Secret Indiscretions (Carson Cove Scandals 2)

“My boyfriend?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I think he likes you…” Her grin got wider.

“You’re way too young to be asking those kinds of questions.” I turned my attention back to the road.

“Jon and Mommy, sitting in a tree…” Charley bounced in her booster seat.

Oh god… I really need to monitor what she’s watching on television—or maybe she picked that up in pre-school.

Despite being happy that we were able to stop the emergency hearing, I had something else on my mind as I drove back to my apartment. I saw the look on Jon’s face when he met my mother, and I couldn’t ignore the glances he gave her at the restaurant. She insisted that she didn’t know him, but I had a gut feeling that there was more to that story. My mother always told me that she grew up in the city, and her parents lived there when they were alive, so I never really questioned it.

Other things started to click after I saw Jon’s reaction—like how my mother knew where the grocery store was when we moved to Carson Cove—and how she wanted to eat at a diner on Main Street that had been out of business for years. She told me that she just read up on the area, which explained it at the time, but I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something she hadn’t told me about her past.

“Can I watch TV for a little bit?” Charley looked at me as we walked towards our apartment.

“I guess so.” I nodded and smiled.

Hopefully, a cartoon that doesn’t mention boyfriends…

My mother was making dinner when we walked through the door, so I got Charley settled in the living room before I went to the kitchen. She was making spaghetti, so I started helping where I could. We talked about the hearing—what I had done—and her displeasure over the risk I took was obvious, but she understood it. I really didn’t know how to come out and ask her about Carson Cove—I didn’t want to accuse her of lying. I just wanted the know if there was more to the story. It wouldn’t change my perception of her. She was still the woman that took care of me—protected me—and gave me the strength to endure the worst moment of my life when Jackson ended things after I told him I was pregnant. Where she came from didn’t matter, but there was no reason to lie about it. I felt like I deserved the truth.

“What Jon asked you earlier today…” I kept my words steady—I didn’t want her to be alarmed, I just wanted to talk about it. “It sounded like he recognized you from somewhere.”

“Who knows…” My mother tensed up and focused on stirring the spaghetti.

“Mom, did you live in Carson Cove at some point?” I decided to just hit her with the real question, rather than dance around it.

“He probably confused me with someone he used to know.” She kept stirring, and it was obvious that she was doing it, so she didn’t have to look at me.

“It didn’t sound like that…” I tilted my head to the side. “I won’t be upset, I promise—I just want to know the truth. Please don’t lie to me. You swore that we would always be honest with each other.”

“I knew it was a bad idea for you to go to school here…” She shook her head and sighed. “Yes, I did spend some time in Carson Cove when I was younger.”

Oh my god… It’s true…

“So—you knew Jon?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“I knew who Jon Alcott was, yes.” She nodded. “We were both students at Carson Cove High—I was a freshman, and he was a senior, so I have no idea how he even remembers me…”

“You didn’t date or anything, right?” I tensed up.

“God no…” She shook her head back and forth. “He only had eyes for Mary Durant. I would hope that he wouldn’t struggle to remember my name if we dated…”

“Right…” I nodded—and another piece of the puzzle fell into place in my head. “Wait… you got pregnant in high school. Is my father from Carson Cove!?”

“Melanie…” The ghost white expression didn’t require an answer.

“Is he in Carson Cove?!” I felt goosebumps forming from head to toe.

“No.” She quickly shook her head back and forth. “He’s not here anymore. It wouldn’t matter if he was—he never met you. Your father…”

“You don’t have to explain it.” I held up my hand. “You’ve been honest about that from the beginning.”

“Everything I’ve told you about him was the truth. He was a horrible person—a drunk—a compulsive gambler,” she sighed. “But there are things I haven’t told you…”

“Like what?” I raised an eyebrow but felt the goosebumps forming again.

“He was older than me.” She turned off the stove and looked down at the floor. “And he was—married.”