The Wife Stalker Read online

  “Just wanted to say good night,” she said to him, hoping he’d take the hint and extricate himself from the woman.

  He held up a finger to Piper, turned to the country club woman, and handed her a card. “I’m afraid I have to call it a night, but please feel free to call or email me about any other concerns you have, okay?”

  As they left, Leo turned back to her. “Thanks for sticking around.”

  “Well,” she said, “it was an interesting meeting. Thanks for inviting me. I’m going to get going.”

  Leo frowned. “How about a drink? It’s only nine thirty, and I promise I won’t keep you out too late.”

  She felt her face flush with pleasure and her stomach seesaw. “Sure. And you can keep me out as late as you like.” Piper wanted to retract the words as soon as she said them, fearing she sounded too forward. But when he looked at her with those warm brown eyes and a grateful smile, she felt relieved.

  He put a hand on her back as they walked to the door, and she felt a shiver go up her spine at his touch. “Why don’t we just walk over to The Pointe?”

  “Sounds good.”

  The night air was cool, and Piper swung her sweater over her shoulders as they walked.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “A little.” She pulled the sweater more tightly around herself as Leo took his jacket off and put it on her shoulders. It felt romantic, gallant even.

  “Here we are,” Leo said, as they stopped in front of the restaurant and he opened the door for her.

  They sat at the bar and ordered two martinis. By the time they’d ordered their second drinks and discussed the plans for Save the Sound, Piper was feeling pretty uninhibited.

  “So,” she asked, “what do you do for fun? You know, when you’re not crusading for justice or saving the planet.”

  “I hike and swim with my kids, I travel, and I used to fly.”

  Piper was surprised. “Fly? As in you were a pilot?”

  “Yup. As in I am a pilot. I used to have a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza that I kept at the airfield. My wife gave me such a hard time about it, though, that I ended up selling it.”

  She deflated a little at the mention of his wife. But he was here, after all, with her. “You’re full of surprises.”

  They stayed for another round, and Leo insisted on picking up the check. It was after eleven when he ordered an Uber for them since they’d been drinking. They could get their cars in the morning. When the car pulled up to her house, Leo asked the driver to wait, and he escorted her to the door. She unlocked it and turned to him. “I had a wonderful time tonight.”

  “I did, too. Thanks again for coming. It was nice getting to know you better,” he said.

  She had hoped he might kiss her good night, but he simply smiled and walked back to the car, giving her a wave before the driver pulled away from the curb. She looked forward to the night when his own car would be parked in her driveway until morning.

  10

  Joanna

  I had canceled my appointment with Celeste, because I had forgotten that I’d scheduled a dental checkup for Stelli and Evie at the same time, but now I really needed to talk to her. She didn’t have an opening but had promised to call me in between sessions. As I paced in the kitchen waiting to hear from her, I was in a panic.

  When Leo had casually mentioned last week that he’d invited Piper to the Save the Sound meeting, I’d been concerned. It was after eleven when Leo had gotten home from it, and I was pretty sure he and Piper had gone out afterward, since these meetings never went on that late. I’d pretended to be asleep that evening because I wasn’t ready for a confrontation, but now, just a week later, I checked his calendar to see dinner reservations in Greenwich. I called the restaurant to confirm the reservation, to see if maybe it was a surprise for me and the children, but no, he’d made a reservation for two. I had a sneaking suspicion that Piper was on the menu.

  “Thanks for calling,” I said after picking up on the first ring.

  “Of course,” Celeste reassured me. “I’m sorry my schedule is so jammed this week. What’s going on?”

  “I think Leo’s improved mood may have something to do with a woman.” I quickly told her about his Greenwich dinner tonight.

  “Joanna, Leo has never given you any reason to doubt him before. You don’t know that he’s having dinner with Piper. It could be a business dinner, couldn’t it?”

  “He never goes all the way to Greenwich for a business dinner. I think he wants to go somewhere he won’t be recognized. Besides, there’s something about Piper that worries me. It’s not that I think he would do anything wrong, but . . . I don’t know . . . I think she’s trouble.”

  “Have you discussed any of this with Leo?”

  “I tried, but he got defensive. I saw a text from her on his phone the other day while he was in the pool with the kids. Something about how she was watching The Godfather and what a good movie it was. I made the mistake of asking Leo about it when he came back in the house.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He got angry and asked why I was reading his texts. I tried to backpedal, telling him that his phone had been on the counter and I thought it might be an urgent work thing. But he was still irritated. He seems annoyed with me for every little thing lately.”

  “Maybe you just need to give him some space. He’s finding his feet again after a really rough patch. Of course he’d lash out at you, being the person closest to him, someone he can be himself around. You might just find you have nothing to fear after all. Why don’t you try to focus on yourself and see what happens?”

  She may have been right, but I knew in the pit of my stomach as soon as I’d seen “Oyster House 8:00” in his planner that I had reason to worry. Despite Celeste’s advice, I asked Leo about it later that day.

  “I didn’t know you’d made a reservation at the Oyster House,” I said, hoping against hope that he’d tell me it was for the two of us.

  He gave me a hard look. “Are you checking up on me?”

  “Of course not,” I lied. “They called here to confirm the reservation.”

  “It’s a business dinner.”

  “For Fred Grainger’s case?”

  “Yes. I’m meeting Piper there.”

  My stomach was churning. “I thought you said you’d gotten everything you needed from Fred’s counselor. Why do you need to have dinner with Piper?”

  “I just want some more background on the center.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea? It won’t look good if anyone recognizes you. You shouldn’t be seen in public with anyone associated with the witnesses you’re calling for his defense.”

  His mouth was set in a hard line. “I’ve told you, Joanna, I don’t need you to monitor my every move. I need my space. I appreciate how much you’ve done to support me and everything you’ve had to take on these past few months, but I’m better now. Stop hovering and checking up on me all the time. And you don’t need to lecture me on legal protocol: I’m the lawyer.”

  “I’m not trying to lecture you. I’m just trying to help.” His reminding me that I didn’t have a law degree was a cheap shot. He knew how much I regretted not finishing school. And besides, we’d always talked about work, until recently.

  He shook his head. “It would be helpful if you would drop it.” I didn’t understand what he was getting so defensive about if he had nothing to hide, but Celeste had warned me that people coming out of a depressive episode can get easily irritated, as they were suddenly dealing with an influx of more emotion. I worried that I was beginning to sound like my mother—her suspicion and constant questioning. That hadn’t done her any good with my father, and it certainly wouldn’t endear me to Leo.

  I put my hands up in supplication. “Consider it dropped.”

  But of course, I couldn’t drop it. I hired a sitter and borrowed my mother’s car, confident he wouldn’t recognize it, then drove to the restaurant and found a spot on the street. Watchi
ng the entrance in the rearview mirror, I waited. At precisely eight, I saw two people walking toward the door and felt a knot in my stomach when Piper came into view. She was dressed in a body-hugging navy-blue dress, her shiny blond hair looking as though it had just been professionally blown out. Given my dark hair and brown eyes, Piper and I were polar opposites, I realized, and I wondered if that’s what had attracted Leo to her.

  He put his hand on her back and guided her in. I felt my cheeks burn, my hands clench into fists. Breathing in and out, I forced myself to calm down. He was either lying right to my face, or he was lying to himself—if they talked about the case at all, I’d be shocked. But this all seemed so outside of his personality—at least, his old personality. I was worried that this was more the doing of Piper, this stranger with no Internet history, than his.

  My next move needed to be calculated. I sat there for a long while, trying to decide what to do. Finally, I realized that I wanted to be with the children, to remind myself of everything I had at home. But first I had to return my mother’s car.

  When I pulled into her driveway, I saw that the lights were still on. She was sitting at the card table working on her jigsaw puzzle while a rerun of The Golden Girls blared from the large television in the corner. Her hearing was getting worse, I realized, and made a mental note to make an appointment for her with the audiologist. She clicked the remote, and the TV went silent.

  “Those girls have the right idea. Everything would be so much better if I lived in a nice house in Florida with some good friends. Look at all the fun they have. My life is the pits,” she grumbled, taking a long swallow from the glass of wine on the table next to her. I sighed. Mom wasn’t supposed to drink with her condition.

  “Thanks for lending me your car,” I said as I put her keys on the table.

  “You’re welcome. What’s wrong with your car? Couldn’t that big shot Leo let you use his?” She’d never thought much of Leo. She didn’t think much of any man, really, not after what my father had done. There was no way I was going to tell her about his dinner. I knew what she’d say. All men are liars. You can’t trust any of them.

  “I’m low on oil,” I lied. “I had an appointment and didn’t have time to stop. I’ll swing by a gas station now.”

  “Make sure you do. You don’t want your engine to burn out.”

  I nodded absently. “How are you feeling today?”

  She shrugged. “Not great. I think I need to go back to the doctor this week, see if he can give me something for these headaches. Can you take me if I get an appointment?” She gave me a pitiful look. “I’m sorry to be such a burden.”

  I walked over to her and put my hands on her shoulders. “You’re not a burden, Mom. Of course I’ll take you. But . . . the doctor did tell you that alcohol can exacerbate the headaches.” I looked at the glass of wine again.

  She gave me a sheepish look. “I only have it sometimes. I’m lonely, and you’re always so busy. If your father hadn’t up and left—”

  “It’s okay.” I didn’t want to hear her rage against my father right now. He’d left years ago, as in over twenty of them, and I had other things on my mind. “I understand. Just let me know, and I’ll be happy to take you. I’ll stop by and check on you tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, dear.” She unmuted the TV and went back to her show.

  * * *

  He got home before the sun rose but not much before. I was waiting for him when he walked in, and he was clearly startled to see me there, pacing in the hallway. I didn’t wait for him to speak.

  “I was worried. Do you realize how late it is?” My voice was shaking. “I couldn’t sleep.”

  He put a hand up, looking at me as though I’d lost my mind. “Whoa. I got a call while I was at dinner. One of the firm’s clients was arrested, and they lost his paperwork. I’ve been at the jail all night. His attorney’s in the hospital, so I had to go. It’s been a hell of a night.”

  Then I noticed his disheveled appearance, the tie askew, his usually perfect, thick, black hair out of place. He did look like he’d been up with a client all night, and certainly he had been many times before. This whole thing with Piper was making me overreact. “I’m sorry. You know how I worry.” I took a deep breath. “Why don’t you try and get some sleep? I could certainly use some.”

  He shook his head. “I need to get to the office early today. I’m just going to take a shower and get going.”

  In spite of my restless night, the morning went off like any other. I got the kids ready for the day, made coffee, gave instructions to the maid service, and took care of all the little minutiae that comprised my life—our lives. As I did so, I told myself that I had nothing to worry about. After all, Leo had been a loyal and devoted family man for years. But was I underestimating how his depression might have changed him? He may not have been looking for anything, but I had a feeling she was.

  I went to the computer and pulled up his Outlook. When I saw her name in the sender line, I clicked on it. I suppose it didn’t occur to her that I’d have access to his work in-box. The message was from a few days ago.

  You’re never going to believe what happened today. I was at the dentist, in the waiting room, flipping through a People, when I came across an article about YOU! It was about the case you won two years ago, the woman accused of killing her in-laws. A whole spread. The woman sitting next to me glanced over (a bit nosily) at the picture of you and said, “Oh, my, he’s a handsome one.” I told her you were even better-looking in person.

  Even when I try not to think of you . . . it’s impossible.

  Have a wonderful day and do remember to take a break from your desk. Use the app I showed you and remember the quote from Anatole France: “If the path be beautiful, let us not ask where it leads.” Xo P

  I felt like my entire body was on fire.

  One thing was for sure: Piper was interested in much more than court cases and conservation, whether Leo realized it or not.

  11

  Piper

  Piper opened the door, and Leo stepped into the foyer, bringing in the steamy July humidity with him. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, and she tried to restrain herself from letting him see how much she wanted him already.

  “You look beautiful,” he said, giving her an appreciative smile.

  “Thank you,” she said, grabbing her clutch from the table and pulling the door shut behind her. They were seated as soon as they arrived at the restaurant, and Leo scanned the menu. “What looks good to you?”

  “I’m thinking about the swordfish,” she answered, putting her menu down.

  “Shall we order a Chardonnay then?”

  She nodded, and he ordered a bottle of DuMOL. As they raised their glasses, smiling and looking into each other’s eyes, she could almost feel the heat coming from his side of the table.

  “I was a little surprised to get your call,” she said. She wanted to lay her cards on the table before the evening went too far.

  “You were? Why?”

  She straightened up in her chair a bit and softened her voice just so as she said, “I didn’t think you were ready for a new relationship. You told me that you still loved your wife.”

  He leaned back in his chair and was quiet a moment. “There will always be a place in my heart for her, but I know I have to move forward. I’ve been struggling for months, and I’m tired of being sad. I have to move forward. You’ve helped me to see that.”

  She felt encouraged by his words but wanted to be sure. “I’ve never been a big believer in games, so I hope you’ll forgive my frankness. I’ve been attracted to you since the day I met you, but I didn’t think you were available. Are you really sure you are?”

  He reached out and grabbed her hand, and a thrill ran through her. “I’m certain. Don’t you remember the quote you sent me about the beautiful path? If I’ve learned anything in my life, it’s that you have to reach out and grab happiness with both hands. You make me happy.” He tilted his head. “Ca
n I be honest, too?”

  She nodded.

  “I knew there was something special between us from the start, too. I think, Ms. Piper Reynard, that you are my destiny.”

  She took a sip of her wine, trying to temper her elation. Her past was littered with starts and stops. Things had too often gone badly, but this time would be different. This time, she would make sure that nothing got in her way.

  “I like the sound of that.” She squeezed his hand. “If I’m your destiny, I want to know all about you. You’ve told me a little about your family, but what was young Leo Drakos like?” she teased.

  “I had the best childhood in the world. I’m the youngest of three sons. Wonderful parents—hardworking, honest, loving—I think I told you that my dad owned a restaurant in Astoria, down the street from where we lived.” He talked with great passion about his family—their fierce love and loyalty to one another, their pride in Leo’s accomplishments, the raucous and fun dinners around their dining room table, and their family trips to Greece. He made it all sound magical, and so different from her sterile and lonely upbringing that as she looked across the table at him, she felt a longing to be part of this warm and devoted family.

  “Did your mother work in the restaurant, too?” Piper asked.