Or I could just apologize to him. But for what? He should be apologizing to me, not the other way around. And I hadn’t heard anything from him either. Earlier today when I thought I might die, apologizing had been on my mind. But now that I was nowhere near Poppy? I was still mad at him. Yes, over the years he’d apologized a lot for what happened with Brooklyn. But I don’t think he knew exactly what he was apologizing for. He’d fucking ruined my life.
I turned onto my street and pulled into an empty spot along the sidewalk. Screw James. I didn’t need his stupid tiny cameras. I pulled out my phone and brought up a camera option on Amazon. Why were all of these so big? I had typed in discreet. I didn’t have the patience for searching for stuff like this. I sighed and climbed out of my car. If Mary wasn’t so nosy, I would have asked her to research them. But she would have had tons of questions. Maybe this was why all my friends had a staff. To do stuff like this. Maybe I could ask Nigel to do it…
“Matt.”
I’d been so distracted on my phone that I didn’t realize there was someone sitting on my front stoop. I looked up at Penny. Her cheeks were rosy and I could tell she’d been sitting out here in the cold for a long time. But what was worse was that her eyes were slightly red like she’d been crying.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey?” She shook her head. “That’s all you have to say?”
What did she want me to say? It was pretty clear that her asshole of a husband had made her cry. But I didn’t bother asking her if she’d been crying. Because I knew she’d deny it. We were both quiet for a minute. Her staring at me from the stoop. And me just standing there like an idiot.
“I should have texted you. I forgot you have practice after work and I shouldn’t have just shown up…. But can I come in? Please? We need to talk and I’m freezing.”
I didn’t love the idea of needing to talk. That was never good. But I wouldn’t make her stand out here in the cold anymore. I quickly opened the door and ushered her inside.
She sighed. “It’s so nice and warm in here.” She rubbed her hands together.
“Let me get you a cup of tea.”
She smiled, but it looked forced. “That sounds lovely. You must have a really smart friend that thought ahead and bought you a teakettle.”
“A smart and thoughtful friend, yeah.”
I filled the kettle up with water and turned on the stove. When I turned back to her, she’d peeled off her coat and was sitting at the kitchen counter. I stayed on the other side of the island. I hated seeing her upset. And I knew if I was next to her I’d touch her. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
“I tried texting you earlier,” I said. “I figured you’d canceled our plans.”
“Yeah. I was going to.” She shook her head. “I probably should have.”
That didn’t really answer my question. “But you changed your mind?”
She didn’t reply.
I couldn’t read her tonight. Was she upset with James? Or was she upset with me? Because it kind of seemed like she was pissed at me. Had James told her about Brooklyn? I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what she knew. I wasn’t even sure how much of James and my conversation she’d overheard the other night, if any. It was better to play it safe. “I’m sorry that I barged in last night,” I said. “I should have just called.”
“Called?” She finally made eye contact with me. “No, Matt. What you should have done was told James and me right away that someone threatened our daughter.”
“Penny, I’m sorry…”
“You could have gotten her killed.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sure James has already given you a piece of his mind. And you don’t need to hear it from me too. But I’m really freaking mad at you, Matt.”
I swallowed hard. So she was mad at me. Not James. Fuck.
“James is furious with you. But you know I always try to see the good in people…” her voice trailed off. “James and I got in a fight. And I…I just needed to talk to you.”
So he had made her cry? It was easier to latch on to that