The Wife Stalker(24)

The only thing that helped the time pass was the unrelenting pressure of taking care of Mom all day, after which I’d fall into bed exhausted every night. She needed help to get to the bathroom, to get into the shower, and to get dressed. She was terrified of falling and breaking another bone. Over the past weeks, I’d barely had any time to myself. Between visiting with the kids and taking care of her, everything had gone by in a blur. Mom was getting better, and I was hoping that by the time her leg was fully healed, Piper would be out of Leo’s system and he’d realize he wanted me back.

I was waiting outside their art camp one afternoon, having told Rebecca I’d pick them up and take them for ice cream. My heart lifted, and I opened my arms as they came down the sidewalk toward me. Stelli came crashing into me first, burying his head in my shoulder.

“Hi, sweetheart. I’ve missed you!”

“Me, too,” he said, his eyes filling with tears.

I held my hand out to Evie. “Come on. Let’s make this a fun day. We’re going to get ice cream and then we’ll go to the playground.”

We drove to Carvel and I ordered them each a cone and then one for myself. Why not, I thought. We sat in chairs outside the small building, and they both looked contented as the vanilla ice cream with chocolate sprinkles dripped onto their hands.

“So, how was camp today?”

Evie’s eyes brightened. “We finished our collages.”

I smiled. “Wonderful! I can’t wait to see them.”

“Piper says she’s going to frame them when we bring them home,” Evie said, her voice quiet.

My stomach dropped, and I tried to make my voice sound neutral even though I was furious. “Oh, really? Have you seen much of Piper lately?”

Stelli’s face scrunched into a frown. “She comes over a lot. I hate her.”

Evie looked at her brother. “She’s not that bad. She always brings us presents.”

I felt my stomach knot up. “What kind of presents?”

Evie shrugged. “She gave me a book on meditation for kids. It has cool pictures in it, too. And remember, Stelli, she gave you that crystal necklace that helps you calm down.”

Stelli kicked the ground. “I told her boys don’t wear necklaces.”

What the hell? “Helps you calm down? What do you mean?”

Evie looked up, thinking. “She said that Stelli is a little overactive and that she might have ways to help him be more calm. I heard her talking to Daddy about it. She said she has some stuff he can take.”

Now my heart was racing as anger surged through me. Who the hell did she think she was? How dare she have the gall to suggest such things? These were not her children. And what was wrong with Leo that he would let her?

I kept my voice even. I didn’t want to upset them. “Evie, darling, has she given Stelli any kind of medicine? You know, like pills or something to drink?”

Evie licked her ice cream as she thought. “No. I don’t think so.”

“I would spit it in her face,” Stelli said, his face red.

I leaned in closer to both of them. “Now you listen to me. If Piper gives you any kind of medicine—and remember, she might not call it medicine, so any kind of pills or funny things to drink—I want you to tell me right away. Do you understand?”

They both nodded, their faces solemn.

Later, after I drove them home, I repeated what I’d said. “Don’t forget what I said. You tell me right away. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” they said in unison, and I thought my heart would break. I’d call Leo and straighten this out. After they went inside, I drove downtown, where I had some things to return to the Loft. I had just gotten out of my car when I spotted Piper walking down the crowded sidewalk, looking at her phone, oblivious to everything around her. Before I could think it through, I hurried in her direction, compelled to follow her. I made sure to leave a few people in between us, as the last thing I wanted was for her to see me and report back to Leo that I was following her or something. When she walked into Lululemon, I lingered outside, picturing her grabbing another pair of size zero leggings. I sucked my stomach in, suddenly aware of the pinch of fat over my jeans. Probably shouldn’t have had that ice-cream cone, especially since I’d been too busy and too down to drag myself to the gym. She came back out, a shopping bag in hand, and started walking again. She crossed the street, and as she was about to go into Brooks Brothers, a well-dressed man coming out of the store stopped to talk to her. He was clean-cut, in his mid-forties, and had a friendly face. I walked closer, trying to hear what they were saying while still keeping a few people between us so that she couldn’t see me. I strained to hear their conversation.

“No, you must be mistaking me for someone else.”

“I’m sorry. You’re not Pamela D—”

“No. If you’ll excuse me.” Piper sounded distressed, and she walked away from him quickly, toward the municipal parking lot behind the shops.

The man stood still, watching her as she went, shaking his head.

I followed him to the center of the parking lot, where he stopped in front of a blue BMW. Looking behind me to be sure Piper was out of sight, I approached him. “Excuse me, sir?”

He turned. “Yes?”

“I couldn’t help overhearing you a few minutes ago. Do you know that woman?”