a list of all the things I needed to do each day and gave me something other than Jerry’s death to focus on. Remember? You said it was normal to be sad and torn up, but to ‘suck it up, buttercup,’ because I had a baby who needed a mother. I needed that more than you could ever know, Piper. And when you took me to the Mad House, that was genius.”
The Mad House, ten wooded acres with an old stone house and several outbuildings in various stages of disrepair, had been in the Dalton family for many generations. It was where Piper went to work out her frustrations by wielding a sledgehammer and doing as much damage as she could before wearing herself out.
“Wait a sec. I never knew you said that buttercup stuff to Bridgette. I’m glad it helped. But more importantly, you took her to the Mad House?” Willow asked, wide-eyed.
“Yes, she took me there,” Bridgette said. “Why?”
“Because she took me there the first time I came home from college freshman year.” Willow narrowed her eyes in Piper’s direction. “She told me to let it be our little secret.”
Piper shrugged. “Guilty as charged. I didn’t want your friends getting wind of it and turning it into make-out central. You both needed to go there. It was either that or listen to you sob into your pillows.”
“Did you ever take Talia there?” Willow asked.
“No. She would have launched into a diatribe about destroying property. Talia works through things in her own way. She confronts her worst fears head-on, which is funny since she’s the most timid of us all.”
“I know,” Bridgette said. “That is weird. But taking me to the Mad House worked so well. It felt amazing to smash that outdoor firepit. I have never felt so powerful or in control. I hurt all over the next day. I remember thinking I’d never be able to use my arms again, but it did the trick. You knew just what I needed. And you know what else, Piper? Harley knows exactly who you are and what you’re capable of. He wouldn’t ask you to help with the girls if he didn’t think you could handle it. And as far as all that flirting goes, the man is crazy about you.”
“That’s true.” Willow looked over a tray of tarts and said, “That man likes everything about you, construction boots and all. I think you’re worrying about nothing.”
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that he’s not really into me,” Piper snapped. “He just wants everyone to think that he is because he gets his jollies cockblocking me.”
“But—”
“Don’t go there, Willow,” Piper warned. “Harley and I are not happening.” Maybe if she said it enough times she wouldn’t have any more of those weird feelings when she saw him later.
“Didn’t you go out with his brother when we were kids?” Bridgette asked.
“Oh my gosh, that’s right! Marshall made you a rowboat, didn’t he?” Willow asked.
“Hardly. I built most of it while he checked out my ass and dicked around with his friends. But he did finish it when I got sick with the flu.”
Willow began mixing something in a bowl and said, “What happened to that thing?”
“It got ruined in a storm,” she lied. She’d taken that vibrant blue boat with winter-white stripes to the Mad House and beaten the hell out of it.
“Well, I still don’t understand why you don’t want to go out with Harley. It’s not like Marshall was the love of your life or anything. I don’t even remember you being upset when you two broke up.”
Of course she didn’t. There was only one person on earth who knew that secret, and Piper intended to keep it that way.
“It’s because I like Harley and I don’t want to ruin that by screwing him. You’ve seen the women he dates. They’re ladies. I’m . . . me. He needs a wife, kids, and a little picket fence around his lake house. You should see the way he spoils his dog. You are well aware that Harley is the marrying type, and I’m not.” Piper picked up the chocolate croissant and tore off a piece, popping it into her mouth. “Can we get off the Harley-and-Piper train now? I’m not looking for a husband. You don’t have to sell me on being a wife. I just need to figure out how I can help Jolie without screwing her up.”
“None of that will matter if