family means she doesnât need to learn to cook; she has people for that.â
âPeople, meaning you.â
âYes.â Massimo smiles. âPeople, meaning me.â
âRude!â
âSo is that it? Any other reasons why you think Miss Piper is so wonderful?â
âWell, sheâs won Junior Miss Maple Ridge a bunch of times.â
âTrue,â Massimo says, nodding, âbut her father is head of the committee, so that might have something to do with it.â
âShe can fish.â
âHa!â Massimo laughs. âI asked her once if sheâd like to help me catch some fish for dinner. She said fishing was a disgusting sport, and she didnât know how anyone could do it.â
âReally? Wow.â
âI donât lie, bella .â
âWell, she reads these great novels like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre , and sheâs like a total straight-A student.â
âStraight As? No, my dear. Her revolving door of tutors would say otherwise. And as for novels, Iâve never seen her with one. I know she likes Archie comics, though.â
âI donât get it, Massimo. Why does she lie so much?â
âItâs a lot of pressure trying to be perfect.â
âWhy does she need to be perfect?â
âHave you met her father?â Massimo frowns.
âOh yeah.â I nod.
âHe pushes her too much. Anything less than the best is failure in his eyes.â
âWhat about her mother?â
âHer mother is an Olympic gold medalist, and even worse than Captain Steele, always insisting Piper try harder, work longer, make more sacrifices, and so on, and so on.â
âWhere is she now?â
âSheâs in Rio coaching the womenâs Olympic sailing team.â
âWow! Thatâs why they must push her so hard; theyâre getting her ready for the Olympics.â
âExactly. Itâs too bad that the poor girl is sick of sailing.â
âBut sheâs won all of those races and she coaches a team ⦠or is that a lie, too?â
âNo, thatâs true. She is a very talented sailor, but I think she is just tired. The pressure to never lose can be exhausting.â
I shrug. âYeah, I thought it was kind of weird that she goes to bed so early.â
âAnd sheâs up early, too: 4:45 a.m., when she starts her two hours of training before breakfast.â
âYikes. Thatâs intense.â
âIt is when she does it. Lately, she has been a little off her game.â
âUrgh. Sounds like a hard game.â
âAnd the diet they have her on â¦â A sad expression registers on Massimoâs face. âItâs very strict. I feel so bad for the poor girl that sometimes, in the morning, I sneak a cup of hot chocolate onto her dresser. A nice little treat for when she wakes up.â
âShe drinks it?â
âOf course! Have you not tasted Massimoâs hot chocolate?â
âYeah.â I smile.
âItâs yummy.â
âListen, donât waste any energy feeling jealous of that girl. Trust me; as wonderful as it looks from the outside, you wouldnât want her life.â
âIâm starting to see that.â
âSo, enough talking, I have a job for you,â Massimo says, reaching into his pocket.
âSure, what else have I got to do?â I laugh.
âTake this to Piperâs room, would you?â Massimo pulls a cellphone out of his pocket and places it in my hand. âJust put it on her dresser.â He winks. âOh, and youâll need this.â He reaches into his other pocket and pulls out a key. âShe keeps her room locked.â
âAre you sure she wonât mind me going in?â
â Bella , I have to make lunch. Please, as a favour to an old man.â
I grin. âYouâre not that old.â
He laughs. âJust go!â
The closer I get to Piperâs room, the