I could feel the tension slowly leaving her body as she breathed.
“Your espresso’s going to be ice cold,” she said finally, her voice muffled against my shirt.
“My what?”
“I brought you a double espresso and some pastries. On the side table.”
My expression was probably half smile, half confusion. “Okay. Thank you.”
“And—” Piper gasped, sitting up. “I need my phone. Where’s my coat?”
“Right here, sw—” I cleared my throat. I’d almost just called hersweetheart. The hell was I doing?
I fished Piper’s phone from one of the pockets. As soon as she had it, her fingers started flying over the screen.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I’m texting the principal at Ollie’s school. Making sure if Danny shows up there, they notify me immediately.” Her jaw was tight as she typed.
“You think he’ll go after Ollie?” I was ready to put Piper in my truck and drive to the school right now.
“No, I…” She shook her head. “I don’t know. I have custody, so they won’t let Ollie leave with him without my prior authorization, but I’ll feel better if I say something.” She finished the text and set her phone down, pulling the blanket tighter.
“Can you tell me what happened before I got here?” My voice was gruffer than I’d intended, but thinking of Danny had me fighting back anger again.
What I wouldn’t give to break a few of the teeth in his pretty-boy mouth. But that thought really wasn’t helping right now.
Piper took another shaky breath. “I came by thinking you and I could talk, catch up. But you weren’t here, and then I heard a noise at the back of the house. When I looked through a side window, I saw him inside. Danny.” Her voice cracked on his name.
I put a hand on her knee over the blanket and massaged it gently. “Take your time.”
“He was looking for something,” she continued. “A box of my mom’s old stuff. Jewelry, mementos. Things like that.”
I cursed. “Are you kidding? Your mom’s jewelry?”
“I know, it’s absurd. All that stuff couldn’t havebeen worth more than two hundred dollars, and he owes me a whole lot more than that in back child support.”
This was the reason he’d lashed out at her? Two hundred dollars worth of jewelry? If that was true, Danny Carmichael was far more unhinged than Piper had told me. Unless something had drastically changed with the man.
Hard to believe that guy had been married to her. But I knew what it was like to put faith in someone and have that trust get stomped on.
“Danny claims there was something else that’s valuable in that box,” she went on. “He asked me about it on the phone last month, and I told him I wanted nothing to do with it. I didn’t think he’d break in here trying to find it.”
“He didn’t tell you anything more about this mystery item?”
She shook her head, frustration creasing her brow. “I didn’t even know he was back in Hart County. If there was something valuable, and Danny knew about it, why wouldn’t he have taken it before? Then he blamedmefor hiding whatever it is, as if I was plotting against him. As if you and I…”
She didn’t finish that sentence. Didn’t have to.
You’re sleeping with her, I’m guessing?
Joke was on Danny, because I wasn’t sleeping with Piper. But I sure as hell wanted to. If I could be so lucky.
“I haven’t seen any boxes of jewelry,” I said, wracking my brain. “Or your mom’s mementos. I would’ve given it to you if I had.”
“No, I know. None of this makes any sense.”
There’d been plenty of boxes in the basement, but I’d sorted through them. I was planning to donate most of the contents. None of it was very personal, certainly not valuable. Same with all the sewing supplies from the previous renter.
