by Jennie Marts
Her ex-husband smiled and passed her a cold can of Diet Coke. “Hey, Maggie-May. Rough day at the office?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, it was.” She hated that he could still read her so easily. She did take the can of soda, though. “And I told you not to call me that.”
“Sorry. Just trying to be thoughtful.”
As if. Who was this guy? He hadn’t given a thought to anyone but himself in years. “What are you doing here anyway? You didn’t come to that many games when we were married. Why show up now?”
“Ouch.” He faked a shot to the chest. “Drew called me and said he couldn’t get Dylan picked up and asked me to bring him over. I wasn’t busy, so I said I would. I promised Dylan we could go to that new burger place down on 8th Street after the game. Wanna join us?”
“She’s got plans.” Jeremy slid into the bleachers on Maggie’s other side, sliding his arm around her waist and laying a quick, but proprietary, kiss on her lips.
Maggie shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve got plans.” She turned to Jeremy, a smile on her just-kissed lips. “Hey, how was your day?”
“Crazy. We’re in the midst of this huge launch, and yet we’re all grieving for Jim. It’s hard because we have so much to do, and we all have to work together, but there’s this weird undertone of suspicion around the office. I don’t know what I would have done without Charlotte. She’s put in a ton of extra hours and really been there for me this week.”
“I bet she has,” Maggie muttered. Before she could say more, the action on the field started, and she got lost in watching her son play soccer.
The hour and a half flew by, and their team won, with Dylan scoring two goals and making an assist. The group hung out by the concession stand waiting for Dylan to finish with the team.
Piper stood holding hands with Drew. She did her best to break the awkward silence. “So, Maggie, we’re gonna try book club again tomorrow morning at your house, right?”
Maggie cringed. She applauded the effort at conversation, but wished Piper would not have brought up the uncomfortable memory of book club and the double cupcake deliveries. She also wished she hadn’t drunk that second can of soda. “I’ll be right back.”
As much as she hated to use the soccer field’s Porta-Potty, she was desperate. She squeezed through the door and quickly did her business, trying not to touch anything in the little green cubicle. A dispenser of hand sanitizer clung to the wall, and she squeezed a glob of the clear slimy liquid into her hand.
Maggie jumped as her cell phone vibrated. She reached in her back pocket to pull the phone free, and knocked her elbow against the side wall of the Porta-Potty. The sanitizer had made her hands just slick enough that she lost her grip and bobbled the phone before it dropped into the murky blue water two feet below.
Shit! Literally. Are you kidding? What was happening to her? She had never dropped a phone in the toilet in her life, and now she had lost two in the last two weeks. She either needed to chain them to her belt-loop or stop using outside toilets. She voted for the latter.
She slammed the door of the porta-john open and stepped out with a curse. “I dropped my F-ing phone down the toilet again! It’s my new one that I just replaced. I’m so mad!”
“Oh no. That sucks.” Piper laughed. “But it’s also kind of funny.”
“Hi, Mom. Did you see my goals?” Dylan loped up to the group and hugged his mother. He pulled back and must have recognized her angry face. “What’s wrong? Did Dad do something?”
Maggie shook her head and hugged her son again. “No. It’s not your dad. This time. I just dropped my damn phone down the toilet.”
“Wait. I got it.” The green door of the Porta-Potty opened and Chad emerged, proudly holding her phone aloft. His hand and part-way up his wrist were stained blue from the chemically treated water of the Porta-Potty.
Oh. No. He didn’t.
Maggie felt the bile rise in her throat as Chad extended his blue-stained hand to her, the phone pinched between his fingers. “Oh, my gosh, Chad. I am NOT touching that! Just throw it away.”
“What? You were so bummed you lost it. I thought I was helping you.” His face took on the pitiful, sad look of a shamed puppy.
“Look at your hand.”
Chad shrugged. “It’s just water. They put so many chemicals in it, it’s practically like sticking your hand in a swimming pool. I’m sure it’ll wash right off.”
“Dad, that is disgusting.” Drew held his hand over his mouth and pushed the park’s trash- can toward his dad with his foot. “Throw it away.”
“It’s an iPhone. And it’s new.” Chad forlornly dropped the cell phone into the trash-can.
“And I bought the insurance,” Maggie said.
“Hey, I was just trying to help.” Chad did not like being the butt of any joke, and it seemed he realized his act of chivalry was quickly turning into a comedic gag.
Maggie watched his face and recognized the expression of anger that was beginning to simmer just under the surface. “Thank you for the effort, Chad. I appreciate it.” She turned to Jeremy. “I think we’re going to go.”
She gave her son one more quick squeeze. “You played a great game, honey. Have fun getting dinner with your dad. We’ll see you later.”
##
Maggie and Jeremy curled together on the new sofa in Jeremy’s living room. His housekeeper had pulled off a miracle, and the room looked good as new.
Maggie popped a piece of popcorn in her mouth. They had just finished watching a movie and were talking about Dylan’s game.
“Maybe you should check on Chad.” Jeremy tried to hold in his laughter. “He seemed so sad when we left. I don’t want him to be blue.”
Maggie playfully punched Jeremy in the arm. He burst into a fit of laughter as he cracked another blue joke at Chad’s expense. “Enough already.”
Jeremy took a deep breath, trying to get himself under control. “Sorry, that just came on, out of the blue.” Another burst of laughter.
Maggie gave him her best stern mom/lawyer look.
“Okay. No, really. I’ll stop.” Jeremy positioned his face into a sober expression. “I’ve just been laughing until I’m blue in the face. Or the hand.” More chuckling.
Maggie tried to keep a straight face. His laughter was infantile, but still contagious. “Come on. You have to run out of these eventually.”
“Oh, I could go all night.” He wiggled his eyebrows, grinning at the double meaning.
Maggie got the message too and promptly changed the subject. “I still can’t believe he fished that phone out of there. I just don’t know why he would do that. Why anyone would do that.”
“Really, Maggie?” Jeremy’s tone sobered. “We all know why he did it. He’s trying to win you back.”
Could that be true? Thinking back on the past few weeks, it seemed like he had been trying to be extra thoughtful. She thought he was trying to impress the boys, but maybe he was doing it for her. “I don’t think so. He had me once and he threw me away.”
“His loss was my gain.” Jeremy rubbed his hand along her spine. “Sometimes it takes losing something to realize how great you actually had it.”
Maggie didn’t think things had been that great the last few years. In fact, she had to think really hard to when things had been even good. Wait. Why was she spending time thinking about the past when her future could be sitting right next to her, massaging her back? She couldn’t think of a time when Chad had ever rubbed her back. She was always the one giving to him. And he was always the taker.
She wanted something different with Jeremy. Something more. She loved the way he wanted to touch her, like she was a treasure that he had found. He held her in such regard, like he valued her and couldn’t believe that she was with him. Chad acted like she should consider herself lucky to be with him.
She looked up at Jeremy. His dark brown eyes held such sincerity. She wanted to believe in him. To trust him. With her body. With her heart.
&nbs
p; She watched his eyes change and take on a look of desire as the hand that was rubbing her back slid around her waist and pulled her against him.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “Your expression just turned serious. What are you thinking about, Maggie?”
She smiled, glad they weren’t playing poker. “I was thinking about us. I’m not very good at this relationship thing. Evidently, I don’t inspire men to stick around.”
“Stop it. I hate that that bastard made you feel less about yourself.” He brought his hand up and laid it against her cheek. “I can’t believe that a woman like you would even consider falling for a nerdy guy like me. Maggie, I know we haven’t been dating for a long time, but something about you just clicks with me. And I plan on staying around for as long as you’ll have me.”
She wanted to believe him. But something inside of her held back. Afraid to trust again.
Jeremy tipped her chin up to look at him. He ran his thumb along her bottom lip. “You are an amazing woman, Maggie. You’re smart and beautiful.”
Maggie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hesitant to share her inner-most thoughts. The feel of his thumb touching her lip sent delicious shivers down her spine. Her body heated, wanting him, craving him. But not just with her body. She wanted his heart as well.
She opened her eyes, peering at Jeremy through her lashes, praying that her confessions would be heard with understanding. “But smart and beautiful aren’t enough. I wasn’t enough.”
Jeremy’s grip on her back tightened and his voice choked with emotion. “You are more than enough for me. I think about you every day, Maggie. Every minute of every day. I think about what I can do to prove I am worthy of you. Of what I can do to make you happy. I think about what I can do to make your face break out into that amazing smile that you have just for me. I would do just about anything for that smile.”
Maggie’s heart ached with tenderness for this man who opened himself up to her. Who shared his thoughts and his feelings. “I think about you too.”
Jeremy dipped his head to lightly touch her lips with his. He kissed her then pulled back. “I don’t just think about you, Maggie. I think about being with you.” He kissed her again. “I think about kissing you and touching you.” Another kiss, this one more urgent, filled with the desire of which he spoke. “I need you, Maggie. I want you. I want you so bad.”
She had spent so many years in an emotional wasteland, she wasn’t sure if this man was really an oasis or just a mirage. Something that looked beautiful, but wavered in the sun and disappeared if you got too close. There was only one way to find out. She had to get close enough to see if it was real. She had to dip her toe in the water to see if it would bring blessed relief. If this man was an illusion or something real, something she had been searching for.
She gave in to her desire and kissed him back. Kissed him with abandon, with the carnal need that swelled inside of her. She wanted his hands on her, touching her, caressing her body.
He pulled her under him on the sofa, his body heavy on hers. His hands thrust into her hair, cradling her head as he feasted on her mouth, her neck, her chest.
Sinking into the leather sofa, she wrapped her legs around him. She welcomed the weight of him on top of her, gripping his lean and muscled arms as he trailed his lips along her neck. He pushed up, using one hand to steady himself and the other to flick the buttons of her blouse open, one achingly slow button at a time. With each button he unfastened, he leaned down and left a kiss along her skin where the button had been.
She arched up against him, relishing the anticipation of each button as his lips touched her most sensitive spots. She gasped as he kissed the dip between her breasts, the lace of her bra peeking out of the loosened blouse. Another button, a kiss, then another button. His fingers brushed her skin as he pulled the fabric apart and laid his mouth against her stomach, circling her belly button with his tongue. The last button freed and her shirt lay completely open, exposing her skin to him.
He trailed a line of kisses along the waistband of her pants, cupping her bottom with his free hand. His touch set her on fire. She was about to come as undone as the buttons on her blouse.
She gripped his head, his hair soft under her fingers. It had been so long since she had been touched with such longing from a man. The desire in her body rivaled with the desire of her heart. She wanted this man. All of him. His body, his heart, his soul.
Jeremy pulled back, standing up next to the sofa and looking down on her. “You are so beautiful.” He leaned over and slid his arms under her, lifting her from the sofa and cradling her against him. He looked into her eyes. “I’m taking you to my bed. Are you okay with that?”
Holy hot fantasies. She thrilled at the thought of him carrying her to his bedroom. Jeremy was usually so gentle with her, her heart raced at this more forceful side of him. The strength in his grip on her made her feel as if she weighed nothing. The power of the moment had her afraid to speak. She could only lose herself in his eyes and nod her head.
That nod was all he needed. He leaned in to indulge her lips once more, his kiss a preview of the passion to come. Then he carried her to his bed.
Chapter Nine
The smell of bacon filled the air the next morning as Maggie stepped out of her bedroom, calling to her like the siren song of breakfast food. Yawning, she stumbled down the stairs, not prepared to see Sunny, Maggie, and Edna sitting in her living room.
Edna waggled a thumb in her direction. “Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to get up. Somebody have a late one last night?”
Sometimes Edna was hard to take, even after she’d had coffee. But she was almost impossible pre-caffeine. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We’re here for book club,” Sunny said. “Remember we rescheduled to this morning. You are really out of it.”
It was coming back to her now. “Of course. Sorry. I got in late last night.”
“Late like midnight?” Cassie asked.
“Late like three or four.”
“In the morning?” Cassie looked skeptically at her friend. “What were you doing till three or four in the morning?”
Maggie smiled.
And Edna knew. She let out a naughty cackle. “You were out last night doing it!”
“Doing what?” Sometimes it took Cassie a few minutes to catch up.
“It!” Edna explained. “The mattress mambo, getting down and dirty, playing hide the sausage, getting a booty call, getting the hot beef injection, punching the monkey.”
“Enough.” Sunny swatted at Edna. “We get the picture.”
“Punching the monkey?” Cassie looked questioningly at Edna. “What does that even mean?”
Edna shrugged. “I don’t know. I heard it on the radio.”
“The point is. You did it.” Sunny pointed at Maggie’s messy hair. “And from the looks of your hair, it must have been pretty good.”
Maggie tried her best to glare at her friends, but couldn’t hold the frown. Plus, she felt too dang good. A smile broke out across her face. “Okay. I did spend some ‘quality time’ with Jeremy last night.” She waved a hand in Edna’s direction. “But there were no monkeys involved. Getting punched or otherwise.”
Cassie clapped her hands together. “Yay. This means you must like him. You really like him, don’t you, Maggie?”
Why were her friends so lovable and so annoying at the same time? She really needed caffeine. And from the comment Sunny aimed at her hair, she must need a shower as well. “Yes, I really like him. Now quit talking about it and somebody please find me a cup of coffee. I need ten minutes to take a quick shower, then I’ll be back down to talk about the book we read or about the weather or about Edna’s bunion. But I do not want to talk about Jeremy or a hot beef injection, for heaven’s sake.” She shook her head, muttering to herself as she walked back up the stairs. “Where does she come up with this stuff?”
Twenty minutes later, Maggie walked in to the kitchen f
eeling fresher and much happier. She wore a pair of khaki shorts and a white V-neck t-shirt and had quickly brushed on a little shadow and mascara. Her hair was long and loose, falling straight down her back, still damp after only a quick zap with the hairdryer.
One of her friends had slipped a cup of coffee onto the bathroom counter while she was in the shower. She now had clean hair and caffeine. The only thing that could ruin her mood was the man standing behind her counter holding a bowl full of waffle batter.
Chad hefted the bowl at her. “Hey Maggie-May. You’re just in time. I made breakfast.”
He slid a fresh waffle onto a plate, the edges crisp and golden brown. Passing her the plate, her eyes widened at the vividly blue-stained skin of Chad’s hand and wrist.
Edna waved a fork in the air, talking around her bite. “I still think he’s an A-hole, but Papa Smurf there makes some pretty dang good waffles.”
Oh. My. Gosh. She did not just go there. Maggie turned to the table, reaching for the syrup to mask the smile on her face. She stuffed a bite of waffle in her mouth to keep the giggles from bubbling out. “Good waffles.”
“Thanks. Did you get the coffee I brought you?” He gestured to the empty mug with his blue-tainted hand. “Pass me your cup, and I’ll get you a refill.”
What? He brought her the coffee? Did that mean he came in the bathroom while she was showering?
She carried her cup around the center island, preferring to fill the mug herself. “We need to discuss some boundaries.”
Chad shrugged. “We were married for eighteen years. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
“What? You looked?” Maggie reached for the coffeepot, squeezing in behind Chad and trying not to brush against him.
He inhaled deeply. “Geez. You still smell amazing.”
“You realize we’re all in the room and we can hear you?” Piper said.
Maggie turned to see Piper sitting at the kitchen table, grinning at her over a plate holding a giant waffle drowning in dark pools of syrup. “When did you get here?”
“I’ve been here. I rode over with Cassie. I was talking to Drew before he left for work.”
