The Wife Stalker(46)

I want you to think about all the fun times we had together at the beach, at the house in Maine, at Christmastime. You know where all the photograph albums are. Take them down from the shelf and look at the pictures of us together and remember how happy we were. Look at all the books we used to read together and remember our bedtime hugs and kisses. I promise that we will be happy that way again one day, and I hope that it will be soon. No matter what anyone tells you, I am always with you, and I will always love you. Forever and ever.

xoxoxoxoxoxo



By the time I finished the letter, I was crying uncontrollably, and my mother came into the room.

“What’s wrong?” She moved closer to me. “Why are you crying?”

I wiped the tears from my face, holding the letter and looking up at her standing over me. I needed her to tell me it would all be okay.

“What is this?” she asked, taking the piece of paper from my hands. She scanned the page and then dropped it back into my lap. “Get it through your head, Joanna. They’re all moving on: Leo, Stelli, Evie. Like he did.” Her voice rose hysterically as she spoke. “What’s a letter going to do? Nothing. You don’t think I begged your father to come back? That I didn’t try everything I could think of? What did it get me? Nothing. A big fat zero.” Her face was pinched with resentment.

Full circle, I thought. I’d come full circle, living again with a mother who was too preoccupied with herself to think of anything or anyone else. All I could do was pray that Leo would come to his senses and return to me. And if I had to do a few things to help that along, so be it.





31

Piper




When Piper had gone upstairs to wake Evie for Leo’s firm’s annual father-daughter lunch and law event at Leo’s office, the child was already awake and in her favorite blue dress and patent leather shoes. She’d hardly been able to talk about anything else at the dinner table the night before, and it was apparent that her excitement hadn’t dimmed.

“Can you put my hair in a French braid?” Evie asked.

“Sure,” Piper said. “Grab your brush.”

Evie stood in front of the sink facing the mirror, and Piper stood behind her, braiding the girl’s long, thick hair. She’d gotten good at it after watching Mia French-braid her own hair every morning. As Piper’s fingers worked, she thought about the young girl who had been her stepdaughter for four years. Mia had been eleven when Matthew and Piper married, and was very unhappy that her father was remarrying. She’d made it clear to Piper that she blamed her for breaking up her parents, though of course that wasn’t the full story. Things may have settled down over time if it hadn’t been for Ava, who would bring Mia over hours late, intentionally spoiling any plans Piper and Matthew had made. One weekend when they were having a party to introduce Piper to Matthew’s friends, Ava had shown up, ostensibly to drop off a book Mia had forgotten, and then ended up staying. She knew all the guests, of course, and she completely stole the show, acting as if she still lived there, playing the hostess. Piper had been mortified, and she pulled Matthew aside to tell him to do something. But he said he couldn’t humiliate Ava in front of their daughter, so he did nothing. Piper often wondered if she would have put up with it if she hadn’t been so taken with Matthew. But that was all in the past now. She couldn’t second-guess herself or dwell on it.

“There,” she said, finishing the braid and tapping Evie gently on the shoulder. “All done.”

Evie turned her head both ways, looking at Piper’s handiwork in the mirror. “Thank you, Piper. It looks pretty.”

“You’re welcome. Why don’t you go downstairs? Your father is waiting for you at breakfast.”

Piper watched the girl skip away and headed down the hall to Stelli’s room. It was empty, so she went downstairs to find him already dressed for school and knocking at the door to Rebecca’s suite off the kitchen area. The door opened, and Rebecca emerged holding a plastic Spider-Man action figure.

“Here you go, sweetie. I glued it back together.”

He took her hand, and they walked toward Piper.

“Good morning, Stelli. Glad to see you’re all dressed and ready,” Piper said.

“Of course,” Rebecca said stiffly. “Why wouldn’t he be?”

The nanny was still acting prickly. Piper inhaled, trying to keep herself from being short with her. She had to remember to keep her eyes on her own side of the street and not let someone else’s bad mood or bad manners affect her or make her say something she’d regret later. The three of them moved in silence into the kitchen, where Leo was pouring milk into Evie’s cereal bowl. So much for a healthy breakfast, Piper thought.

Leo looked up and smiled at them. “Good morning, Stel. How’s my boy?”

Stelli pouted and took a seat next to Evie. “How come Evie gets to go to work with you and I don’t?”

“It’s a father-daughter event, pal,” Leo said.

“Not fair!” Stelli put his elbow on the table and rested his cheek against his hand.

Piper had a thought. “Would you like to come to the center with me?”

Stelli didn’t look at her. “No thanks,” he mumbled. “I want to go with Dad.”

Leo patted his shoulder. “I’ll bring you to the office another day. Now eat your breakfast, or you’ll be late for school.” Leo turned to Evie. “Are you finished? It’s almost time for us to go.” He rose from his chair and put a hand on Piper’s arm. “Would you help me with something?”