At the mention of school, Gabe and Belle groaned. Jake smiled to himself because he was looking forward to starting kindergarten in September.
Then they all walked out to the driveway and got into the car, leaving Tucker by himself on the front porch of the house. Justin started the car, and Maggie leaned out her open window to wave goodbye to Tucker. She felt guilty about leaving him alone, but at the same time she looked forward to spending some time with her children and Justin in San Francisco.
After a long, uneventful flight, Maggie, Justin and the children disembarked at San Francisco International Airport and walked over to the Hertz counter to rent a car. They drove up Route 101 towards Justin’s house in Sausalito. He had recently rented a two-bedroom duplex that had great views of the Bay and Angel Island. It was close to the beach and within walking distance of town and the ferry to San Francisco. It was a bit small for the five of them, but Justin figured that he and Maggie could take one bedroom, Gabe and Jake could take the second bedroom and Belle could sleep on the fold-out couch in the living room. They would probably spend a lot of time exploring the sights and visiting Justin’s friends and family, so they could probably survive for a week in the somewhat cramped quarters. Justin’s parents lived nearby in Tiburon and he was hoping that they might take the kids one night so that he could spend some time alone with Maggie.
Maggie immediately liked Justin’s place. It had been built in 1904 and had a lot of the features of an older house.
“Justin, this is so charming,” she said, “and the view from the patio is absolutely incredible. I’ve always wanted to live in a house that overlooks the ocean.”
“Thanks, Maggie. I like it. Sausalito is a beautiful place to live,” he said as they carried their suitcases into his bedroom. The room was small and held a queen size bed.
“I hope you don’t mind staying in here with me, Maggie.”
She gave him a long look, but didn’t say anything.
Then Justin carried Gabe and Jake’s suitcase into the second bedroom.
“If you don’t mind Belle, I guess you’ll have to sleep on the sofa.”
Belle didn’t mind in the least because the living room had the best view in the house.
“How about if we relax on the patio for a while and then go into town for some food? I don’t think there’s too much in the refrigerator,” he said.
Everyone liked that idea because they were anxious to explore the town. Maggie unpacked her clothes and put them away in the bureau in Justin’s room while the kids went outside to sit on the patio.
“I bet your women friends love this place,” Maggie said and smiled at Justin.”
“You’re the first woman that’s been here Maggie,” Justin answered seriously. “But then again, I haven’t lived here too long,” he added and then smiled suddenly.
Maggie thought this statement deserved some sort of response so she threw a pillow at him. He grabbed her by her wrists so that she couldn’t throw the second pillow at him, and kissed her in retaliation.
After a minute, Maggie broke away.
“You’re going to have to behave yourself Justin, especially when the kids are around.”
“I’ll try, but I’m not promising anything,” he said and smiled at her.
Justin went into the kitchen where he found a couple of beers in the refrigerator. He took them outside and he and Maggie joined the kids on the patio. After half an hour or so, the kids started getting restless so Justin suggested that they all go into town.
Justin, Maggie and the kids walked down the hill to Bridgeway Street where most of the tourist shops were located. Maggie wanted to buy some sweatshirts because she hadn’t quite anticipated how cool it was in San Francisco in August. After outfitting the kids and herself in brightly colored sweatshirts emblazoned with ‘Sausalito’, Maggie was happy to window shop. She gave the kids twenty dollars each to buy souvenirs and then she and Justin followed behind in their wake as they explored the various stores. Justin reached for Maggie’s hand and stopped to kiss her tenderly when the kids were too occupied to notice them.
Belle looked in one shop and then turned back to say, “There’s some nice jewelry in this store, Mama.” Maggie went into the shop with Belle and they looked at some dangly earrings that were made out of sea glass. Belle held a green pair up to her ears and liked the way they looked.
“Can I get these ones, Mama.”
“Yes, darlin’,” Maggie said and smiled indulgently.
“I think these earrings would look nice on you, Maggie,” Justin said and he held out a pair of earrings made of turquoise sea glass and sparkly silver beads.
“Those are very pretty, Justin,” Maggie said.
Justin took the two pair of earrings to the cashier who put them in small gift boxes in a bag.
“Thank you, my love,” Maggie said as they left the store. Belle heard her and looked back at Maggie and Justin with a strange look on her face. Then she hurried down the sidewalk to catch up with her brothers who were looking at some kites that were displayed in a storefront.
As Maggie and Justin caught up to them, Gabe asked, “Mama, can we get a kite? It might be fun to take it down to the beach.”
“That sounds like a good idea. Why don’t you and Jake pick one out.”
The two boys picked out a kite that looked like a dragon and had a long tail. Justin picked up a ball of string and then paid for their purchases.
“What do you say, kids?” Maggie prompted.
“Thanks Uncle Justin,” Gabe and Belle responded.
“Thanks Daddy,” said Jake and he held Justin’s hand.
Then they all walked down to the end of Gate Six road to the public shore, and admired the many colorful houseboats that were moored there. The kids were entranced with the idea of living on the water and encouraged Justin to trade in his house for a boat.
“I’m not sure that I would want to bob around all the time,” Maggie laughed.
“No Mama, it would be really cool,” said Jake.
“I would like to try going out in a sea kayak though,” Maggie said.
“Haven’t you ever done that before, Maggie?” Justin asked.
“No, I canoed and sailed when I was at summer camp, but I’ve never tried kayaking. It looks like a lot of fun.”
“It is. I’ll take you out sometime,” Justin said and smiled at her.
“Can we take the ferry to San Francisco?” Gabe asked.
“I thought we would do that in a couple days, maybe after we go visit my parents,” Justin answered. “How about if we get some lunch? I’m starting to get hungry.”
The kids seemed enthusiastic about the idea, so Justin led them to a small restaurant that had tables outside with a view of the bay. The waitress seated them and handed them some menus.
“You might like to try the cioppino, Maggie. It’s in a tomato-fennel broth and it’s their specialty,” Justin said.
“That sounds good, you know I love seafood,” she concurred.
So Justin ordered the cioppino for Maggie and the grilled organic lamb sirloin for himself. Belle decided on the ravioli and the two boys ordered hamburgers. Justin ordered some wine for Maggie and himself and they settled in for a relaxing meal. Justin reached for Maggie’s hand under the table and held her hand until the waitress came back with their food.
“So what do you recommend that we do while we’re here, Justin?”
“We should probably go into San Francisco and go to Fisherman’s Wharf, maybe have dim sum in Chinatown. There are some fun stores there too that I bet the kids would like. We could go to Mount Tamalpais one day and the Muir Woods. I thought we would visit my parents tomorrow in Tiburon. They’re anxious to meet Jake. Also, I’d like to take you guys to meet my band. They’re planning on having a cookout on Sunday.”
“Sounds like there is a lot to do,” Maggie said.
“Yes, you could probably stay here for weeks and we’d never run out of things to do,” Justin replie
d.
Jake looked sad for a minute.
“But we won’t, will we Mama?” he said anxiously.
“What’s the matter, dear?” Maggie asked quietly.
Jake looked at Justin for a minute and said “I miss Daddy.”
Maggie looked at Justin.
“Do you mean you miss Zak?” she said.
“Yes, Mama, I miss my other Daddy, and Sarah and Chère and Monroe and Uncle Caleb and my cousins and Gramma.”
Maggie took Jake’s hand in hers for a moment.
“I’m sorry, Jake. It sounds like you’re feeling a little homesick. We won’t be staying here too long, just for a short vacation.”
“That’s good,” Jake said looking relieved. “Besides, I need to go home because I’m going to start school.”
“That’s going to be exciting, Jake. I’m sure you’re going to like school,” Justin said and Jake suddenly looked a lot happier.
They finished their meal and Justin suggested they head home. He thought they should get the car and then drive over to the grocery store to get some food for the week. When they got back to the house, Jake seemed tired so he stayed home with Maggie while Justin, Gabe and Belle went over to the grocery store on Caledonia Street. They returned with several bags of food. Maggie helped put away the food in the kitchen and noticed that Justin had bought a lot of San Francisco specialties like sourdough bread, goat cheese and organic fruits and vegetables that had been grown locally.
When they were done putting away the food, Justin opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses to take out to the patio. The kids were quietly watching a video in the living room, so Maggie and Justin had the patio to themselves.
“Maggie, I’m a little worried about Jake,” Justin said after a few moments of silence. “He seems a little sad. I’m wondering if he has had to deal with too many changes over the last couple months.”
“I was thinking about that too. He’s had a lot thrown at him. Moving from Nashville to Louisiana and back again, finding out that he has a new father. Maybe we need to provide more stability for him.” Maggie looked thoughtful.
“He seems kind of anxious about starting school,” Justin said.
“I think that’s normal, it’s a big deal to start kindergarten. I remember that Gabe and Belle felt anxious about it too in the beginning.”
“I was thinking about asking you if you wanted to stay with me in California for a while, but I don’t think Jake would be happy here.”
Maggie was silent and then slowly answered, “Sometimes I have to think about what would be best for the children, and what I might want is secondary.” She reached over and took Justin’s hand and held it for a few minutes.
The video ended and the three children came out onto the patio.
“Mama, when are we going to have dinner?”
“How about some spaghetti and salad?” Justin answered. “That shouldn’t take too long.”
“Good, because I’m starving,” said Gabe.
After they had dinner, Maggie encouraged the children to go to bed early. Justin wanted to take everyone to Tiburon in the morning to visit his parents and it would probably be a long day. Maggie and Justin sat out on the patio and drank another glass of wine and watched the full moon rise. Then Justin took Maggie’s hand and led her to bed. They made love quietly so that the children wouldn’t hear, and were asleep by eleven.
.
Chapter 12
The next morning, they all got up around nine. Justin made French toast for everyone, and then packed a bag with some snacks to take to his parents’. Maggie packed a backpack with books for the kids and a Frisbee so they would have something to keep them busy. Then they all got in Justin’s van and started off to Tiburon. The town of Tiburon was on a peninsula a few miles north of Sausalito. Justin’s parents had bought a small house on the edge of town two years previously so that they could be close to Justin who was their only son.
After a short drive, they arrived at the mid-century modern house which was perched on a hillside above the town. Maggie liked it, she thought that the minimalist design didn’t distract from the spectacular water views. Justin told Maggie that he had helped his parents finance the purchase of the house. He figured that California real estate was probably a good investment, even if he wasn’t sure that he was going to stay there permanently.
They got out of the car and walked up to the front door and rang the bell. After a minute or two, Justin’s mother and father appeared. Justin kissed his mother and introduced everyone. Jake looked a little nervous about being introduced to his new grandparents, so they tried not to focus on him too much. Instead they invited everyone to sit out on the back deck.
The children started looking bored after a few minutes of small talk, so Justin suggested that they get out the Frisbee and play with that in the yard for a while. While they were occupied with their game, Justin’s mother turned to him and said, “Jake is just precious. He looks so much like you did when you were small.” Justin smiled at his parents.
“He’s smart too and he’s already playing the mandolin. One of these days, I’ll have to get him an electric guitar,” Justin said proudly.
“So are you two going to get married?” Justin’s mother asked Maggie.
Justin suddenly looked at Maggie’s hand to see if his mother had noticed her engagement ring, but the ring was gone. Maggie must have removed it that morning before they left the house.
“I’m not sure what’s going to happen, Mrs. Boudreau,” Maggie replied. “Justin and I are still getting used to the fact that we have a child together.”
“Well, I’m sure the two of you will work everything out together eventually. We are so thrilled we have a grandchild. We never thought that would happen.” Justin’s mother smiled at her son. “Thank you so much for bringing him to see us.”
After playing with the Frisbee for a while, the children started getting restless, so Justin’s parents suggested that they all walk to town and have lunch at Sam’s Anchor Café. It was a landmark in Tiburon known for its seafood and the bay views from the deck. The adults and children walked several blocks down the hill to Main Street and arrived in time to get a table on the deck. Justin’s father recommended the Dungeness Crab Penne, so Maggie ordered that. Justin decided on the Grilled Salmon with asparagus while the children asked for tuna sandwiches and burgers on sourdough buns. Everyone enjoyed the view of the bay and the San Francisco skyline, and the children had fun feeding French fries to the seagulls.
After they finished eating, they strolled down Main Street exploring the antique shops and galleries. Justin wanted to take Maggie to Schoenberg Guitars, so he suggested to his parents that they take the kids to the Candy Store while he and Maggie looked at the instruments. As they walked in the door to Schoenberg’s, Justin joked, “This is a candy store for adults.” Maggie smiled and agreed with him. There were dozens of handmade guitars hanging from the walls, they seemed to be inviting the customers to try them out. Justin was looking at some Bourgeois guitars that had just come in, when one of the salesmen came over.
“Hey, Justin. It’s good to see you. How’s that Alembic bass been treating you?” He obviously knew Justin well and they shook hands.
“Love the bass, Randy. It’s my current favorite,” he replied.
“Wow, aren’t you Maggie Mae Williams?” Randy asked.”
“Guilty,” she said smiling.
“I’d recognize you anywhere, I’ll never forget that cover on Rolling Stone.”
“Me either,” Justin said smiling. He had been there when they had photographed Maggie half-naked with her husband’s hands covering her breasts while she was seven months pregnant.
“I don’t think I’ll ever live that down,” Maggie said as she looked at Justin.
“No, it was an incredibly beautiful photo, I went right out and bought the album,” Randy said.
“Well then, it worked the way it was intended to,” Maggie said and laughed.
“That’s what I play now. My ex-husband gave me his F-5 when we got married,” she said.
“Well, we also have an F-style mandolin that was made by the luthier Brice Weaver. It’s in perfect condition and it has a beautiful open sound. It’s made out of top grade flame maple with a one piece back. It has gold Waverly tuners and an ebony fingerboard and tuning pegs.”
“Why don’t you look at it, Maggie? You could probably use another mandolin or maybe Gabe or Jake would like to play it.” Justin smiled tenderly at her.
“I’d like to hear what it sounds like. A friend of mine had a Weaver and I liked his mandolin.”
Maggie sat down in a chair at the back of the store and Randy went to get the Weaver. He handed the mandolin to her with a pick and she tuned it briefly. She played a couple quick chords to test its ‘chop’, and then played a medley of fiddle tunes in D.
“Justin, I have a 1941 Martin D-18 that you might like to try,” said Randy as he took the guitar off the wall and handed it to Justin.
Justin checked to make sure the guitar was in tune and then he said, “How about ‘I Still Miss Someone’?” Maggie nodded and then they launched off into an impromptu concert. Some of the customers gathered around them in the back of the store, irresistibly drawn in by their sweet singing and incredible musicianship.
“Would you play ‘Light in the Darkness’, Miss Williams?” a woman requested when they were done playing.
“I’m surprised you remember that one, it was on my first bluegrass album. Justin played bass on that,” Maggie said and smiled at him.
Maggie and Justin played that song and then a man in the crowd asked for “Truck Stop Girl”. It had been a big hit on the radio because it had been a duet with Tucker who was already a popular country star.
“I usually sing that with Tucker Travis,” she said, “but I’m sure that Justin can sing it too.”
“I think I can manage,” Justin said and laughed.
The Sweetest Gift (The Gift) Page 7
