Lily’s piercing scream startled Eve.
“Oh my God,” she said as she leaned down to retrieve the phone, her panicked plea to the 911 operator interrupted.
“Ma’am, what’s going on? Hello? Ma’am?”
Eve was cursing herself. How could she have been so stupid as to leave her child alone for even a second? She rushed back to the kitchen, still clutching the phone. She saw Lily standing in the center of the room beside the island, Eve’s giant boning knife in one hand, her other hand protectively shielding the little girl. Eve gazed up at the landing and saw the man she’d brought here last night. She’d completely forgotten about him. Eddie? Or maybe Ethan? She couldn’t remember. She stared at his fat gut sticking out, his eyes wide with surprise.
Eve was disgusted with herself. He’d told her she was pretty, plied her with Chardonnay, and listened patiently when she’d told him about her two daughters. All Eve’s friends had grown tired of her sad tale. She had grown tired of it too. It was easier to go out, to find strangers who’d listen to her. She’d create elaborate stories about her twin girls and how picture perfect their lives were. In the end, all she really wanted was someone to hold her, to ease the empty ache inside her. Instead they’d had clumsy sex that she instantly regretted.
“Who is that? Who is it?” Lily shouted.
“Get out,” Eve yelled at the man. “Get the hell out!”
He hesitated. Lily stepped forward, still clutching the knife. He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m going. I’m going. I just… I need my stuff.” He turned and disappeared up the stairs.
“Ma’am, please, can you hear me? Is everything okay?” Eve remembered the operator was still on the phone.
“Please just send officers as soon as you can. And tell Sheriff Rogers to come to the Riser house. Please.”
“We’ve got units on the way. Stay on the line…”
Eve ignored her and hung up the phone. She slowly moved toward Lily, stopping inches from the outstretched knife.
“I know you’re scared, Lil. But the police are coming. You’re safe. We’ll keep you safe.”
“You can’t promise that. You can’t.”
Eve couldn’t argue with her daughter. She didn’t know where Lily had been or what she was running from. She didn’t know anything. Eve searched for the right thing to say to her delicate, wounded child. But words failed her.
“Who is he? Who is that man?” Lily asked, still glancing up at the landing.
“He’s no one. He’s nothing.”
“Where is Dad? Did you two split up? Where is he, Mom? Where is my father?”
Eve both hated Dave and ached for him.
“I’ll tell you everything, but you have to put down the knife. Please, Lily, you’re scaring the baby. Give me the knife.”
“Where’s Daddy?” Lily asked again, her voice raw with desperation.
Eve wondered if words could actually pierce one’s heart. Abby was Mama’s girl, or at least she used to be. But from day one Lily was Daddy’s girl. Anytime Lily had a bad dream or a tummy ache, it was Dave to the rescue.
“He’s gone. I’m so sorry, but Dad is gone.”
“I don’t understand. Is he at the hospital? Call him. Tell him to come home. Tell him I’m here.”
“He died, Lily. A few months after you left. He suffered a massive heart attack and died.”
Lily reacted as if she’d been punched in the chest, doubling over, a sob exploding from her mouth. She dropped the knife, and it clattered to the floor. Lily leaned against the sofa. Her outburst horrified the child, who tugged desperately at her mother.
“Mommy, don’t cry. Please. We’ll get in trouble. Please… stop it. Stop crying. Please!”
Lily seemed to understand her daughter’s pleas. She stopped crying, almost instantly, sucking in large drafts of air. She slumped to the floor and pulled the child onto her lap. She began to rock her, swaying back and forth, her words indecipherable to Eve, almost gibberish. Eve grabbed the knife, setting it on one of the end tables, and then lowered herself next to Lily and Sky, the three of them huddled together on the cold kitchen tile.
Eve needed to calm Lily, so she focused on the child.
“Lily, is this your daughter?”
Lily stared straight ahead, still trying to process the news about her father. She gave Eve a weak nod. “Yes. This is Sky. She’s six. Sky, this is my mother. She’s your grandmother.”
Sky kept her face buried in Lily’s shoulder. Eve still couldn’t believe it. This was her granddaughter. She had a granddaughter.