Chapter 15
Fifteen
Emilio had a debrief at Mega Headquarters on Monday after the race weekend, which meant Piper and Gus were back to their two-person
show in London. A walk was in order before lunch, and they took their usual route, the one with the most dogs.
It felt different to come back to London now. A month ago, these surroundings had all been so foreign, it was as if she’d
landed on another planet. But now the street names were familiar. The cracks in the sidewalk. The markings on the pavement
that said, “Look right,” a warning for anyone who wasn’t accustomed to being a pedestrian in a country where they drove on
the left-hand side of the road. This felt comfortable now. A lot like home. Even though the sun wasn’t out. Even though her
family was an ocean away.
Up ahead on the sidewalk, Tasha the Pomeranian and her owner, Bronwyn, rounded the corner. Bronwyn waved and Piper did, too.
Gus’s tail whipped back and forth and he pulled hard on the leash. Piper picked up the pace while she dug in her pocket for
treats.
Gus and Tasha greeted each other with sniffs.
“Hi, Bronwyn. How are you?” Piper gave both dogs a treat.
“I’m good, thank you. But I think there’s a man following you,” Bronwyn said. “I spotted him as soon as I came round the corner.
He’s taking our picture.”
“What? Where?” Piper was in disbelief. There was no way someone was following her. She would’ve noticed.
“Over there.” She gestured with a nod. “Across the street. Behind the parked cars.”
Piper turned, and sure enough, a man with a long-lens camera ducked behind a blue MINI Cooper. “What in the world? Why would
he follow me?”
“Well, he’s certainly not following me. I write instruction manuals for household appliances. You’re the one who’s a dog nanny
for a Formula One driver.” Bronwyn cleared her throat. “And I understand love is in the air, too.”
“Love? Pfft. No.” Piper realized how defensive she sounded, but she wasn’t about to speak words like that into existence.
She and Emilio had confessed their feelings in Spain. They liked each other a lot. That was it. Nothing more. “Where did you
hear that?”
“It’s the talk of the neighborhood email loop.”
“There’s no way that’s the most interesting gossip you can come up with.”
“Emilio has kept to himself since he moved in. We’ve all been looking for an excuse to talk about him. It’s quite exciting.”
Piper would never fully understand some people’s fascination with celebrity, but she did understand the allure of F1 drivers.
She was currently under the spell of one. And as to how she would get out from under that spell? That was probably a hopeless
cause, but she’d deal with the fallout later. “What should I do about the photographer?”
“You could talk to him.”
Piper was not good with confrontations. She’d only yelled half of “Fuck you” at Victoria because she was so caught up in the
moment. “Maybe Gus and I will keep walking and I’ll see what happens. I have Gus if anything goes sideways.”
“Walk into a dog-friendly shop if you need to. The photographer won’t follow you in there.”
“Good idea. Thanks.” Piper said goodbye and she and Gus headed for the end of the block. When they reached the corner and
had to wait for the walk signal, Piper rolled her neck, nonchalantly peeking over her shoulder. The man quickly slipped behind
a tree, but she could still see his camera lens.
“Come on, Gus. Let’s grab a coffee.” There was no better time to try out The Good Coffee Shop than when wanting to hide from
someone, was there? Piper and Gus fast-walked the next two blocks then stopped in front. She had a hand on the shop door handle
when she saw the sign: No Pets Allowed. “Well, fuck.”
She turned and noticed a water bowl for dogs in front of the building. At least this was an opportunity to assess the situation.
“Good boy, Gus.” She crouched down to pet him while slyly scanning the street. The man was behind a lamppost.
This wasn’t getting any better. It was time for Piper to get over her fear of confrontation. As soon as Gus finished his drink,
she marched across the street with purpose. The frightened look on the man’s face was downright comical. As if Piper was any
sort of threat.
“Are you following me? Are you taking my picture?” It felt good to be blunt. Maybe she needed to stop going out of her way
to be pleasant.
“Free country. You’re outside. In a public place. I can take pictures of anyone I want.”
He had a point, but she still didn’t like it. “Why are you taking my photo?”
“Tabloids are offering decent pay for a shot of you and Emilio.”
Ugh. Apparently, people were not simply regarding Victoria’s comments as gossip. “Well, he’s not on this walk with me, is he?”
“No. He isn’t. Can you tell me when he’ll be coming home?”
Piper stepped closer. She’d never hit another living being in her life, but she sure felt like changing that. “I’m not answering
that.”
He raised his camera and took another photo.
“Stop that. Nobody cares about me.”
“They do now. You’re dating a Formula One driver. You’re a public figure.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No. You’re wrong.”
He held up his hands. “Look, Miss, don’t get mad at me. A guy’s gotta work. I’ve got one kid at home and my wife is pregnant
and it’s hard to make money as a photographer. Every fool with a phone is trying to take my job.”
Dammit. If ever there was a good excuse, that was it. “Just stop following me, okay? You’re making me feel unsafe.”
“I’d never hurt you. All I want is a photo of you and Emilio. Together. If you give it to me, I’ll go away.”
Piper felt certain Emilio would never go for it. And Piper agreed. Why feed the beast? “Sorry. I can’t help you.”
He shrugged. “Okay. Just don’t yell at me when you see me outside his house.”
“But I can’t help you.”
“And I have to find a way to get paid.”
Piper looked down at Gus, who delivered one of his sweet puppy-dog faces. This argument was not worth having. “Good luck catching
Emilio. He’s stealthy and he’s used to dodging you guys.”
“Sounds like a challenge to me.”
“It’s not.” She walked away.
Back at the house, Piper was hanging Gus’s leash in the back hall when she got a text from Harmony.
Can you send me the ingredients in the dog treats? You don’t have to share the recipe. I just want to ask my team if this
is something that can be manufactured at scale.
Sure.
Piper typed out the very simple list. This seemed like such an unlikely venture. Harmony would probably look at the ingredients
and decide the recipe was painfully obvious and simply make her own version.
Perfect! Also, do you have a lawyer?
A lawyer? She was a dog nanny, for God’s sake.
I don’t. But I can find one.
She supposed she’d ask Emilio for help with that.
No worries. Let me work on these ingredients and I’ll get back to you.
A few moments later, there was a follow-up.
Fresh egg whites or dried?
Fresh.
She couldn’t explain why this was bothering her, but it was. Perhaps the run-in with the photographer had put her off her
game. Or maybe it was because there was something about her dog treats she didn’t feel like sharing with the rest of humanity.
She liked what the treats accomplished in her world, however silly to most people. And sure, she’d wanted her world to open
up, but that didn’t mean she wanted it to be complicated.
Piper tossed in a load of laundry, ate lunch, then took a nap with Gus. She slept on her side, spooning him, and it was simply
lovely. She woke up to a text from her sister Meghan.
Can you call me when you have a minute?
Piper’s pulse picked up. A request for a phone call over text sent her paranoia into overdrive. She pressed the button on
speed dial, then scooted back on her bed, leaning against the headboard. Meghan answered in only two rings.
“Hey, you. How’s jolly old England?” Meghan’s voice over the phone was like a transatlantic hug. Piper had talked to Gabby
a number of times, but Meghan was so busy with school, so an actual conversation hadn’t happened.
“I’m good. How are you? What’s going on?”
“Well, first off, I have news. And I would prefer to tell you this in person, but we went out to dinner with Mom and Dad last
night and I didn’t have any wine, and Mom guessed what was going on.”
Piper gasped. “Are you pregnant?”
Meghan unleashed a breathy laugh. “I am. Can you believe it? I’m still in shock.”
Tears leaked from the corners of Piper’s eyes, and she felt homesick in a way she hadn’t since her first week in London. Meghan
and her husband had been trying to conceive for several years. It had been a stressful journey, full of disappointment. This
was a miracle. “Congratulations. It’s so amazing.”
“I wanted to tell you when you got home, but as soon as Mom and Dad knew, I had to tell Gabby. And I knew that if you talked
to her, she’d probably slip. I wanted to be the one to tell you.”
“I am so happy for you.” A tiny sob left Piper’s lips.
“Aww. Don’t cry, Auntie Piper.”
“Oh, no. Do not call me Auntie Piper. Not yet.” She unleashed a bigger sob. Visions of Meghan and Mike and their baby popped
into Piper’s head. She could imagine the familiar family gatherings with a little Murphy running around. Memorial Day. The
Fourth of July. Thanksgiving. Christmas. She’d spent so much time dreading the wedding, but that was all because of a heartbreak
she was fully over now. The reality was that her love for her family ran deep, and she couldn’t wait to see them all again.
“Seriously. Don’t cry. This is happy news,” Meghan said.
Piper sniffled. “I know. I know. And I’m happy. Super, super happy.”
“We aren’t telling the extended family for a while, so we’ll have to keep it under wraps at the wedding.”
“Understood.” Talking to Meghan made the proximity of the wedding date even more real, but she felt better equipped to deal
with it now.
“Plus, I don’t want to steal any of Gabby’s thunder on her big day.”