After opening the windows and taking a long, hot shower, she checked her voice-mail. There was only one message from Doyle, verifying their meeting the next day. She sighed as she hung up the phone. She tried so hard to convince everyone in Silver Bay that she had a life here, but did she? Besides Annie and a few people from work, she didn’t connect with anyone.
The phone rang, causing her to jump.
“Hello.”
“Mags, it’s Hannah.”
“Hey.”
“How was your flight?”
“Fine. I’m tired.”
“I bet. Josh said you left with things kind of…emotional between you.”
She sighed and looked out the window, thinking of his kiss. “I guess that’s one way of saying it.”
“Maggie, I’ve known you a long time. There’s something going on with you. I wish you would tell me. I’m your friend and I love you.”
Maggie looked out the window. The sky was dreary and dark. Huh, how fitting. “I know. You’ve always been there for me.” She took a deep breath and let it out. It was time.
She told Hannah everything, about the house, the adoption. Everything.
“I can’t believe you’ve been carrying this all alone.”
“Well, I told Josh.”
“That explains it. When I asked him what was going on, he said I would have to ask you. His code for, ‘I know, but it’s not my place to tell you.’”
Maggie smiled. She could always trust Josh.
“What are you going to do?” Hannah asked.
“I don’t know. I have a meeting tomorrow with my editor. I still need to sell the house. As far as the adoption, I don’t know. I have no idea where to start. I’ve tried doing some research online but I keep hitting walls. It’s all a bit…overwhelming.”
“I bet. I’m so sorry, Maggie. Truly. I’ll see if I can push the sale of the house more for you and get the highest price possible.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Hey, not to change the subject, but I wanted to let you know that Kate’s dad died of a heart attack. She’s headed to Boston right now to be with her family. We need to keep them in our prayers.”
“That’s horrible. I will definitely pray.”
“And I’ll be praying for your meeting tomorrow. Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
The friends said good-bye and Maggie ambled off the couch, trying to summon the energy to unpack. Josh’s voice lingered in her head. Come home to me, Maggie.
“Home,” she said aloud. The word felt foreign rolling off her tongue. For years she thought this place, Seattle, was home. Now she wasn’t so sure.
*
“Hey kid, how you holdin’ up?” Doyle said as Maggie sat down on the brown leather sofa in his office.
“Fine. I’m fine.” She picked at the fluff sprouting from a tear in the arm of the couch.
“You say that, but I know it’s bogus.”
She smiled at her boss. He knew her as well as anyone.
“So, do I still have a job?”
He chuckled. “That’s one thing I love about you, Mitchell. You cut to the chase.” His smiled faded, however, as he continued. “I’m afraid I don’t have great news for you.”
Maggie’s stomach tightened. She sat, waiting for her future to be told.
“This new writer has really spent some time and energy brownnosing while you were gone. Not to mention working 24/7. I’m sorry, Maggie, but they want to promote her to your position writing features and bring you back down to copy editing, basic stuff. I told them it was a ridiculous waste of talent, but they wouldn’t listen. They also said you could work in marketing if you wanted.”
Maggie looked out the window, surprised that her eyes stayed dry as the desert. What was it that flowed through her? Relief? She certainly hadn’t expected that. “So you’re saying I have the choice of being demoted or switching to a completely different job that I know almost nothing about?” A sarcastic laugh escaped her lips. “And let me guess, they both pay squat.”
“There is a dramatic income change, yes.”
Doyle had no problem cutting to the chase either.
Maggie rubbed her bottom lip with her forefinger and continued to stare out the window. Doyle clasped his hands over his belly and twirled his thumbs.
“I really am sorry, Maggie. I tried my best to fight for you.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“Take a day or two to think about it and let me know what you want to do.”
He leaned forward in his chair, reaching for a pen, but he stopped when Maggie said, “I quit.”
A stunned look on his face, he leaned back again.
“You sure about that?”
Maggie wasn’t sure. Somewhere in her mind doubt flittered around, but her gut told her to walk away. One thing she did know was that she didn’t want to go backwards.
“Yes. I’ll go get my things and then I’m gone.”
Doyle sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that, Maggie, but I understand.” He stood and came around his desk. Maggie stood as well. He gave her a fatherly bear hug.
“Stay in touch, okay? And if you need a recommendation for a job, you know you can count on me.”
“I know. Thanks.”
*
Maggie glanced at the box of items from her desk sitting on the train seat next to her. Strange how something she thought was such a big part of her life could fit in one box.
She dialed Hannah on her cell phone and waited while it rang.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Hannah. It’s me. I’m coming home.”
*
“You don’t have to do this, Annie,” Maggie said to her neighbor and friend.
“I know. I wanted to.” Annie took down a framed photograph from the mantle, wrapped it gently in paper, and laid it in a box on the sofa. “I’m gonna miss you.”
“I’m gonna miss you, too.” Maggie smiled at her friend. In all her years in Seattle, she hadn’t made close friends, but she could always count on Annie for a Friday night ’80s movie marathon and cookie dough ice cream.
“I understand what you’re going though.” Her friend’s words broke her train of thought.
“You do?”
“Yes. You grew up there. Hannah is there. And even though you don’t say much about him, I know you still care about Josh.”
Maggie tried hard to remember if she had even ever mentioned Josh to Annie. She must have.
As if reading Maggie’s mind, Annie said, “You’ve talked about him more than you think over the years. I think he’s a part of you, you just don’t know it yet.”
Maggie gave her friend a weak smile and continued wrapping dishes in bubble wrap. Her stereo played a mix of music and, as if on cue, the song Josh sang that night at the football game floated through the room. The memory of that night, dancing in Josh’s arms, moved to the forefront of her mind. Even though the recording artist sang it much better than Josh did, she preferred his tender whisper over the real version any day. It had been so good, so right, to be in his arms again. Whenever he held her, she relaxed. She could trust him to protect her, always. He had always been her safe place. So why couldn’t she let him be that again?
Chapter Eighteen
‡
Maggie headed down the escalator toward baggage claim. She made her way through the crowd to Hannah and gave her a hug.
“Welcome back,” Hannah said. “You okay?”
“Nope.”
Both women laughed.
“You will be,” Hannah encouraged. “You’re home now.”
Maggie shook her head. “What have I done? I have a house I can’t afford, no job, only enough in my savings for about six months, and I have no idea who my parents are. Crap. I don’t even have a car.”
“Let’s take one thing at a time. You can use my car until we find you one. For now, we need to get your bags and we’ll go from there. Come on, I read on the monitor that the
y’ll come in on carousel three.”
*
It was dusk when they turned onto the dirt road toward her house. Hannah had put a few lights on inside that sent a warm and welcoming glow, even from down the road. Maggie sighed. She never viewed it as a place she wanted to be, but now… well, she wasn’t sure what now. The For Sale sign brought her back to reality and her heart hurt. She looked past the sign to see Josh standing on the front porch. Her heart warmed. Home.
He came down the steps as Hannah parked the car and they climbed out.
“Let me help you with your bags.” They danced around one another awkwardly as he headed to the trunk to retrieve her luggage. They hadn’t spoken since she left for Seattle.
While Josh put her bags inside, Hannah hugged her good-bye and left. Josh joined her on the front porch, sitting in the large wicker chair next to hers. He tried to look relaxed, but as he hunched forward, his elbows resting on his knees, he kept rubbing the tips of his fingers together the way he used to do when he played football. It meant he was focused and thinking hard.
“Aren’t you gonna ask me?”
“Ask you what?” He looked at her, confused.
“What everyone else wants to know. What are you gonna do now, Maggie?”
“No. I’m just glad you’re here,” he said.
She giggled at the sight of him.
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
“I think you do want to ask me something, because you look like you may spontaneously combust if you don’t. That, or rub all the skin off the tips of your fingers.”
He looked at his hands then grinned at her.
“I’m that easy to read, huh?”
“No, I just know you, that’s all.”
“Yes, you do.” He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands along his pant legs.
“Go ahead. I’m listening.”
“Well, you had a visitor while you were gone.”
Maggie stopped smiling.
“I was wondering what your reaction would be to that. Anyway, Hannah asked me to come by and check on things one day and Lady Guinevere showed up in her little Volvo. I couldn’t believe it. I thought for sure she had the wrong house. I waited as she got out of the car, and she looked a bit shocked when she saw me here. I’m assuming because she expected you. I asked her if I could help her and she just said she was wondering if you were available. I told her you were out of town and weren’t sure when you would be back.”
Maggie listened, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn’t sure if it was because she would have to tell Josh about all that she knew of Gwen’s friendship with her mother, or because she was worried he would think she didn’t trust him.
He continued. “She just got back in her car and drove away.”
There was an intense silence between them for what seemed like an eternity.
“I realize you don’t have to tell me every single facet of your life, Maggie, but I sure am a bit curious about this strange woman coming by to see you.”
Maggie finally found her voice. “She’s not strange at all, Josh. She’s just misunderstood.”
“Okay. How is she misunderstood?”
She thought for a moment about where to begin. “Well, it all started when we bumped into each other one day on the street. She invited me for tea and because of some bizarre state of shock I was in, I said yes. I went to her house and found out that she and my mother were friends.”
Josh looked at her with wide eyes.
“Yeah, I know. It surprised me too. Anyway, she’s come by a few times. Once I asked her over for lunch to see if she knew anything about me being adopted, which she didn’t, and the other time was on the anniversary of my mother’s death. She’s really pretty nice.”
Josh sat back in his chair, taking in what Maggie had just told him.
“It’s so hard to think of her in a different way than how we always have. Remember we used to make up stories about what she was carrying in the backseat of that car of hers?”
His face changed from a look of slight amusement at a high school memory to curiosity.
“Has she told you what’s in her car?”
“No, and I don’t think we’re close enough for me to ask her either. Look, I think she’s totally harmless and lonely. She said my mom came out to visit her all the time and helped her around her house. Gwen offered her a safe haven away from my father when she needed it. She’s all alone in that little shack and…I don’t know. I feel bad for her.”
“You said she didn’t know anything about you being adopted. That seems hard to believe if she was fairly good friends with your mother.”
“I know. She said she guessed that Mom had some secrets from her past, but she wasn’t sure what they were. The only information she had was about the Christmas party with Dad spewing stuff about me not being his.”
“But that was all she knew?”
“That was all she knew. Or so she says. I believe her though. I’m sure my mother was protecting me in some strange way. If my father found out that someone knew the truth, especially Gwen, there’s no telling what he would have done, to my mother or to me.”
Josh stared out toward the trees. The sun was down now and the crickets were beginning their evening symphony.
“Well, I’m exhausted, so I think it’s time to turn in.” She got up from her chair and stretched.
“I’m sorry, Maggie. I shouldn’t have pushed you into talking about Gwen tonight.”
“You didn’t push me into anything. Besides, if you hadn’t, your fingers would have been rubbed raw by morning.”
He stood to leave, but stopped and turned toward her.
“There is one other thing I want to know,” he said.
“Okay. What’s that?”
“Why’d you come back?”
She wanted to give him the answer he was looking for. So much. But she was still afraid. What if she gave him her whole heart and she lost him? Her pulse raced at the thought. No. She had to get her life in order before making any decisions about Josh.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I just know there wasn’t anything in Seattle for me anymore.”
“Do you think there’s anything here for you?”
She smiled. “Maybe.”
“Well, I don’t mind waiting around until you find out.”
“That’s not very fair to you.”
“I’m a patient man.”
With that, he winked and moved down the steps. He climbed in his Jeep and drove away, a cloud of dust trailing behind him.
She watched until she couldn’t see his taillights any longer.
The house was filled with fresh flowers and it was cleaner than she had seen it in a long time.
In her room, the bed was folded down, a small chocolate candy on her pillow alongside a single, red rose.
After washing her face, she put on her nightgown and crawled into bed. Placing the chocolate in her mouth, she rested the rose against her cheek and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
*
Maggie waited for Kate in the same baggage claim area Hannah had waited in for her. She watched as Kate came down the escalator. Her hair was pulled back in a slick ponytail, and considering all she had just been through she looked pretty good. Spotting Maggie, she waved. They snaked their way through the crowd to each other and hugged.
“How are you, my friend?” Maggie asked.
“I’ve been better, but I’m still here, right?”
“You’re absolutely right.”
“What about you? I can’t believe you just walked out of your job and came back here. That’s fantastic!”
“It is?” Maggie laughed. “I thought it was just plain crazy.”
“Well, maybe a little crazy. But I say, good for you. That magazine doesn’t deserve you.”
“Thanks, Kate.” She hugged her friend again.
“And hey, Atmosphere is open now and doing well. I can always use an extra hand around the store. I know it’s not
much, but it would be fun to have you in there until you find something else.”
“That’s a great idea, actually.”
“Come by the store and we’ll talk.”
“I will.”
They found Kate’s bags and made their way out to the car. Once they were on the freeway, Maggie asked about Kate’s mom, Rose.
“You know, Maggie, she seems okay, but I can tell something isn’t right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I know she’s upset about Dad being gone, but it seems like it’s more than that. Something else is bugging her, I can tell.”
“She’s been through a lot in a short time. I’m sure it’s just the stress.”
Kate ran her hand over her hair and looked back at Maggie.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Dad’s death has definitely been tough.”
They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they reached Kate’s house, Maggie helped her in with her bags. She had come by earlier to open the house and freshen things up a bit.
She stayed briefly to make sure Kate was settled in.
“You know where to find me if you need anything at all,” Maggie said as she left.
“I know. Thanks. I think all I need now is a hot bath and to sleep for a few days.”
“Call me when you feel like it.”
“Thanks.”
*
Kate watched until Maggie drove home and climbed the porch stairs and went inside. She felt so much safer knowing her friend was nearby.
She made her way sluggishly up the stairs, left her suitcases in the bedroom and headed straight for the bathtub. Sinking down, she let the scalding water burn away her fatigue and stress from travel.
She emerged from the bathtub relaxed and wrapped herself in her favorite sky-blue cotton bathrobe with a large moon on the back. A cow jumped over the moon, and on the front there was a spoon and a dish running together, hand in hand. Feeling oddly alert and not at all sleepy, she headed to her study.
She sat down in front of the surprise she was working on for Maggie and contemplated it. It wasn’t quite what she had intended in the beginning, but it was taking a form all its own. No matter how often Kate approached a new endeavor, each outcome was different than her original thought. It seemed to be guiding her instead of the other way around.
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