The man had arrived, but his wife had shown up with a gift box containing every present the neighbor had given him.
And the gifts had all been returned unopened.
At nine o’clock, somebody knocked on our door.
It was Mrs. Collins.
She held a small plate covered in foil.
“I brought banana bread,” she said. “And I wanted to check on you.”
I invited her inside.
She sat at the kitchen table, the very same table where Vanessa had announced her plans to steal my husband.
“I owe you an apology,” Mrs. Collins said.
I frowned.
“For what?”
“For believing some of the things Vanessa said. She told several of us that you and Irvin were having problems. She said he spent most evenings avoiding you and that you were too controlling to notice he was unhappy.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“I had no idea she was telling people that.”
