The Hidden Room Read online

  People, desperate for the water, pushed one another out of the way. Fighting began between neighbors. Reese called out and begged for them to stop and create a line. No one listened. Men climbed onto the truck and opened the top hatch and shoved in a hose they’d drug across the ground. Her heart sank. All that work and money wasted. Clean water was no longer. She did what she could to explain that the contaminated water was useless for human consumption. Not many listened to her, and she witnessed the death of children she’d spent time with. The experience changed her.

  Reese was frustrated when she came back to Portland. She felt restless and wanted to find a way to blow off steam. She started going out to clubs to dance. She’d met Aiden Davis through her mother, then ran into him one night. He started calling, incessantly. Finally, she decided that one night of sex might be worth it if he’d leave her alone afterward. Not her most thought-out plan. She never expected to get pregnant.

  †

  Julia was running late, and Zachary was pacing in the hallway. “Mom, we’re gonna miss the game!” He was wearing a blue shirt and a pair of cargo shorts, Mariners cap on his head, glove on his right hand. Reese marveled at how fast his first ten years had flown by. He had been ready for over an hour. They were just waiting on Julia. “Where is she?”

  “Zachary, she’ll be here. She was finishing up at work.” A loud revving of a motor grew louder, until tires screeched into their driveway. Zachary opened the front door and ran outside. Reese grabbed her purse and followed her son.

  Julia’s door swung open, and she hopped out of the car. “Little man! I am so sorry, Zach. I bought this for you to wear at the game today. Don’t worry, we won’t be late.” She tossed him a jersey. He ran to the door and jumped in the car. Reese walked around to the passenger side and got in the Audi S6.

  “Reese, this is official, serious business. It’s our first game together. Right, little man?” Zachary yelled in the back seat, as Julia pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the road. Reese looked out the window and gave a discreet smile, as she watched the streets zoom past.

  They made it to Safeco in record time. Julia and Zachary looked like they were meant to be at the ballpark. Both were wearing Mariners gear, with a glove at the ready for any fly balls that might come their way. Reese was fidgeting in her designer jeans, with heeled sandals and a simple white tee. After a while, Julia headed out to buy some food and drinks. When she came back, she reached over Reese and handed Zachary his soda and hot dog. Suddenly, she pulled something out of her back pocket. She quickly placed the blue ball cap on Reese’s head. “There, now we match.” She motioned to the three of them.

  The quick placement of the hat made it slightly crooked. Reese attempted to straighten it out. “Whoa! Don’t touch it!” Julia reached up and pulled it over to the side, exaggerating the slant. “Just leave it, you look good.”

  “Julia, it’s not supposed to sit on your head like this. They shape it so that the bill is above your eyes to minimize sun exposure.” Julia raised her hands in the air and leaned back slightly.

  “It’s a baseball cap, Einstein. Don’t overthink it. Just enjoy it.” Julia smiled at her as their shoulders touched. “You do that a lot you know. You overthink and analyze everything. Just enjoy this.” They held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Reese was enjoying the roguish moment. The crowd started yelling, and Zachary popped out of his seat screaming “run” with the rest of the crowd. Julia turned her attention to the field and was soon out of her seat, yelling and waving her arms above her head. Reese sat and looked between Zachary and Julia. Seeing them happy made her heart flutter. It was a strange feeling. She didn’t often feel happy and whole at the same time. She joined them and started cheering with everyone else.

  †

  “Reese. I have to talk to you.”

  “About what? Did you hear from Jennifer? She just had a few more questions for you on that last proposal from…”

  “It’s personal.”

  “Okay, Julia.” Reese sat in her office chair and listened quietly through the phone.

  “Can you meet me later? At the bar?”

  “Of course. I’ll call and see if Aiden can pick up Zachary.” Reese made her phone calls to make sure Zachary was taken care of. She left work and headed toward the bar, where she chose a quiet booth in the back corner. She started to stand when Julia came in.

  “No.” Julia held out her hand to indicate Reese should stay in her seat. She seemed uneasy. “I met someone last night.”

  A weighted net closed around Reese’s heart. She had no right, no right to expect Julia to stay single for the rest of her life, just because Reese was trapped in a loveless marriage. Years of practice confined her emotions behind a veil of polite interest. Julia looked as if Reese was breaking her heart, when the truth was the other way around. “That’s great, Julia.”

  “No, it’s not. I slept with her, Reese.”

  The involuntary gasp that escaped her lips was the last breath Reese took for several moments. She started to feel something in her eyes, and Julia started to look a little blurry. Quickly, Reese tried to blink away the tears.

  “I support you and whomever you want to date. Does this woman have a name?” Reese smiled to comfort Julia.

  Julia started pacing. She walked back and forth a couple of times and stopped to look at Reese. “Her name is Caitlyn. I like her. I’m going to see her again.” She leaned forward with both of her hands on the edge of the table. Reese was caught and held captive by midnight eyes. They were full of tears threatening to fall down Julia’s cheek. There was pain in those eyes. Julia was struggling with whatever it was she was feeling. “Please. Don’t hate me.”

  The words surprised Reese. She could never hate Julia. She could never blame her for wanting to find someone. Sex would bring about plenty of healthy attributes for her friend.

  Even though she was struggling with her commitment to Aiden, following her own heart was not an option. She couldn’t think of “her” Julia. She was just Julia, a friend. They stared at one another. Reese struggled to keep the tears from escaping her eyes.

  “I will never hate you, Julia. You’re my friend. I am happy that you found someone. I truly am.”

  Julia dropped her head. Reese saw a shorter woman walking toward them. “Hello, Kim.” Kimberly had walked over holding a couple of drinks.

  “Sorry to interrupt, I need Julia for a few minutes.”

  Julia brought her head back up and looked at Reese. “I’ll be right there.”

  Kim nodded and walked over to the bar and started talking to the bartender.

  “Promise me. Never.”

  She was begging. Reese knew that Julia Porter never begged for anything. It was against their rules.

  Reese stood up next to Julia. “I promise.” She pulled her into a hug, and Julia’s soft hair caressed Reese’s face. They held each other for a moment, then Reese pulled back. “We’ll be ok. I will see you tomorrow night. Are we still on for movie night? I can’t stay for a drink tonight. Will you drink mine for me?”

  Julia nodded her head. Reese wished Julia wouldn’t be so sad over this new development. Her circumstances were not going to change.

  “I’ll bring the pizza and ice cream,” Julia finally said.” Tell Zach I’ll get rocky road. Okay?” Julia smiled weakly and walked over to the bar.

  Reese walked out to her car, got in, and began to cry. After a few moments, she wiped her eyes and pulled herself together. She went home and crawled into bed, where she cried until she fell asleep.

  Chapter Two

  Yellow leaves swirled in the shimmer of the moonlit road. It was that time of year, when the vibrant green of Pacific Northwest trees transformed into a canvas of autumn hues. The recent rain had brought a new layer of wet leaves to those already decaying on the ground. Most of the road was difficult to see, but the driver kept the moving van steady and the car being towed behind followed, as though they had no trouble at all discerning w
here the edge was located. The vehicle’s draft sent a trail of the dryer leaves spinning into the air, then falling slowly to a new resting place.

  A frustrated woman exchanged strong words with her husband. Her son sat between them, nose stuck in a video game. She hoped his headphones had kept out most of their discussion. Reese was upset. Aiden had bought a house in the middle of nowhere. Everything was changing. Reese was attempting to understand why her husband needed to stay in Portland, while she moved into a house she had never seen before. She looked at her son. His darker blond locks peeked out from underneath the grey beanie stuck on his head. He could most likely hear them arguing. She called out his name. He didn’t respond. She pulled on the nearest cord and the right earbud fell out.

  “Zachary, I’m talking to you.” Reese released the piece she had yanked out of his ear. She looked into his scowling hazel eyes for a moment. Her son was the best relationship in her life. He had entered his preteen years, and his attitude was shifting. There were bursts of eye rolling, and he’d started to be a little bit argumentative. These were going to be the years of testing and exploring his own independence. His opinions were developing, and he wasn’t afraid to give them. Screen time had become something of a sore spot. He did not want to stop playing his game or watching his videos. There were moments when he complied with her request. His face would soften, and she’d be relieved to see her sweet, little boy once again. He was still in there. She hoped he wouldn’t disappear forever.

  When he was born, they shared calming and joyous moments all the time. When she settled in to nurse him, he would look into her eyes. They would stare at each other. At first, they were getting to know one another. Eventually, the look became deeper than that. A mother’s love was unconditional. It was just there. In those softer moments, she knew they still had that connection. Even if he had more attitude than not.

  “Sorry.” He took out the other side and looked at her expectantly. His father grumbled something inaudible. Reese rolled her eyes. They all bounced in their seat, as the van hit a pothole in the road.

  “Zachary, you know how I feel about playing video games for more than an hour at a time. The most recent article I read was a little more lenient on the issue, but still, I feel that you should try to space out your play time.”

  “Mom, we’ve been stuck in this van all morning. I can’t read a book in the car. I’ll get car sick.” She raised an eyebrow and took a breath to protest.

  “Reese, let him play the damn game. We’re almost there anyway.” Aiden was always stepping in and questioning her parenting skills. He often told her that she over-researched everything and should just let their son be a kid. As a novelist, Reese Iverson was always doing research for her next book. She knew too much for her own good, in his opinion, which he vocalized often.

  “Dad, it’s cool. I was gettin’ sick of that game anyway.” He gave Reese a small smile. She knew Zachary somehow understood. “How far are we from the house?”

  “We are actually coming up to the road now.” The van slowed, and the world seemed to darken. The forest seemed denser here. The brighter fall hues they’d been traveling through were replaced by darker reds and purples. Reese noticed Zachary sat up a bit in his seat. A wrought iron gate soared up into the surrounding tree canopy. Two tall, brick pillars held the gate in place and supported a fence that extended along the road as far as anyone could see. Behind the gate was an overgrown clearing. Aiden mentioned that there was once a horse pasture behind the gate. She imagined the horses that had lived there, once upon a time. She wondered if getting a few of their own would be a good idea. Aiden got out of the vehicle. He used a key from his pocket to open the padlock and pulled each half of the gate open. He returned to the van, and they slowly drove through onto a gravel road. “The house is about a mile and a half up this road.”

  “Aiden, you bought a house in the middle of nowhere. You didn’t even bother to tell me about it, and now you expect me to live out here with our son while you tie up loose ends in Portland for another two months.” Reese was extremely irritated with Aiden. Not that she ever wasn’t irritated with him. This was their pattern. He generally did whatever he wanted, acted as if he was a bachelor, and spent their money as if it was oxygen. The expectation was for her to play dutiful wife and obey.

  “How many times are you going to say that to me? We’re here now. Let’s just make the best of it.” It didn’t seem like there was much more he was going to address. Reese tensed. He usually acted as though her concerns were too much. He went off to work and came home when it was convenient.

  Reese was struggling to maintain a career, run their household, and raise their son. It was very rare for her to find the time for much else. She had twice been offered a position as a literary professor at the University of Oregon. She turned it down both times and worked on her own books, so she could make sure she had time for Zachary. She wanted to give him a better childhood than her own.

  Growing up in a wealthy family, Reese had acquired very distinct tastes in fashion, the arts, and certain societal expectations modeled by her parents. However, she’d been a strange child. She was withdrawn and never asked for much. When she did put herself out there to ask for something, the request was always seen as odd.

  Helena Iverson had thought it so very peculiar when her seven-year-old daughter asked for a typewriter. Why would she want such a thing? Reese told her mother a story she wanted to write about a cruel lion. All the animals feared the king of the forest, except for one tiny bird. The bird frustrated the lion. At this point in the telling of her idea, their head housekeeper came in and announced dinner. Reese watched her mother stand to leave the room, then pause at the door. Reese followed. Though she made no attempt to listen to the rest of the story, Helena Iverson made a phone call for the requested equipment to be sent to the house at once.

  Reese did not have many friends as she was growing up. She was always sitting at her typewriter working out a new idea. Things were much the same today. Recently, she had been working on a new outline. A change in her environment was not ideal. She was also leaving behind her new inspiration, Julia.

  After months of growing closer to Julia, Aiden was making her write novels far away from her comfort zone. He was forcing her to be away from her new friend. Perhaps some space would not be a bad thing. The fact that the separation hurt so much already told Reese the move was probably the best course of action. At the same time, she missed her friend and just wanted to go back to her. The sense of longing stuck in her heart. She hoped that while Aiden was still in Portland, she and Zachary would be able to take weekend trips to the city, so that she could see Julia. Of course, there would also be monthly board meetings to attend.

  A strong, yet unnamed feeling of shame influenced Reese to go along with Aiden’s plan. She was starting to realize there was an ache inside when she wasn’t near Julia. More often than not, her thoughts were of the taller woman. Whenever something happened, good or bad, she wanted to call Julia. It was refreshing to finally have a good friend. Even Zachary was starting to call Julia. Sometimes, Reese would catch him texting Julia from her phone. Mother and son were beginning to depend on Julia the way they should have been depending on Aiden. When he pulled the fresh-start card, Reese felt she owed it to her family to give it a real try. She had a feeling he’d suggested such a dramatic pilgrimage, because he was not fond of the closeness she’d found with Julia.

  The van pulled to a stop. Reese was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard the van door slam. She looked over and saw the empty cab, then scanned her surroundings. The house was a very large Queen Anne. On the right, ascending windows wrapped themselves around what seemed to be a second and third story. The weathervane on the tower roof was about to fall to the walkway, where rickety stairs rose to the front porch. Broken stained glass hinted at once-beautiful sidelights alongside the double front door. The large bay window was intact but framed by moth-eaten drapes.

  Reese let h
er eyes travel upward, noting the look of a layered cake created by the intricate molding and thin lap. Some slats needed to be replaced, and the entire house needed to be painted. The dark grey color that now covered the exterior gave no indication of its once bleached-white existence. A large blue tarp covered a side of the mansard roof. Years of rain and humidity had not treated the house well.

  “Aiden, this is going to take a lot of work.”

  “I know! Isn’t that fantastic? This is what you get to do while I’m in Portland. Work with a contractor to get this place up to the Reese Iverson standard.”

  Reese rolled her eyes at him. She didn’t want an overwhelming and distracting project. She didn’t want to live so far below her standards, even temporarily. She wanted to be back in her own house. She wanted to see Julia. She wanted to be working on her novel and spending her free time reading through proposals for the foundation. She wanted Zachary to be in school, hanging out with his friends. She took a deep breath. The air was different here.

  She followed Zachary and Aiden to the back of the house. The stairs to the back solarium seemed to be sturdier, and they walked up onto the spacious porch. Aiden unlocked the back door, and Zachary ran inside ahead of them. Her husband turned to her and put his hands on her hips. “Look, I know this is extreme. I know this isn’t what you want right now. But I love you. I want us to make this work. Get our new home ready for us, okay?”

  Reese looked at him. She tried to smile and feel something for him. “Okay, Aiden. Let’s go see how much work I have ahead of me.” He grinned and bent over, then scooped her up in his arms. She was startled for a moment and wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her across the solarium and into what seemed to be a kitchen. He set her back on her feet.