Page 3 of The Husband's Secret
Devers Residence
White Street
Huntsville, Alabama, 3:30 p.m. (CST)
“Hello! I’m home.” Brenda closed the door behind her and abandoned her wheeled bag. She tossed her handbag onto the sofa.
“Mommy!” Janey rushed from the kitchen. Her beloved nanny, Mallory Lawrence, hung back but gave Brenda a big smile and a wave.
Brenda crouched down and hugged her little girl until she started to wiggle.
“Too tight,” she said with a giggle. “Did you bring me something?”
Brenda released her and wrinkled her nose as if the question were ridiculous, then she smiled. “What do you think?”
Janey grinned. “Yes!”
While the child prowled in her mother’s suitcase, Brenda pushed to her feet. “Shall we order your favorite pizza for dinner?” Figuring out something to prepare was the furthest thing from her mind just now.
Janey glanced up, nodding enthusiastically. “Cheese!”
“Cheese it is then.”
The four-year-old waved the gift shop bag that held an angel necklace and did a little happy dance. Then she dashed off to her bedroom.
“She does love cheese pizza,” Mallory said, walking across the room to give Brenda a quick hug.
Brenda had never been more grateful for Mallory than she was the past few weeks. Having the convenience of a childcare giver who could move in at a moment’s notice for an extended stay was a true godsend.
Brenda laughed. “Please don’t tell me you had it for dinner last night.”
Mallory smiled and shook her head. “Lunch today.”
“Oh no.” Brenda scrubbed at her forehead. “I’m sorry. I should have asked.”
Mallory waved her off. “Don’t worry about it. I should get going anyway.” She smiled. “Peter is taking me out tonight.”
Peter was Mallory’s boyfriend. They had been dating for two years. Brenda expected a proposal anytime. Selfishly Brenda hoped a wedding wouldn’t change their working relationship. Janey loved Mallory. Neither Brenda nor Scott had any living parents, and they were both only children. Sadly, most all the people at Scott’s memorial had been his work friends. When had they stopped having real mutual friends?
Sometimes Brenda couldn’t help thinking how sad the whole situation had been. The disconnection to family had never been more overwhelming than it was now. With him gone, their daughter had no one except Brenda. And Mallory.
Brenda pushed the worry aside. She’d gone there entirely too often since the accident. Continuing to dwell on the subject was not good for her mental health or for moving forward.
“Well, thank you.” Brenda sighed. She had considered telling Mallory about the man she saw in the airport, but she didn’t want to sound paranoid. And the whole encounter sounded entirely paranoid.
Mallory gave her another hug. “Any time you need me.” She drew back. “I mean it, Brenda. Call me anytime. I know how hard things are right now. I want to help any way I can.”
Brenda nodded. “I will. Thank you.”
Mallory smiled, her eyes sparkling. “Your book is going to be a movie!”
Brenda laughed. “It is.”
They hugged again, and then Mallory was on her way. Brenda stood at the door for a bit after she drove off and watched as the last of the parents picked up their kids from the school across the street. She really loved this neighborhood. The idea that Janey would be able to attend school right here across the street was the reason she’d chosen this house. She had known from the day she got married six years ago that she wanted to live near the school her children would attend.
Since she was a writer, she worked from home. It was the perfect situation.
After a minute or two, Brenda closed the door, wheeled her bag into her bedroom and prepared to clear it out and stash it away. The house was small. An historic bungalow in Huntsville’s famed Five Points Historic District. It was a quiet neighborhood, and walking to the supermarket was one of her favorite parts of living here. The downtown entertainment district and historic square were a mere mile to her left, with tree-lined sidewalks the whole distance. Same with the supermarket to her right—less than half a mile, actually. Most anything she might need was either within walking distance or available via delivery.
