The Wife Stalker(70)

He put his arm around her. “Stop this. She just doesn’t know you yet. Come on, let’s go have a drink in the living room.”

Everyone else went into the other room, where the shrimp, cheese, and crackers had been put out. Piper took the spinach pie from the oven and gave it fifteen minutes to cool, then transferred the pre-cut pieces to a platter. She could hear laughter and talking and took a deep breath to steady herself. Leo’s family was so Greek. He’d assimilated so well that she almost forgot his roots. But when his family came around, he fell back into the role of adored son to a mother who clearly thought that Piper wasn’t a suitable wife to him.

When she walked into the living room, Leo stood up from his seat on the sofa next to his mother and walked over to her.

“Ma, look what Piper made,” he said, pointing at the spinach pie she was holding. “Spanakopita.”

Evangelia looked up in obvious surprise. “But I brought mine.”

Leo took a piece from the platter Piper was holding and put it on a napkin. “Here, try it.”

She took it from him reluctantly, examined it, then brought it to her mouth. She made a face. “What kind of filo you use? From a store?”

Piper felt her stomach tighten. “Yes. I got it at Trader Joe’s.”

“What does Joe know about filo?” Everyone laughed while Evangelia shook her head. “You have to make it yourself. And if you too lazy to do that, at least you get at Greek grocery store.” She stood up. “Come. I show you what real spanakopita tastes like.”

Piper could feel the heat in her face, and Leo mouthed Sorry but said nothing. Piper put the platter on the coffee table and smiled. “That’s okay, I’m not really hungry.”

“Ma, come sit down,” George said, trying to take her arm.

She shooed him away. “I’m going to heat up the spanakopita and the tiropites I brought. Leo, show me how to start your oven, please.”

Angela, Gus’s wife, gave Piper a sympathetic look as Evangelia left the room. She picked up one of the pieces of spinach pie and took a bite. “It’s delicious. Thank you so much for having us here today. She means well . . . I hope you won’t let it ruin your day.”

Piper smiled warmly at her. “Thank you.”

“Who wants to see my new remote-control helicopter?” Stelli asked, and for once, Piper was grateful for his interruption. His cousins Michael and George, along with their fathers, followed him from the room, leaving Piper alone with Toula and Angela.

Toula, George’s wife, lifted her wineglass. “To Piper, may she survive Hurricane Evangelia.”

Piper laughed despite herself and clinked her glass with Toula’s.

“She’ll come around. She’s tough but fair. It took her a while to warm up to us. You know Greek mothers and their sons,” Angela said.

Piper arched an eyebrow. “But at least you’re both Greek. That’s one strike against me. And the other is that I’m not the children’s real mother. She really dislikes me.”

Angela tilted her head. “It’s true, the two of them were very close. But you have to give her a chance to get used to you, that’s all.”

But Piper knew she was right. The woman couldn’t abide her, and she proved it when they all sat down to dinner.

Evangelia looked over at Stelli. “Stelios, my boy. Come to Yiayia.”

Stelli obliged, and Evangelia put her hand under his chin, turning his face from side to side. “You don’t look so good. You’re pale. You feeling okay?”

Stelli shrugged and looked at his feet.

“You’re embarrassing him, Ma,” Leo said. “He’s fine.”

Evangelia raised her eyebrows and put her hand on his forehead. “He’s not hot. But still keep an eye on him,” she replied. Then she turned to her granddaughter. “Evie, my koukla. That is a beautiful dress you are wearing.”

“Thank you, Yiayia. Mommy bought it for me last year. It was too big then.”

“Your mama, she had wonderful taste. She buy for me this shawl I am wearing today. One of my favorites.”

There was an uncomfortable silence, and Evangelia went on, looking at Evie. “You remember, you and me and your mama, when we would make baklava together? She was good cook.”

“Ma,” Gus said, “maybe we should change the subject.”

“What? The children can’t talk about their mother?”

Piper felt her face get hot. “Of course they can. But maybe we should talk about the things we’re grateful for today. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about. It’s tradition. And since we’re in America, we’ll follow American traditions.”

All eyes were on her, and she feared she’d spoken too rashly, but what the hell. How much was she supposed to take from this woman? How dare Evangelia come into Piper’s home and insult her? Piper raised her glass and looked around defiantly. “Here’s to family,” she said, “old and new. Both old and new.”

Leo raised his glass with a smile and looked across the room at her, but his eyes were cold.





46

Joanna




I’ve begun to follow her. She left the house at eleven and drove to the mall in Stamford, a half hour away. She parked near the entrance, and I found a space two rows over, watching as she and Evie got out of the car. My breath caught in my throat when I saw her take Evie’s hand and watched as they swung their clasped hands back and forth while they walked toward the mall entrance. I rested my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes.