All the Secrets We Keep (Quarry Book 2) Read online

  “I don’t remember you not being nice, so don’t worry about it.” Theresa looked in the box she’d brought out. Hers was also stuffed with papers and folders. She glanced at Alicia. “All of that was a long time ago, anyway. But sometimes I do still wish I had a sister.”

  “I was lucky. We fought. Jenni could make me crazy. But she was a good sister. I miss her,” Alicia added matter-of-factly. “I always think that one day I won’t anymore. But I still do.”

  After a beat of solemn silence, Alicia leaned over to pull out a handful of papers and started sorting them. Theresa dug in to her own box and began sorting things quickly into piles. Artwork, report cards, handwritten notes, miscellany. She glanced up to see Alicia giving her a bemused look.

  “You’ll have to decide what stays and goes,” Theresa explained with a gesture at the piles and another small sneeze. Her allergies were starting to act up. “But I can sort them into some kind of order for you.”

  Alicia looked impressed. “You’re very efficient.”

  “One of my talents.” Theresa grinned. “Or flaws, depending on how you look at it. I know it’s been making Ilya kind of crazy.”

  The words hung between them. Awkward. Theresa cleared her throat, thinking she’d try to explain them away, but Alicia waved a hand.

  “I believe it. He’s never exactly been very organized.” She tilted her head to look at Theresa. “Hey. How is it going, by the way? You can talk to me about it. It’s not a secret.”

  Buying the diner wasn’t, anyway, but there was a secret Theresa wasn’t yet willing to reveal. It had been a week since Ilya had put her up against the prep counter. A week since he’d kissed her, been inside her. They hadn’t talked about it since then. Only about the diner, the lists, the chores and tasks.

  Theresa sat back, leaning against the bed. “It’s going all right. He’s full of big ideas about the business. I’m the one who makes the lists. Keeps it in line. But I think it’s going to be great, actually. Kind of a checks-and-balances thing.”

  Alicia nodded. “That’s good. I always loved the diner. I’m happy you guys bought it. I’m glad working with him is going all right. It can be frustrating. I know.”

  Theresa thought again of the night in the diner kitchen. Ilya’s hands on her. His mouth. Heat flushed through her, and she sorted through some more papers so she wouldn’t give any of that away. It wasn’t going to happen again because she wouldn’t let it, so it wasn’t like she had to own up to anything. Not even to Alicia. Especially not to her.

  “But when he really wants something, he can be focused. He will work hard, when he thinks it’s worth it,” Alicia said after a few minutes of silence while they sorted papers.

  Theresa paused in sorting a file full of fourth-grade essays to nod thoughtfully. “Yeah. I see that in him.”

  “Ilya’s worst enemy can be himself. He thinks he’s a screwup, and don’t get me wrong, he can be.”

  “We all can be,” Theresa said.

  Alicia laughed. “Truth. But Ilya does have the ability to pull things together. He’s smarter than he wants to think he is. I think because he didn’t go to college, he wants to pretend like he couldn’t go. Not that he made some dumb choices and didn’t.”

  “Going to college isn’t my standard of excellence,” Theresa said. “I went to college for accounting, and I’ve never been an accountant. Nor have I worked for one. All I did was spend a lot of money on a degree I’ve never used.”

  “I think about going back to school. Getting a degree in something. I just don’t know what.” Alicia shrugged, her hands full of more elementary-school artwork. “For now I’m going to focus on getting this house on the market and my trip to Scotland.”

  “Exciting,” Theresa said. “Tell me all about it. You’re going to Loch Ness, right?”

  They spent the next hour or so chatting and sorting through the boxes, discarding years of old papers and keeping only the ones Alicia felt she couldn’t part with. Most of the boxes were easily sorted, although some of them contained years of financial paperwork and things that Alicia said she’d need to clear with her parents before destroying. Overall, they managed to clear away ten whole boxes and fill four trash bags before Alicia declared they should quit.

  “I need a shower, and then Niko and I are going out to dinner. You want to come along?” Alicia took a long gulp of water from her glass.

  Theresa shook her head, which had started to throb a little bit with what felt like the beginnings of a sinus headache. “Oh, thanks, but no. I don’t want to be the third wheel. And I told Ilya I’d meet him later tonight to go over some things for the diner.”

  “On a Saturday night?” Alicia made a face. “There’s a shocker.”

  Theresa paused before saying, “Yeah, he’s usually got something going on.”

  “He must really be into making this business a go. Saturday night I’d expect him to be out, that’s all.” Alicia shrugged and closed the lid on the single box they’d been using to store all the things she’d decided to keep. She glanced up.

  Theresa kept her expression neutral. “Maybe he’ll go out after.”

  “Probably. He’s a revolving door.” Alicia shook her head, but something in Theresa’s face must’ve caught her attention. “Sorry, was that too rude? I sound like I care about his love life, but I really don’t.”

  “Especially not since you’re dating his brother,” Theresa said lightly.

  Alicia made a small noise. “Wow. Sheesh, Theresa.”

  “Sorry,” Theresa said. “That came out wrong.”

  “No, you’re right. I am with Niko. I shouldn’t give a second thought to what Ilya does. You’re right.” Alicia clapped both her hands onto her thighs. “It’s an old, bad habit, and I should quit it. It’s not any of my business whose hoo-ha hole he puts his dingle in, as the saying goes.”

  Theresa forced a smile, wishing she could laugh at Alicia’s deliberately silly choice of words. “Nope. Not mine, either.”

  “Hey, let’s toss this garbage, and I’ll get this box out of the way so you’re not tripping over it.” Alicia glanced at the wall clock. “I have to get moving. You sure you don’t want to grab dinner with us? There’s live music tonight at the Brewhaus.”

  “No, really. I’m fine. I’ve got that meeting at the diner, and I want to put together a few lists—” She broke off when Alicia laughed, then joined her. “Hey, I’m organized! There’s a lot to do!”

  Together, they cleaned up the mess, and each took two bags of trash out to the curb. Alicia went in to use the shower, while Theresa lingered, looking across the street. Ilya’s car wasn’t in the drive. Although it was nearly seven, dusk had not quite started to fall. The windows in the Stern house were dark.

  She had her phone in her pocket, but she didn’t pull it out. She wasn’t going to text or call him to find out where he’d been. They’d agreed to meet at the diner at eight so they could go over some upcoming tasks, and he’d promised to bring takeout. There was nothing else she needed to know about where he was or what he was doing.

  Maybe I want you to care.

  His words poked at her as she went upstairs to the room that had not yet started to feel like her own, and now never would. She picked out a pair of jeans and a pretty top from the drawer as she listened for the sound of the shower shutting off. She glanced at her phone, telling herself it was to check the time, but really seeing if she’d somehow missed a text from Ilya.

  “Do not do this,” Theresa muttered as she searched for a pair of socks, clean panties, and matching bra. “You’re not that girl.”

  And the thing of it was—the terrible, truthful thing was—Theresa was not that girl. She’d never been that girl. Even after three years of presumable happiness with Wayne, she hadn’t so much as cast a second look over her shoulder when she left him. If she’d had regrets, it was that she’d hurt him enough to cause him to kick her out, not that she’d decided she couldn’t marry him.

  So why, the