His Temptation, Her Secret

She chose a bottle of ginger ale and filled two glasses with ice from the dispenser. It was like living in a magic house. Everything was always at the ready.

Melissa took two wooden coasters from the holder and positioned them on the small table between the armchairs. When Sage sat, she had a panoramic view of the water. She could see the Crab Shack and Neo off to one side, and the towering cliffs that curved around the edge of the bay and gave the small cluster of houses their privacy.

“Have you heard about the Whiskey Bay Seaside Festival?”

Sage shook her head as she poured.

“We hold it every July in Lookout Park. There’s music, food, a homemade boat race, costumes and a scavenger hunt for the kids, and a dance and fireworks to finish up.”

“It sounds like fun.”

“It is. I’m on the planning committee. So I’m here in an official capacity, for two reasons.”

Sage waited.

“I’m looking for a donation, of course. TJ always donates. It’s really just a matter of how much.”

The question made Sage uncomfortable. Although TJ had given her access to a joint account, she didn’t yet feel comfortable spending his money.

“I’d have to check with TJ on that.”

“No problem. I’m going to leave this year’s sponsorship information. Last year, he sponsored the main tent and the fireworks. But, more importantly, I wanted to invite you to join the planning committee.”

Sage was surprised by the invitation.

“It’s not too much work, I promise. And it’s fun. And it would be a great way for you to meet some of the community members.”

Sage appreciated Melissa’s efforts to include her. But she couldn’t help being nervous. “How would people react to me joining?”

“I expect they’ll be happy for the help.”

“I meant…” Sage felt like the new kid in school. “What are they all saying about me?”

“They’re curious,” Melissa admitted, her tone sounding genuinely sympathetic. She lifted her glass and took a sip. “The marriage happened fast, and everyone either knows or has guessed about Eli—since you and TJ knew each other in high school.”

Sage couldn’t help but worry about her son fitting into the new community. An illegitimate child was hardly a scandal these days, but he would be a curiosity.

“Mostly they’re happy for TJ. Everyone in Whiskey Bay loved him and Lauren. They were fantastic contributors to the community and fun to be around.”

Sage grew even more nervous. “It sounds like a hard act to follow.”

She wondered how deep the stigma of hiding TJ’s child from him would go. If TJ was such a beloved community member, people were likely to take his side, likely to look on Sage as the villain for depriving him of his son.

“Oh, no.” Melissa looked contrite. “I didn’t mean it like that. People are happy for TJ and they want to meet you and Eli. Nobody is aware…”

“That it’s not a real marriage,” Sage finished the sentence. She knew TJ had taken his close friends into his confidence.

“Nobody knows that it’s anything other than a high school sweethearts’ reunion    . How you and TJ work things out in your family is nobody’s business but yours.”

“We weren’t high school sweethearts.”

“TJ told us what happened.”

Sage was surprised by that. In fact, she wasn’t quite sure she believed it. “What exactly did he say?”

“He admitted to Caleb and Matt that it was a prank.”

Sage digested the information for a moment. “I’m surprised he did that.”

“It was idiotic, and he felt terrible.”

Sage felt an unexpected sense of relief that somebody else knew the truth. “It was hard to wrap my head around it, seeing the man he seems to have become and square that with the entitled jock who slept with a woman as a joke.” Sage found herself ending the sentence on a bitter note.

Melissa’s brow went up.

The silence stretched to uncomfortable.

“What?” Sage finally asked.

“Is that what you think happened?”

“That is what happened.”

“Not exactly.”

Sage’s relief turned to annoyance. “I was there.”

“But he was only supposed to kiss you. That was the extent of the prank, to dance with you and kiss you. He never planned…” Melissa paused. “According to Caleb, TJ never intended to sleep with you. And back then he never told anybody he did.”

The bottom dropped out of Sage’s stomach.

The entire premise of her last ten years shifted.

She struggled for words. “That’s… How can it be?”