The Wife Stalker(29)

“Evie! What a pretty suit. I have mine on, too, underneath my shorts. We’ll go swimming together later.” Piper held out the bag in which she’d packed food for them to Leo. “Lunch,” she said, as she stepped on board.

Leo put his arm around her, kissing her lightly on the cheek. “I missed you last night,” he whispered.

Piper had stayed late at the center the night before, overseeing another mindfulness retreat. By the time she’d left the office, she’d decided to go home and try to get a good night’s sleep in preparation for their outing with the children. Today was the day they were going to tell Evie and Stelli that she and Leo were getting married.

Stelli sat in the swivel seat at the helm, moving the wheel back and forth and making vroom noises.

Piper walked over to him. “Hi, Stelli. Are you the captain today?” She ruffled his hair, and he jerked his head away from her. She counted to ten, determined to remain calm. Why couldn’t he be more like Evie?

“Okay, time to cast off,” Leo called out. “I’m going to need that seat after we’re untied, buddy.” He gave Stelli a tap on his knee. “You can sit on my lap, okay?”

“I’m your mate, right?”

“Right. My number-one helper.”

Stelli’s lips parted into a wide grin. “No girls allowed, right?”

“Well . . .”

“You promised.”

“Just for now. Evie will be my mate on the way back. And then Piper the next time.”

“No fair,” the boy whined.

“Completely fair, buddy,” Leo said as they pulled away from the dock.

Piper took Evie’s hand. “Let’s go sit on the sundeck together.”

As they passed the no-wake zone and were able to pick up speed, the air felt cooler. Piper and Evie sat side by side as the wind whipped through their hair. She still hadn’t gotten used to the noise, and even though the Sabre boasted a quiet ride, it couldn’t compare to the silence of a sailboat gliding sleekly through the water. Piper turned to the young girl. “Are you looking forward to going back to school?”

Evie was silent for a minute, her lips pursed. “I guess.” She looked down and made invisible designs on the deck with her finger. “I don’t know who’s going to take my picture on the first day,” she said, continuing to trace a shape.

Piper wasn’t sure what to tell her. Before she could, Evie spoke again. “On the first day of school, Mom takes a picture . . .”

Piper could tell that Evie was trying not to cry. “I bet your dad will take your picture, honey. And it will go with all the other first-day-of-school pictures. Will you show it to me afterward?”

“Sure.” Evie gave her a tentative smile, and Piper put her arm around the child’s shoulders. She was so easy to like. She didn’t know how many times she’d wished that Evie were Leo’s only child. It would make things so much easier.

As the boat came to a stop, they sat up straight and looked around.

“How about we anchor here and have some lunch?” Leo called to them.

“Sounds good,” she said, rising along with Evie and heading to the galley for plates and cold drinks.

“I’ll help you.” Evie followed and stood behind her, taking the cans Piper handed to her.

Piper spread a red-and-blue-paisley cloth on the deck and emptied the canvas bag. “Come sit, everyone. Peanut butter and jelly for the first mate,” she said, handing a sandwich to Stelli. “This time, no lumps in the jelly.”

He took it from her wordlessly.

“Thank you?” Leo reminded him.

“Thank you,” Stelli repeated.

“Do I have turkey?” Evie asked.

“You do indeed.” Piper handed one of the wrapped sandwiches to Evie and the other one to Leo. “Turkey and Swiss on rye for the captain,” she said, then picked up a plastic container of salad and removed the lid. She took a forkful as Stelli watched her.

“How come you always eat salad?” he asked, taking a bite of his food.

“Because I like salad. And it’s good for you.”

He shrugged, taking another bite. “I don’t like salad.”

“Well, that’s okay. We all like different things.”

“Can we go swimming when we finish eating?” Evie asked her father.

“Absolutely. Can’t have a boat ride without a swim. But we’ll wait a little before we go in the water. How about if I read a story before we do?” Leo reached a hand under her life vest, tickling her, and Evie squealed with delight.

When they finished lunch, Stelli scrambled into Leo’s lap. “Story, Daddy.”

Piper leaned back against the cushions, looking at the cozy family picture—Leo’s arms around Stelli and, as he held The Swiss Family Robinson, Evie next to him, leaning against his arm. She closed her eyes as Leo read, listening to the sonorous voice that she had come to love so much.

Afterward, they swam for over an hour, the children jumping from the steps into the water over and over again, until both of them were exhausted. Piper took them below, and Stelli nodded off instantly. Evie didn’t take much longer, and once they were both sleeping soundly, she took two beers from the refrigerator and went back on deck to join Leo.

“They both went out like a light,” she said, handing him the can of Dale’s Pale Ale.