The Wife Stalker

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. “Can 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. “Sometimes on the weekend, but never when we were small.

She was at home every day after school, and she made dinner for us every night. She’s an amazing cook.”

Piper filed that tidbit away. Their love of cooking would be something that she and his mother would have in common. She’d been able to forge a good connection with Matthew’s mother, and Ethan’s, too, for that matter. Now, she’d get another chance with Leo’s.

“How did your brothers feel about you not working in the family business?”

“There was no issue—Gus and George always wanted to work at the restaurant. They loved it. They were happy for me because they knew I was doing something I loved. My father insisted on paying for my undergrad, but when I went to NYU Law, I waited tables to help cover my tuition. My family’s always been very supportive of me.”

“They do sound wonderful,” Piper said.

“When you meet them, you can see for yourself.”

“I look forward to it.” And she meant it. She was looking forward to it and hoped they would like her. She was reticent to ask her next question but went ahead—forewarned was forearmed and all that. “Did they always get along with your wife?”

“Yes. She was good to my family from day one. A devoted daughter-in-law. My mother and father adored her—they never stopped. But they don’t know the whole story.”

“The whole story?”

He shrugged. “I’m sorry, I know we’re being open and honest, but to say more wouldn’t be fair to her. Suffice it to say that things are not always what they look like on the outside.”

She didn’t press him.

He put his hand over hers and gave her a small smile. “Since I’ve met you, Piper, I feel lighter, like a heavy load has been lifted from my shoulders. I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy.”

They talked until the restaurant closed then went back to her house. He seemed hesitant when she invited him in, but he followed her into the living room, and they sat beside each other on the sofa, the soft glow of moonlight spilling into the quiet darkness. After their conversation had been exhausted, he put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. He leaned forward and, putting his hand on her cheek, gently turned her face to his. Their lips met in a deep and passionate kiss. She wanted to whisk him upstairs to the bedroom and make love to him all night, but she could tell he was a traditional man, the kind who wanted to make the first move, so she held back.

He looked at his watch. “It’s late. I need to get home.”

She did her best to hide her disappointment as they stood and kissed again, this time longer and more slowly. Desire burned within her. She didn’t know how much longer she could wait, but she was in it for the long game and didn’t want to scare him off.

His voice was husky as he whispered in her ear. “You are a hard woman to resist.”

“You don’t have to,” she teased.

He cupped her face in his hands. “As much as I hate to leave, I do have to get home. Can I see you again this weekend?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he said.

Later that night, she lay in bed and thought about the days ahead and all they had to look forward to. The only cloud on the horizon was the inevitable day when she would meet Leo’s kids. She’d never wanted children of her own, something about which she and Ethan had been of one mind, so it’d been easy when she was with him. Stelli and Evie would probably be wary of her at first, and she thought about ways she might get them to like and accept her. She needed to be careful and not come on too strong. She knew it was a delicate thing, introducing one’s children to the new girlfriend. The children would have to be part of any future she’d have with Leo, but they were young and malleable. Maybe that would make the difference this time.

| 12 |

JOANNA

The morning after the clearly-not-business dinner, I knew I had to take some kind of action, but I was having trouble coming up with a next step that didn’t make me seem like a jealous shrew. Finally, it came to me in a flash. I would email Piper and tell her I’d like to take her up on her offer of a free class at her “recovery and healing center,” to get a look at her in her own element. I knew that yoga was going to be a stretch for me—pun intended. I’ve never been much of a gym person; at most, I hop on the treadmill for half an hour or so, and much prefer walking or swimming. I guess that’s why I don’t wear a single-digit size. I figured I’d stick to the back of the class and hopefully nobody, especially Piper, would notice my ineptitude.

I’d gone online to google some basic moves so that I’d know my Downward-Facing Dog from my Tree, which, if you ask me, are ridiculous names. The Warrior poses, however, I can get behind—at least they make you sound like you’re kicking some ass. Clad in black Lycra and carrying a newly purchased yoga mat, I took a spot in the crowded studio. I was relieved to see the low lighting and had to admit the music coming from the speakers—which had been designed to look like stones—was soothing. How hard could it be? I thought. It was yoga. But then I paid closer attention to the women surrounding me. Women who looked like they could bounce a quarter off their bicep muscles. Tanned, blond, boasting diamond rings on their left hands that could have served as brass knuckles, all of them—every single one—looked as though they hadn’t eaten in weeks. Tank-Top Girls, I call them. You didn’t get into that kind of shape by just breathing and stretching. Even though this was billed as a beginner’s class, it was clear to me these women had done yoga before.

Two minutes before the hour, Piper walked in dressed in skyblue yoga pants and a sports bra that showed off her six-pack. Everyone stood at attention, staring at her as if she were royalty. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a slick ponytail, her perfect complexion devoid of makeup. Even bare-faced, she was stunning.

“Hello, everyone! It’s a beautiful evening to get healthy! Any newcomers today?”

I wasn’t about to raise my hand since she’d already acknowledged me with a nod when I first walked into the center. A woman in the front raised hers, fortunately, and Piper focused her attention there.

“Welcome! Go at your own speed. Remember, we’re all running our own race.”

I groaned inwardly. It was like she’d memorized a book of platitudes. I tried to keep my eyes on her, but it was difficult in some of the positions my body had to endure. I might have been wrong about loving the Warrior poses—my legs trembled as I tried to hold Warrior Two. From the glances I was able to steal, Piper was an unquestioned star at yoga. Her body did amazing things. I’d already known my figure was no match for hers, but with her agility? Forget it. Men probably wanted to tumble into bed with her the first time they saw her. My face burned at the thought of Leo thinking that about her.

At the end of the class, we lay on our mats, relaxing our bodies. My muscles were already sore. Piper dimmed the lights, and in a soft voice, she read a poem about staying connected to nature and the Earth. Then she walked slowly around the room with aromatic oil and asked us to take a moment of appreciation for our time in class. Gratitude is restorative, she said. And then from the front of the room, facing us as we sat up on our mats, she put her hands together in Prayer pose and uttered the word Namaste, to which the class responded, “Namaste.” I had looked it up earlier and knew it meant “the divine in me bows to the divine in you.”

I was eager to get out of there before the women dispersed, and luckily so many of them were crowded around Piper, vying for her attention, that she didn’t notice me leave. As I stood outside by my car, fishing in my bag for the keys, I spied the gorgeous redhead with a killer body who’d been a few mats over from me.

“Hi, there.” I approached her and put on my brightest smile. “This was my first yoga class, and I just have some beginner questions. Do you mind if I ask how long you’ve been coming here?”

“A while now. I usually go to Piper’s barre class, but my work schedule is a little crazy this week. She’s a super yoga teacher, not to mention she’s a great person.”

A Piper groupie, I thought. “Yeah, she seems very nice,” I said, nodding, hoping she’d go on.

“Oh, she is. We’ve become friends.”

“How nice. I heard somewhere that she’s new in town.”

“Yeah,” she said, looking off as if in thought. “Somewhere out west, Oregon or California? I can’t remember which.” She looked at her watch, then back at me. “Well, I’ve got to run. It was nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” I said, and went back to my car. Vague. That’s the vibe I was picking up from Piper. There was definitely a vagueness surrounding her.

Just as I opened the car door, I saw Piper come out of the center. Quickly shutting it, I walked over to her, figuring I might as well take the opportunity.

Her eyes widened when she saw me. “Joanna, hi! I was wondering where you’d gone. How did you like the class?”

“It was a bit difficult, to be honest. I’m not sure yoga is for me.”

She looked uncomfortable, her hands fingering her keys. “The first time can be hard, but if you keep it up, you might find you like it.”

I nodded and maintained eye contact. “Leo tells me that the preliminary work on the case is proceeding well and that you’ve been a big help.”

She just stared at me.

I went on. “He and I were talking about the timing after your meeting the other night. At the Oyster House.”

I watched her carefully and saw the slightest flicker of a tic in her cheek. She took a step back, her face now a mask. She wasn’t going to give anything away. I could see that.

“Well,” she said, backing up even more, “I need to get going. Nice to see you, and thanks for trying us out.”

“One thing,” I called as she was walking away. She turned, giving me an impatient look. “It could put Leo in jeopardy, being seen with a potential witness.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to go,” she said in a huff and walked quickly to her convertible. Figures it was one of those expensive imports.

I stood alone in the parking lot, thinking about our exchange and berating myself for having handled it so clumsily. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive, should have thought more before I spoke. She worried me, though. Leo was a good judge of character; you hone those skills as a criminal lawyer. But I was seeing something in her that he was missing. When she looked at me with those cold eyes and unyielding expression, I’d felt a chill in my spine. She hadn’t reacted at all to my words of caution, and even if she didn’t care about me—and that seemed relatively certain—shouldn’t she care about her new “friend” Leo? But it got me an answer: Piper Reynard was not the kind, feeling soul she pretended to be. Of that I was sure.

| 13 |

PIPER

Piper couldn’t stop thinking about her evening with Leo. She found herself smiling as she replayed it over and over, and couldn’t wait to finish her classes and get home and talk to him. She’d barely been able to concentrate all day, checking her phone for the texts he was sending her, telling her he couldn’t wait to see her, how she made him feel alive again, even trivial tidbits about how his day was going. It reminded her of her high school days, the notes she and Ethan had sent to each other, how much in love they’d been.

The one sour note had been when Joanna showed up at the yoga class. It felt like her eyes would burn holes through Piper, and it had been all she could do to concentrate while she taught. And then afterward, when Joanna had confronted Piper in the parking lot, she’d just wanted to tell her to go away and get a life—and flashed right back to Ava screaming at her in public. Instead, she’d walked away, but as she strode to her car, she was already formulating the conversation she’d need to have with Leo.

When she got home, she called him, ready to get to the heart of the matter.

“Hey there. How are you?” His voice was warm.

“Well, actually, I’ve been better. I’ve just had a visit from Joanna. She came to the center and took a class, then approached me in the parking lot.”

She heard a tsk of disapproval on the other end of the line. “What did she say?”

“It was what she didn’t say—a warning to stay away from you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Leo, listen. You told me you’re ready to move on. She doesn’t seem to understand that. I have very strong feelings for you, too, but I can’t let myself get in the middle of this.”

She heard a loud sigh before Leo spoke again. “She’s having a hard time coming to grips with the situation. I’m trying to be kind. But you have to believe me—I want to look ahead, not back. And when I look ahead, I see you.” He paused, as if to let that sink in. “I hope you feel the same. And I hope you’ll stick around while I sort everything out.”

“I want to, but …” She trailed off, certain he’d prompt her to finish her thought.

“But what?” he asked softly.

She smiled—he wanted to know, wanted to make things right with her. “I … I hate thinking of her living there still.”

Leo cleared his throat. “I’m working on that. She’s going to be gone soon. I promise.”

Piper didn’t answer right away, letting him sweat it out, then finally spoke. “Please don’t make me wait too long.”

| 14 |

JOANNA

After my terrible yoga class and awkward conversation with Piper, I needed to wind down. I checked on a sleeping Evie and Stelli, whom the sitter had put to bed, then poured myself a large glass of merlot. Whatever was going on or not going on between them, it was clear to me that she was uncomfortable seeing me, a flesh-and-blood reminder that Leo wasn’t actually on the market. Though I’d intended only to make that clear to her, I worried that my confronting her might have forced his hand. What I didn’t realize then was that I was about to take too many false steps and make too many mistakes.

I wanted to look my best when he got home, so I headed to the closet and looked through the dresses hanging there. Each time I’d seen Piper, she’d looked like she’d stepped off the pages of some kind of glossy magazine, and I didn’t want him to compare my more casual style with hers and find me lacking.

My eyes were drawn to a red cocktail dress, which I pulled off the rail, unzipped, and stepped into. It was tight, but if I dimmed the lights, maybe he wouldn’t notice. After squeezing out of it and laying it carefully on the bed, I went to the dresser, found some Spanx, and pulled them on. I squeezed into the dress a second time—it fit better now—and applied some red Chanel lipstick, smoothed my hair, and went downstairs to wait. I was sitting in the corner of the living room, sipping my wine, when my phone rang.

My mother’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hi, Mom.”

A voice I didn’t recognize came over the line. “Hello, is this Mrs. Doyle’s daughter?”

I felt my stomach drop. “Yes?”

“I’m calling from Norwalk Hospital. Your mother fell and broke her leg. She’s going into surgery shortly, but she asked us to call you before she was taken in.”

“Oh my gosh! I’ll be right there.” As I rushed back into the hallway, Leo walked in the front door and we almost collided.

His eyes widened when he saw me. “What are you wearing?”

“I … I just wanted to look nice. Please, Leo,” I said, running up the stairs, “I wanted to talk tonight, but my mom’s in the hospital. I have to change and get over there.”

“What happened?” He followed me to the second floor.

“She broke her leg. That’s all I know. I have to get to the hospital.”

“Yes, of course. I’m so sorry to hear it. Call and let us know how she is, okay?”

I left the house, touched by Leo’s concern.

When I got home late the next afternoon, I was exhausted. I’d spent the night at the hospital in a chair next to my mother’s bed. She looked so frail and vulnerable, and I wished there was something I could do to help her as she moaned in agony, despite the painkillers the doctor had prescribed. It was a displaced fracture, but it could have been worse. She could have broken a hip and been sent to a rehab facility. She did, however, need someone to take care of her at home. I’d asked her to come stay at the house, but she refused, saying she wanted to be in her own space, not to have to worry about Leo looking down on her, thinking she was not up to his so-called social standards. She’d always felt insecure around him, and no amount of reassurance on my part could change that.

Leo got home early for a change. I’d already filled him in on Mom’s condition by text, but I had to tell him what I’d decided in the meantime. As soon as he came into the kitchen, I cleared my throat. “I need to go and stay with her until she’s back on her feet, or at least until I can find someone to help her.”

He nodded. “Of course, you should do whatever you have to do. I can arrange for a sitter for the rest of the week. And Rebecca’s coming back on Monday anyway, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe I could take Stelli and Evie with me?” The thought of leaving them behind was more than upsetting.

But Leo shook his head. “We can’t disrupt their routines like that. Besides, your mother only has two bedrooms. Joanna, you should focus on her right now. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

I packed myself a bag of clothes with a heavy heart. And then I thought that maybe it would be good to give him a chance to miss me. Perhaps a little space would do us both some good.

The children were upset when I hugged them goodbye, but I promised that I’d be back as soon as I could and that we’d talk every day. And of course, they could come and see me, only briefly on the days when they had after-school activities, but at least it was something.

I followed Leo down the front steps as he carried my bag to the car. I spotted the gardener in the distance, trimming the tall hedges along the perimeter, and took one last look around the property before leaving. The garden beds were meticulously cared for, and they were a riot of color, lush with blooms of red, purple, and yellow. I caught the exquisite scent of roses as I neared my car, and turned, standing still to look again at the house I was leaving, feeling a vague sense of foreboding. The sound of the trunk slamming startled me, and then Leo walked around to the driver’s side, opening the door for me. I looked at him before getting into the car, waiting for him to say he would miss me, but he simply patted me on the shoulder and said, “Give your mother my best. It’s good that you’ll be there for her.”

And that was it. I drove the twenty minutes to my mother’s, tears blurring my vision the entire way. I’d brought her home earlier that morning and had asked a neighbor to stay with her while I ran out. The medical supply company had set up a hospital bed in the living room, where Mom would sleep, so she didn’t have to try to navigate stairs with her cast and crutches, and so that I could stay close by to wait on her.

The week went by in a blur. The only bright spot each day was when the sitter brought the kids over. They were so sweet to Mom, and she seemed a little cheered by their presence, although I could tell she was happy to have my undivided attention when it came time for them to leave. As they pouted, I explained why I couldn’t go home with them, but Stelli cried for the first few days.

It about killed me. I couldn’t do this much longer. I had to find a nurse or someone to stay the night so I could go back and be with my family. One day, just after the kids had left, I broached the subject with my mother, and she looked at me with fury in her eyes.

“I took care of you for your whole life, and you can’t sacrifice a few weeks of yours for me?”

“Mom, it’s not that,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. “The kids need me, too. I asked you to come stay with us, but you insisted on being here. Please try to understand.”

“I understand—you care more about that hotshot lawyer than your mother. The children have sitters and their father. They’ll be fine.”

“I know, Mom. But they’re young. It’s too hard for them to come here and then go home without me.”

“Fine, Joanna. Abandon your mother. Just remember that I gave up my career for you. I stayed home with you when you had mono. Remember? For six months I couldn’t work, and they gave my promotion to someone else. Who knows what direction my life would have taken if I’d been made a manager at my company? Instead, I lost my job. Your father left us for that woman and her daughter. And I took care of you after he was gone, even though you were already eighteen. I could have kicked you out like a lot of parents do when their kids come of age.”