A Very Merry Match--Includes a Bonus Novella

by Melinda Curtis

  “Isn’t Maggie a bunk bed?” Tad asked, smashing his potatoes.

  “This is why we only tell rugrats the truth, Mom,” Kevin teased, nodding toward his son. “Tad, if you’re very careful, you can take your plate to the coffee table and watch television while you eat.” Which would provide Kevin with some much-needed privacy because his mother couldn’t seem to stop asking him about Mary Margaret.

  Tad carried his plate into the other room and then returned for his glass of milk.

  “You discovered a flaw in your perfect girlfriend, didn’t you?” Dad was loading up on comfort food with a double side of potatoes and a homemade biscuit. All those carbs brought out the shoulda-woulda-coulda’s of the Advice Train. “There was something in Maggie’s past you thought would harm your political career. If you were in the furniture business, none of that would matter.”

  “Rich…” Mom began but then she stared at Kevin. “Tell me that isn’t true.” She paused, waiting for Kevin to refute the accusation. When he didn’t, she shook her head. “We’ve all made mistakes in our pasts, honey. Personally, I don’t want reporters digging around in mine.”

  “Lucky for me, you two are squeaky clean.” Lucky for him, he’d found out about Mary Margaret’s dance career before it was too late. Still, he mourned the loss of her in his life. He missed talking to her. He missed her laughter and the way she blushed when their conversation turned personal. He missed the warmth of her hand in his. She’d settled something restless inside of him. And now…

  It took Kevin a moment to realize his parents were staring at each other and saying nothing.

  “What? No.” Kevin shook his head. “You can’t have anything bad in your pasts. If you were convicted felons, you’d have told me when I was younger.”

  “It’s nothing like that,” Dad grumbled. Then he swiped his biscuit through his potatoes and took a big bite.

  “Then what is it?” Kevin set down his fork. “If this is something a reporter is going to bring up one day, I need to be prepared. I need to know how to answer.”

  “It’s nothing by today’s standards,” his mother said in a low voice. “And therefore none of your business.”

  “Like Mary Margaret is none of yours?” he challenged.

  Mom glowered at him. “Maggie. Her name is Maggie. And my heart breaks for her because you were so good together. You laughed more in that one afternoon at the Christmas tree farm than I’d seen you laugh in a long time. But you’ve tossed her aside, like one of those ties I’ve given you for Christmas because ties and politicians no longer go together. Can you imagine how she feels? Can you?”

  Kevin swallowed his shame. “She understands. She knows I’ve always dreamed of serving at the state level and beyond.”

  “Understanding and being hurt are two different things.” His mother stabbed a bite of pork chop. “Your father had higher aspirations too, you know.”

  “Miriam,” Dad warned.

  “But he was told he couldn’t move past being mayor because of me.” She popped the pork chop in her mouth and glowered at both men.

  “You?” Kevin shoved his plate away.

  “Do we have to go into this?” Dad mopped up potato remnants with the remains of his biscuit. “I made a choice a long time ago. It doesn’t matter to me. You matter to me, Miriam.”

  “Would somebody please tell me what’s going on?” Kevin’s mind was reeling. What had his mother done? He couldn’t, and didn’t, want to imagine.

  “I was married when I fell in love with your father,” his mother said hotly. “And I’m older than he is by five years.”

  “Who cares?” Kevin picked up his fork.

  “Exactly.” Dad’s gaze was fiery. “The important people who care are sitting right here.”

  “Who cares?” Tears filled Mom’s eyes. “Who cares how dedicated your father is to public service if he fell in love with an older woman before her divorce was final? He gave up his dreams because of me, because I wasn’t good enough for them.”

  “I didn’t give up anything,” Dad said gruffly. “I chose you and made new dreams.”

  “You see?” Mom wiped away a tear. “You can help a community, or the world, in many ways. You don’t have to hold office. And you shouldn’t ever trade-off someone you love for the approval of someone else.”

  “Do you love her?” Dad stared at his plate.

  “Yes.” Kevin’s scowl deepened. “But—”

  “Then your priorities are all messed up.” Dad didn’t raise his voice, perhaps out of concern for Tad in the next room, but his words echoed in Kevin’s head as if he were shouting. “No job is worth sacrificing love. I want you to work in the family business but I understand if you choose another path. Just make sure you’re choosing it for the right reasons.”

  * * *

  A few hours later, Kevin parked his SUV at the Hanky Panky, having left Tad with his parents. He was determined to talk to Mary Margaret, determined to float the idea of her quitting the stage and becoming his Maggie full-time.

  The crowd was bigger than he’d ever seen before. Kevin found a spot at the end of the bar in a dark corner. Shortly thereafter, he was joined by Mims and Edith. They wore masks and outfits inappropriate for their age.

  Maggie’s grandmother gave him a once-over. “Should you be here?” She slurped her piña colada. “You spent so much time with Barbara that her judginess has rubbed off on you. You don’t deserve my granddaughter.”

  “Unless you’re here to get down on your knees and beg her forgiveness.” Mims carried a tumbler of whiskey.

  “There’s no easy answer to any of this,” he said, dumbfounded by their honesty.

  “He’s not here to grovel.” Edith frowned.

  Ordering her friend another drink, Mims shouldered up to Kevin. “This is outside all of our wheelhouses but we’re here to support our girl, regardless. And you should do the same.”

  Before Kevin could give another wrong answer, Maggie came on stage for her first solo number.

  Kevin reconciled the two images of the woman he was attracted to. Maggie wore clothes with a casual sophistication. Most of the time her hair was down or bound in a thick braid that hid her scar, while her blue eyes were framed in light makeup. Roxy had every curve on display and moved with a sexy confidence kindergarten teachers weren’t supposed to have. She swung her platinum blond hair like it was a fifth appendage. Beneath her superhero mask, her eyes were heavily lined with electric blue and fringed in thick, false eyelashes.

  Edith tried to mimic Maggie’s moves, getting to her feet once or twice to shimmy. “What’s wrong with you, Mims?” she demanded when her friend sat and watched.

  “I’m shocked and mesmerized and feeling my age.” Mims took a healthy swig of her drink. “I could throw out my back trying that.” She glanced at Kevin. “I take it this isn’t your first time here.”

  Kevin shook his head.

  He waited for the grand finale before escorting Mims and Edith to their vehicle. And then he located a familiar car parked on the motel side of the street. She emerged from the back door a short time later, dressed all in black with a knit cap pulled low over her hair. He stopped her before she reached her car.

  “Maggie.”

  She glanced up at him, fear turning into relief.

  That’s when he saw them. The two men who’d scared her in Sunshine after the poetry slam. He’d seen them around town too. At the bakery having coffee a couple of times. At the Saddle Horn having breakfast. But Sheriff Drew had assured him they’d broken no laws, so as mayor, he could do nothing but glare.

  He wanted to do more than glare now.

  “Mrs. Sneed.” The heavy-set man planted his feet wide, as if he was going to drop one hand in a lineman’s stance.

  Kevin stepped in front of Maggie. “Don’t touch her.”

  “It’s okay.” Maggie came around in front of him. She offered the thug a wad of cash.

  Kevin pushed her arm down and held it at her side.r />
  The heavy-set man frowned.

  “There were a couple locals from Sunshine in the audience tonight.” The tall, thin man sized Kevin up. “Besides your biggest fan here and your granny.”

  Kevin hadn’t noticed any Sunshine residents. Why hadn’t he noticed?

  Because I was lulled into the normalcy of it all with Mims and Edith.

  “There are a lot of people who’d be shocked to learn Sunshine’s mayor is a regular at the club,” the heavy-set man said in a sour voice.

  “Are you threatening me?” Kevin pushed Maggie behind him. Anger knotted his fingers into fists.

  “Step aside, lover boy.” The shorter man narrowed his eyes. “We’ll have our money.”

  “Kevin, wait for me at the car.” Maggie tried to step around him.

  “Don’t give them a cent.” He’d known she owed money, and he was all for paying off one’s debts but this…These men didn’t seem like legitimate collection agency employees. And he could practically smell Maggie’s fear.

  “Kevin, please wait by my car.”

  “Do as the lady says.” There was an or else hidden in the words of the taller man.

  “No.” Kevin had never backed down from a fight in his life. “You do as the mayor says.”

  The slighter of the two men shook his head. And then it was game on. Punches thrown. Voices raised. Maggie screaming at them to stop.

  A car skidded across the road toward them, high beams blinding them all.

  Kevin jumped to the sidewalk, pulling Maggie with him. The two men hurried in the opposite direction. The car careened off.

  “Your nose is bleeding.” Maggie dug in her backpack for a tissue.

  Kevin wasn’t feeling like her knight in shining armor. Not because he hadn’t given as good as he got but because Maggie was radiating annoyance.

  “You have to stop coming here to watch me,” she said.

  “Are you kidding?” He pinched his nose. “If you insist upon doing this, I’m going to drive you out here every night. Those guys are—”

  “None of your business.” She straightened his jacket, yanking on his sleeves. And then gingerly placed her palms on his cheeks. “Just like your political career is your own to navigate.” She sighed. “You’re going to have a black eye. How are you going to explain that tomorrow?”

  “It was worth it. And I’d do it again.” Even if she never told him the truth about those men. “Are they blackmailing you?”

  “To dance, you mean?” She shook her head. “Derek made some bad decisions.” She tugged Kevin toward the coffee shop on the corner. “Come on. You need to calm down before you drive back.”

  “Wait.” He pulled her into his arms. “Tell me you’re all right.” He brought a hand to the back of her neck and the scar her father had given her. “I know I let you down but—”

  “Shh.” She kissed him the way she’d kissed him that first time when he’d thought she was Roxy, the way she’d kissed him the other night in the stage wings. There was longing and need and desperation in that kiss.

  I love her. How can I let her go?

  He drew back. “Your father labeled you unworthy of his love. You’re not unworthy of mine. It’s just—”

  “Love is unconditional.” Maggie stepped out of his embrace, shaming him with the truth. “Come on. They’ll probably have a bag of ice for you in the coffee shop too.”

  She was treating him better than he deserved. “If you offer to follow me home and make sure I’m safely tucked in tonight, my masculinity may be in jeopardy.” Unless she planned to spend the night in his bed.

  “You have nothing to fear in that department.” She stayed two steps ahead of him in the snow. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I have so many ideas.”

  “I mean…” She faced him as she opened the restaurant door for him to pass through first. “You made the right decision the other night by breaking it off. Don’t drag it out.”

  The coffee shop was crowded with customers from the strip club who needed to sober up or get a bite to eat before calling it a night. Kevin and Maggie sat in a booth across from each other. Christmas carols played from a transistor radio in the kitchen. There were paper Christmas decorations scattered around the diner.

  Maggie ordered him a cheeseburger, fries, and an ice pack, and ordered herself a slice of pumpkin pie. “Before you ask again, I can’t stop dancing. Not until Derek’s debt is paid off in a few months.”

  “Tell me more about these guys and the company they represent.” If there was a company. “I don’t want to sound like a character in a movie but they don’t seem legit.”

  She sighed. “They gave me all the proper documentation. There was a government certified letter confirming the balance owed.”

  “What if I made all that go away?” He hadn’t gone looking for love but there it was staring at him with deep blue eyes and a heart so true it hurt. “Would you stop dancing then?”

  “And what if I did?” Her gaze hardened. “Would you find something else I do that your voters or political party wouldn’t approve of?”

  He thought of the engagement ring tucked in a bureau drawer back home. “I’m in a career where there are restrictions.”

  “I grew up as a preacher’s kid,” she chastised gently. “I don’t want to live my life second-guessing every choice I make.” When he would have argued, she reached across the table and touched his hand. “I don’t want to be the person in your life you sweep under the carpet.”

  “You wouldn’t be. Not if you stopped dancing.” She’d only been doing it for a few weeks. How damaging could that be?

  She withdrew her hand, sat back, and stared out the window. “Do you know what’s so hard about being a kindergarten teacher?”

  He shook his head.

  “It’s teaching my students to abide by the rules and respect the choices of others, the choices they wouldn’t make.” Maggie leveled her gaze on him. “You’d choose not to dance. You’d choose to default on a debt. You’d choose to declare bankruptcy. But you aren’t living in my shoes. I make the decisions about how I live, what I value, and what I honor.”

  “I understand.” And yet he loved her, damn it. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  “I don’t want to say this but…” She swallowed, reaching a hand gingerly behind her neck, probably touching that scar. “I think you’ve already lost me. You’ve chosen a path and a set of rules you want to live by. And I…I can’t be the person who walks with you down that road.”

  “Don’t say that.” He couldn’t get the words out quickly enough. “I can find a way. After the development project passes.” He’d pay off those goons and propose to her.

  “What am I going to do with you?” she whispered, teary-eyed.

  He’d said it before, and he’d say it again. “I have lots of ideas.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The high school auditorium was packed.

  The town council sat on either side of Kevin at a table on the stage. To one side, the committee he’d formed to talk about town development sat on chairs. His father sat next to Maggie. Cray and some officials from JPM Industries sat in the audience, standing out in their suits, as did Paul and Paula.

  The good news was no one had asked Kevin about his black eye. It seemed the topic at hand took more precedence.

  Kevin called the meeting to order. “We’ve talked a lot in recent months about the future of Sunshine. And by we, I mean everyone in town. There’s fear that change will strain the fabric of our town’s character—more people means less personality and heart. There’s concern that in the wake of one large employer, other new businesses will arrive and negatively impact existing ones.”

  “We vote no!” someone in the back shouted, their cry taken up by others.

  The contingent from JPM Industries frowned. Paul and Paula frowned.

  “Please. Calm down,” Kevin said into the microphone. He waited until the crowd quieted. “Every decision
has a flip-side. There are positives to change.” He had to raise his voice over erupting objections. “Hear me out. We’ll open the floor up to comments and questions once everyone on the council weighs in.”

  They’d placed a microphone on a stand at the head of the center aisle for that purpose.

  “What does Sunshine get for opening its arms to new commerce?” Kevin asked. “I’ll tell you what I see. We’ll gain another business leader in the community, one willing to give back.” He read the list of donations JPM had agreed to provide. “We’ll gain another employer, increasing the chance that our children can work here if they choose rather than leave town for jobs elsewhere. We increase our town’s revenue without increasing taxes to individual residents, which means improvement in the quality of life. Roads repaired. Services expanded.”

  Everett sat with Kevin’s committee, nodding his approval.

  Kevin felt heartened. “And now, I’d like to turn over the microphone to the town council and our resident committee, people who’ve studied this issue from different angles. They’ll tell you where they stand. Please listen with an open mind. As I said, we have time to hear from everyone.”

  Everyone on the stage had a chance to speak. Victor made an impassioned speech about rejecting the issue. Mary Margaret talked about the benefit to schools. Kevin’s dad admitted he hadn’t supported the project initially but had changed his mind because the benefits outweighed the risks. And then, Kevin opened the floor to questions and statements by other residents.

  Things were going well until Barb stepped up to the microphone.

  “This question is for Mary Margaret Sneed.” Barb was petite, but standing at the microphone just then and hearing the note of superiority in her voice, Kevin felt that she was huge and hugely threatening.

  “You can direct all questions about the development project my way,” Kevin said briskly as his father passed the wireless microphone to Maggie.

  In the second row, the Widows Club board watched Barb closely. Edith had been knitting what looked like a long red scarf. She paused, needle ends pointing in Barb’s direction.