Secrets

“Aaaaand now we’re outta here,” Tanya said with a wry laugh, she and Serenity rushing out before Katelynn or I could say anything else.

I only shook my head, rolling my eyes, before confronting Katelynn. “I know that since last year, you’ve been tricking Donna into giving you some money. Hell, at least once or twice I’ve caught you stealing from her! There’s nothing you can say or do now to deny it because I know you very well.”

She scoffed, folding her arms. “Oh, yeah? Got any solid proof of my so-called ‘money theft’? I’ll wait.” She had a snarky tone in her voice, the type Katelynn used to show others you couldn’t mess with her.

“I can call the bank and ask for financial records.” I played her game, unwilling to back down, as I took out my phone. “Dare me to do that now?”

“Whatever.” She sighed, a defeated look on her face. “I don’t have all the time in the world to explain shit to you, Howard.” She brushed past me as she went to the sink, took her brush out of her purse and began brushing her hair.

“That’s right, just walk away… Like you always do,” I snapped. “Because you can’t handle the truth when you’re being called out for your hypocrisy, acting all nice and sweet with Donna but then trashing her behind her back. Is that it? Unbelievable. What kind of a sister are you? Donna has worked hard enough to earn all the gorgeous, fancy stuff in her life, none of which you’ll ever deserve, with your disgusting bitterness you’ve been harboring toward her your entire life!”

At that moment, Kalissa entered the bathroom, looking a little pale and nauseous. Her hand covering her mouth and another on her stomach, she ran to an empty stall and started puking. I didn’t even care to know what that’s all about.

Katelynn retorted, “You don’t think I’ve ever worked hard enough to get nice, fancy things for myself? Donna is the only hard-working person around here who gets all the nice stuff, hanging out with the cool, wealthy people. Is that what you’re saying?” She shook her head, grabbing her purse from the sink. “You’ve got a hell of a nerve to compare me to her, being so ‘buddy-buddy’ with her.” She stormed off before I could say anything else.

Suits her well. Leave it to her to be cowardly enough to be confronted with the truth straight in the face, only to walk away from it. Typical Katelynn.

I didn’t have time to deal with her drama. Worried about Kalissa, I knocked on the stall door. “Are you okay in there?”

“Y-yeah, I am,” she replied feebly before stepping out of the stall. She gave me a weak smile. “Don’t worry, I didn’t hear any words exchanged between you and Katelynn just now.”

“No, it’s… Fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” At the dining table, I noticed how distracted she’d become, mostly staring at her phone while Justin tried to calm Ryleigh down. Ryleigh had been acting a little fussy while waiting for the food to arrive, and Justin, as the man of the house, took action. He did his part, and now Kalissa had to do hers too.

She took a few deep breaths while washing her hands. “I know what you’re thinking, Mary-Jane,” she said softly.

And here it was… The baby confession.

I cleared my throat. “No, actually… I don’t think you know what I’m thinking. You’re definitely not a mind-reader, and frankly, neither am I.”

She gave me a knowing look. “I’ve known you long enough by now, Mary-Jane. I can be honest with you—I’m pregnant. I’m just a couple weeks along, and before you ask, Justin already knows. We’re keeping it quiet for now because nothing’s for certain yet.”

With a baffled look, I asked, “What do you mean, nothing’s for certain yet? Are you worried that you’ll lose the baby?”

She nodded. “That’s one way to look at it…”

“Do you have a history of any health issues? Why would you be worried about losing it?” I pressed her. “You weren’t this secretive when you were pregnant with Ryleigh. Is there something going on that I, or anyone else, don’t know about… Not even Justin? Tell me the damn truth already, Kalissa.”

Being backed into a corner did Kalissa no good. She only gave me a guilty smile, a true indicator that she’s hiding something. “No need to worry about me, Hermana.” Her voice was softer. “It’s probably just stress from all that traveling we did today, or fatigue from a generally long, busy day for all of us.” That made no sense because everyone else seemed fine. She’s the only one acting a little off, totally out-of-character.

“I have been pulling extra shifts at the hospital lately,” she added, “so I imagine it leaving a bit of distance between Justin and me. Not that it’s an excuse, though,” she muttered to herself. “Anyway, I’m fine, so don’t worry about me for now. Okay?” She gave me a kiss on the cheek, as if to reassure me, then left the room before I could interject.

I didn’t know what to make of that, but she’s right about one thing—her busy work schedule was no excuse for the distance between her and my brother. They needed to work things out, for Ryleigh’s sake.

After a quick freshing-up of my hair and make-up, I returned to the room and met with the others outside at The Veranda for post-dinner drinks. As you guessed, it’s all Donna and Ethan’s idea. They stood together at the railing, holding hands while glancing over at the beautiful sunset reflecting in the water. My heart warmed for them; they couldn’t be more perfect!

Just then, I heard a male voice behind me. “Hey, are you okay, M.J.?”

I turned around and saw none other than Calvin. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?” I gave him a small smile.

He gently wiped a tear off my face with his finger. “You’re crying. I’m not sure if those are tears of joy or what.”

“Sorry.” I chuckled. “I was just thinking about Donna and Ethan. They look so adorable together; don’t you agree?”

He glanced over at them and nodded. “They seem so happy together, and that’s what we want at the end of the day. We hope to maintain this peace by the time the big day arrives. Nothing should threaten that.” He reached for my hand, and I instinctively pulled away.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I don’t understand?” He raised his eyebrows.

“You were gonna hold my hand, weren’t you?” I snapped.

He hesitated before replying. “Is that so bad?”

“We’re not together anymore, Calvin. You can’t get away with doing something like that,” I demanded. “Just because our two friends are having their own special moment by the sunset, doesn’t mean we should. You cheated on me, remember?”

“Mary-Jane, I…”

I put my hand up. “No, I don’t wanna hear anymore, okay? I’m done having this roller coaster of a conversation with you. It’s like you can’t even seem to grasp what you did wrong, and you expect things to be a perfect fairytale between us after all these years of hurt and betrayal. Just stay the hell away from me while we’re here, and don’t talk to me ever again!” I stormed off back inside, brushing past the other groomsmen, bridesmaids, and Katelynn and her friends. I did my best to ignore Katelynn’s snide remarks and everyone else’s concerned looks and whispers. I didn’t care anymore.

Mom and Dad were talking to Samantha, the wedding planner and sister of photographer Lucy, when Mom came over and gave me a hug. “Is everything okay, sweetie?” she asked softly.

I shook my head. “Not really. Calvin happened, and all the bad memories started flooding back like a nightmare.”

She caressed my hair. “I’m so sorry, Mary-Jane. You shouldn’t have to put up with that, not during Donna and Ethan’s special week. I know you must’ve given him clear instructions to not talk to you.”

“I did, yeah,” I sighed, “but he still acted like he wanted us to hold hands and reminisce about the good old times before he decided to do what he did.”

She nodded in understanding. “A voluntary betrayal, indeed. He shouldn’t get to walk away from all this and believe everything will be rosy between you two, just because Donna and Ethan are sharing a moment. You can head back to your room and clear your mind, if you’re open to it.” She gave me a warm smile.

That wasn’t such a terrible idea, though it’d feel a little lonely being all by myself for the rest of the evening. I wasn’t sure if it would be fair to Donna and Ethan, or anyone else.

“Yeah, I think I’ll just call it a night for now. Tell Dad I said good night and I love him.” We saw him and Samantha engaged in conversation, Samantha jotting a few notes in her notepad.

“I’ll send him the message. Love you, dear.” She gave me another hug before I left the restaurant and returned to my room in the Ocean View Cottage.

________________________________________

I woke up to a message from Donna, asking if it’s okay that we grab some breakfast at STARS, and I said why not. Today’s gonna be a busy day, with activities such as going to the spa, then the beach, and the first night of wedding rehearsals. So much to do in one day, but at least yesterday gave us the chance to settle in and breathe for a little while.

By 7:00, I was dressed and ready to meet with Donna, the same time STARS opened in the morning for breakfast. I left my room and went over to hers, and as if on cue, she stepped out squealing with joy.

“You look great!” She hugged me. “It’s like I haven’t seen you in ages, even though it’s only been since 12 hours ago.”

“Twelve hours and counting. I’m so sorry.” I groaned. “I was feeling a little tired, so I decided to leave early. Hope you didn’t mind?” I smiled innocently.

“No, I totally get it. Long days can do that to us sometimes. Margo and the others’ll meet with us in a little bit, but in the meantime, it’s a great opportunity for just the two of us to breathe.” She grinned.

I didn’t mind; I liked spending quality time with her. Katelynn should be so lucky to have an amazing sister like Donna instead of constantly envying her for no reason.

We arrived at STARS, and the host seated us at a table for six by the window in the main room facing the window, taking in that gorgeous view of the Atlantic Ocean again. We got our menus, and while looking through it, Donna said, “So, I heard something very interesting from Kalissa last night.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Interesting? What does she mean by that?”

“She told me that she overheard you and Katelynn in some sort of argument in the ladies’ room here yesterday… Right?” She gave me a baffled look. “Apparently, you were accusing Katelynn of stealing from me for a long time and Katelynn denied it.” She set her menu down and faced me. “M.J., what’s going on?”

I scoffed. “What do you mean, what’s going on? And you’ve got a hell of a nerve to take everything Kalissa tells you at face value when she herself must be hiding something.” I wasn’t thinking when I spat that out, but I had to say it.

She straightened her posture in the chair. “What do you mean, hiding something? What’s up with Kalissa?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “Never mind that. That’s another story for another time. But Katelynn is the main issue here. Why do you let her ‘borrow’ your money? She may be your sister, but she has to find her own way to be financially independent. She can’t keep doing this to you, Donna. You keep enabling her time and again.”

She gave me a look of disbelief. “M.J., you know that can’t be true! Katelynn has a steady, decent job and she’s been doing just fine living with Tanya and Serenity. What exactly would she need my money for? If I give her money, it’s because I know she really needs it. It’s not a frequent occurrence, if that’s what you’re concerned about. I don’t consider her to be a broke damsel in distress who needs to be rescued.”

She sounded so certain that Katelynn would never intentionally steal her money or trick her into giving her any. But I saw through the loving, devoted sister act crystal clear, and I’d seen it for the longest time. Poor little naive Donna.

With a sigh, she continued. “I know that since last year when Ethan and I announced our engagement, you and Katelynn have been at odds with each other, and it’s a little obvious. For my and Ethan’s sake, I’d like you two to get along.” She gave me a small smile. “Don’t you remember the promise we made to each other when we were nine, fantasizing about our wedding days?”

I smiled wistfully. “How can I ever forget, Elliott? We were in your backyard when we made that vow.”

She held my hand. “And a vow that’ll come true with everyone I love and care about standing right by my side. Which includes you.”

It warmed my heart to know that she still considered me a priority, and I’d always support her. I wished Katelynn could show her that same grace and support, as her sister.

Not a moment too soon, Margo, Jessica, and the Hayward twins joined us at our table, and the server gave them menus. We felt like a team, now that they’re here. After breakfast, we planned to go for our facial and massage appointments at the spa, having pretty much the whole afternoon to relax and let loose before wedding rehearsals tonight.

Soon, we returned to our rooms to get our purses and whatever else we needed for our spa appointments. I got my book to read, and now I’m all set. As I stepped outside the hall, I heard Kalissa’s voice in the next room, speaking a combo of English and Spanish. Justin and Ryleigh had just gone for a walk around Harding’s Beach; he’d messaged me during breakfast with Donna and the others at STARS. I’d go there myself later in the afternoon and kill some time hanging around the water.

Which meant Kalissa was alone in the room by herself.

Who could she be talking to? I quietly made my way to the door and put my ear on it, as if to listen more closely.

“Si, Mamá, Chatham es muy hermosa hasta ahora. Voy al spa ahora mismo.”

(Yes, Mom, Chatham is very beautiful so far. I’m going to the spa right now).

A minute of silence before she said, “The spa pool”, then in a lowered whispering voice in Spanish, “Si, para el bebe.”

(Yes, for the baby).

I raised my eyebrows. What about the baby? What’s she trying to say, exactly?

Kalissa sniffed, her voice breaking. “Mamá, no sé qué hacer. Este bebé no es de Justin.” (Mom, I don’t know what to do. This baby is not Justin’s).

My heart jumped out of my chest. I understood Spanish pretty well; Donna and I had taken two years of it in high school, followed by another two years of Italian.

Kalissa couldn’t possibly be serious! The baby wasn’t Justin’s?!

If not, then whose…

Tearfully, Kalissa said, “Si, Mamá. Es de Kevin. No de Justin en absoluto.”

(Yes, Mom, it’s Kevin’s. Not Justin’s at all).

At that moment, my worst fears had come true. Kalissa had an affair behind my brother’s back, and now she’s pregnant with another man’s child.