“Piper, I shouldn’t have mentioned it.” Tim’s face appeared ashen.
“But you did,” she said. “Tell me.” Her sharp tone brooked no argument.
Tim hesitated before answering. Seconds ticked by before he said, “Jack confronted Braden about racing fast on the trails. He said there had been some complaints. They had a little back and forth before Jack took off down the trail.”
Disbelief washed over her. “This can’t be true. Braden would have told me.”
Tim shook his head. “I’ve upset you. I really didn’t mean to do that. I should have kept my mouth shut,” he muttered. Tim sent her a sorrowful look before darting away.
Piper grabbed hold of the counter to steady herself. Tim’s disclosure regarding Braden’s argument with her father left her feeling stunned. It just didn’t gel with everything Braden had told her about that tragic afternoon. They’d talked countless times about the day of the accident without Braden ever disclosing that he had argued with her father. Why would Braden have lied to her? There was no disputing the authenticity of Tim’s account. He’d always been a truthful person, and he had nothing to gain by making up a story about Braden. She put her head in her hands. Her temples began to throb, and a sickening sensation washed over her. Was this the reason Braden had been so disconnected with her since his return?
Suddenly it felt as if she had complete and utter clarity. This was what had been standing between them for the last few years. This was the reason why he hadn’t been himself around her. She let out a sob. Braden had fought with her father before he crashed his snowmobile, which meant her dad had been upset before the accident. Had their fight distracted Jack? So many questions were racing through her mind. Had he been responsible for her father’s death?
“Are you all right?” Jorge had walked up to her without her even realizing it. He was peering at her with a look of concern stamped on his face.
“I just need a minute,” she said, heading back toward the kitchen and grabbing her parka so she could slip out through the back door. Her ears were ringing, and she could barely focus. Clara called out to her, but Piper kept walking, intent on leaving the diner before she broke down in front of everyone. A cold blast of wintry air hit her squarely in the face as she pushed the door open. Her eyes burned from a mixture of the fierce wind and her utter devastation. She pressed her eyes closed and began to pray. Please, Lord. Don’t let this be true.
“Piper! Clara told me you were out here. What’s going on?” The sound of Braden’s voice echoed like a gunshot.
No! She didn’t want to face him right now. Her emotions were all over the place. She needed time to process what she’d just learned before she spoke with Braden.
“Talk to me, Piper!” There was an urgency in Braden’s tone she couldn’t ignore.
Piper slowly turned to face him. Tears slid down her face, but she didn’t bother wiping them away. She knew with a deep certainty that more would be coming. It felt as if her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Anger bubbled up inside her with such a ferocity it frightened her. She’d known for a long time something was off with Braden, but she’d let her guard down because she’d been falling for him. He’d made her feel things she now felt ashamed of.
“It’s freezing out here. Come back inside and tell me what happened,” Braden suggested. His features were furrowed with worry. Any other time she would have found it endearing. At the moment it only served to intensify her rage.
“What happened?” she asked, glaring at him. She strode toward him, swallowing up the distance between them in a few angry strides. “I’ll tell you what happened! I just found out that my best friend has been lying to me for four years about the circumstances of my father’s death.”
* * *
The moment Braden saw Piper’s face he knew with a deep certainty that he was wading into dangerous waters. The expression stamped on his best friend’s face was one of betrayal and utter devastation. Regret speared through his chest. Why hadn’t he summoned the courage to tell her the truth when he had the chance? Now she would never believe he’d been planning to tell her the news this afternoon.
Words failed him. What could he say? That he’d been a coward? That he’d failed to do what was right from the very beginning? More than anything, he wanted to express his regret and to let her know how deeply he cared about her. She was everything to him. Losing her was unfathomable.
Lord, please give me strength to face my truths and acknowledge my weakness. Show me the path to make things right with Piper.
“I’m not exactly sure what you’ve heard, but I haven’t been completely honest with you about the day Jack died. We had an argument before we set off on our snowmobiles. He was upset with me and some friends about some reports h
e’d heard.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked in a raspy voice. “How could you keep something like that from me for all this time?”
“Because I didn’t want to lose you. It sounds pathetic, but it’s true. It’s the reason I left Owl Creek.” He let out an agonized sound. “I felt like the worst person in the world comforting you after he died. You leaned on me, and I wanted more than anything to shoulder you through your grief. After a while I couldn’t bear to look you in the eye, all the while knowing what I was keeping from you.”
“You stood by me while I grieved, then six months later you left town.” She put her head in her hands and let out a groan. “You leaving Owl Creek hurt me so much. In the space of a few months, I lost both of my anchors.”
“It was eating me up inside, knowing if I told you about the disagreement I had with your father you might blame me for the crash,” he admitted. “I’m so sorry, Piper.”
“So he was agitated before he hit the trails? Is that what you’re saying?” she asked, angrily wiping away tears from her cheeks.
Braden nodded. “Yes. He was furious when he came looking for me and we went back and forth.”
“And what did you say to him?”
“I—I asked him why he was focusing on me. I pushed back against his allegations because they weren’t true. He told me I was being prideful.”
Piper’s brown eyes went wide with shock. “That doesn’t even sound like him. He must have been really angry to say those things and to confront you.”
