Serenity

by Dixie Land

  When he released her, she felt lightheaded. “You make my head spin,” she whispered.

  “I love you, Maggie Thornton.”

  “And I love you, so very much.”

  “I’ll call you later,” he told her, kissing her lightly on the forehead, “to say goodnight.”

  He went out the door and down the steps. She watched from her window as he drove away. Quite unexpectedly, a lonely, empty feeling swept through her. And it struck her how terribly important this extraordinary man had become to her world. Why had it taken her this long to realize just how much he meant to her?

  But, there was more than one person to consider now. There was a baby, and that unborn child was now her most important consideration. She mustn’t rush into anything. Though she knew how important children were to Ross, she still felt she needed to take her time before making such an important commitment. She must think through every aspect of it.

  She busied herself straightening up about her place, then went into her bedroom and changed her bed linens. That was usually one of her Friday night chores, but this weekend her routine had been altered.

  When the phone rang a while later, she hurried to answer it, expecting to hear Ross’s voice.

  “Maggie?” It was a woman. The voice sounded a bit unsteady and high-pitched but vaguely familiar. The woman cleared her throat and spoke again. “Maggie, this is Robyn. Please don’t hang up. I’ve called as a friend… to warn you …about Michael.”

  Maggie was shaken. “A friend?” She replied emotionally. “You call me as my friend? Oh, please, Robyn! Spare me.”

  “Please hear me out, Maggie. I’m trying to help you.”

  Maggie sighed, “Okay, Just tell me whatever it is you have to say so we can end this once and for all.”

  “I don’t blame you for the way you feel. I’m not going to make any excuses; there are none. But you can take this for what it’s worth; I did you a damn big favor. Michael can’t be faithful to anyone. I wasn’t the first woman he cheated on you with. And he wasn’t faithful to me either in the short time we were together.”

  “What can you expect?” Maggie asked coolly.

  “I know, you’re right. You can’t tell me anything I haven’t already told myself a hundred times, Maggie.”

  “Michael called here a couple of nights ago and said you weren’t pregnant. He said it was a false positive on the pregnancy test, so I guess you’re fortunate in that way, Robyn.”

  “What pregnancy test? Is that what he told you? I never thought I was pregnant. What a damn liar!”

  “Oh?”

  “That has nothing to do with why I called, Maggie. I’m not responsible for anything that man says. I called because I’d like to make up in some small way for my part in all this. You were a wonderful friend to me. I hate that we,” she hesitated, “that I hurt you the way I did. I know I can’t change what happened last summer, but I think I should let you know what he’s up to now. Last week, Michael hired a private investigator to watch you. I feel sure he’s down there now.”

  An icy chill ran through Maggie. “Why? Why on earth would he do that after the way he’s treated our relationship?”

  “Because he wants you back. I believe you’ll know why if you give it a little thought. Mine obviously wasn’t enough. And you should know Michael well enough to realize that he can’t, or won’t, accept ‘no’ for an answer when he wants a yes! Goodbye, Maggie, and I’m sorry. If I could change it all, I would. Us, I mean. I’m truly sorry for my part, but someday I think you’ll thank me.”

  “Wait, Robyn…” She heard the click as Robyn hung up.

  “Your what wasn’t enough? Enough what?” She asked of no one.

  As Maggie put the receiver back on its cradle, the scene of the stranger shaking hands with Kevin in the churchyard flashed into her mind’s eye.

  Chapter Fifteen

  aggie’s mind spun. Lil. I’ve got to go talk to Lil, she thought. She tried to call Ross before leaving, but all she reached was his answering machine. “I’ll call him again when I get back from Lil’s,” she said aloud, as she grabbed her jacket and purse and headed for the door.

  When she reached her car, she looked around to see if anyone was watching. She saw nothing suspicious though it was dark and hard to spot anyone. She got into her car and drove the short distance to Lil’s. When she pulled up in front of Lil’s house, she was relieved to see that Kevin’s car wasn’t there. She would have gone back home had he still been at Lil’s. She didn’t want to talk to him; she wanted to explain the situation to Lil and have her talk with Kevin.

  She looked about before getting out of the car. What an awful way to have to live, she thought. When she reached Lil’s door, she made one more visual sweep of the neighborhood before ringing the bell. When she heard Lil’s footsteps approaching the door, she called out, “It’s Maggie.”

  A moment later, Lil opened the door smiling. “Maggie, come on in. I’m glad you came.” She took one look into Maggie’s eyes. “What’s wrong? You look upset. What is it?”

  “Oh Lil, I am. I have to talk to you. I should have confided in you sooner; if I had maybe things would be different now.” Maggie sank down onto Lil’s overstuffed sofa and inhaled deeply. Lil sat down beside her.

  “For land’s sake, tell me before I bust of curiosity.” She turned to face Maggie as she waited for her to begin.

  Maggie quietly recounted the details of her pregnancy to a speechless Lil. When she had finished Maggie looked at her friend. She couldn’t suppress a little chuckle, “Lil, this is the first time since I’ve met you that I’ve seen you at a loss for words.”

  “I’m just tryin’ to digest all of this, Maggie.”

  “I know, I’m dumping a lot on you all at once,” Maggie said. Then she went on to tell Lil of Ross’s and her feelings for one another.

  Lil grinned her approval at that. “I’m happy the two of you finally realized you belong together, Maggie, but I gotta ask you something. Did you tell Kevin?”

  “Only about Ross and me realizing we care for one another. And that’s another thing I have to talk to you about, Lil. But what made you ask?”

  “Somethin’ about the way he acted after you and he talked this morning. It was his whole mood. Not so much anything he said; just his general attitude. And that stranger he was talkin’ to after church. I asked him who he was, and Kev as much as told me it was none of my business. He said it was just a friend, but he didn’t introduce me, and he didn’t act like himself all afternoon. He was distracted. I might as well have been having lunch all by myself.”

  “Lil, I’m fearful that the stranger was the private detective that Michael hired to watch me, to find out what I’m doing and I’m not exactly sure what else. But it makes me feel terribly uneasy and frightened. I want Michael completely out of my life! I’m apprehensive, because I don’t know what he’s planning or what he’s capable of doing. I used to think I knew Michael. Now, I realize how wrong I was. I never really knew him at all.”

  Lil drew in her breath. “Wow! This is serious. I gotta find out who that fellow was and see what Kevin told him.”

  “Thanks. You’re a good friend. I knew I could count on you.”

  Lil stood and walked over to her phone. “I’m gonna call Kev and ask him to come to Serenity.”

  “Lil, I don’t want to see or talk to him. I want you to handle this.”

  “I understand, Maggie. That’s what I plan to do.” She dialed Kevin’s number and waited. After several rings he answered. “Kevin, it’s me, Aunt Lil.” She listened for a moment. “It’s really important that I talk to you tonight. That’ll be fine. Thanks, Kev. I’ll be waiting.” She put the receiver down and turned to Maggie. “He was on a business call, but he said he’ll call me back as soon as they hang up.”

  “Good.” Maggie breathed a sigh of relief. “I think I’ll go on home. Will you please call me after you talk to him?”

  “I sure will, honey. But what I’m thi
nking of doing is asking him if he can come down tomorrow or meet me halfway, so we can talk in person. I hate to go into all this on the phone. So, I may not have much to tell you.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. Do you think he’ll be able to get away so early in the week?”

  “From what he tells me, he kind of sets his own schedule. I’ll tell him it’s really important to me. I think he’ll make time for me. At any rate, I’ll call you after we talk tonight.”

  “Thanks, Lil.” Maggie gave her a quick hug and left. When she reached her apartment she sank onto her sofa. “Why does everything have to be so complicated?” she asked aloud.

  She phoned Ross to say goodnight. She had decided not to say anything to him about the call from Robyn and her discussion with Lil until she heard back from Lil. There was nothing Ross could do about it, and she knew it would anger him. No sense in them both being upset, and, besides, she hadn’t seen anything suspicious this evening. What if Robyn had made the whole thing up? Still, the thought of the stranger, coupled with Robyn’s call, did add credibility to her story. But, why? There wasn’t a single scenario that she could come up with that would justify Michael’s reasoning for hiring a private detective to spy on her.

  She went into the bedroom and had just slipped into her nightgown when she heard the phone ring. She hurried to answer it. It was Lil.

  “Maggie, I just finished talkin’ to Kev, and he said tomorrow was busy for him. But he said if I could come to Sanford midday, he’d come down and meet me for lunch.”

  “I’m so relieved. Do you think you can get away from the drugstore? And, by the way, Ross doesn’t know about Robyn’s call or you talking to Kevin. I knew it would upset him, and I wanted everything resolved before I told him about it.”

  “My lips are sealed. I know how to handle Ross, been doing it for years.”

  “Please, call me at work just as soon as you get back tomorrow.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  They said goodnight. Maggie made herself a cup of tea before settling down for a restless night of sleep.

  Monday, Maggie wore a white maternity smock to work. She had ordered it out of a J. C. Penney catalog a couple weeks earlier. To her surprise, no one made any comment, so she didn’t either. Perhaps no one realized it was a maternity smock. She decided to let time make her condition clear to everyone, and from the weight she had gained recently she didn’t think it would take long.

  The busy morning schedule helped the time pass, but Maggie was aware that she was glancing at her watch between each patient, picturing Lil on her way, then meeting with Kevin, and wondering how long it would be before Lil returned and called her.

  Sanford, NC 12:30 P.M.

  Lil swung her navy-blue Chevy Corsica into the Kentucky Fried Chicken parking lot and turned off the ignition. She waited only a few minutes before Kevin pulled into the parking place beside her. They got out of their cars and went inside. After going through the buffet line, they found a seat at the rear of the dining room. For the height of the noon hour, there wasn’t much of a crowd. Lil was glad. It afforded her more privacy for their discussion.

  “I’ve got to admit you have my curiosity up, Aunt Lil. You call and say you have to talk to me right away, that it’s urgently important, and that it’s about Maggie.”

  “That’s all true, Kev.”

  “Well, you know I’m interested in anything to do with

  Maggie. Have she and Ross had a falling out?”

  “I know that, Kev. And, no. They’re very much together.

  But why are you so interested in her?” Lil asked.

  “Maggie’s an interesting and lovely lady,” Kevin replied. “But, Kevin, you hardly know her. And now you know

  she’s in love with someone else.”

  “Aunt Lil, are you so sure that’s going to last?” “I am. I’ve seen this happening to them for weeks.

  They’re so alike. I’m sure this is for keeps, Kevin. And I also

  know she told you of her feelings for Ross yesterday.” “You’re right, she did.” His manner became abrupt.

  “Now tell me why you had to see me today?”

  “Kevin, Maggie’s former fiancé, a Dr. Michael Kerns

  has been trying to persuade Maggie to give him another chance.

  She doesn’t want anymore to do with him. He did something

  inexcusable, she caught him in the act, and it was something

  Maggie isn’t willing to give him a chance to do to her again.

  He was around town a while back to see her. Told her he and

  her former best friend were going to have a child and that he

  was going to marry the girl.”

  “That’s some pretty tough stuff, Aunt Lil.” “And that’s not the end of it. A few weeks later he called

  her and told her he wanted her back, that the girl wasn’t really

  pregnant. Maggie said under no circumstances but he doesn’t

  seem to have taken ‘no’ for an answer. Now there’s something

  Maggie doesn’t want him to know, and it’s not going to be a

  secret around Serenity for long. Maggie’s pregnant. And, she

  absolutely does not want Michael to know. So, if anyone comes

  around asking questions about her, and they might, I’m asking

  you not to tell them anything about Maggie. I’m telling you

  this because there was that stranger in Serenity yesterday. You

  and he were talkin’. Now, I know it probably has nothing to

  do with all this. But Maggie had a call last night, and the woman

  told her that Michael had hired a private investigator to follow

  her and report back to him. It’s like he’s obsessed with her. I

  don’t like it, Kev. I don’t like it at all!”

  “Aunt Lil, stop! Don’t tell me anything else. I know the

  man. Michael Kerns is a client of mine.”

  ChapterSixteen

  evin! How could you?” Lil’s face flushed scarlet, and her voice was angry. “You let me tell you everything there was to tell. You should have stopped me at the beginning. What on earth could you possibly be doing for this Dr. Kerns?”

  “I’m not at liberty to say; that’s attorney-client privilege.” “Quit! Tell him you can’t represent him, that it’s a conflict of interest!” she demanded. “I thought you liked Maggie.” “I can’t.” His voice was quiet but firm. “We have an agreement. I can’t break it. That’s all I can tell you, Aunt Lil.” “I don’t know you, Kevin Williams! I don’t know you at all. All this high-and-mighty law business. It’s corrupted you! I thought you were that same sweet boy who left here because he felt he’d make things better for me, misguided as that was. But you’re some stranger I don’t even know anymore. You know that Maggie is special to me. You’ve put me smack-dab in the middle now, Kev. How could you do this to all of us?”

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Lil. I know you don’t understand but this is my business. It’s what I’m paid to do, plain and simple as that.”

  “You know, I don’t think you were ever really interested in Maggie. I think you were…” She stopped and looked Kevin in the eye. “Just how long have you known Michael Kerns?”

  Kevin’s eyes met his aunt’s but he made no reply.

  …

  Kevin tried to hug his aunt when they parted, but she pulled away from him and left abruptly. As she drove back to Serenity, Lil felt anything but serene. She was angry and slightly nauseated. She hated the prospect of telling Maggie what she had done; she had poured out Maggie’s problems to the very person who now legally represented the source of her dilemma. How could her attempt to help Maggie have turned into such a fiasco? Why had Kevin let her tell him so much before he stopped her? She thought she knew the answer to that question!

  And Kevin! Why would he take on a client who might wish to hurt Maggie? How long had he been acquainted with Michael Kerns? Why didn’t Maggie know him
if he knew Michael. Had he only feigned interest in the girl to gather information that could be used against her? What had made him reappear on the scene at precisely the time he had? Was Maggie the only reason he had come back to Serenity? Questions rolled over and over in Lil’s mind as she drove until she became aware that she had entered the Serenity town limits.

  She knew Maggie was eagerly awaiting her call, but how she dreaded what she had to tell her. She wondered for a moment if she should stop by the drugstore first and talk to Ross about it. Then she thought better of that idea. Maggie deserved to know first, and Ross was going to be furious with Kevin, probably with her too. There was no love lost between those two before, and now this! No. She would call Maggie and ask her to stop by her place after work. She glanced at her watch. It was only about forty minutes until quitting time, if today happened to be a slow day.

  She stopped by the drugstore briefly and told Ross she wasn’t feeling well. It was no lie. Her head felt as if it could split in two.

  Ross took one look at her and said, “You don’t look too good, Lil. You need to go on home and get some rest. Are you sure you feel like driving?”

  She nodded wearily. “Thanks, Ross. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “I’ll check on you later. If you aren’t feeling a hundred percent, you stay home tomorrow, too.”

  “I’ll be alright. I have one of my sick headaches,” she told him.

  “You’re doing too much, Lil. Maybe you need to take a couple days off. Talk to you later.”

  She nodded. “Thanks, Ross. We’ll see.”

  Lil drove the short distance to her place and went inside. She sat down in her easy chair and reached for the phone. She felt as if she had a hive of bees swarming in her stomach. She dialed Doc’s office number. Mildred answered. Lil asked for Maggie and waited for her to come on the line. After what seemed an interminable wait, she heard Maggie’s voice.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, but I was in the middle a suture removal. How did it go?”

  “Well, there’s too much to go into on the phone,” she began.

  “I’ve had you on my mind all afternoon.” Maggie sounded so hopeful, so totally trusting that Lil had made everything right.