When she pulled away, Ben loaded Gray into the stroller and, together, they headed back toward the apartment. I considered following them, letting him know he’d been caught, but I wondered if he’d attempt to lie again. I needed to know everything I could about this woman before I told Ben I knew anything.
So, I followed the woman instead. We drove away from downtown, then away from the outskirts of town and out of Oceanside altogether. The midday traffic wasn’t nearly rush hour, so I found it easy to keep track of her. I had a text from Dannika waiting on my phone, asking if everything was all right, but I couldn’t respond. I had to keep my focus.
She exited the interstate toward Crestview with just three cars in between us. I’d never been to the tiny town of Crestview, though it was just under an hour from my apartment. We drove past a small diner, past a rundown barber shop, a few abandoned buildings, and a vet clinic, past the small park, and down a long, twisted street with no sidewalk. The Spanish moss hung in the trees, making the neighborhood picturesque. It was everything I loved about North Carolina and the South in general. If I weren’t so focused, so angry, so hurt, I may have been able to appreciate it more.
Finally, she pulled into a small, one-story house with white, metal siding and black shutters. I drove past, turning on the next street and making a lap around the block. There was nowhere on the quiet street for me to park that wouldn’t draw attention to myself. I drove slowly back toward the house just in time to see her front door shut. Knowing where she lived wasn’t enough. I needed to know her. I needed to know why she was better than me.
I pulled the car over to park three houses down from hers on the side of the road and walked back toward her house. From the angle I was standing, I could see a tree house in her backyard. I looked around the neighborhood. There was no one outside, no blinds pulled sideways as they tried to decide what this stranger was doing there. I hurried up the sidewalk and down the privacy fence of her neighbor, toward her backyard. It was a miracle I made it without being stopped, but I did.
It was the middle of the day, and I was finely dressed. If I were to get stopped, I was hopeful I’d be able to lie my way out of any trouble. I walked along the back of her house, careful with each step, looking for dogs or any signs of kids or a husband. There were none. The back patio was scattered with leaves, and I was careful to make quiet steps as I walked across. The blinds were all drawn up, giving me a clear view into the house, but, at the same time, it gave her a clear view out. I needed to determine where she was, so I could decide whether climbing into the tree house would be safe. I didn’t want to be caught.
The ladder to the tree house was on the back side of the tree, facing away from the house, and without allowing myself to second-guess my decision, I launched forward, digging my heels into the soggy ground and throwing myself against the tree. I looked out to the side, staring into the windows of the house. It was small and quaint. Sparsely decorated. There was a single couch in the open-concept living room and a small, plain kitchen. She was standing at the counter, talking on the phone with her back to me.
I climbed the ladder, my heels slipping on each mildewy piece of board, and I pulled myself up into the tiny tree house In the corner, a wasp buzzed. Normally, I would’ve run away from it, but at that moment, I was too laser-focused on my anger.
I walked toward the edge of the tree house nearest the house, my pants covered in dirt. There was no way I could go into the office now, regardless, so I was no longer concerned with the time. The walls and branches gave me a perfect hideaway up here. I was protected, but she was not. I could see directly into the house, though she could no longer see me.
With sudden relief, I sank down to the floor, watching carefully as she ended the phone call, laying her phone down on the counter and walking toward the cabinet. She opened it and grabbed a jar of peanut butter, pulling a spoon from the drawer and beginning to eat straight from the jar, seemingly lost in thought.
She wasn’t beautiful, and I didn’t think it was judgy to say so. She was plain, with frizzy hair and eyes that were too close together. She had a better figure than I did, her waist much smaller, hips slightly wider, but smaller breasts. Much smaller than mine now that I was nursing.
She had freckles across her shoulders while mine were creamy smooth. I wanted to pick her apart, find any and all flaws with her, because I had to know why he’d chosen her, and I had to believe he’d chosen wrong.
Buzz. Buzz.
A scream nearly escaped my throat as my phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking up the tension. I stood, trying to calm my shaking hands as I pulled it out.
The office.
“H-hello?” I said, keeping my voice low.
“Hey, babe, where are you?” It was Dannika.
“I had to go to a client meeting this morning,” I lied. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s more than okay,” she said in a singsong voice. “Your little cutie came by to see you.”
My heart plummeted, and I grasped onto the wall of the tree house, pulling myself up. “What?”
“Ben’s here. He brought Gray by for a visit. Should I tell him it’ll be awhile? Are you close?”
I trembled with fear, the lump in my stomach metastasizing as cold fear traveled through my body at breakneck speed. I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel calm again. Not with all I knew—all I was hiding. All he was hiding. “Tell him I’ll be there soon. I’m just wrapping up.”
“Sure thing.” She clicked her tongue. “I’ll see you soon.”
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me, and let the phone slide down away from my ear.
Ben hadn’t texted or called. Why on earth was he at my office? My phone screen reverted to my normal background—a photo of the three of us, letting me know the call had disconnected, but I could only hear her words ringing in my ears.
Ben’s here.
Chapter Eight
I rushed into the office, hair flying, pants covered in dirt. I dusted my legs off with each step, practically falling over myself as I went.
“Slow down. Where’s the fire?” Howie asked, lowering the headset from his ear. “Oh, wait, he’s in your office.” He winked, pointing me toward my office, where I could see the outline of my husband sitting across from my desk through the frosted glass.
“Did he say what he’s doing here?” I asked, keeping my voice low.
Howie shook his head slowly. “I…no. Should I have asked? Dannika was the one who talked to him. I didn’t know.”
“No, it’s fine,” I assured him, trying to seem less concerned than I was. I could count on one hand the number of times Ben had showed up at my office, and never without warning.
“The baby’s cuter than you, by the way,” Howie teased as I walked past, and I cast a grin back at him that I hoped looked playful.
I pushed my office door open, dread sitting heavy in my stomach. What was he doing here? What did he know? Why should I feel guilty when I’d done nothing wrong? Nothing short of trespassing, anyway.
Ben stood, looking me over as he leaned in to give me a hug. I held my breath in fear I’d catch a whiff of an unfamiliar perfume and it would break me. I couldn’t break down right now. I had to stay strong. “Hey, honey. Sorry to surprise you like this.”