Free Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies by Trice Hickman

at the school. She was temporarily drawn from her thoughts at the sound of Denise’s voice.
    â€œOkay, girlfriend, I’m heading home.”
    Victoria slipped the business card back into her handbag. “Enjoy your evening, and, Denise, I’m sorry again about today. I really am glad you’re back.”
    â€œI’m glad to be back, too.” Denise winked before waving good-bye.
    As Victoria sat alone, surrounded by the quiet of her office, she thought about the immediate dilemma in front of her. She didn’t know how to break the news to Ted that not only was Parker’s son in Jack and Jill with Alexandria, but that he’d also be attending the same elementary school this fall. “With my luck, PJ will end up in Alexandria’s class,” she whispered aloud.
    She knew that any kind of contact in close proximity to Parker would lead only to the worst kind of trouble. “Regardless of the consequences, I have to tell Ted,” she whispered to herself. She realized that it would eventually come out, anyway, so she might as well come clean with the truth. She decided she’d tell him right away, as soon as he walked through the door that evening.
    After another half hour of e-mails and paperwork,Victoria prepared to leave the office and pick up Alexandria from summer camp. She was about to log off her computer when her BlackBerry rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Ted. “Hey, honey.What’s up?”
    He took a deep breath before delivering his bad news.
    Ted had gotten a devastating call from his sister just an hour before. She’d told him that their mother was in the hospital, and that her condition was so grave, the doctors advised that he leave for Boston within the next twenty-four hours.
    Victoria knew that her mother-in-law’s health had been on the decline for quite some time, but she’d kept the entire family in the dark about the particulars of her condition.
    Carolyn Thornton’s secrecy about things was something that had always bothered Victoria. The woman was about as open as a pine coffin, and it was a trait she’d passed along to her son. Ted kept information close to the vest, and at times, Victoria had to ask him what was going on with work and other projects, because he rarely spoke of things that didn’t involve their immediate family.
    Initially, she thought it was great that Ted didn’t bring up ViaTech or his other business ventures after he left the office and entered their front door, but over the years she’d grown to want to know more about the various happenings in his life outside of their home. She wanted to feel connected to him in every way, but it was like pulling teeth. She’d tried over and over to get him to share other parts of himself, but he was hesitant to give her more than cursory information. And even when she was able to get small bits from him, she felt as if he gave her just enough to keep her curiosity at bay, but not enough to keep her fully dialed in.
    â€œOh, honey, is there anything I can do?” Victoria asked.
    â€œNo. According to my sister, it’s pretty much a watch-and-wait situation. I need to fly out first thing tomorrow morning. I’ll be home in an hour, and I’ll fill you in on the details when I get there.”
    Anyone else’s ear would have never been able to detect a thing in Ted’s voice other than the power of his commanding tone. But Victoria knew her husband, and she could hear the shift. “Okay, I’ll see you at home. I love you,” she said before hanging up the phone. She walked out the door, her mind heavy with worry.
    After dealing with Parker that morning and hearing Ted’s terrible news about his mother that afternoon,Victoria began to feel the weight of her long, stressful day. But her dismal mood was instantly erased when she walked into Alexandria’s classroom and saw her daughter’s smiling