The envelope weighed heavily in Abby’s hands as she thanked Tina for the special delivery. Her friend scurried out of the kitchen as if she couldn’t escape the awkward tension fast enough. Although, Abby suspected within minutes the entire town would be crowded outside with their ears pressed to the door, waiting for the final word on her husband’s alleged affair.
In Tina’s absence, an oppressive silence permeated the room, punctuated by the repetitive tick, tick, tick of the wall clock.
Piper stood stock-still, eyes wide like a deer facing down its inevitable doom in the bright lights of oncoming traffic. Her entire ruse would unravel in a matter of seconds.
And Abby would finally be free from the torment of uncertainty.
She slid one finger into the corner of the envelope seal, then hesitated. Maybe she should wait for Logan? He’d been by her side every step of the way. He wouldn’t want to miss this moment. But how long until he returned? She had no idea.
Stop stalling, Abby.
She gritted her teeth, stilling her jaw’s anxious twitching.
You have nothing to worry about. Get it over with already.
She inserted her finger deeper into the seal, prepared to rip it open.
“Wait!” Piper stepped toward her, both palms extended. “Don’t open it.”
“Why not? This is what we’ve been waiting for. It’s the whole reason you’re here, isn’t it?” Tears of frustration burned in her eyes again. When would this woman stop playing games?
“I know. It’s just—” Piper’s features crumpled. Abby had never seen someone look so defeated, so painfully helpless.
“What? What aren’t you telling me?”
Piper glanced up at the ceiling, fighting off the onset of her own tears. Finally, she met Abby’s gaze, visibly broken. “Because I lied, okay?” She stifled a sob, her lips quivering. “I lied about having an affair with Donnie. He’s not Tyler’s father.”
Piper’s words crashed over her, offering relief, except she found no comfort in her confession. No vindication. No reprieve.
Instead, she felt a crushing numbness.
“I’m sorry.” Piper turned off the oven without checking on the cookies inside. With a crazed, manic energy, she tidied her mess, shoving dirty dishes into the sink, swiping crumbs into piles. “You’ve been nothing but nice to me since we got here. You took us in. You gave me a job. You didn’t have to do that. Most women wouldn’t.” Piper shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe it. “You’ve treated me with kindness. And I’ve done nothing but hurt you.” She froze midfrenzy, as if the weight of her actions finally hit her full force. “I never should’ve come here. I never should’ve let it get this far.” She turned, fixing her gaze on the envelope in Abby’s hand. “I have to make it right.”
Before Abby could stop her, Piper yanked the envelope from her grasp. “What are you doing?” Abby cried.
“What I should’ve done days ago. I’m going to pack our things, pick up Tyler from Verna’s, and get out of your life for good.” Piper made a beeline for the door, colliding with Logan on his way into the kitchen.
“Whoa!” Logan stepped aside as Piper barreled past him. “What’s up with her? Was she crying?”
Abby couldn’t speak, too stunned by Piper’s reaction to form a coherent sentence.
“Are you okay? What happened?” Logan verbalized her thoughts as he rushed to her side.
“I—I don’t know.” She struggled to piece together the chain of events. “Tina delivered the test results—”
“Hallelujah! If they didn’t arrive soon, I was this close to going to the lab myself.” Grinning, he pinched his fingers together, leaving a centimeter of space. When she didn’t return his smile, he squinted in confusion. “Is that why Piper ran out of here so upset? Because her little scheme finally blew up in her face when you read the results?”
“That’s the weird thing,” Abby said slowly, still in a daze. “I didn’t even get a chance. She confessed to making up the whole thing. She went upstairs to pack.”
“Huh.” Logan frowned, then shrugged. “Well, I guess she saved you the trouble. At any rate, she’s finally out of our hair.”
For some reason, Abby couldn’t bring herself to share his enthusiasm. Something about the whole bizarre exchange didn’t sit quite right with her.
He picked up on her reservation. “Don’t worry, Abs. I’ll check in with Piper before she leaves. I’ll make sure the money she made working here is enough to get her back on her feet. We won’t send Tyler back on the road without a game plan, okay?”
Nodding, she attempted a smile.
She should be happy the nightmare had finally ended.
And yet, she couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling that there was something else going on.
Something she’d missed.