Ripple of Secrets: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella #6.5 (Rose Gardner series Book 3) by Denise Grover Swank
Authors: Denise Grover Swank
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learn dance for? I don’t have to wear tap or ballet shoes do I?”
“No, Joseph,” she murmured good-naturedly. “You won’t be learning tap dancing or even ballet—although your grandmother and I will teach you how to appreciate attending a ballet soon enough. But in Cotillion you will learn to waltz and do the foxtrot.”
“Is that anything like fox hunting? Dad said he’d take me hunting for quail next month.”
“No,” she chuckled. “Although I suspect you’ll have more fun quail hunting than you will learning the foxtrot. But Hilary will be there with you, so that will help to make it more fun.”
Joe turned to me and smiled.
My heart warmed in my chest and my breath caught. While I’d always known we would get married one day, that was the moment I fell in love with Joe Simmons.
But he still only saw us as friends. My mother hushed my fears before I went to bed that night. “Don’t worry, Hilary,” she said, smoothing back my hair. “Joe’s young. Much too young to fall in love.”
“He doesn’t even know he’s supposed to marry me,” I said, big fat tears falling down my cheeks. “He’s been playing foursquare with Margery Pope at recess. I think he likes her .”
My mother’s fingers delicately lifted my chin until my gaze met hers. “Hilary, I wish I could tell you that your life with Joe Simmons will be an easy one, but if he’s anything like his father, I’m sure it won’t be. But you must have faith that everything will work out in the end.”
That was enough to calm me for the moment. For if Joe was going to be like his daddy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to marry him after all.
Even at the tender age of ten, I knew J.R. Simmons was capable of terrible things. The J.R. I usually saw was all campaign smiles and cheerfulness, but I had seen something the summer before.
I was at the Simmons’ house swimming with Kate and Joe that day. Kate and I had a disagreement over something stupid, so I stomped inside. Only I forgot my towel and I immediately began to shiver in the air-conditioned house. Rather than go back outside, I decided to head up to the laundry room and see if I could find a towel there. As I walked past J.R.’s office, I heard strange sounds. I hurried down the hall, partially out of my fear and partially because my teeth were chattering. I was excited to find a load of towels tumbling in the dryer, with only a few minutes left on the cycle. I opened the door, pulled out a fluffy towel, and wrapped it around my shoulders, letting the warmth seep into my body. By the time I walked back down the hall, I had forgotten about the strange noises until I reached the office door. I pressed my ear against the wood, trying to figure out what was happening. My eyes flew wide when I realized a woman was crying inside. Worried she was hurt, I broke a cardinal rule of the Simmons household: Never go into J.R. Simmons’ office without an invitation. Truth be told, Joe, Kate and I had broken the rule over a half dozen times without anything bad happening, but I was still cautious as I slowly turned the knob and cracked the door, pressing my cheek to the doorframe to see inside.
My heart thudded wildly and fear raced through my body as I registered the sight of a woman bent over the side of J.R.’s desk—her torso pressed flat to the surface, her hands splayed out beside her head, and her face turned to face the back wall. Her green floral skirt was pushed up to her waist so I could see her pale, round butt cheeks. J.R. stood behind her, his pants dropped to his knees. One hand was pressed hard on her back, keeping her down as she struggled against him. But his front pounded against her with a violence I had never seen before. There was a look of pure evil in his eyes, but his smile was what scared me the most. I was too young to understand what I was seeing other than that J.R. Simmons, the man who’d been like a second father to me, was purposely hurting the woman on the
“No, Joseph,” she murmured good-naturedly. “You won’t be learning tap dancing or even ballet—although your grandmother and I will teach you how to appreciate attending a ballet soon enough. But in Cotillion you will learn to waltz and do the foxtrot.”
“Is that anything like fox hunting? Dad said he’d take me hunting for quail next month.”
“No,” she chuckled. “Although I suspect you’ll have more fun quail hunting than you will learning the foxtrot. But Hilary will be there with you, so that will help to make it more fun.”
Joe turned to me and smiled.
My heart warmed in my chest and my breath caught. While I’d always known we would get married one day, that was the moment I fell in love with Joe Simmons.
But he still only saw us as friends. My mother hushed my fears before I went to bed that night. “Don’t worry, Hilary,” she said, smoothing back my hair. “Joe’s young. Much too young to fall in love.”
“He doesn’t even know he’s supposed to marry me,” I said, big fat tears falling down my cheeks. “He’s been playing foursquare with Margery Pope at recess. I think he likes her .”
My mother’s fingers delicately lifted my chin until my gaze met hers. “Hilary, I wish I could tell you that your life with Joe Simmons will be an easy one, but if he’s anything like his father, I’m sure it won’t be. But you must have faith that everything will work out in the end.”
That was enough to calm me for the moment. For if Joe was going to be like his daddy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to marry him after all.
Even at the tender age of ten, I knew J.R. Simmons was capable of terrible things. The J.R. I usually saw was all campaign smiles and cheerfulness, but I had seen something the summer before.
I was at the Simmons’ house swimming with Kate and Joe that day. Kate and I had a disagreement over something stupid, so I stomped inside. Only I forgot my towel and I immediately began to shiver in the air-conditioned house. Rather than go back outside, I decided to head up to the laundry room and see if I could find a towel there. As I walked past J.R.’s office, I heard strange sounds. I hurried down the hall, partially out of my fear and partially because my teeth were chattering. I was excited to find a load of towels tumbling in the dryer, with only a few minutes left on the cycle. I opened the door, pulled out a fluffy towel, and wrapped it around my shoulders, letting the warmth seep into my body. By the time I walked back down the hall, I had forgotten about the strange noises until I reached the office door. I pressed my ear against the wood, trying to figure out what was happening. My eyes flew wide when I realized a woman was crying inside. Worried she was hurt, I broke a cardinal rule of the Simmons household: Never go into J.R. Simmons’ office without an invitation. Truth be told, Joe, Kate and I had broken the rule over a half dozen times without anything bad happening, but I was still cautious as I slowly turned the knob and cracked the door, pressing my cheek to the doorframe to see inside.
My heart thudded wildly and fear raced through my body as I registered the sight of a woman bent over the side of J.R.’s desk—her torso pressed flat to the surface, her hands splayed out beside her head, and her face turned to face the back wall. Her green floral skirt was pushed up to her waist so I could see her pale, round butt cheeks. J.R. stood behind her, his pants dropped to his knees. One hand was pressed hard on her back, keeping her down as she struggled against him. But his front pounded against her with a violence I had never seen before. There was a look of pure evil in his eyes, but his smile was what scared me the most. I was too young to understand what I was seeing other than that J.R. Simmons, the man who’d been like a second father to me, was purposely hurting the woman on the
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