A Secret Uncovered Read online

I could pay bills, if I hadn’t done that yesterday. I could call Ric to see what he’s found out, but I shouldn’t. He said he’d let me know if he learned anything. I shouldn’t make a pest of myself.

  He knew that was the truth, so he didn’t call. Instead, he began pacing the office.

  “Do I tell her I know I’m adopted? Should I keep it a secret? If I do tell her, will she be able to answer questions about my birth mother? Did she and Dad even meet her?”

  He wondered if Ric would know. If it was an open adoption, then they might have. But if it was, why was the adoption certificate mutilated? I can understand that, I guess, if the adoption was done under the table or whatever it’s called.

  There was only one way to find out. He dialed the number for Moore Investigations and asked the receptionist if Ric was available.

  “He just walked in the door,” she said. “Give me your number and I’ll have him call you right back.”

  Theo did, and then continued pacing until his phone rang.

  “I have a question,” Theo said as soon as Ric identified himself.

  “Shoot.”

  “Do you have any idea if my adoption was open or otherwise?” Theo asked.

  “Ethan and I think it was done under the table by what’s called a facilitator—either a lawyer or Lilliana’s doctor. She may have paid them to keep any record of it sealed, other than giving your folks the original certificate to prove they had legally adopted you. It is the real thing, not a forgery, according to Foster.”

  “Was he able to uncover what had been blacked out?”

  “No.”

  “Damn it!”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Me, too,” Theo replied. “That doesn’t help me decide what to say to Mom.”

  “Ah, right. You said she’s due home tonight.”

  “Yeah.” Theo sighed.

  “When does she arrive?” Ric asked.

  “I’m supposed to pick her up at DIA at nine.”

  “Okay. Tell you what. Unless you have other plans, I’m free for dinner. We can debate how you should handle things while we eat. It might help you make up your mind whether to let her know you know, or not.”

  “If you’re sure…” Theo replied hesitantly.

  “Hell, I don’t have anything better to do.”

  “On a Friday night?”

  “On any night,” Ric said with a brief laugh. “I’m not much of a social butterfly, or whatever it’s called for a man.”

  “That works. Where?”

  “Do you know the Avenue Grill on Seventeenth?”

  “I’ve driven past it.”

  Ric chuckled. “So at least you can find it. It’s almost four. How about we meet there at five? There’s a parking lot across the street.”

  “All right. I’ll see you then, and thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  * * * *

  “I wasn’t certain you’d show up,” Theo admitted once he and Ric had found a table.

  “Should I be hurt that you didn’t trust me?”

  “It’s not that. After working all day you might have decided to go home and collapse.”

  “Yeah, right. It’s not as if I was doing much physical labor other than setting up security for a client. The rest of the time, I sat on my ass staring at a computer screen.”

  “That describes my day perfectly,” Theo replied at the same time their waiter handed them menus and ask what they wanted to drink. “Coffee, please,” Theo told him.

  “That works for me, too,” Ric said.

  “You can have a beer, or whatever,” Theo told him. “I’m sticking to coffee because I need a clear head on the drive to the airport.”

  “Coffee’s fine. I’m not much of a drinker.”

  The waiter left, at which point Theo looked at the menu. He was glad there were burgers. His stomach was too nervous to handle anything more.

  When the waiter returned, Theo ordered a plain burger while Ric opted for the sautéed chicken breast with green chili. While they waited for their meals to arrive, Ric gave Theo a recap about what he’d learned so far.

  “You would think, with a name like Lilliana, finding her wouldn’t be hard,” Ric said in conclusion.

  “Maybe she changed it?” Theo suggested. “If she didn’t want anyone to know about the adoption…Well, if it were me, that’s what I’d do. There must have been a pretty strong reason there was a cover up, and why my parents were involved in it.”

  “I agree. But before that happened, where was she? Where’s her family? Where did she grow up? She didn’t just appear one day, baby in arms, and put it, you, up for adoption.”

  “True. How old do you think she was?”

  Ric shrugged. “Sixteen, twenty-six, thirty-six, who knows at this point.”

  “That must make it even harder to find her.”

  “No kidding. Let’s say she was between eighteen and twenty-two, which are the logical parameters.”

  “Why?”

  “She’d be old enough to know what to do when it came to putting you up for adoption, and young enough she’d be worried about how her family would react if they found out she was pregnant. Any younger, she’d have been living at home.”

  “Logically, yes.”

  Ric grinned. “At least you agree with me.”

  “So far.”

  “Okay, you were born in ninety-three. That means, going with what I said, she was born between nineteen-seventy-one and nineteen-seventy-five. If she was older, it would have been earlier, say in the sixties, but I’m starting with seventy-one. That’s four years, and I have no idea where she was born, which leaves it wide open. I’ve got a lot of resources, but it will still be difficult, not to say impossible.”

  “Oh.” Theo’s shoulders sank in dismay. “I might never find out who she was.”

  “Don’t say never. I’m going to do everything in my power to learn who she was and what happened.”

  “I hope you do, you know that, but if not…well, I guess I’m no worse off than I was before I got nosy and found out I was adopted. Right now I’m beginning to wonder if…” Theo stopped talking when the waiter came over with their meals.

  “Wonder if what?” Ric asked once they’d begun eating.

  “If I should have left well enough alone. Mom is my mother. My real one, in spite of the fact Lilliana bore me. What good will it do to find her?”

  “Give you some closure,” Ric replied.

  “Which I wouldn’t need if I hadn’t pried into something that was none of my business,” Theo said, staring down at his half-eaten burger.

  He was about to pick it up when Ric reached across the table to take his hand, saying, “It’s your life, so it is your business.”

  Theo looked up at him and saw the compassion in Ric’s eyes. There was also something else, he thought. He cares on a personal level, if I’m not reading something into it that I want to see. Like…I’m more than just another client who needs his help. When their gazes locked Theo felt a rush of desire. Some of it was physical, but more than that was the need for what Ric seemed to be offering him—friendship and support. He dropped his gaze but not before Ric smiled, squeezing his hand.

  * * * *

  What the hell am I doing? Ric released Theo’s hand, trying to ignore the fact he didn’t want to. He’s a client, damn it. Nothing more. He could think that, but he didn’t believe it. He’d been attracted to the younger man from the first moment Theo had walked into his office.

  Taking a deep breath, Ric reiterated what he’d said. “Your life and you have a right to know about Lilliana, even if nothing comes from it.”

  Theo bit his lip, frowning. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Of course I am. I’m always right.” Ric winked, earning a small smile from Theo. “How about we finish dinner before it gets cold. We can figure out what to do afterward.”

  They did, and once Theo paid the bill, turning down Ric’s offer to pay his half, they left the restau
rant.

  “If you’ve got time, let’s walk,” Ric suggested.

  Theo smiled wryly. “While I figure out if I’m going to tell Mom?”

  “Yeah.”

  They made it to the corner of the block, in silence, before Theo said, “If I tell her, it will only upset her, and she’s still dealing with Dad’s death.”

  “You never said how he died. Is that why you’re working at the travel agency with your mom?”

  Theo hesitated before replying. “I followed in his footsteps, in that I went to college to major in business management, with a minor in hospitality. I intended to get a job with a hotel and work my way up to managing one, or even starting one of my own.” He smiled. “Big dreams that didn’t happen because Dad died from a massive heart attack a year ago. Mom was devastated, of course, and it took her…well, as I said, she’s still coming to terms with it. She couldn’t run the travel agency on her own, but she didn’t want to give it up. It was their baby. So, I quit my job and stepped in to help her.”

  “Do you miss fulfilling your dream?”

  “Not at all. I like what I’m doing now and she needs me. She’s got no head at all for the business end of it, advertising, paying bills, all that. Her skill is dealing with people, making their dreams of the perfect vacation or tour come to life.”

  “She sounds like a good woman,” Ric said.

  “She is. They both were.” Theo chuckled. “Okay, Dad was a good man. Anyway, that’s why I’m torn about telling her I know they adopted me.”

  “I understand completely. If you want my input, wait until I find out more about Lilliana.”

  “If you can.”

  “There is that, but as I said, I’m going to do my damnedest to locate her. Then it’ll be up to you whether you want to get in touch with her or leave things be. If you do contact her, then you can tell your mother everything, not before.”

  “That makes sense.” Theo puffed out a breath. “Now I have to remember not to tell all the minute I pick her up at the airport. I’m not good at keeping secrets from her.”

  Ric made a quick decision, saying, “I can come with you, if you want. You can introduce me as…umm…”

  Theo grinned, then. “My newest conquest?”

  Ric replied, almost under his breath, “It wouldn’t be far from the truth.”

  Theo stopped walking, looking at him is surprise. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “Well, damn. Just…damn.”

  “Not what you wanted to hear, especially right now?”

  “No. I mean, yes. Umm…yes, I like knowing that because I hoped, but I didn’t think…I’m not saying this too well, am I?”

  Ric knew he had a stupid grin on his face as he replied, “Not really, but I get the picture. We’re interested in each other as more than a client and investigator who were thrown together. I wouldn’t mind exploring that, but not right this minute.”

  “I know. My mother and…You’re sure you want to deal with the hour drive out there and meeting Mom and everything.”

  “Yeah, definitely. We’d better take both our cars though, because you have to take her home.”

  “You’re right. I’m supposed to meet her in the baggage claim area. If we leave now, we’ll get there before her plane lands. At least we won’t have to deal with the people from the tour. She waits until everyone’s gone before she leaves, to make certain none of them have any problems with customs or what have you.”

  “That’s a relief.” Ric put his arm around Theo’s waist as they walked to where they’d parked in the lot across from the restaurant. From Theo’s expression, he had no problem with the close contact. He seems to like it, which bodes well for the possibility of a future relationship. When they got to the lot, they separated.

  “I’ll see you in an hour,” Theo said. “Thank you for…well, you know.”

  “For you, anything,” Ric replied, and he meant it.

  Theo’s smile was buoyant as he started toward his car. Then he stopped, coming back to give Ric a hug. “Drive safely, okay?”

  “Always do.” Ric hugged him back. “Now, move it or we’ll be late.”

  “Going, going,” Theo replied with a laugh.

  * * * *

  Theo arrived at the airport, and baggage claim area, before Ric. When he saw him approaching he felt a wild surge of elation—the same feeling he’d had on the long drive out there. He cares about me. I don’t know why, but he does. Will we make it work? I want it to. I think he does, too. Please, please, he prayed, let this be the real thing.

  “Made it, with time to spare,” Ric said, giving Theo a swift hug. “Now, where’s the lady of the hour?”

  “Probably standing in the aisle on the plane wishing the people in front of her would get their stuff from the bins and move.”

  Ric laughed. “Undoubtedly. Isn’t that always the way?”

  “Yep. It’s why I let her do the traveling while I stay home—as much as possible, anyway.”

  “Not big on flying?”

  “I can think of worse things to do, like hunting a big white whale from a little ship in the middle of the ocean.”

  Ric snorted. “Ahab is not you?”

  “Not in this lifetime.”

  Theo heard someone call his name, turned, and saw his mother a couple of steps from the escalator. He hurried over to take her carry-on bag and kiss her cheek, saying, “Welcome home.”

  “It’s good to be back,” Donna Speer said. “I love the Virgin Islands, but…” Her gaze landed on Ric, who was standing right behind Theo. “Who is this handsome man?”

  Theo turned to look at him and replied without blinking an eye, “I’ve never seen him before.”

  “Theo, honestly…” She shook her head in amusement and held out her hand. “I’m Donna, and you are?”

  “Ric Baron, a friend of your son’s, although that’s in doubt at the moment.”

  “Do tell,” she replied as she linked her arms with Theo’s and Ric’s, herding them toward the baggage carousel. “How did you meet? What do you do? How old are you?”

  “Twenty-seven, we met at the grocery store, and I’m a researcher.” Ric winked at Theo over Donna’s head, mouthing, “That work?”

  Theo nodded, mouthing back, “It does.” He was surprised at how quickly Ric had come up with his replies. I guess, considering what he does, he has to be able to alibi when he’s on a stakeout and someone wants to know why he’s been sitting in his car for the last twenty minutes, or whatever. “He was trying to decide how to tell which cantaloupes were ripe so I told him your trick, Mom. Look, feel, sound, and smell.”

  “You’re right, Mrs. Speer. I left with the perfect one, and Theo’s phone number.”

  “Please call me Donna, Ric.” She shot a look at Theo. “Your phone number?”

  Theo was saved from answering when he saw his mother’s bags on the carousel. With Ric’s help, they got all three of them off before they went around again. As the young men carried her luggage out to Theo’s car, Donna—at Ric’s prompting because he’d never been to the Islands—regaled them with stories about where she’d taken the tour participants and their reactions.

  Once the bags were loaded in the trunk and backseat of the car, and Donna was in the passenger seat, Ric stopped Theo long enough to say, “I’ll call you in the morning.”

  “To see if I survived?” Theo asked with a wry smile.

  “I’m sure you will, since you don’t plan on telling her anything.”

  “There is that. Okay, but don’t call until after eight.”

  Ric grinned. “I’m a late weekend riser, so it won’t be before nine at the earliest.” He gave Theo a fast hug before striding away to where, Theo presumed, he’d left his car in the airport parking garage.

  “So tell all,” Donna said once Theo was driving out of the garage.

  “Let’s see. We have two new clients. I’ve set up their vacations and booked their hotels. Mr. and Mrs. Greene de
cided to try San Francisco this year for their anniversary.”

  “That’s not what I meant and you know it. Are you and Ric dating? You can’t have known him that long. I’ve only been gone for five days.”

  “We had dinner together tonight. That’s why he came out with me to pick you up. He wanted to meet you.” It was the truth, if not the whole truth.

  “What kind of research does he do? Scientific, medical, political, historical?”

  Trying to come up with something that would work, Theo replied, “I guess you could call it sort of historical from what he’s said.” He almost added, “Genealogical,” but stopped in time. The last thing he wanted was to pique his mother’s curiosity in that way. “He hasn’t really gone into details.”

  She smiled knowingly. “You like him.”

  “Yeah, Mom, I do. We’re feeling our way right now, because as you pointed out, we barely know each other.”

  “You plan on changing that.”

  “I hope so. You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Why on earth would I?” She patted his arm. “It’s your life. As long as he treats you well, and you like each other, that’s what counts. If he hurts you, though, he’ll have me to answer to.”

  Theo laughed. “Should I tell him that?”

  “Good lord, no! I want him to like me, not be afraid of me.”

  “That’s easy enough. You’re very likable.”

  “Said like a true son.”

  Which I am. You raised me, you and Dad. I am your son in every way that counts. He didn’t say that aloud. He wondered if he ever would. I guess it all depends on whether Ric finds Lilliana, and what happens if he does.

  Chapter 5

  Ric called Theo as promised, a few minutes after nine Saturday morning. He found it amusing when Theo told him about Donna’s threat, and promised he wouldn’t let her know Theo had said anything.

  He told Theo that he planned on spending part of the day at work. “Doing more research to see if I can find Lilliana.”

  “You don’t have to,” Theo protested. “It’s your day off, right?”

  “Today and tomorrow,” Ric replied. “I think I can give up a few hours if it speeds things up.” He paused, and then said, “I have a vested interest in this, now.”