The Wife Stalker(42)

Piper stood and reached her hand across the desk. “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support.”

“Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Drakos. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Piper turned and left the room, pulling the door shut behind her. Stelli looked up from his book, his eyes wary as Piper crouched down next to him.

“Hi, sweetie. Would you like to come home now or stay for the rest of the day?”

“I want to go back and play with my friends.”

“Okay. Rebecca will pick you up at two then.” She leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek, but he pulled away. She felt her face flush in embarrassment, and she stood up. “I’ll be going now.”

She was humming as she drove away.



Stelli had barely glanced at her when she got home from the center that afternoon, clinging instead to Rebecca. Evie, on the other hand, had been a darling. She’d joined Piper at the pool, reading her Nancy Drew book while Piper tried to concentrate on her own book, The Happy Stepmother.

“Excuse me, Piper. There’s a delivery truck here. Did you order some furniture?” Rebecca called from just inside the sliding doors. Piper had, but she’d completely forgotten, and she jumped up, threw on her cover-up, and walked inside and upstairs to the front hall, Evie following behind her.

The decor in Leo’s house was traditional and, in her mind, boring. The house itself had good bones, wonderfully high ceilings, and great light, but the floral fabrics and heavy wood furniture did nothing for it. She liked a modern look, with vibrant colors and cleaner lines. Besides, she wasn’t about to live with furniture another woman had chosen.

As soon as Piper instructed the moving men to remove the existing furniture from the living room before bringing in the new items, Evie turned to her, her eyes wet with tears. “Where are they taking our sofas?”

“They’re going to donate them to charity. We’ve got brand-new furniture coming right away to replace them. Won’t it be nice to freshen things up?”

Evie ran into the room and threw herself on the sofa. “No. Mommy picked these out!”

Piper felt a pit in her stomach. She hadn’t considered that the children might be upset. They never even sat in the living room. She crouched down so that she was eye level with her stepdaughter.

“I’m so sorry you’re upset, Evie. I was just trying to make the house more cheerful. I really think if you give the new furniture a chance, you’ll like it.”

“What are you doing?” Stelli came running in, with Rebecca behind him.

Piper looked at Rebecca helplessly. “I didn’t think—”

“Clearly,” Rebecca interrupted her. “Children, come with me.” She led them from the room with a disapproving backward glance.

The blood pounded in Piper’s ears, and she wanted to scream. She looked at the men, who were standing around, waiting for instruction. “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake. Please take the new pieces back. I’ll call the store and straighten it out.”

She sat for a moment and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down before she went to speak to the children. Was she really supposed to get their approval before she made any changes in the house? It was her house now, too. But obviously they still regarded her as nothing more than a guest. She looked up as she heard footsteps approaching. Rebecca stood in the doorway.

“I canceled the delivery.”

Rebecca nodded. “A wise decision. The children are going through a lot, and you just can’t do things like that with no warning.”

“Pardon me?” Piper raised her eyebrows, ready to tell Rebecca what she could do with her opinion, but Rebecca put up a hand.

“I know I’m not family, but I’ve known the children since they were babies. I love them and want only what’s best for them.”

“And you’re implying that I don’t?” Piper asked, incensed.

“Of course not. I’m only suggesting that you be a little more sensitive to the fact that they’re still grieving. They miss their mother. I know you’re eager to make this your home, but you have to think of them first.”

Piper stood up. She was not going to sit here and be lectured by the help. “You’re right, Rebecca. You’re not family. And if you ever try to tell me how to behave again, you won’t be taking care of them any longer.” She walked out before Rebecca could respond. She would speak to Leo tonight. How hard could it be to find a new nanny?

At a little past five Leo phoned to tell her not to hold dinner, as he’d be working late again. He’d warned her before they got married that he worked long hours, but she hadn’t counted on his practically living at the office. The three of them—Piper, Evie, and Stelli—sat down to a dinner of chicken curry that Rebecca had made earlier. As Rebecca served, Piper was chilly toward her and told her to take the rest of the evening off. After helping the children with homework and reading a few bedtime stories, Piper tucked them into their beds and went to her office down the hall to work on her blog while she waited for Leo.

Around ten, she heard the chime of the door opening and shut her laptop. She found Leo in the kitchen, rummaging in the refrigerator.

“Didn’t you eat?”

He shook his head and walked over to her, pulling her into an embrace.