The Truth About Secrets Read online

  The Truth About Secrets

  L.P. Dover

  Contents

  1. Clara

  2. Clara

  3. Clara

  4. Clara

  5. Zac

  6. Clara

  7. Zac

  8. Clara

  9. Clara

  10. Zac

  11. Clara

  12. Zac

  13. Clara

  14. Zac

  15. Clara

  16. Zac

  17. Clara

  18. Zac

  19. Clara

  20. Zac

  21. Clara

  22. Clara

  23. Clara

  24. Zac

  25. Clara

  26. Clara

  27. Clara

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Other Books by L.P. Dover

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written consent from the author.

  The Truth About Secrets

  Copyright 2021 by L.P. Dover

  Edited by: There for You Editing Services

  Cover Designed by: BJR Cover Designs

  * * *

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  1

  Clara

  “I think we should come here every day.” I breathed in the scent of my coffee and the warm croissant on my plate covered in strawberry jam.

  Trina burst out laughing. “We have. Sometimes even twice like today.”

  It was mine and Trina’s fifth day in Paris, and I was already in love with the city and the quaint corner café right outside of our hotel. We came for breakfast, but I was dying for an afternoon snack before her next appointments. Not to mention, the June weather was perfect—all warm and sunny.

  Trina shook her head and smiled as she blew the steam off her cup of tea. “I hate you so much right now. If I wasn’t trying to get a modeling job, I would be eating the hell out of those croissants.”

  Grinning wide, I lifted the warm pastry to my lips. “You still can,” I said, taking a bite and savoring every second of it. “You’re not going to gain weight by eating just one.” Trina was beautiful with her long, blonde hair and striking blue eyes. I, on the other hand, had dark brown hair and subtle green eyes. We had completely opposite personalities, but that was what made our friendship special. We complemented each other.

  Trina sipped her tea. “Girl, if I start now, I won’t be able to stop. I’ll just live vicariously through you.”

  Trina had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. Her dream was to become a model, and it just so happened that my mother had plenty of fashion designer connections in Paris from her time when she modeled herself. My mother wanted me to do the same, but I had no interest in modeling. It was why she dragged me to Paris every year since I was a little girl and made me learn to speak French fluently, hoping I’d change my mind. It didn’t work, but it did allow me to befriend a lot of the designers. They always sent me clothes from their new lines which I looked forward to every year.

  I was tall and athletic from many years of playing soccer, but Trina had the overly slim figure that you saw in magazines. Trina and I always said we’d grow up to be famous and move away from our small, hometown of Snowy Creek, Wyoming, but I had other plans now. Our three-week trip to Paris was a graduation gift from my parents before I make the move to New Orleans with Zac.

  Oh yes, Zac Ward. The love of my life. We’d grown up together, but it wasn’t until our sophomore year in high school that things started to shift between us. Although we were only eighteen years old, I loved him. It killed me being away from him for three weeks, but as soon as I got back, we were going to pack up and move to New Orleans so Zac and I could attend the University of New Orleans while he also worked at Broussard Enterprises. His cousins owned the company and it was going to be his first real shot at learning the ropes of becoming an architect.

  Our plan was set.

  Trina finished her tea and flipped through her portfolio pages. All of her pictures were stunning. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out my small, purple planner, flipping it to today’s afternoon schedule. I had three designers listed along with Trina’s appointment times. “All right, it looks like we have three go-sees this afternoon. You’ll love Nina Armand. She’s one of my favorites.”

  Closing her eyes, Trina blew out a nervous breath. “I wish I could be like you.” She opened her eyes and sighed. “You always walk around so confident. Everyone we’ve seen here dotes on you.”

  I pursed my lips. “That’s because they know me and my mother, Trina. Plus, I don’t have to impress them … you do. You’re the one on trial here.” Little did she know, I’d already heard back from two of the designers we saw just yesterday. They loved her and wanted to work with her. It was fun taking up the role as her manager, even if she didn’t know that was what I’d done.

  Trina shut the picture portfolio and sighed. “I can’t believe you’re moving away at the end of the summer. What am I going to do without you?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please. You’re going to be too busy here with all your modeling to even think about me.”

  She snorted. “That’s if I get any jobs.”

  I held back a smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll get something.” I couldn’t wait to tell her the good news, but I didn’t want to do it just yet. I planned on telling her tonight while we ate dinner at one of mine and my mother’s favorite restaurants.

  My phone started to ring, and I reached into my purse to grab it, thinking it’d be Zac but it wasn’t. It was one of mine and Trina’s friends, Chelsea Snyder.

  Snickering, Trina sat back in her chair. “Let me guess … Zac?”

  I shook my head. “Chelsea. Before we left, she said she’d call to see how we’re doing out here.”

  “Hey, Chels,” I said into the phone.

  “Hey,” she replied, her voice awkward and unsure. Something wasn’t right.

  “Chelsea, you okay?”

  She huffed. “Not really. There’s something I need to tell you. It could be nothing, but …”

  My eyes shot over to Trina. “But what?”

  Trina’s brows furrowed and she mouthed the words, ‘What’s wrong?’ but all I could do was shrug because I had no clue. Chelsea huffed again. “I just walked out of the library and saw Zac across the street.”

  “O-kay,” I drawled out slowly. “He’s working at his uncle’s garage this summer.” It was directly in front of the library.

  “Yeah, I figured that, but that’s not what I’m calling about. There was a girl there all over him. I’ve never seen her before, but I took some pictures. I didn’t want to send them without telling you first.”

  My heart sank, but I couldn’t seem to process what she just said. Zac would never do anything to hurt me, and he definitely wasn’t a flirt. Yeah, the girls in high school all loved him, but he’d always made it known he was taken.

  “Text them to me,” I demanded. “Did Zac see you?”

  Chelsea sighed. “Don’t think so. I’ll send them as soon as we hang up.”

  We hung up, and
I waited for the pictures to come through. When they did, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

  The first picture was a curvaceous blonde with her hand down the back pocket of Zac’s jeans. The other was one of her body right up against Zac’s as they stood in the garage.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” I growled.

  Trina gasped. “What is it?”

  I passed her my phone, and her eyes widened. “Holy shit. Who’s that with Zac?”

  Teeth clenched, I reached for my phone and my hands shook. “Don’t know, but I sure as hell am going to find out.”

  Heart racing, I called him, but he never picked up. I called again and again, and still, there was no answer which didn’t help the boiling anxiety in my gut. I trusted Zac with all my heart, but it wasn’t like him to ignore my calls.

  I slammed my phone down on the table, which drew the attention of the people around us. Trina grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Calm down, Clara. He’s probably with a customer right now. He’ll call you back.”

  There was a dark, foreboding feeling in my stomach I couldn’t ignore. I’d never felt anything like it before. It scared me, but maybe Trina was right. Zac would call me back, and when he did, he was going to tell me everything.

  Four hours had passed, and it was the longest four hours of my life. Zac hadn’t bothered to call me back nor had he responded to my text messages. I made it through Trina’s go-sees with a smile on my face, but inside, I was livid. I didn’t realize the uncertainty would consume me. I just always thought Zac would be the one true constant in my life like he’d always been.

  Trina and I made it back to our hotel room, but I was too angry to even think about going out to dinner just yet. Pushing open the French doors of the patio, I walked out onto the balcony. Although I had a perfect view of the Eiffel Tower, I couldn’t even enjoy it.

  “Do you want me to call him?” Trina asked from behind.

  I’d held back my tears the entire afternoon, but I couldn’t do it any longer. They fell down my cheeks like hot rivers. I shook my head, wiping my tears away. “No. I don’t want you getting in the middle of it.”

  She placed her hands on my shoulders, and it only made me cry more. “I’m sorry, Clara. Maybe he found out he got caught and he’s too afraid to talk to you.”

  That made my stomach hurt even more. If that was the case, then I obviously didn’t know Zac as well as I thought. In my heart, I was sure he would never hurt me. I trusted him that deeply. “Everything was fine when I left,” I said, angrily swiping my thumb under my eyes. “We’ve never been apart like this before. All I want is to see him face to face. Back home, he wouldn’t be able to hide from me.” Snowy Creek was too small of a place for him to hide.

  “That might be the problem.”

  I jerked around to face her. “What are you saying?”

  She shrugged. “For years, you two have been inseparable. Not that it’s a bad thing, but you guys don’t know what it’s like to be without the other. Zac is a guy, Clara. From my experience, they’re nothing but horny assholes who only want one thing. Give them the taste of freedom and it’s game on.”

  “No,” I snapped, “Zac isn’t like that. He loves me.” The pitying look in Trina’s eyes made me feel like an idiot. Was I really that naïve to think that Zac wouldn’t hurt me?

  “He’s no different,” she said softly. “Try calling or texting him again if you want, but if he keeps ignoring you, you need to let him go. Don’t let him see how much he’s hurt you.”

  Pulling out my phone, I called him again and he still didn’t pick up. It was the longest we’d ever gone without talking to one another. There was always the idea of calling his parents to get to him, but I didn’t want to come off as desperate. If Zac was done with me or having doubts about us moving to New Orleans together then Trina was right. I didn’t want him to see how much it hurt me.

  Closing my eyes, I took in a deep breath and let it out slow. “I’m going to call him one more time.” When I opened my eyes, Trina nodded and stepped back to give me space. I thought for sure he’d answer this time … but he didn’t. Instead of hearing his voicemail, I got the loud, automated ding along with the dreaded response, “I’m sorry, this number is no longer in service or has been disconnected. Please try your call again.”

  It felt like a lump had taken residence in my throat. I couldn’t breathe nor think. The pain in my chest grew sharper by the second. I turned around to face Trina and my phone slipped out of my hand, the screen shattering on the balcony.

  She rushed over and pulled me into her arms. “What happened?”

  I burst out crying and squeezed her tight. “His phone’s been disconnected. I don’t understand any of this.”

  “Shh … it’s okay. You’re going to get through this. Zac isn’t worth any of this heartbreak. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

  The pain was overwhelming. There was too much history between me and Zac for him to just throw it away. None of it made any sense. That was what made it so heartbreaking. I didn’t know what to do, and the longer I went without talking to Zac, the more the hole in my heart ripped open.

  2

  Clara

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  * * *

  After three days of nonstop trying to call Zac, I finally gave up. It’d been two weeks now since I talked to him. It was the last time he’d told me he loved me. Everything was fine when I left. I’d tried to come up with reasons why he would ignore me this way, and the only thing that stood out was that he got caught and he knew it. He couldn’t face me. Maybe it was a good thing because if I saw him right now, I would punch him so hard he’d feel it all the way down to his balls.

  What sucks was that I’d spent three weeks in France, and the last two weeks of it was hell. I’d let the whole debacle with Zac consume me. In just two days, I would be headed back home and I was nowhere near ready. The balcony door opened and I looked back to see Trina step out, holding my phone. I couldn’t help but be happy for her since she’d booked so many modeling jobs that’d keep her busy for the next few months. A part of me was jealous that she didn’t have to go home with me. My life was planned out, but now I was lost. As soon as I got back to Wyoming, I needed to let the University of New Orleans know I wouldn’t be attending. I was so screwed. It was too late to apply to another college for the fall semester. The question was … what the hell was I going to do for a whole semester?

  Trina held out my phone and sat down in the chair beside me with a big smile on her face. She’d tried to cheer me up over the past two weeks, but I couldn’t let go of the anger; it was too much.

  “What are you smiling about?” I asked, taking my phone from her.

  She winked. “It’s your mom.”

  I didn’t want to tell her about Zac, especially with me not being at home, but the second she heard my voice after everything happened, she knew something was wrong. My mother was a ball buster. When she wanted something, she got it done. If she was pissed, stay out of her way. That was why she was so successful in everything she did. My father was the same. Zac was lucky he hadn’t run into her in town.

  Leaning back in my chair, I looked up at the clear, blue sky through my sunglasses and took a deep breath. “Hey, Mom,” I answered.

  “Good morning, sweetheart. Well, never mind, it’s afternoon for you out there.” Paris was eight hours ahead of Snowy Creek, Wyoming. “How are you? You sound better today.”

  That was because I was done crying. Now, I was pissed off. “To be honest,” I told her, “I really don’t want to come home. I’m dreading it. The last thing I want is to see Zac.”

  “Lucky for you, that’s why I’m calling.”

  Trina bounced in her seat like a kid at Christmas, and I looked over at her, wondering what she was doing. “Are you okay?” I asked her.

  She giggled. “I’m ready for your mom to tell you.”

  My mother heard her and laughed. “I’m hoping you’ll be just as excited as Trina.
”

  “Tell me.” I needed a little bit of excitement in my life.

  “What if I said that you could stay in Paris a little while longer?”

  Lifting my sunglasses, I stared over at Trina who continued to bounce in her seat with the goofiest grin on her face. “I’d say that would be awesome. Why?”

  “Well,” my mother continued, “with Trina staying in Paris for a while, I thought you might want to do the same. Maybe even study abroad for your first year of college?”

  It all sounded too good to be true. “How’s that possible? I haven’t applied anywhere.”

  My mother snorted. “Don’t underestimate your mother, sweetheart. I’ve contacted the American University of Paris and sent in an application. You can start in the fall if that’s what you want to do.”

  Trina must’ve heard my mother because she clasped her hands together pleadingly. “You know you want to,” she whispered. “Please, stay with me. We’ll have so much fun.”

  “How does that sound?” my mother asked, sounding excited.

  It was the only option that made sense. I never wanted to see Zac again, not after throwing everything we had together out the window. Sitting up straighter, I smiled, even though there was still so much pain in my heart. “I’ll do it.”

  Trina squealed and threw her arms around me. “Yes! This is going to be so freaking awesome.”