She Never Knew

  Thirty minutes later, Kat’s shed was stocked and locked. She left Tyler and Daniel outside while she inside to get lemonade. When she returned, she saw Tyler and Daniel sitting on a bench on her private pier.

  She stood there for a few minutes watching them. They were too far away for her to hear their conversation, but from their body language, it was obvious that they were enjoying each other’s company.

  She looked up at the heavens and jumped when a big clap of thunder roared at her. Before she realized what was happening, the sky opened up and the rain came down in torrents. As she struggled to see through the downpour, she saw that Daniel had Tyler on his shoulders. At first she thought Tyler was crying, but she quickly realized he was shrieking with delight.

  Daniel quickly jogged back toward where Kat was waiting in the garage. He carefully removed Tyler from his shoulders and set him down.

  “Whew!” Daniel wiped his eyes with his shirt, which was soaked and clung to his lean torso.

  “Mommy, that was fun!” Tyler piped. Looking at Daniel, he said, “Let’s do that again!”

  Daniel squatted next to Tyler. “You see that, big guy?” he pointed to the dark clouds. A lightning bolt appeared out of the sky in the form of a zigzag pattern. It flashed a couple of times before disappearing again.

  “Whoa!”

  A few seconds later, Daniel tickled Tyler at the same time the thunder bellowed.

  Tyler screamed and laughed at Daniel. His face held a look of adoration as he smiled at the man next to him.

  When Daniel stood up, he accepted the glass of lemonade from Kat and drank it within a matter of seconds.

  “Would you like a refill?” Kat laughed.

  “Whew, I didn’t realize how thirsty I was.” Daniel smiled. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Would you like to come in the house and dry off?” Kat offered, stroking Tyler’s hair.

  “I wish I could, but maybe some other time.” Daniel replied. “It’s been a long day and I need to clean up.” His eyes met Kat and she blushed.

  “Okay. Well, thank you again for the help.”

  “It was my pleasure.” Daniel said earnestly. “I really do enjoy helping others.”

  Tyler was hopping from one foot to another, waiting for his chance to speak. “Do you have to go?” he whined.

  “Sure do, big man.” Daniel held out a hand so Tyler could once again high-five it. He ducked out from the garage and ran to his truck that was parked at the end of the driveway. Once inside, he rolled down the window and waved to Kat and Tyler.

  “Be careful driving home, okay?” Kat shouted over the loudness of the pouring rain.

  Daniel held up a hand and winked at her. Then in a flash, he was gone.

  A small feeling of disappointment instantly washed over Kat. She had had a good day and didn’t want it to end. It was funny how an odd circumstance such as a flooded church closet could draw two people together.

  Later that evening after she put Tyler to bed, Kat went downstairs to take a shower. For the first time in a long time, Kat didn’t work in her office that night to check her email, nor did she say goodnight to Michael.

  As she lay in bed that night, all Kat could think about was Daniel. She didn’t want to admit it, but she was attracted to him. She liked the way he carried himself around her and the goofy, easygoing manner he used around Tyler. She realized that she didn’t want him to leave earlier. She wanted him to stay. In fact, she wanted the evening to go on forever.

  Maybe he’s the shy one, Kat mused. Or maybe he’s just not interested. Sighing, she snuggled deeper under the covers and closed her eyes.

  Chapter 16

  He hated her now more than ever. It was her fault that his life was falling apart. She was responsible for everything that had happened to him so far. She was the reason he was expelled from school. Because of her, he didn’t have the degree he needed to advance in his company. As a result, he was ineligible for a promotion.

  Darryl Baker angrily threw his empty beer bottle across the living room. When it made contact with the wall, the bottle shattered into several large pieces. He was seated on the couch, leaning back as he studied the mess he had made with the place. Empty beer bottles and cans littered the living room and kitchen counters. A pizza box lay on the kitchen table, its cover open, exposing a lone slice of dried up sausage and pepperoni pizza.

  He swore as he raised himself up from the couch. He was hungry for something to eat but every time he moved, his head pounded. He had such a bad hangover that even his eyes hurt.

  Staggering into the kitchen, Darryl yanked open the door of the refrigerator and cursed when he saw there wasn’t anything in it except for some condiments, a small loaf of bread, and a case of beer on the shelf.

  He walked over to the kitchen table, picked up the slice, and bit into it. Gagging over the foul taste of the food, Darryl spit it out of his mouth, not caring where it landed.

  Muttering under his breath, Darryl walked back over to the refrigerator where he found a loaf of bread hiding in a corner behind the beer. He grabbed it and set it on the counter. Opening the package, he removed two slices and set them apart on a plate. He took out the ketchup and mustard and smeared their contents onto the bread. Darryl made a mental note to stop at the grocery store in a little while.

  He had had a bad day yesterday at work. His boss wanted to talk to him about his schooling and when Darryl had once again failed to provide documentation showing he had completed his current course, he was forced to tell Matthew that he was no longer enrolled in school.

  When Matthew told him he couldn’t give him a financial aid check and that he would no longer be a candidate for Vivian’s position, Darryl broke down. He lied to his boss and said that he was under a lot of pressure from his wife. He told him that his wife resented the amount of time he spent on his computer, and that it was taking away the time he needed to spend with their son.

  He had made a big production out of it, telling his boss that his wife and son meant more to him than anything in the world. He was just under so much pressure. Couldn’t he understand that?

  Unfortunately for Darryl, the company gave Darryl a choice to re-enroll or repay the financial aid checks to the company. Darryl had until the end of the month to make his decision. He had one week left and was running out of time.

  As he ate his mustard and ketchup sandwich, he thought about his plan for revenge against Katherine Richards. He was going to hunt her down and make her pay for all of his problems. He no longer had access to his classroom in which to download materials from, but he recalled that her biography stated she lived on the east coast. He remembered performing a search on Google and saw that she was one of several faculty members who had been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the curriculum development team. There had been several articles about her work and one of them had a link to an interview.

  Darryl became excited. He had tossed his copy of Student Matters, but if he could somehow find those articles again, especially the one with the link to the interview, he might be able to see what she looked like. Perhaps he would even find a clue as to where she actually lived.

  Pleased with himself for finally making some headway with his plan for retribution, he knew he had to act quickly. Time was running out. He was going to find her, confront her, and make her pay. He was going to ruin her life the way she ruined his.

  Grabbing another beer from the fridge, Darryl strode purposefully into his bedroom and turned on his computer. He had a lot of work to do this weekend.

  Chapter 17

  The doorbell rang and Kat hurried to answer it. It had rained all week and she had a feeling that Rhonda didn’t bother to use an umbrella on her way over to pick up Eli.

  “When are you ever going to learn?” Kat scolded her friend, stepping aside so Rhonda could enter the house. She was drenched.

  “Mommy!” Eli shrieked when he saw her. He ran up to her and hugged her despite the fact his mother’
s clothes were dripping with water.

  As she returned Eli’s hugs, she looked at Kat sheepishly. “I didn’t think I was going to get this wet!”

  “You never do, silly woman.” Kat laughed, stepping into the half bathroom where she grabbed a hand towel.

  As Rhonda patted her face dry, Eli chimed, “Mommy, I don’t want to go home yet. I’m still watching a movie.”

  “What are you watching?”

  “Spiderman!” Before Rhonda had a chance to say anything, Eli rejoined Tyler on the couch.

  Kat smiled mischievously at her friend. “Do you have a few minutes? I’ve got news.”

  “Sure, I could always use some good news.” Rhonda removed her shoes and wiped her feet on the welcome mat.

  “First, let’s get you dry. Come with me.” Kat ordered.

  A few minutes later, Rhonda came out of the bathroom wearing Kat’s robe. Kat had put her wet clothes in the dryer. By the time the movie was over, Rhonda’s clothes would be dry.

  Kat was in the kitchen peeling potatoes when Rhonda joined her.

  “All right, so what’s the big secret?”

  Kat looked at her friend. “Remember how I stayed at the church earlier this week to help with the clean up?”

  Rhonda nodded. “Yes, I heard. That was very generous of you to offer your shed for storing those things.”

  “Oh, I was happy to do it. But that’s not the good news I was referring to.” Kat began slicing the potatoes.

  “Well?” Rhonda stood there, a hand on her hip. “Spit it out, already.”

  Kat laughed. “Well, after we finished cleaning up, Daniel followed me back here to help me unload the stuff. After we were done, I asked him to come inside the house.”

  At first Rhonda didn’t understand, but a moment later the significance of Kat’s statement became clear to her. Her eyes grew wide.

  “You did what?”

  Kat nodded her head and smiled. “Sure did. And you know what? It was so easy. I felt so comfortable asking him.”

  “And did he come inside?”

  “No.” Kat begin chopping the potatoes into small cubes. “He said he needed to get back home. He and Tyler got caught in the rain and he was soaked like you were when you first arrived.”

  “Where were you?”

  “I was in the garage. I went to get lemonade and when I returned, I saw both of them sitting out on the pier.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing, really. When it started pouring, Daniel carried Tyler on his shoulders back to the garage.” Kat opened a cupboard and retrieved a colander. She scooped the cubed potatoes into the colander then set them in the sink. She ran cold water over them. “He’s so good with kids, Rhonda.”

  Rhonda stared at Kat and noticed her friend was blushing. “Yes, he is. Everyone at vacation bible school liked him.”

  “Anyway, I was surprised at myself because I felt so comfortable around him.”

  “Kat, that’s terrific!”

  “I can thank my doctor for that.” Kat revealed.

  “Your doctor?”

  “Yes, remember? That’s why you watched Tyler that morning?”

  “Oh, yes! I had forgotten all about that. How did that go?” Rhonda asked, watching Kat intently.

  “Amazingly, it went very well. Pastor Cullen recommended her—Doctor Sullivan—that day I went to see him.” Kat set a deep sauce pan on the counter and dumped the potatoes in.

  “Do you like her?”

  “I do. She sat there and listened to me. I mean, really listened to me. I don’t know if it’s because she’s a woman that made it easier for me or what, but I told her everything.” Kat stopped what she was doing and looked at Rhonda.

  “Wow, and what did she say?”

  “She started with the obligatory it’s-not-your-fault-what-happened-to-you speech followed by asking me a bunch of questions.”

  Rhonda nodded, waiting for Kat to continue.

  “It was weird at first because I expected her to do most of the talking, but it ended up being the other way around.” Kat filled the sauce pan with water and set it on the stove. After she added a pinch of salt and turned on the burner, she wiped her hands on the kitchen towel.

  “She asked me to describe myself and where I saw myself five years from now.”

  “That almost sounds like a job interview question.” Rhonda mused.

  “It did at first, but I think she wanted me to see the person I’ve become, not the person I used to be before.”

  “What about Tyler? Did you tell the doctor about your conversation with him?”

  “Yes. I told her that any discomfort I feel in my life as I know it today is the fact that I haven’t been honest with Tyler about his birth father.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Pretty much the same thing Pastor Cullen said. That Tyler is too young to understand. By the way, Doctor Sullivan specializes in multiple trauma cases.”

  Rhonda nodded her approval. She was glad her friend went to see someone who would be sensitive to Kat’s background. She and Robert had gone to see a counselor who specialized in open adoptions so she knew firsthand how important it was to find the right doctor.

  “And she’s a very strong woman. She’s confident and made me feel completely at ease the whole time I was in her office.”

  “That’s why they’re the experts. Did she have any suggestions for telling Tyler the truth?”

  “Only that when I feel the time is right, I’ll know. She didn’t press the issue and I liked that about her.”

  “Well, it’s not a conversation you’re going to have with him anytime soon. But if and when you do, always know that Robert and I will support you every step of the way.”

  “Thank you, that means a lot to me.” Kat said, hugging her friend. “Do you want to stay for dinner?”

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Eli has his heart set on chicken pot pie tonight.”

  “Okay, a rain check then.” Kat poked her head around the kitchen door and saw that the boys were engrossed in their movie.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, what prompted you to see Doctor Sullivan?”

  Kat replied, “Actually, it was a friend of mine from Taekwondo who inspired me to make the call. She came over earlier this week to practice the self defense moves we learned in class.”

  “That’s great, Kat.” Rhonda was happy to see that her friend was beginning to open up to other people.

  “She was raped, too. It was a good conversation and she offered some good tips about being able to move forward.”

  “Smart advice.”

  “Yes, and she suggested that I get out more and meet new people. She thinks I’m hiding in my house, avoiding the world.”

  “Do you think that’s what you’re doing?”

  “What are you, the doctor now?” Kat laughed. “No, uh—I’m not hiding, but I’ll admit, I haven’t made any efforts to go out and join clubs.” Kat shook her head. “She’s right, though. If I don’t get out more and socialize, especially for Tyler’s sake, I could end up becoming a recluse and living in fear in my own home.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let that happen.” Rhoda smiled encouragingly.

  “Vacation bible school was my last social interaction.”

  “But there’s no rush, Kat. If you do something you’re not ready for, you’ll find yourself right back where you started.”

  “That’s what Doctor Sullivan said, too.” Kat smiled at her friend. “But anyway, after I left her office, I felt so much better. I felt confident, that I could take the next step. So when I went to the church to drop off the extra crafts, Daniel and I ended up working together to clean up. I wasn’t even expecting to see him there. But I was so confident that it felt normal to invite him inside my house.”

  “It really does get easier with time. Just do what feels comfortable for you. Don’t worry about what others may think right now.”

  “I know, but it’s nice to hear it, anyway.”

/>   “Are you going back to see her?”

  “Doctor Sullivan? Yes, she wants a follow-up visit after the holiday weekend. Kat paused for a moment before continuing. “And you’ll be happy to know that I’ve decided to go to a party. Sarah invited me—she’s the one from Taekwondo—to her July 4th party.”

  “Kat, that’s great!” Rhonda beamed. “See, things are really looking up for you.”

  Just then, Eli and Tyler barged into the kitchen. When Eli saw his mother, he asked her why she was wearing a robe. At that moment, the dryer dinged and Kat went to retrieve Rhonda’s clothes.

  Several minutes later, Rhonda and Eli were ready to leave. After the boys hugged each other, Kat handed Rhonda a purse-sized umbrella. It was still raining outside.

  “You can keep that,” Kat teased. “I have another one.”

  “Very funny.” Rhonda retorted. “By the way, Robert’s coming home in two weeks. We’ll have our usual cookout, and we’d love for you and Tyler to come.”

  “We’ll be there. Let me know what you want me to bring.” With that, Rhonda and Eli departed for their house. Kat watched them through the window and smiled when she saw that Eli was holding the umbrella over his head.

  Chapter 18

  Kat was nervous about going to Sarah’s Fourth of July party that afternoon. She wasn’t accustomed to being around large noisy crowds, but she didn’t want to disappoint her friend.

  Sarah was married to her husband of ten years and their twins were four years old. Tyler will enjoy playing with them, Kat thought.

  She had baked a cheesecake the night before and decorated it with blueberries and strawberries in honor of the country’s flag. It was her mother’s recipe so she knew it would be a hit among the guests.

  When Kat and Tyler arrived, she took a deep breath and willed herself to have a good time. She noted that Tyler seemed reluctant about going. His shy behavior was a statement in itself. She knew she couldn’t live like a loner forever. It wasn’t healthy for her, nor was it healthy for Tyler. She had to start making an effort to meet new people and make new friends. She knew that’s what her parents and Michael would have wanted for her.