She sighs as she closes her eyes.
There’s only one way to find out.
—
Nick comes out of his bathroom and returns to the window, relieved to find the street empty again. As it should be at this hour of the morning. He looks over at his wife, wondering if she’s asleep or just pretending to be. Normally, she’s an extremely light sleeper, so attuned to the kids’ needs that she wakes up at the slightest disturbance. But she didn’t so much as stir when Aiden started banging on Maggie’s door.
“What were you talking to Maggie about earlier?” he’d asked Dani as they were getting ready for bed.
“Nothin’,” she’d insisted.
“You were talking for quite a while. It had to be about something.”
“Just the usual small talk. ‘How are you? What’s been doin’?’ That sort of thing. Nothin’ important.”
“You’re sure?”
“ ’Course I’m sure.”
“I don’t like her.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t trust her. She’s a troublemaker.”
“She’s not…”
“Don’t be naïve. Some women, when their husbands leave them, they can’t resist making trouble for other people under the guise of friendship.”
“Maggie’s not like that.”
“How do you know what she’s like?”
“Well, I don’t….”
“No, you don’t. ButIdo. And I don’t think you should be talking to her anymore.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“But that’s crazy. We live right next door.”
“Are we going to have a problem here, Dani?”
“What? No. No problem.”
“Good.”
Luckily, that ended the discussion. Now there was only one more thing that needed to be dealt with. Nick takes a last look out the window, then walks to the bed. He gives Dani’s raised thigh a not-too-gentle slap. “Wake up.”
Dani bolts up in bed. “What’s happenin’? Are the boys…?”
“The boys are fine.”
She struggles to get her breathing under control. “Is somethin’ wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”