by Cindy Kirk
“As a matter of fact, I did.” Anders laughed and slung an arm around her shoulders. “Would you like to hear the second verse?”
As the evening drew to a close, Piper wished she could ride home with Anders and let her mother and Sasha find their way home together. But her mother hadn’t driven on snow-packed roads in years, and Sasha had absolutely no experience.
She and Anders said their good-byes at the party. Piper received a brief kiss on the lips while her mother watched. Piper felt disappointed by the chaste kiss, until she reminded herself that Anders wasn’t really her boyfriend.
The crazy thing was he felt more like her boyfriend than any guy she’d ever dated.
“That was a surprisingly lovely party.” Jenn relaxed in her seat as they drove back to Wrigley Road. “I’d forgotten how nice the people are here.”
“I could see myself living here.” Sasha’s voice came from the back.
“That’s never going to happen.” Jenn turned in her seat to offer her youngest an indulgent smile.
“How can you say that?” Though her mother’s tone had been easy, Sasha’s held a sharp edge. “You don’t control where I live.”
Piper clenched the steering wheel and kept her gaze focused on the road.
“Honey.” Jenn spoke in that condescending tone that always set Piper’s teeth on edge. She was glad her mother wasn’t using it on her. “You know as well as I do that Heath would never, ever consider living in a small town.”
“Since when is how we live our life only about what he wants?” Sasha shot back. “I should have as much say as him.”
Jenn gave a little laugh. “He’s the one earning the income. Where you live will be his decision, not yours.”
Though Sasha remained quiet, Piper felt the chill and recognized the cold invading the car had little to do with the falling temperatures outside.
“I’m not saying Heath won’t ask for your input. Of course he will.” Jenn had apparently decided to go the placating route, since the direct route didn’t appear to be working. “But he has to look out for his career and go where he’ll be the most successful. You’ll want him to be successful, because that means he’ll be making more money, and you’ll both be happier.”
“You’re saying Dad is happier in Atlanta?” Sasha challenged. “He’s earning a higher salary there than he did in Good Hope, but you two sure don’t seem any happier.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Piper saw her mother tense. The supercilious smile she’d pasted on her lips moments earlier when speaking with her youngest disappeared.
“My marriage isn’t your business.” Jenn’s voice could have frozen ice.
“My relationship with Heath isn’t any of yours,” Sasha shot back. “I’ll tell you one thing. I won’t marry a man who treats me the way Dad treats you.”
Piper turned off the highway onto Wrigley Road, praying this, ah, discussion wouldn’t escalate before she could exit the car. She knew her mother and sister well enough to know that they would soon try to pull her into the argument, wanting her to side with one of them.
“I don’t know what you’re referring to. Your father and I have an excellent relationship,” Jenn sputtered. “Far better than most of my friends.”
“Which friends would that be?” Sasha’s chuckle held no humor. “The ones who are divorced?”
“You know what I mean. We may have had our rough patches, but we weathered them. You and Heath will have rough patches, too.”
“Dad doesn’t respect you.”
Shock flickered across Jenn’s face. “Yes, he does.”
Piper pulled into her parking space and considered whether it would draw too much attention if she got out of the car and made a run for the door.
“Case in point.” Sasha waved a hand. “You had Thanksgiving dinner planned for weeks. He told you the day before that he booked a golf weekend and was leaving that night.”
“Don’t act like I was the only one, missy. Heath sprang that trip on you at the same time.”
“I hadn’t planned a big dinner,” Sasha returned.
Though her father wasn’t here, it was reminiscent of too many arguments that Piper had overheard between her parents as a kid. Arguments about money. Arguments about his disregard for her mother’s feelings. And the big one—arguments about other women.
Piper remembered the yelling, the slamming doors and her mother crying herself to sleep.
Things had seemed better when they’d moved to Georgia. There had been no more accusations about other women. As far as she knew, things had healed between her parents. Whenever she saw them together, they appeared to be on the same page. They appeared happy. Piper wanted her parents to be happy.
Her mother could be a pain, but then, so could her dad.
Still, she thought, Sasha was right that this sudden trip didn’t make sense. He knew how important celebrating the holidays together was to his wife, so why the last-minute trip? Why take Heath with him?
That part made the least sense of all.
Piper got out of the car. “I’ll leave the downstairs door unlocked. Just come up whenever you want.”
Without giving either of them the chance to respond, Piper bolted for the door.
“Piper.”
Had that been her mother’s voice or Sasha’s?
Piper pretended she hadn’t heard. Unlocking the exterior door, she stepped into the warmth and the quiet. She was no longer stuck in the car with them. At least, once she reached the apartment, there was some hope of keeping her distance.
Car doors slammed, and she was more than halfway up before she heard them in the downstairs entryway.
“Piper.” Her mother’s voice, sharp and direct, followed her up the steps.
“Just a sec, Mom.” Piper kept her gaze focused ahead and her feet moving. “Let me get the apartment door unlocked. It’s cold out here.”
It wasn’t cold in the stairwell, unless you counted the icy apprehension slithering up her spine. Reaching the top of the stairs, Piper opened the door, wishing she could slam it behind her and lock both of them out.
An ungracious thought to be sure, but Piper had been privy to enough of these battles to know to stay clear. There were often casualties among the bystanders.
Her mother stormed into the living room as Piper flipped on the lights. A stony-faced Sasha strolled into the room.
“Well, I’ll let you two continue your discussion.”
Piper stepped away from them, not realizing she’d moved toward the door. Likely because she didn’t want them in her way should a quick escape become necessary.
The thought made her smile.
“Do you think what your sister was saying to me is funny?” Her mother’s eyes flashed blue flames.
Piper lifted a hand. “Whatever this is, it’s between you and Sasha, not me.”
“You’re part of this family, too.” Jenn’s dark brows pulled together like two dark thunderclouds. “Besides, where do you think you’re going at this hour of the night?”
“She’s probably going to see Anders,” Sasha commented. “Let her go.”
“You haven’t even known this man for very long, yet you’re running to him like some common—”
Piper opened and shut the door and immediately started down the steps. It might be rude, but she refused to get drawn into something that was already at the boiling point. She also refused to stand there and take it when her mother called her names.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she realized that while she still had her apartment key in her hand, she’d left her car keys behind in her purse.
Which meant she had to hang out in the stairwell, hoping they didn’t come down and continue the battle here. Or she could text Anders and hope he was free.
Only then did she remember her phone was also in her purse.
Standing in the doorway to outside, Piper considered her next step. She could go out and knock on the door that led to his apartment and hope that he heard her. Or
she could—
Headlights swung into the alley. She recognized Anders’s truck immediately. Only now did she realize she’d been so flustered by the fighting that when she’d pulled up, she hadn’t noticed his truck wasn’t there. Once he got out of the truck, she stepped from the building.
Noticing her, Anders crossed to her in several long strides.
“Piper. What are you doing out here? Is everything okay?”
Seeing the concern on his face, hearing it in his voice, she wished he really was her boyfriend and not just her neighbor. Then she could wrap her arms around him and let him comfort her.
She could kiss him until she forgot all about her mother and sister. Instead, she cleared her throat. “Just a little spat between my mom and sister. My mom tried to suck me into the discussion, so I left.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Anders touched her arm. “That’s tough.”
She lifted one shoulder, let it drop. “Par for the course.”
“Where are you planning to go?”
She gave a strangled chuckle, knowing if she didn’t laugh, she might cry. “I’m not sure what the plan was, but since I left my car keys in my purse upstairs, I’m not going anywhere. Not unless I’m willing to brave the war zone to get them, and I’m not.”
“I’ve got an idea. Why don’t you come up to my place? I make a mean cup of hot cocoa in the microwave.” He wiggled his eyebrows and made her laugh. “And that puzzle is still tormenting me.”
What did it say that having hot cocoa and working on a puzzle with him sounded like heaven right now? “I don’t want to intrude.”
Anders cocked his head. “Why would you think you’d be intruding?”
“I’m not your girlfriend. I’m just a neighbor.” She wasn’t sure why she felt it was important to remind him.
“You’re so much more than my neighbor.” Stepping to her, he slung an arm around her shoulders, gave her a squeeze. “Come on up. Give yourself a few minutes to decide your next step. Might as well be warm while you decide.”
There was a question in his voice, and the fact that he didn’t try to push her to come up with him meant a lot.
“I’d like that.”
He smiled then, a bright flash of light that had her going warm all over.
Once they were inside his place, he made them two cups of hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows.
“My mom used to make hot cocoa on the stove from scratch.” The heat from the mug seeped into her hands and had her relaxing.
“We used to buy the packets in the grocery store and make ours in the microwave.” Anders lifted his mug. “I’m following an old family tradition.”
They took a seat at the card table as Piper studied what had been done on the puzzle so far. It was a comfortable silence, and Piper got the feeling he was letting her regroup and settle.
“Have you done anything more on this since that first night?”
He grinned sheepishly and pointed. “I got that corner edge done.”
Piper shook her head. “I specifically recall putting that section together the last time I was here.”
He chuckled. “What can I say? I’ve been waiting for you.”
Something in his words had her lifting her eyes to meet his gaze.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he repeated slowly, like he was trying to tell her something.
Her heart flip-flopped, but she told herself not to be foolish and read too much into the words or the way he said them. She picked up several edge pieces. “I enjoyed the party tonight.”
“Let me help.” He took one of the pieces from her fingers.
The simple touch had her breath hitching.
“When I watched you at the party, I’d never have known you were an outsider.” As Piper sipped her cocoa, she spotted a place for one of her pieces.
When it snapped into place, she felt a surge of satisfaction. Cocoa and puzzles. She knew what Heath would have said about such an evening. Thankfully, the man was Sasha’s problem, not hers.
“Are you considering me a party crasher, Ms. Ambrose?”
She laughed at his affronted tone. “You and dozens of others were invited guests. It gets old seeing the same faces. I enjoyed seeing you there.”
“I liked having the opportunity to meet even more Good Hope citizens.” He took her hand and laced his fingers with hers. “I especially enjoyed the time I spent with you.”
“I liked that, too.” Piper expelled a sigh. “It’s such a different experience.”
He gave her hand a squeeze, then waited for her to say whatever she wanted to say. If she didn’t expand on the cryptic comment, she knew he wouldn’t push.
“When my ex and I would go to parties, we’d get there and immediately split up.” She shook her head. How had she ever thought that was normal? “Usually, we wouldn’t interact with each other until it was time to leave.”
“Why is that?”
“Heath called the parties networking opportunities, saw them as a place to build business relationships.” Piper shrugged. “Hindsight is always twenty-twenty, and looking back, I believe he just wanted to flirt. After all, it’s difficult to make headway with another woman when you have one standing next to you.”
“Why he would want any woman but you is difficult for me to understand.”
“I was never enough for him.” It felt good to speak the truth. “I was never thin enough. My hair and clothes were never stylish enough. My job not important enough.”
Anders lifted his gaze, and the look in his eyes was as steady as the clasp of a hand. “I could easily refute all of his assertions, but if he felt that way about you, why did it take him cheating for you to walk away?”
“I’ve asked myself that question hundreds of times.” Piper stared off into space, not wanting to see the disappointment in his eyes.
“Have you ever come up with an answer?”
“Not one that makes me feel better about myself.” Piper didn’t know how to explain to him something she didn’t understand herself. “I’ve always struggled with my weight. It affects my self-confidence. At first, Heath was all compliments, but when he started with the little digs about how something I wore would look better if I was thinner, I wanted to please him. I saw the lack as being in myself and not in him.”
Anders had grown quiet, and storm clouds had moved into his golden eyes.
“I can see it so clearly now, what I should have said, how I should have responded. I should’ve kicked his backside to the curb long before I found him in bed with that woman.” She shifted in her seat to more fully face him. “I don’t know if you can understand what it’s like to disappoint yourself, but that’s exactly what I did.”
“I do understand. In the past, I’ve acted in ways that still haunt me.” His gaze remained steady on her face as he took both of her hands in his. “What matters is to take what we learn from whatever we regret and move forward, determined to do better. I firmly believe each day offers a new opportunity to be the person we are capable of being.”
Chapter Nineteen
Piper cautiously opened the door to her apartment, hoping her mother, her sister, or both, had gone to bed. She’d stayed longer at Anders’s place than she planned.
To celebrate getting the entire border of the puzzle done, they’d popped popcorn, then sat and talked. She’d found out about his childhood and his drive to live up to the high standards set by his older brothers.
It sounded to her as if his family was very achievement-oriented without being over the top.
He’d appeared surprised when she’d told him any aspirations she harbored were hers and hers alone. The only expectations her mother had for her was to marry well.
“Piper.” Sasha whispered her name and motioned to her with one hand.
Her sister stood in the doorway to Piper’s bedroom. She wore the pink silk pajamas that she’d brought with her, and her face was clean and shiny.
“Let’s not wake her.” Sasha j
erked a head in the direction of the sofa bed, where their mother lay curled beneath a mound of blankets.
On that, they were in total agreement.
Piper stepped into her bedroom and pulled the door closed softly behind her. “I’m sorry I’m so late. Time just got away from me. When did she finally crash?”
Though Piper felt guilty about leaving her sister with her mother, she knew that her being around would have only made matters worse.
“About a half hour ago.” Sasha plopped down on the bed, slipping one foot beneath her. “She settled down not long after you left. I apologized for saying what I did about her and Dad.”
That surprised Piper. “Really?”
“I was out of line. Mom is loyal to Dad and to their marriage. I admire that.” Sasha studied her sister. “Do you think Dad ever cheated on her?”
Piper shook her head. “I know Mom is convinced he did, but her fears may have more to do with her insecurities than with his actions.”
Relief crossed Sasha’s face. “That’s what I think, too. I can get drawn down that rabbit hole, too. Sometimes I worry about Heath, because he’s so flirty. Then I tell myself I’m being ridiculous. He’s not the kind of man to cheat.”
This was it, Piper thought, the time to tell her sister that while Heath might never cheat on her, he had on Piper. Since she’d caught him in the act, that fact was indisputable.
“It’s often hard to—” Piper began.
“You have cards.” Delight rippled across Sasha’s face as she scooped up the deck of relationship cards from Piper’s bedside stand. “It’s been eons since I beat you at gin rummy. Want to play?”
It tugged at Piper’s heartstrings that Sasha remembered those gin rummy marathons before Piper left for college. “Actually, those aren’t playing cards.”
Sasha frowned, turning the deck over in her hand. “What are they, then?”
“Relationship cards. They’re for couples. You’re supposed to answer the questions. It’s a way to get to know each other better.”
Piper resisted the urge to snatch the deck out of her sister’s hand. She didn’t want to talk about relationship cards. She wanted to talk with Sasha about Heath. Who knew when she’d have this opportunity again?
