Secrets Read Online Free PDF Page A

maker, and a blender rounded out the kitchen’s accessories. Food was the only item missing.
    One more shelf remained that she hadn’t checked, a small one above the refrigerator. When she opened it, Jessica thought she spotted something back in the corner. Dragging a chair in from the dining room, she balanced herself on it so she could see inside the cupboard. To her delight, she found booty—two bags of Ramen noodles and four Lipton tea bags.
    She had never eaten Top Ramen before, let alone tried to fix it. Still, it was better than nothing.
    Within twenty minutes Jessica had prepared and consumed half a bag of noodles, taken her medication, found her pajamas, changed into them, and crawled back into bed. She had no idea what time it was but made a mental note that, when she woke up in the morning, she would unpack her alarm clock. Those were her final thoughts until nearly noon the next day.
    She awoke with a pounding headache. She had slept well—hard and deep. But now her neck and head ached as if she had tried to sleep on a long airplane ride like on her last trip to England.
Maybe I better start unpacking the bathroom things first so I can find some aspirin
.
    Jessica made her way slowly to the bathroom.
Funny, my lip
hardly hurts anymore, and my leg feels a little better. Or is it just that my neck is so sore I don’t notice the rest of me?
    Before she could find the aspirin bottle, the doorbell rang. She wondered if she should ignore it. She was still in her pajamas. It rang again, twice this time. What if it was Kyle? Jessica fumbled through her luggage to find a robe and hobbled down the stairs.
    “I’m coming,” she called out on the fourth ring. She unlocked the door and opened it, expecting to see Kyle.
    An older woman stood on the doorstep. Her silver-rimmed glasses matched her silver-white hair. She was wearing a purple pansy on the collar of her sweater and held out to Jessica a vase full of the same.
    “Welcome! I’m Ida. Ida Dane. I see Kyle helped you move. Did you find everything all right?” The woman reminded Jessica of an older version of Harriet Nelson.
    “Yes, thank you. Please come in,” Jessica said. “I must apologize for my appearance.”
    “Oh, you poor dear! Don’t even think about it. Kyle told me about the accident. What a miserable way to start off here in Glenbrooke. I do hope you’re feeling better. Here, these are for you.” She handed Jessica the vase bubbling over with pansies.
    “Thank you. They’re beautiful. Yes, I am feeling a little better, except for a kink in my neck.” The two women made their way into the living room and sat on the couch. Jessica placed the vase on the coffee table.
    “You know,” Ida said, “maybe I’ll just grab a paper towel to place under that. You sit. I’ll be right back.”
    Jessica liked Mrs. Dane immediately. Yet she felt awkward inviting someone into her home when it really wasn’t
her
home but the guest’s, and the guest-owner was apparently more concerned about the furniture than Jessica was. She hoped Idawouldn’t think this was an indication Jessica wasn’t going to take care of things properly.
    “There,” Ida said, folding a paper towel twice to form a thick coaster for under the vase. “That will work just fine. I wanted to make sure you knew the trash and water are included in the rent, and I’ve switched the phone over to your name as well as the power bill.”
    “Thank you so much. The house is lovely, and I know I’m going to enjoy living here.”
    As if satisfied that the business side of their conversation was complete, Ida moved on to other topics. “So, you say you have a sore neck. Do you know, my son just happens to be a chiropractor. He’s absolutely the best! His wife, Becky, is the sweetest thing. Why, she’ll give you a massage that’ll take that knot right out of there! Why don’t I call them right now and make an appointment?”
    “Really, that’s all right. I’m not even dressed