Are you sure she can be trusted with something like this?
Logan’s concern echoed in Abby’s mind as she approached Piper’s room.
Was she sure? Not even a little bit. But what else could she do? She didn’t feel comfortable handing unsolicited cash to an unscrupulous stranger. Especially one claiming to be her husband’s one-night stand. But she couldn’t allow this woman and her child to live in their car without trying to help in some small way, could she?
Her fist hovered half an inch from the door, poised to knock. The anxious thrum of her heartbeat filled her eardrums like the warning hum of ocean waves, luring her to safety, away from her fool’s errand.
She didn’t need to do this. She’d be perfectly justified to let the woman fend for herself, especially after all she’d put her through. The last two nights, she’d barely slept.
Whenever she closed her eyes, her cruel imagination tormented her thoughts. She begged her brain to stop, to let her sleep, but she couldn’t dispel the visions of Donnie and Piper tangled in bed together, a mass of sweaty limbs and silken sheets.
Last night, she’d woken at 2 a.m., her cheek damp from her tearstained pillow, her stomach churning. The nightmare had felt so real, as if she’d witnessed the illicit affair with her own two eyes.
For the rest of the night until dawn, she’d lain awake, staring into the darkness, wrestling with her tumultuous emotions. If the thought of Donnie with another woman made her physically sick, what did that say about her feelings for Logan?
Abby let her arm drop to her side.
The spacious hallway suddenly closed in around her, and she struggled to breathe as the once pleasant scent of lemon polish and fresh flowers now felt suffocating.
She loved Logan. Wholly and completely. But her love for Donnie hadn’t disappeared. Their marriage—what they’d shared—would always hold a special place in her heart. And Piper had trampled all over it.
Hot tears stung her eyes, and she blinked furiously, biting back a sob of frustration. This needed to end. The constant pain and confusion. The battle between compassion for Piper’s situation and her visceral dislike for the woman. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Abby turned, ready to leave, when the door to Piper’s room cracked open.
Tyler gazed up at her, one chubby little hand on the doorknob, his angelic face glowing with the brightest grin. “Hi, Miss Abby!”
Suppressing her tears, she summoned a smile. “Hi, Tyler.”
“Is Max home from school yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Okay.” Tyler sighed but maintained his smile, as if he had plenty of practice dealing with disappointment.
Abby’s thoughts flew to what Logan shared last night. Tyler, asleep in the back of Piper’s Jeep. Tyler, trekking into gas station restrooms to brush his teeth. Tyler, living off granola bars and bottled water.
A lump lodged in her throat, and try as she might, she couldn’t will it away. “May I speak to your mom for a minute?”
“Yeah! She’s on the balcony, but I’ll go get her.” He scampered back into the room, and Abby waited, her stomach tangled in knots.
Piper came to the door, her stiff stance wary and guarded. “Yes?” Her gaze briefly dropped to Abby’s hands, as if she expected her to be holding something. The test results? At the sight of Abby empty-handed, a flicker of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Abby swallowed. Her mouth had gone unpleasantly dry. “I—” She hesitated, nearly losing her nerve. Think of Tyler. “I was wondering if you’d do me a favor.” She forced herself to meet Piper’s gaze.
“What?” Piper’s eyes widened.
“I—I could use an extra set of hands around the inn.” She curled her fingers into her palms to fend off the slight tremor. “I have incredibly important guests arriving soon, and I could use some additional help. Light housekeeping, coordinating activities, running errands. That kind of thing.” Piper could help anywhere but in the kitchen. That was her sacred space.
“You’re serious?”
“I can pay you two hundred dollars a day.”
“Two hundred dollars?” Piper repeated, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she’d heard.
“Yes. Are you interested?” Abby held her breath, half wishing Piper would decline.
Piper kneaded her bottom lip, glancing over her shoulder at her son. Tyler sat on the bed flipping through the pages of a picture book. “I—I don’t know.”
“I realize it might be a little awkward, but it’s only for a few days.” She refrained from adding until the test results arrive, and said, “We can work in different parts of the house. I doubt we’ll see each other any more than we do right now.”
This seemed to assuage some of her concerns, but she still looked reticent. “What about Tyler?”
“I don’t mind if he tags along while you work. But he’s also welcome to hang out with Verna. I’ve already spoken with her, and she’d love to spend time with him. She’s like a surrogate grandma to Max.”
“She does seem great with kids, but I still don’t know if it’s a good idea.”
Abby bit her tongue. She wanted to help Piper for Tyler’s sake, but she refused to beg.
“I guess I can help you out,” Piper relented, as if she was doing Abby a huge personal favor.
“Great.” Abby ignored Piper’s ingratiating tone. “When can you start?”
“Right now, if Verna’s free. Let me talk to Tyler first. We’ll be down in a sec.” Without another word, Piper closed the door in her face.
The resounding click echoed in the hall with an ominous note of finality.
A tiny tingle of misgiving tickled Abby’s throat.
Had she just made a horrible mistake?