Page 53 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

I looked over to her profile and found her dark eyes waiting.

She came here for the same reason.

Smoke from the barbeque drifted my way, and I forced my gaze away from Piper. “Want to grab the salads from the fridge and the rolls? I’ll bring these in.”

“Sure.” She stood, taking our beers inside.

Then we got ourselves situated to dish up and dive into the meal.

“This is fantastic,” she said after a few bites of her pork. “What did you do?”

I shrugged. “It’s a mole mix I made from scratch.”

She almost choked. “And you said you couldn’t cook.”

I grinned and took another bite. “I can’t cook much. But I rarely ruin my meat.”

She laughed just as her phone rang from her purse on the coffee table. “Shoot.” She tossed down her napkin and rushed across the room. “Sorry. I should have shut this off.”

I waved my fork at her. “It’s fine.”

“I, uh . . .” She looked at the screen with indecision on her face. “I better take this. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.”

She turned her back to me, taking a couple of steps down the hallway toward the bedroom and bathroom. My place was small, so no matter where Piper went, I heard her voice. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it was unavoidable as she hovered outside the bathroom.

“Hi.” Her voice was strained as she spoke quietly. “I’m kind of busy right now. Did you need something?”

I chewed one bite, then another as Piper stayed silent. I glanced over my shoulder to see her shoulders bunched up to her neck. Who was she talking to?

“I’m sorry you had a rough day.” She sighed. “I know it bothers you, but a couple of days off could be a good thing. I jus—”

The other person on the phone cut her off. I set down my fork, not even trying to pretend I wasn’t listening.

“Fine,” she clipped. “I’m sorry. But can I call you later to talk about this?”

She was quiet for too long to have gotten a simple okay.

I spun in my chair, my hackles rising as she hung her head. When her shoulders curled in on themselves, I nearly shot out of my chair. But I stayed put as she said a quiet, “Yes, I am.”

Who was this? Family? A friend? Whoever it was, I didn’t like how the air in the room had shifted. An icy blast from her phone was making our food cold.

I was seconds away from interrupting her when she snapped. “I’m not talking about this right now.”

The voice on the other end of the line got louder and Piper held it an inch away from her ear. Then she put the end with the speaker to her lips and blurted, “I have to go.”

I spun around to my plate as she turned and emerged from the hallway. She tossed the phone on top of her purse and returned to the table. Without a word, she grabbed her beer, tipped the bottom to the ceiling and drank it dry.

“Everything all right?”

She put a fist to her chest as the carbonation worked its way free. Then she grabbed her utensils. “My ex-husband hasn’t quite adjusted to our divorce yet.”

“I see.” I stood from my seat and went to the fridge, getting her another beer. When I set it down by her plate, she reached for it immediately and took a long drink. When she went back to her food, the fork and knife shook in her hands.

Piper was normally so collected and balanced. The only time I’d seen her lose it had been on the ridge. So what had the ex said to get her so riled up? Did I even have the right to ask?

Curiosity won out. “What does the ex-husband do for a living?”