Tracie Peterson - House of Secrets

2011 by Tracie Peterson

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South

Bloomington, Minnesota 55438

www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

www.bakerpublishinggroup.com

Ebook edition created 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-3383-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

The lyrics to Tear Down These Walls by Becky Milesnick are used by permission. Becky Milesnick 2010 www.worshipprojectfoundation.com. All Rights Reserved.

Scripture quotations are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com

Cover design by Andrea Gjeldum

Cover photography by Chris Strong Photography, Chicago

Any internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided only as a resource; Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.

With thanks to Angie Breidenbach for her help and willingness to share.

You are a wonderful author, teacher, and friend,

and I love how God put us together at just the right time.

http://www.AngelaBreidenbach.com

Contents

TEAR DOWN THESE WALLS by Becky MilesnickTear down these walls.I need to see whats been hiddenBy this pain, this hurtThis fear, this brokenness.Only You can take this away,Only Your presenceCan lead me to sayIts all in the pastIm moving onForget whats behind meIll look to Your throne.Remove all these stainsWash me in loveRestore my innocenceBreathe life from above. www.worshipprojectfoundation.com

Chapter 1

A t twenty-seven, it feels silly to admit that my biggest fear in life is getting a certain phone call. You know the kind I meanwhere someone announces theyve arranged for your family to be on one of those hideous daytime television talk shows. Screaming, yelling, family secrets upchucked for all the viewers to see. Whats worse, our family is a trash TV dream-come-true.

I would like to tell you Ive exaggerated, but I cant. As the oldest of three girls, Ive long been the headmistress in our strange house of secrets.

My sister Geena turned twenty-three last February. Shes always been the genius in the family; she devoured college like a two-year-old with a bowl of sugar-laden cereal and moved right on to a main course of law school. She also is model thin and a bit taller than me, which irritated me to no end when I hit my teens and people thought she was the oldest. All three of us have brown hair, but Geenas is more a dark blond, almost a burnt gold, and long. Mine is a deeper brown, and I usually grab it back in a clip to keep it out of my face.

Our little sister, Piper, graduated college last month. At twenty-one shes all moodiness and distraction. Petite and delicate and pretty, Piper has always had hauntingly elfish features, with dark brown hair worn in a stylish bob. She also grew into the spitting image of our dead mother. I often wondered if it unnerved our father as much as it did me, but of course, I would never ask that question aloud.

In the Cooper family, we learned early to never ask questions. Those only stirred up conflict, and conflict was unacceptable.

Then theres me. Being the eldest, I fit the stereotypeconscientious, responsible, a workaholic... probably more than a tad dull. Which may be why I found myself sitting in a rather old-fashioned, stuffy conference room listening to a barrage of reasons for why I should immediately accept the job being offered.

The vice president of the company, Ron Delahunt, leaned forward on the polished oak table. We have been pleased with the work youve done, Bailee. A full-time position with Masters and Delahunt Publishing is yours if you want it. Id been working for just over three years in my current position as a freelance editor, so the fact that I was being offered a job heading up the freelance editorial team was quite an honor.

I gave a sidelong glance at Mark DelahuntRons son and my immediate supervisor. Not to mention the heir apparent to the throne. Mark was yet another difficult part of my life. My brain kept telling me he was everything I could want in a manif I would only allow myself to want one. Given my history, however, I was determined to go through life solo. It would have been something akin to cruelty to force anyone else to endure what the Cooper family had to offer. Dont get me wrong; Id tried to have a boyfriend. When I was younger I convinced myself not once but twice that I could overcome the past and all the ugly issues that surround my family. But just as I started to give my heartbegan to believe I could actually trust another personsomething happened and I retreated to my fortress of solitude. Twice, as I mentioned.

The other day I figured Id spent something like four hundred hours in therapy to learn that Ive got trust and abandonment issues. I could have figured that out on my own, saving myself time and my father a great deal of money. Marks grin drew me back into the present.

I need to consider your offer, I said trying hard to sound nonchalant about the entire matter. It wasnt every day that an offer of this magnitude came along, and frankly it would be the answer to a lot of my problems. However, it would also cause problems. For instance, I would need to leave Boston and move to New York City. That would mean leaving my sisters.

Take as much time as you need, Ron said, getting up from the table. His assistant, Madge, quickly gathered the papers hed left and got to her feet. Madge had been working here nearly as long as the publishing house had been in operation. Rumor held that she would retire at the end of the year, but as wed seen with numerous sports figures who retired only to reappear the following season, I didnt believe Madge was going anywhere.

Mark can further explain the benefits, Ron said as he moved to the door. I have a four oclock across town and need to leave. Good to see you again, Bailee.

And just as quickly as hed entered the room a half hour earlier, he was gone. I saw Marks assistant, Sandy, peek into the room. You two want any coffee? Im making a run.

I smiled. A skinny latte sounds great.

Make mine a mocha latte, Mark declared.

Sandy nodded. Be back in a jiff.

Once the door was closed, I turned to Mark. Did you know he was going to do this today?

He smiled and ran his hand through his wavy brown hair. I did. I suppose I should have mentioned it, but I thought you might prefer to be surprised.

You know I hate surprises. I leaned back and studied him for a moment. Mark and I had a history that went back several years. And in the course of that time, Id never failed to appreciate his rugged good looks.

Well, you know these opportunities are few and far between. Youd be in charge of all the freelance projects and represent those editors at the editorial meetings.

I know, Mark. Believe me, I feel rather honored that your family would take a chance on someone as young as me.

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