be the norm instead of the exception. Mark and I had worked long and hard on a schedule that would fit all of our needs. Because of that, we generally spent our weekends in Boston.

The minute we stepped off the train, my cell phone rang. I checked the ID and then answered. The call was coming from the Cooper house. “Hello?”

“Hi, Bailee. Are you and Mark back in Boston?”

“Yes, just arrived in fact.” I mouthed to Mark that it was my stepmother, then turned my attention back to her as we made our way to the cab stand.

“Can you two make dinner tonight? We have several things to discuss and we wanted you girls to be there.”

“Just a minute. Let me ask Mark.” I turned to him. “Do you have a problem with us going right over to Mom and Dad’s?” I had only recently started calling Judith
Mom
and it always seemed to bring a smile to Mark’s face.

“That’s fine,” he said. “I’ll get us a taxi.”

“That’ll be expensive,” I countered. “We could just take the T.”

“Cozier this way. I’ve had enough of crowds.”

I shrugged and uncovered the phone. “He said that would be fine. We’ll grab a cab and be there as soon as possible.”

“Wonderful. We’ll be waiting.”

Mark had us settled in a taxi in no time. The driver wove us in and out of traffic like a madman, but I didn’t mind. I snuggled into Mark’s arms and let the world disappear. I loved the feel of his cashmere coat and the way he smelled. I pretty much loved everything about him, although in all these months I’d never told him so.

This made me frown. Why couldn’t I say those words? I felt them. I knew they were true. I’d asked Dinah on more than one occasion why I found it so hard to just tell him how I felt.

“He has to already know how I feel about him,” I told her. “My actions certainly confirm it, even if my mouth isn’t able to.”

Dinah had assured me that when the time was right—when I felt safe enough, sure enough—I would say them. So what was the hold up?

We arrived at the house after eight o’clock and I was starving. Geena had arrived only minutes before us and was still standing in the foyer dumping a backpack of books to one side.

She was dressed stylishly as usual in knee boots, black tights, pencil skirt, and a pumpkin-colored angora sweater. I leaned forward and kissed her, feeling rather frumpy in my black suit. “Gorgeous as always,” I declared.

“It’s what all the fashionable law students are wearing.” She turned from me and gave Mark a hug. “How’s the publishing world?”

“Wordy,” he said with a cocky grin.

“Come on, you three,” Piper declared from the archway. “Judith and Dad are waiting for you.”

“What? We can’t sit and have a nice chat before dinner?” I teased. “What’s the rush? Oh yeah, I’m starved. Let’s move it, folks.”

Mark laughed and gave me a slight push. “You lead the way.”

I gave Piper a quick hug as I passed and dragged her along with me. “Come on. I understand there is something important to be discussed. Maybe you could clue us in first?”

She shrugged. “I have no idea. But I do have my own news.”

“Good news I hope?” I said, noticing her smile.

Nodding, Piper glanced over her shoulder at Geena and Mark. “I think so.”

Mom had prepared a feast and I breathed in deeply. “What is that delightful smell?” I asked, straining to see what she was bringing to the table.

“Stuffed green peppers,” she replied. “Oh, and Piper put together a nice Caesar salad for us.”

“And homemade Parmesan biscuits,” Piper added. “It’s a new recipe I got from one of my friends.” She started to take her seat and added, “And just wait until you see what Judith made for dessert.”

I let Mark help me with my chair and waited for the others to be seated. After Dad offered a blessing for the meal, we all began to pass the food.

“This is really great,” Dad said, putting a couple of biscuits on his plate. “I wasn’t sure you’d get a chance to join us at this late notice.”

“So what’s going on that you want to share with us?” I asked.

“Well, Piper has news first,” Dad said. “Go ahead, Piper.”

She nodded and put down her fork. “My thyroid tests are back and the medications are balancing out my blood levels. The doctor feels confident that we’ve finally got the right dosages and types of medications.”

“That’s wonderful news,” I said. Piper had learned some months earlier that her thyroid levels were desperately low. Her fatigue, depression, weight issues, and inability to concentrate at times were all symptoms of hypothyroidism and not clinical depression or schizophrenia.

“I feel like a completely different person,” Piper declared. “I have energy and ambition, and I don’t feel like walking off a long pier anymore.”

“Thank God,” I said. “It’s amazing to me that something like that could cause so many problems.”

“The doctor said I may have had these problems all of my life. They probably led to my struggle with my weight, which caused me to binge and purge.”

“And now that is under control as well?” Geena asked.

Piper nodded. “Very much so. I’m getting counseling about it and seeing a dietitian. I’ve had to realize a lot of my thoughts and beliefs about food are just plain wrong. I guess a lifetime of battling to stay as thin as your sisters or friends has caused me to really look at food in all the wrong ways.”

“I think that’s easy enough to do for most folks,” Mom interjected. “Having a healthy attitude toward food isn’t something that people have been encouraged to understand until recently. Food, however, isn’t the enemy. It’s nothing more than fuel. It’s the importance we place on it and how we allow it to control us that matters.”

“Funny we should be having this conversation at the dinner table,” Dad said. “Especially given that I saw your flourless chocolate cake and toffee sauce sitting on the counter awaiting our attention.”

Everyone laughed at this, but Judith held up her hand. “It’s made with all the best and most health-conscious ingredients possible, and a little bit won’t hurt anyone.”

“But who wants just a little bit?” Dad said with a teasing wink.

I was so relieved to hear Piper’s news that I’d almost forgotten that Mom and Dad had something to tell us. “So what’s your big news?” I asked, looking to Dad.

Geena leaned forward. “Please don’t say you’re going to have a baby. I don’t think I could handle another sister. These two keep me busy enough.”

Mom laughed. “Bite your tongue. I have no desire to have a baby at my age. Besides, I’m much too selfish. I want your dad all to myself.”

“Which is why we’re going to take an extended trip,” Dad told them. “We’re going to leave shortly after Christmas and be gone for most of the year.”

“That’s some vacation,” I said, looking at Mark.

“Well, not exactly a vacation,” Dad replied.

This brought my attention back to him. “Then what?”

“We’re going to work with a missions agency to help start business ventures in third world nations. We’re starting in Burundi, Africa, and will move around the continent with the organization.”

I was stunned. I had never imagined my father doing something like this. “Does this mean you’re getting out of your business here in the States?”

“Not just yet. I’m arranging for new management. Judith and I are training a team of men and women to handle the company while we’re gone. This missions venture is just a test run to see if we truly feel God would have us in this kind of work. We figure if it goes well, we can expand. See, the attitude of this company is to help native peoples be able to grow their own business and meet the needs of their people. It’s a sister project to go alongside the spiritual missions work.”

“I think it’s brilliant,” Piper said, smiling. “I think it’s far more important to teach a man to take care of his own needs rather than encourage government handouts.”

“Well, in most of the places we’ll be, there isn’t much in the way of government help either.” Dad’s expression seemed thoughtful, yet his enthusiasm and excitement were evident.

A thought came to mind, however. What about Geena and Piper? I’d be moving to New York City after the first of the year. As if reading my mind, Dad continued.

“That brings me to the next announcement. We’ve already discussed this with Piper and Geena, so it will come as no surprise to them, but we’re selling this house.”

“What?” I was stunned. “When did you decide to do this?”

“When I told them that I was going to take the job in London,” Piper said matter-of-factly.

“You what?” This was really a night for surprises. “I thought you lost that opportunity last summer.”

“I thought so too.” Piper pushed back her hair and shrugged. “The person who ended up taking the position didn’t like living abroad. They called me three weeks ago and asked me to reconsider the position.”

“But you said nothing,” I countered, trying to get used to the idea of my baby sister moving to England.

“I talked to Dad about it, and my therapist.” She grinned. “I figured the rest of you could wait.”

Mark gave a chuckle. “You know your big sister. She still thinks she should be the first to hear any news when it comes to you two.”

I elbowed him. “That’s not true. I’m not that bad. I’m just surprised.” I looked to Geena. “What about you? Are you moving off as well?”

“No. I’m taking your condo. That way when Piper comes home, she’ll have a place in either Boston or New York City to visit.”

Dad got back in on the conversation at this point. “That’s right. I figured to keep the condo and sell the house. There was no sense in this place just sitting empty. I have no way of knowing for sure how this project is going to work out for us, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one. If that’s the case, we might even end up getting an apartment in London.”

“A flat,” Piper interjected. “Not an apartment.”

Dad grinned. “See there, she’s already made the move in her mind.”

The rest of dinner passed quickly with discussions about how soon everyone would act upon these new life decisions. Piper was to leave within the next couple of weeks, so most of the discussion focused on her. By the end of the evening, Mark was ready to head back into the city and stay at my place. I was anxious to head up to bed.

“I have plans for us in the morning,” he said as we stood at the door saying good-night. “In fact, plans for the entire day.”

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I looked at him oddly. “What should I wear?”

“Hmmm, I’d recommend clothes.” He grinned.

“What type? Casual? Dressy? Warm?”

“Casual and warm is fine. I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“That early, eh?” I checked my watch and found that it was nearly eleven. “All right. I’ll be ready. Are you renting a car?”

“No. Your dad is loaning me his.”

Now I was really intrigued. Mark had definitely put some thought and planning into this. “All right. I’ll be ready.”