Chapter Twenty-Six

Kate

"I'll be back in a couple hours," I tell Kami after the lunch rush. It's still busy but Kami can handle it. I need to go back to my mom's place and pick up my stuff. I called her this morning and told her I'm back with Gavin and would stop by tonight to pick up my things, but I have time now so I'm just going to go over there.

"Mom, it's me," I say as I open the door to her apartment. I didn't call to tell her I was coming over but I sent her a text from the parking lot so she wouldn't freak out when she heard the door open.

"Mom?" I look around as I walk in. She's not there. She's probably out shopping or on a walk. I'll just grab my stuff and go.

As I walk through the living room, I hear a noise. I go down the hall and see her bedroom door is closed.

"Mom?"

I hear laughing. She must be on the phone. I open the door. "Mom, I just wanted to—" My jaw drops and I stand there, frozen in place, staring at my dad's naked ass as he lies over my mom. I slam the door shut.

"Kate!" I hear my mom screech. She sounds just as horrified as I am.

"Sorry!" I yell. "I'm leaving." I run back to the living room and realize I don't have my phone. I was holding it when I opened my mom's door and must've dropped it when I saw them together. Shit! I need my phone. I can't leave here without it. I go back to her door and hear her and my dad talking. I lightly knock. "Um, Mom? I left my phone in there."

"I'll get it," my mom yells. "Stay where you are."'

This is so embarrassing. And gross. I may never get that image out of my head.

My mom peeks her head out the door and then her arm appears with my phone. "Here you go, honey."

"Thanks." I snatch it from her. "I'll be going now."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to get my stuff. I sent you a text. Didn't you see it?"

"I, um...wasn't checking my phone."

"Yeah, got it. Okay, well, I'll just come back later."

"As long as you're here, go ahead and get your things."

"Are you kidding?" I whisper. "With you two—" I roll my eyes.

"Kate, just go get your things so you don't have to come back."

I sigh. "Fine. I'll talk to you later." I race off before she tries to explain what was going on. That's the last thing I need to hear. 

As I'm gathering my things, I try to block out any sounds from the bedroom next door. They're quietly talking but I don't want to know what they're saying. I run past their room and out the door. When I get to my car, I quickly text Gavin, Just caught my parents having sex!!!

I get a text back, LOL. What'd they do?

Gavin, this isn't funny!!!! I'm traumatized!!

He calls me and I answer, "I think I might throw up."

He's laughing. "How much did you see?"

"My dad's naked ass in the air! I need to wash my eyes out. I can't believe I just saw that."

"So he was on top of your mom?"

"Gavin!"

"What? I'm just trying to figure out what you walked in on. Were they actually doing it or just lying there naked?"

"They were...he was...over my mom."

Gavin bursts out laughing.

"Why is that funny?" I yell.

"Because of the way you're reacting. I admit it's gross to walk in on your parents, but it's really not that big a deal. It's not like they haven't done it before."

"When they were married! And I didn't walk in on them back then, thank God. If I were still a kid, I'd really be traumatized. Actually, it might've been better if I were a kid. I wouldn't understand what they were doing."

"So where are you now?"

"In the car. I'm heading back to work. I just went to my mom's to pick up my stuff. I was going to go after work but I went early so I could be with you tonight."

"I want to be with you too. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. Any idea when you'll be home? Or should I not ask?"

"I'm leaving at four. I'm tired and I can't focus on work today. I keep thinking about Carol. I need to decide what to do."

"What if I talked to her?"

"I don't want you getting involved in this."

"I'm already involved. I'm the one that found out it was her. And I know her better than you do. I've known her for years. She'd be more willing to talk to me than to you."

"I don't know. Let me think about it. I should probably let you go so you can get back to work."

"I don't know if I'll be able to after seeing what I just saw."

"Just think of something else. Think of my naked ass instead of your dad's."

"Ugh, now I'm thinking of both, side-by-side. Gross!" I try to shake it from my brain.

"Mine's better, right?"

"Gavin! Not helpful!"

He laughs. "Sorry. I'll talk to you later."

That night, I get home at six. Gavin texted me just after five and said he was home and was going to make dinner. I walk in to the smell of pizza and see the box for the take-and-bake place.

"Pizza smells good," I say as I go up to him. He's in the kitchen making a salad.

"It's not really cooking but it counts as making dinner, right?"

I kiss him. "It's perfect. Thanks."

He kisses me back. "Love you."

"Love you too." I go around him and get some glasses from the cupboard.

"You doing okay?" He snickers. "After your trauma this afternoon?"

I whack his arm. "Hey! It was traumatic. I'm still feeling sick."

"You want to see my ass so you get the other one out of your head?"

"That won't help. That image will be in my head forever. I don't think I'll be able to face my dad for awhile. I'm sure he feels the same way." I fill our glasses with water. "Do we have any wine? After what I saw today, I need wine."

"Over there." He points to the table. "I bought it on my way home."

The oven timer goes off and I open the wine as Gavin takes the pizza out of the oven. We sit down and have a nice, relaxing dinner, avoiding any discussion of my parents having sex. We also avoid any discussion of the topics that led to us living apart. After we clean up the dishes, I'm about to bring those issues up, but then Gavin does.

"I wanted it before, but not after I met you," he says.

"Wanted what? What are we talking about?"

"A job in politics. Before I met you, I considered it. I'm not saying I'd planned to run for office, but I was open to the idea. I thought after college I'd keep doing campaign work and if I liked it, maybe I'd keep doing it instead of working a public policy job."

"Then why didn't you tell me that? Why didn't you just tell me the truth?"

He takes me to the couch to sit down. "After I met you, I started to change my mind about what I wanted to do. I was thinking about it, and I knew I couldn't have a girlfriend or a wife or a family someday if I became a politician."

"Politicians have wives and families."

"Yeah, but they never see them. I didn't want to be the guy who works and travels all the time and never sees his family. That's not the life I want. I didn't expect to find the woman I'd want to marry when I was still in college, but I did, and that's when I started to focus more on a career in public policy than on campaign work."

"But working on campaigns is what makes you happy."

"It's more exciting than writing proposals, yes, but it's not what makes me happy." He holds my hand. "You're what makes me happy, not some job."

"Gavin." I almost cry, he's being so sweet. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. I was just worried I was taking away the things you wanted in life. I didn't want you giving up your dreams for me. You helped me get my dream and I wanted you to have yours."

"I'm sorry, too. I should've told you I was working for Jett. I was being selfish."

"What do you mean?"

"I thought if I told you, you'd tell me to quit and I wasn't ready to. I'll admit, at first, I liked working for Jett. I was flattered he even considered me for the job and I got caught up in the excitement of working on a campaign again. And when I had that meeting with the vice president and he suggested I run for office, I found myself actually considering it. I knew it's not what I wanted, but when the VP tells you he could see you in office someday and would help you get there, you kind of get caught up in the moment, you know?"

"The vice president told you to run for office?"

"Well, not now, but when I'm older. He knew my dad, and kept saying how great it'd be if I followed in my dad's footsteps."

"And what did you say?"

"I tried to tell him I wasn't interested but then Jett interrupted and told him I'd think about it." Gavin sighs. "I'm really getting sick of Jett. I think I might quit."

"And do what? I thought you said he'd try to keep you from getting a job."

"Let him try. I have other options. I know a lot of people. Someone will give me a job. And if they don't, we'll live off my trust fund for awhile."

"I can help with expenses. Given how the restaurant's doing, I might make some real money this year."

"Then maybe I'll come work for you." He smiles and leans over to kiss me. "Anything else we need to talk about? Or can we go in the bedroom?"

I feel like I should tell him the truth about his dad. But I can't. And I shouldn't. But what if I told him to keep it a secret? Gavin can keep secrets. He wouldn't tell anyone.

"I need to—" I chew on my lip.

"Need to what?" He sits back. "Tell me something?"

"Never mind. We can go to the bedroom."

"Kate, we're done keeping secrets from each other. If there's something you need to tell me, then do it. Whatever it is, we'll talk it out. We aren't letting stuff get between us again. So what is it?"

I really don't know that much about what Niles was involved in, so I could tell Gavin but keep it generic. I could just tell him what I know to be true. The rest is just speculation, so not telling him isn't really keeping anything from him.

"There's this group," I say.

"What group?"

"A group of men. Wealthy, powerful men. They belong to this group, kind of like a secret society."

He laughs. "Secret society? Kate, what are you talking about? Is this a joke?"

"No." I hesitate, thinking maybe I should stop now and not tell him anymore, but I think it's too late now. "I don't know exactly who's part of it but they're organized enough that they get stuff done. They control things, at least I think they do. And they get away with stuff. My dad—" I look Gavin in the eye. "You can't tell anyone this. Not anything I just told you or the stuff I'm about to tell you."

Noticing my serious tone, he knows I'm not joking and says, "Okay. Go ahead."

"When my dad was a cop, he saw things. He saw crimes going unpunished. People being arrested but then let go and any record of their arrest being erased. He saw evidence disappearing. There's more than that but the bottom line is that crimes were being covered up, but only crimes that could be linked back to wealthy, powerful men. When my dad tried to speak out about it or question it, he got in trouble, and he eventually got fired. That's why he lost his job. It wasn't because of his drinking."

"I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think your dad was involved with whatever this group is. I don't think he was one of them but I think they were supporting his campaign."

"A lot of rich people supported my dad's campaign. That doesn't mean they were part of this group."

"My dad thinks these men might be trying to control political elections. They need their own people in office so they can make sure things go the way they want them to."

"And you know this for sure?"

"No, but I think I have evidence they were helping your dad."

"What evidence?"

"That night he shot that man, the body disappeared."

"You said my dad got rid of it."

"He didn't have time. The body was gone within five minutes and your dad was in the house that whole time. Someone got rid of it for him and made it look like the guy was killed some other way. They covered it up, Gavin. It had to be them."

He shoots up from the couch. "You're just telling me this now? What the hell?"

I stand up. "My dad said not to tell you."

"So you listened to your dad instead of being honest with your boyfriend?" He huffs. "Now who's the liar?"

"Yes, I should've told you, and I wanted to, but I didn't because telling you could put us all in danger; you, my dad, and me. If these men ever found out that we know what they're doing, they might kill us. My dad said he's seen it happen before and he's sure they'd do it again."

"I can't believe you kept this from me." He walks away, shaking his head.

"Gavin, I'm sorry I waited this long but I'm telling you now, so can we just get past this?"

"Get past it? You knew this huge secret about my dad and never told me and you think I can just get past it? This is bigger than lying about a job, Kate. This is huge. My dad was being controlled by a secret society? And you didn't think you should tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to put you in danger."

He grabs his keys and walks to the door.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I need to get out of here."

"But we're still talking."' I hurry to the door.

"I need to go somewhere and process this."

"You can do that here. You don't need to go."

"I can't stay here." He opens the door. "I'm really angry at you right now and I don't want to say something I don't mean."

"Gavin, I—"

"Kate, just let me go." He looks at me a moment, then walks off.

I close the door and go sit on the couch. Why did I tell him? Did he really need to know?