Some Women (21 page)

“See? I told you! I'll give the credit to my mom on that one.” Mackenzie smiled again, this time more vibrantly. “Who knows? Maybe you guys will get back together.”

“I'm not getting my hopes up, but I imagine it's possible. Actually, I admit that I have been thinking about it lately. He's been looking at me differently—like he used to when we first started dating.”

“Definitely a good sign, if you ask me.” Piper shot Mackenzie a warning look while she thought Annabel wasn't paying attention.

“What?” Annabel was instantly defensive.

“Nothing.” Piper tried to dismiss Annabel's concern.

“It's not nothing. I saw that cautionary expression on your face.” Annabel turned toward Mackenzie. “So?”

“Don't look at me. I have no idea what's going on.” Mackenzie held her hands in the air, palms facing forward.

“I don't know how to say this.” Piper dropped her head. She hadn't meant to bring it up tonight. The last thing she needed was the third degree from Annabel, while Fern was lying stiff as a British upper lip in a hospital bed.

“Just say it.” A note of urgency crept into Annabel's voice.

“I saw Henry when I was leaving the restaurant tonight.”

“Okay, and . . . ?” Annabel was on the edge of her seat, literally.

“And he wasn't alone. He was with Lillian.”

“That's nothing new. Been there, done that.” Annabel seemed momentarily relieved.

“They were kissing.”

“Excuse me?” Annabel's eyes bulged, as did Mackenzie's. “Kissing where?”

“Outside. In the parking lot.”

“Not their
location
.
Where was he kissing her?
On the
cheek
? On the
forehead
? On the
hand
?” Her next words caught in her throat and her eyes flooded with tears. “On the lips?” She could barely speak the last part.

“On the lips,” Piper murmured, as if not saying it too loud might mean it had never happened. “I'm so sorry.”

“No, it's fine. It's fine. I'm a complete idiot. That's what's going on here. I'm a complete fucking idiot. Why would I ever think he was going to come back to me? So stupid. So, so, stupid.” She flew out of her chair. “I need to get some air.”

“Annabel.” Mackenzie stood too, ready to follow her outside.

“Don't.
Please
.” She turned her back on both of them, bowed her head, and walked hurriedly toward the door. “I just I need to be alone right now.”

A half hour had passed with no sign of Annabel. Max had returned with snacks and then made himself scarce once again to drive over to Piper's house and to get clothing for her and Fern, so they'd have something fresh to change into. The chemistry between Piper and Max had been palpable, even in the few minutes Mackenzie had seen them interacting. Had Todd noticed the same? It had taken a good deal of Mackenzie's willpower to hold back from mentioning it. Surely Piper was no longer romantically interested in Max. She could barely look at him without a disdain so obvious, it might as well have been written across her forehead with an indelible marker. Still, they had an undeniable connection. A connection that extended beyond their shared child.

“How are you holding up?” Mackenzie was seated next to Piper at the base of Fern's bed. The nurse had informed them that Fern would likely sleep through the night without waking up. This had
alarmed Piper at first, but once the nurse had explained that it was completely normal and that Fern needed her rest, Piper had appeared to take it in stride.
Appeared
being the operative word.

“Well, you know, I've been better.” Piper exhaled loudly. Her mood had been erratic, to say the least. It was hard to know what might set her off, so Mackenzie was trying her best to tiptoe around things—to stick to benign areas of conversation—but it wasn't easy, given all that was going on.

“Max seems like he's being helpful,” she offered, unaware as to whether the mere mention of his name would rile Piper.

“He has been.” She nodded. “Took him long enough, don't you think?”

“I'd say so,” Mackenzie agreed, for fear of doing anything but. Not that there was much she could say in Max's defense anyway. “I guess better late than never.”

“I'm not sure about that,” Piper grumbled. “But I'll take what I can get for now. Especially since Todd isn't here.”

“Are you upset about that? I can call him if you'd like, give a little nudge.”

“No, it's okay. Honestly, I'm not sure I have any right to be annoyed at him, given how I took off without him, although it would be nice to have him around.”

“Does he know Max is with you?” Mackenzie pressed. If she were Todd, she wasn't sure if she'd be racing to Piper's side either. It was a tangled web they'd woven, and one misstep could quite realistically unravel everything.

“He does,” Piper replied unapologetically.

“That makes sense, then. He's probably trying to let you guys
handle this, since Fern is your daughter.” She cleared her throat. “And Max's.”

“I know. But still. He's been more of a father to Fern than Max ever was. And . . .” Piper hunched her body and then pressed the tips of her fingers into her eyelids to stop the tears from flowing.

“And what, sweetie? You can talk to me,” Mackenzie encouraged, placing her hand gently on Piper's shoulder. “I know it's a lot right now.”

“I can't believe I just left him down on the ground on one knee in the restaurant. Midproposal.” Piper was crying faintly now. “Of course he doesn't want to be around me! What kind of person does that?”

“The kind of person who's an amazing mother.” Mackenzie stroked Piper's back rhythmically. “The kind of person who puts her child ahead of everyone else. That's the kind of mother I hope to be someday. He has to understand that you were focused on your daughter when you got the news that she was injured. It's simply the kind of person you are.”

“Come on—even you couldn't believe I'd done that.”

“It took me a minute, but as soon as I thought about it, I knew you'd done the right thing. Beyond that, you did what any other concerned parent would have done.”

“If the reverse had happened, I'd be mortified. He doesn't deserve this. I don't deserve him.” Piper shook her head. “Maybe I should have taken a second to breathe, you know? I could have tried to collect myself. I should have had him drive me to the hospital, rather than running out on him. God, I don't know what to do now.”

“Well, I'm telling you, you made an understandable choice in the moment.”

“Thank you.” Piper smiled for the first time since she'd arrived at the hospital.

“You're very welcome.” Mackenzie smiled back. She had so many questions, but yet she kept silent. What would Piper have said if Max's call hadn't interrupted Todd's marriage proposal? What did she think would happen now? Would Todd rescind? Would Max try to stand in the way? It was clear that he still loved Piper as more than the mother of his child. Her mind was spinning, but her mouth remained shut.

“I'm a little worried about Annabel. Do you think she's coming back?”

“I hope so. She left her purse and jacket.” Mackenzie motioned to a pile on the counter in the corner of the hospital room.

“Right, sorry. I'm in another world. I can't believe I saw him.”

“Henry?”

“Yeah. And, trust me, there was nothing platonic about the kiss.”

“Ugh. Poor Annabel. I guess she was the smart one all along. Honestly, I wasn't sure. I was hoping Henry might be one of the good guys.”

“I know. Me too.”

“It's times like this we should be thankful for Trevor and Todd.”

“If Todd still wants to be with me.” Piper buried her face in her palms. “What have I done?”

“Don't worry about that for now. You have enough on your mind already. Plus, you don't go from wanting to marry someone to walking away just because life didn't go as planned.”

“I'm not so sure about that.” Then Fern shifted in her bed, and Piper's head popped up. “Things have been awkward between us ever since Max arrived. If anything, I thought I'd been pushing Todd away by allowing Max to get to know Fern.”

“Well, clearly he saw things differently.” Mackenzie paused, unsure whether to go there. “You would have said yes, right?”

“Of course!” Piper answered quickly. And then, seemingly thinking better of it, added, “I think so. I mean, I love him. More than anything.”

“But?” Mackenzie had suspected there might be a
but
.

“But nothing. I don't know. It's just . . .” She hesitated. “Things are so complicated now with Max in the picture. And Fern thinking she has her father back for good. She was already on edge given that Todd had moved in with us.”

“Sure. I understand.” Only she didn't. What she wanted to tell Piper was that Max's presence shouldn't matter. That if she wanted to marry Todd, whether it happened next week or next year, she wouldn't be wavering in her reply.

“Well, that makes one of us!” Piper laughed feebly. “Do you think maybe you should go check on Annabel?”

“Only if you promise you'll be okay for a few minutes alone.”

“I'm fine.” She sniffed. “I swear. Go ahead.”

“Can I bring you anything? Some coffee? A bottle of vodka?” She smirked.

“Actually, you could do me a favor.”

“Anything,” Mackenzie agreed eagerly. In situations like these, she was a doer. She'd never felt comfortable sitting around wallowing, far preferring to take matters into her own hands. To put a plan into action.

“Since I know I'm going to be here all night—and I do not expect you or Annabel to stay with me.
Seriously
—it would be super helpful to have some work to distract me. You know, get my mind off of everything.”

“Sure, no problem. You want me to run to the office?” Mackenzie stood up and gathered her coat and handbag.

“I know it's a pain.”

“It's no problem at all.”

“Thank you.” Piper acknowledged the favor gratefully. “I'd ask Lucy, but I'm sure she's long gone for the day.”

“It's really no big deal. Trevor has a late dinner tonight anyway. And I'm probably the only one you know who has the key.”

“That's true.” Piper salvaged a tissue from the depths of her encumbered purse and blew her nose into it loudly. “Classy, huh?” She sniggered. “Okay, so anyway, when you get to my office, you'll see a thick red folder on my desk. It's the only red folder there, and it'll have a bunch of different case documents in it. If you have any questions, just call me.”

“I'm on it.” Mackenzie saluted, continuing to endeavor to lighten the mood.

“You're the best. Thank you again. And please tell Annabel I'm so sorry. Go figure: the one time we're not actually spying on Henry is the moment we catch him in the act.”

“As they say, when you least expect it . . .” She swiveled on her toes and headed for the door. “I'll see you in about an hour.”

Mackenzie made her way along the barren corridor, stopping in front of the elevator to press the Down button. She'd always hated hospitals—the heady scent of urine and illness, the maudlin expressions on each passing face, even the ones whose job it was to appear happy.
With Trevor gone for the evening, she'd planned to go directly home after work, slip into a full tub of warm water, and, with a plate of cheese and a glass of white wine, soak her tired body beneath a layer of frothy bath bubbles. Unfortunately, that plot had been thwarted. Still, after a night like Piper and Annabel had endured, Mackenzie knew she didn't have anything to complain about. When the elevator door opened, she stepped inside just before it closed behind her.

“Mackenzie?” She looked up to find James Blake standing in front of her. “What are you doing here? I hope everything is okay.”

“Oh, hey!” She smiled, blushing slightly. There was something about a doctor in a lab coat. “Yes, I'm all right—thank you for asking. My friend's daughter had a little accident, but she's going to be completely fine.”

“I'm so sorry to hear that. Although I am pleased to hear her diagnosis is positive.” The elevator chimed and the doors slid open again. James extended his hand to indicate that she should exit first. “I'm actually in between shifts. Do you have time for a quick bite or just a cup of coffee? I'll regale you with the details of last night's performance of
Rigoletto
at the Met!”

“I wish I did.” It was the truth. She liked being around him, even though they'd never spent more than twenty minutes together. There was something calming about his demeanor that comforted her. “I'd give anything to talk Verdi for hours, but my friend asked me to grab a folder from her office, so I'm on my way there now. Will you still be free in an hour or so?”

“Sorry, no. I'll be back on call.” He frowned. “Can I take a rain check?”

“You most certainly can.” She couldn't help but grin. “It was nice to see you again, even so briefly.”

“It was nice to see you too.” He paused, watching her intently. “Funny how we keep bumping into each other.”

“It must be fate.” She laughed.

“It must be.”

•   •   •

She hadn't stopped smiling. Not on the short walk to the parking garage. Not during the car ride from the hospital to her office. It had been years since she'd had a friend of the opposite sex. Probably since college. And not because Trevor would have minded. But because she'd never had an occasion to meet one. Rarely were there any men in her exercise classes and, even if there were, they weren't there to socialize. There were a few men at Mead with whom she exchanged the occasional high five or chitchatted in the hallway for a minute or two between meetings, but that was where it ended. When you worked with your husband and your mother-in-law ran the company, somehow that placed you on a level where other employees didn't feel comfortable shooting the shit with you.

For whatever reason, she was grateful that James had entered her life, and he seemed like someone she wanted to get to know better. She had noticed there was no wedding band on his left hand, and she wondered if he had a girlfriend. He'd never mentioned as much, but they hadn't spent a lot of time together. And when they had, their conversation had remained light and easy. She'd have to remember to ask him next time she bumped into him, which did appear to be happening with curious regularity. If he did, maybe the four of them could go on a double date. If not, maybe she could set him up with Annabel, once she was ready to start dating again.
Although she wasn't sure Annabel would be his type. She couldn't put her finger on why exactly; it was just hard to envision them as a couple. Not to mention that she definitely couldn't see Annabel at the opera. She was just a little too uptight to immerse herself in something so cathartic.

Mackenzie rode the elevator up to the second floor of the Mead Media building. She fished around in her purse for the key to the main door before noticing it was already slightly ajar. That was odd. It was already well past ten o'clock. Everyone should have been long gone by now, save for the people who would be at their printing press on the other side of town most of the night, putting the morning issue of the
Journal
to bed. Perhaps it was the cleaning staff? Though, if she recalled correctly from her early days burning the midnight oil, they too had typically packed everything up and headed home by this late hour.

She crept through the space quietly, checking around each corner, just in case. All of the offices were dark except Trevor's and Piper's. She peeked into her husband's office, which was empty. Flipping the lights off and closing the door behind her, she skulked her way to Piper's office. Could that be the faint din of voices she was hearing? The door was closed, but there was unquestionably someone in there. At least one person.

“Lucy?” she whispered. What if it wasn't her?
This is the point,
she thought,
in all of those horror movies where the audience would likely be screaming at the screen for me to get the hell out of here as fast as humanly possible before Freddie or Jason or that guy from
Scream
with the menacing black-and-white mask—mouth agape and jelly-bean eyes—comes chasing after me, wielding a bloody knife.