Page 80 of Tragic (Lark Cove 3)

I shut off the belt sander and popped my safety glasses up on my head. Then I brushed away the dust on the board in front of me, testing its texture with a swipe of my fingers.

“Not quite.” This piece of white oak would be the top to an end table, so the finish needed to be as smooth as satin.

I flipped my glasses back down, but before I could start up the sander again, a voice rang through the shop.

“Knock, knock.” Piper was standing in the large bay door that I’d opened this afternoon to keep the shop from getting too hot.

“Hey.” I slid my glasses off and wiped my dusty hands on my pants. “Not working today?”

She shook her head and stepped inside. “Got a sec?”

“Sure. What’s up? Feeling any better?”

“Um . . . not really.” Her hand went to her stomach and her face got green. She lifted a finger. “Be right back.”

“Can I hel—”

She shook her head, then spun around and darted out of the shop.

I hurried after her, reaching the door just in time to see her hurl in a bush.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“Get me a water. And don’t come over here.” She retched again.

“Okay.” I went back inside and to my mini fridge. I took out a bottle of water and waited for her to come back.

I hadn’t seen Piper much since the day I’d helped move her into the new house. She’d been sick, so I’d given her some space. One thing I’d learned was that she did not like me to see her vomit. And if I was being honest with myself, I’d used her stomach bug as an excuse to avoid her.

It had been a strange day, getting her moved into that house. Mostly because it was the first time I’d met her friends. The Kendricks were nice people, but something about meeting them had been too intimate. Piper had introduced me as her neighbor, which was true. But I hadn’t missed the way Thea looked at us. She saw Piper and me as a couple.

Because we looked like a couple.

There was nothing casual about our relationship. We’d drifted from occasional hookups in an Airstream to me stopping by Piper’s house last night to make sure she was drinking enough water because I didn’t want her to get dehydrated.

The right thing to do would be to take a step back, talk to Piper about establishing some boundaries.

She didn’t need to cook for me every night. I didn’t need to be included in activities with her friends.

Especially when Thea and Logan had their kids along.

Seeing their baby daughter had brought on a slew of emotions I just wasn’t ready to deal with yet. Over the last couple of months, Piper had shifted my focus. Instead of dwelling on the past and reliving the pain each day, she’d consumed my thoughts. She’d made me feel and, in a way, forget.

Then Camila Kendrick had brought it all back. That little girl was gorgeous with her dark eyes and dark hair. My daughter would have been just as beautiful. She would have had that same mesmerizing laugh. Her chubby fists would have looked so perfect clinging to the collar of my shirt, like Camila’s had to Logan’s. I would have bought her tiny shoes and an adorable pink romper too.

Camila was painful to be around, so I’d escaped to my shop. Piper had noticed, but she hadn’t brought it up.

Should I tell Piper about my baby girl? If I were to confide in anyone, it would be Piper. She’d become the best friend I’d ever had.

She laughed a lot. She made me laugh a lot. And I trusted her.

“Sorry.” Piper shuffled into the shop, her face pale. She’d pulled a piece of gum from her mouth and was chewing it furiously.

“It’s okay.” I took her the water and escorted her to the replacement chair I’d made for my porch. It was finished, flawless this time around, and I only needed to stain it to match its companion. “Sit down and just take it easy.”

She sat and took a few deep breaths as she sipped her water. When she lifted her eyes to mine, the fear in them kicked my heart into overdrive. “I, uh . . . I’ve been trying to think of the best way to tell you this.”

“What?”