Maggies Marriage (Cloverleaf #2)

by Gloria Herrmann

  “The hits on Patrick’s profile.”

  Mary turned around, carrying a handful of silverware in her hands. “Really? What did the ladies have to say?”

  “Oh, that he’s super hot and they all want him, and that is the condensed version.” Maggie laughed.

  “I’m not all that surprised, are you?” Rachel said as she continued stirring.

  “Well, I was shocked he got so many responses in less than twenty-four hours.”

  “How many?” Rachel’s blue eyes grew curious.

  Maggie stepped closer, and quickly looked behind her to make sure no one else was around. “Try close to a hundred women, even a couple men were interested.”

  Mary’s mouth gaped open. “Oh, dear Lord, you can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, I am. It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

  “Which part? The number of women, or that men are even throwing themselves at your brother?” Rachel let out a soft squeal.

  “I’m going to show you guys after dinner, you won’t believe me until you see it with your own eyes.”

  Maggie retrieved several plates and started to set the table. She was itching to show them the progress that they had made. She had to figure out how to get Patrick to go out on these dates, once they sifted through the contenders and really made sure he didn’t get stuck with some weirdo, or a man. Then he would kill her for sure.

  Maggie stole glances at Patrick as they all sat and ate dinner. She was trying to gauge his mood, seeing if it was possible to even broach the subject of dating. Maggie could feel eyes on her, and caught her mother and Rachel both looking at her. They would turn away and try not to giggle. Maggie was having fun with their secret project.

  Dinner was its usual loud chatter-filled ceremony of feasting on something delicious that Mary had cooked. Maggie was more than relieved when everyone started to excuse themselves from the table. The children, as usual, were the first to beg to go outside and play. Grandpa Paddy and Pat retired to the den, eager to puff away on their pipes and catch up on their nightly reading of the newspaper. They especially loved the Sunday paper. Michael looked at Maggie as if asking permission to go play with her brothers. She sent him away and received a kiss on the cheek as he and the guys set off towards the basement. It was finally quiet, and Maggie raced to grab her laptop to show Mary and Rachel the site.

  “Rachel, try to keep watch, okay?” Maggie asked as the site started loading.

  Rachel took the chair facing the archway that led into the kitchen. It was the perfect spot to see if anyone came in.

  Mary took a seat next to Maggie. “So, tell me, how do we get him to date some of these women?”

  “I think once we really go through and find the best ones, we should probably sit him down and explain. What do you guys think?” Maggie asked.

  Mary moved her head closer to the screen, a surprised look on her face.

  “What?” Rachel asked.

  “He has over two hundred people now interested in his profile,” Mary answered.

  Maggie was astonished. How could that many people be interested?

  “I think we need to start sorting the creepers from the keepers, sound good?” Maggie said as she started to click on the profile of the first woman who had made contact.

  “She seems lovely,” Mary commented as she stared at the screen alongside Maggie.

  Maggie moved a little closer to Rachel so she could see what they were seeing.

  “That one does seem pretty.”

  They continued to view and delete ones they felt were not even a remote possibility for Patrick. Rachel excused herself to go to the restroom. Mary and Maggie were engrossed in their project, huddled together as they reviewed more candidates.

  “What the heck are you guys up to?”

  Maggie felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck, her stomach dropped as she felt Patrick behind them. He bent lower to get a closer look. He immediately wore a confused expression, which was swiftly replaced with anger.

  “What is this?” Patrick asked as he pulled away.

  “Patrick, don’t be upset. We were going to talk to you about it,” Maggie said, trying to defend their action of deceit.

  He rubbed his jaw, and she could see a little muscle ticking away near the dark stubble. She had seen that before; he was pissed.

  “Is that some kind of dating site?”

  Maggie nodded. She caught a glimpse of Rachel entering, and Liam was trailing behind her, completely out of the loop.

  “What dating site?” Liam asked.

  “Oh, just one that Maggie has apparently signed me up for,” Patrick replied angrily as Liam went to have a look for himself. He looked at Maggie, disappointment filling his eyes.

  “We were just trying to help,” Maggie explained.

  “So you all are involved?” Patrick looked at each of them. Rachel hung her head, Mary kept her stare on him, and Maggie couldn’t face the icy glare from him.

  “She meant well, son. She was only thinking of your happiness,” Mary tried to reason with him.

  Patrick rolled his eyes as he started pacing the dining room. “I don’t care if she meant well, she never should have gotten involved.”

  “If you would just calm down and take a look at this, you might actually find this very interesting.”

  “No, I wouldn’t because I have no intention of meeting any of those damn people. I can’t believe you would do this. You really crossed the line.” Patrick fumed. Maggie didn’t know what else to say to him, other than she was sorry.

  “I shouldn’t have, but I’m trying to help you.”

  “No, you are not helping. From now on, please stay out of my business. Just because your life is suddenly all roses again doesn’t give you the damn right to try and fix mine. You might want to focus on your own issues before trying to work on other people’s problems.”

  “Patrick, that’s not fair.” Maggie tried to push back the tears. That was a low blow, and it stung, especially coming from someone who always protected her.

  “Hey, man, I think she really was trying to help. It’s been almost four years.” Liam placed his hand carefully on Patrick’s shoulder, only to have it quickly shrugged away.

  “You don’t think I don’t know it has been four years, Liam? I live with it every day, every morning I wake up, and Beth’s not there. Every time Finn or Connor look at me, I see her. Do you know what that is like?” Patrick’s stance was solid, his eyes narrowed on Maggie.

  “I can’t even imagine…” Liam started as Patrick raised his hand, stopping him.

  “Then don’t. Because you can’t. I wouldn’t wish that on you.” Patrick shoved past Liam and headed out of the kitchen.

  The room was silent, everyone digesting what had happened. It was moments before Mary spoke. “Perhaps it’s time to call it a night. We need to give him some time to cool down.” She hugged Maggie and said, “You tried to help him, dear. But he’s just not quite ready yet.”

  ***

  Work was unbearable. Patrick hadn’t uttered a single word to Maggie. Daniel was the translator, anything that Patrick had needed done, he sent Daniel to ask.

  “Can’t he just flippin’ talk to me like a normal person?” Maggie complained as Daniel handed her a stack of invoices to file.

  “Mags, he’s pissed.”

  “I know, but still, it’s pretty unprofessional to act like such a jerk and give someone the silent treatment all day.” Maggie raised her voice loud enough for it to carry to Patrick’s office. She knew very well he could hear her, and she hoped he would quit being this way. Of course she felt awful, but at the same time she didn’t, she felt justified in what she was doing. Maggie wanted to bring a little love into his life, was that such an awful thing to do?

  “Let it go, he’ll get over it…eventually.” Daniel gave her a lopsided smile.

  Maggie rolled her eyes as Daniel started to head back to his office.

  The day didn’t get any better, Patrick still wasn’t s
peaking to her, and she’d had about as much as she could handle. If he continued to act this way, then she didn’t know how much longer she would be working there.

  The rest of the week was more of the same, Patrick ignored her and continued using Daniel as his messenger. Maggie was leaving for Seattle that weekend, and hated that things were unresolved between her and Patrick.

  She was sending an email when Patrick and Daniel came in, and she looked up and smiled at both of them. “How was the job?”

  “It went well, we will be there most of next week,” Daniel replied, throwing Maggie a look of caution.

  “Great.” Maggie turned her gaze to Patrick, who was sorting through the wire basket that was loaded with mail. “So, Patrick, still not going to talk to me?”

  She watched her brother frown as he eyed Daniel and said, “Daniel, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He took the stack of envelopes and went to his office, shutting his door a little harder than necessary.

  That was the final straw. She jumped up from her chair and stormed to Patrick’s office. Daniel trailed after her, and Maggie caught a glimpse of panic in his face. She swung his door open hard, and took an assertive stance in front of his desk.

  She pointed her finger at him, anger flowing freely inside her. “This ends now. You have been rude to me all week.”

  The smirk on his face made her even more upset. “Rude? I haven’t said a single thing to you until now.”

  “Exactly, and that’s rude and you know it.”

  “Hardly.” He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling and let out a snarky laugh.

  Daniel entered and stood next to Maggie. “Okay, enough, you guys, come on, let’s just calm down,” Daniel pleaded.

  “He’s been a jerk all week to me, Daniel. I don’t deserve to be treated like this, like I don’t exist.” She narrowed her eyes at Patrick.

  “Oh, trust me, it’s well deserved,” Patrick rebutted and matched her stare. “You had no right, Maggie. You should have come to me first.”

  “You would have said no.”

  “Exactly, so if you already knew my answer, why did you think it was okay to do it then?” His eyes never left hers.

  Daniel let out a large huff and said, “Patrick, she didn’t mean any harm.” He turned to face Maggie and continued, “You have to see where he is coming from, Mags.”

  Maggie threw her hands up in the air. “I give up, all I was trying to do was help you, Patrick.”

  “I didn’t ask you to.” His voice was cold.

  “I know you didn’t, you would rather mope around for the rest of your life, instead of trying to be happy.”

  He raised his eyebrows, and cocked his head to the side. The muscle in jaw was ticking again. Oh boy, she had really pissed him off.

  “You don’t get it, and hopefully you never will. I pray to God that you never ever go through the hell that I live through everyday. Something so awful and cruel, no one should have to bear it.”

  His words penetrated her, causing her to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt, but her anger still burned. “Patrick, people die. People grieve, and then they move on. You deserve to be happy again, to love someone, to find a mother for your boys.”

  “Maggie, you need to just stay out of it. Leave it alone.”

  Daniel put his hand on Maggie’s shoulder. “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not.”

  Patrick let out an arrogant laugh. “Maggie, I didn’t do anything wrong, you started this. Daniel, you don’t need to get involved, man. She’s a big girl, she got herself into this mess, she can most certainly figure her way out.”

  Maggie’s mouth dropped open. “That’s it, I’m done. I can’t deal with this anymore. There is no talking to you, you are impossible, Patrick O’Brien.” She stomped out of the office and went to get her purse. She was done trying to defend her actions, he was being unreasonable, and she needed some space.

  Daniel followed her out as she was nearing the front door. “Maggie, don’t leave like this.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can work here anymore, not with him, anyway.” With that, she closed the door behind her. As she got into her car she saw Daniel looking somber as he watched her from the enormous window.

  Maggie sped off. She had a plane to Seattle to catch with Michael that evening. Flying made her nervous as it was, and the irritation she felt was only going to make her more anxious. Looking back in her rearview mirror, a twinge of guilt sat in her stomach, but it was too late, she needed some space. She refused to go back and make amends with Patrick. She pressed the gas pedal down a little more, eager to get far away from Birch Valley for the first time since she had returned.

  ***

  Liam kept his eyes on the road as he drove Michael and Maggie to airport. Maggie sat in the front seat and looked out the passenger window. Storm clouds moved in, gray and white swirls, and it matched her mood perfectly. She still felt the residual remnants of her argument with Patrick.

  “Mags, you can’t really blame him for being upset,” Liam said. They had been discussing the fight during their drive to Spokane. Maggie felt alone, no one seemed to agree with her.

  “Honey, you were a little out of line. Your heart was in a good place,” Michael called out from the back seat.

  “So you guys think it was perfectly fine that he gave me the cold shoulder all week?”

  Liam shook his head and replied, “I’m not getting involved. Do I think he needed to act like this, not really. But he’s Patrick, come on, you know how he is. And you should have thought about that.”

  “Ugh, are you serious?” Maggie threw Liam a disgusted look.

  “I’m not saying that you aren’t looking out for him and don’t have his best interest in mind, but Patrick’s difficult.”

  Michael leaned forward to get in between the front seats. “You tried, but now it’s best to just drop it. He’ll come around, I promise.”

  “I just want him to be happy like us.” Maggie reached for Michael’s hand and smiled at him.

  “He was once, with Beth. I know if I lost you, I wouldn’t be so quick to replace you.” He kissed her hand and winked at her.

  “It’s been almost four years though. You don’t think that’s long enough?”

  “You know, it’s hard to say for someone else. I don’t know if I could ever remarry, or, who knows, I might only wait like a month or so,” Michael teased, causing Maggie to slap at him.

  Liam laughed. “Yeah, hard to say when it’s the right time. But he’ll figure it out.”

  “Well, I’m done trying to help.” Maggie folded her arms across her chest and pouted.

  “Oh, Maggie, don’t be like that. You love him, and of course you will try helping again, maybe next time he will more receptive.” Michael tried to reassure her as he ran his hand down the length of her arm.

  Liam pulled in the terminal. The traffic had been light, and there were only a few travelers outside of the airport. He parked behind a shuttle bus and popped the trunk as he went to grab the single suitcase they had packed.

  “You guys have a safe flight. See you two soon.” Liam hugged Maggie tightly before giving Michael a handshake that turned into a quick hug.

  “Be careful with my car,” Michael teased as he patted Liam’s shoulder.

  Liam waved as he hopped back into the luxurious car and cruised slowly away from the curb, leaving Michael and Maggie behind.

  Maggie could see that Liam had enjoyed driving Michael’s sleek sedan, but she appreciated him driving them to the airport, so it was an equal trade off. They would be returning to Birch Valley in a couple of days with a fully loaded moving truck. Her parents were going to watch Melanie, and Liam and Rachel even offered to take her to school the following week, Maggie was more than grateful, she wasn’t quite sure what snags they might encounter once they got to Seattle.

  “We better get inside, looks like might rain soon,” Michael commented, picking up the suitcase and grabbing Maggie�
�s hand with his other hand.

  They made their way inside, past the large glass doors to a well lit, but quiet foyer. There were lines for each airline to check in, and there were only a couple of people standing patiently. Maggie loved how this airport was never overly crowded, the customer service was stellar, and it made her appreciate the small town feeling even in a city as large as Spokane. She secretly dreaded having to arrive in the congested Sea-Tac airport in a couple of hours. She wasn’t excited about going to Seattle at all, except that she didn’t have to deal with Patrick. Maggie knew that the flight to Seattle held a lot of meaning; it was the closing of a chapter in her life, in their lives. She looked up at Michael, watching his brown eyes take in the surroundings of the airport. She wondered what he was thinking about. He was quietly assessing everything, but when he turned to look at her, he flashed a broad smile.

  “Just think we will be moving all of our stuff into our new home by next week,” he said as he squeezed her hand a little. That’s right, they were coming back. Maggie felt the tension that had been building melt away, she’d just needed to hear him say it. She was eager to get back to Birch Valley to start living in their new home, to start their new chapter.

  Chapter Twenty

  It was already dark when they landed, but the bright lights of the giant city illuminated everything. Maggie and Michael hurried to the baggage claim area and retrieved their single suitcase. Michael had called for a cab to take them to the condo, but he hadn’t really said much after they touched down. Maggie felt her nerves balling up in her gut, she knew coming back here would feel weird, but it was more than that. The last time they were here together, she and Michael fought, and she had left with no intention of returning. Now she was back.

  Michael was staring out the window of the backseat of cab as rain splattered hard against the glass. Maggie sat close to him but felt like he was miles away.