Emmy spun around, eyes wide in surprise. “I...um...” Then the eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why didn’t you tell me the jerk-off was here?” She threw up her hands and stomped past Maggie, out of the room.
Maggie stormed after her, talking to her back all the way to the kitchen. “Emmy. Calm down. I didn’t tell you because I haven’t told anyone. Russ was upset about Dad’s surgery, and he wanted to come home for it. We didn’t want him to do that, so Jeff promised him he’d be there in his place.”
Emmy leaned a hip against the kitchen island and crossed her arms. “And, of course, he talked you into letting him stay here.” Her eyes shifted and focused above Maggie’s head.
“Yes, I did. And maybe that was a mistake.”
Turning at the sound of Jeff’s voice behind her, she gasped at the sight. “Oh, my God! What happened to you?”
The area around his left eye was an angry red, and it was swollen enough that the eye was closed.
“I hit him with those boots I borrowed.” Emmy didn’t sound the least bit contrite. “I went to put them in the closet, and he scared me—hiding in there like a pervert burglar—so I let him have it with the box to his face.”
“And the nuts,” Jeff added, eliciting another gasp of horror from Maggie.
She’d left her house six hours ago as a peaceful sanctuary and returned to find it a free-for-all.
“And then I punched him in the stomach.” Emmy shrugged. “Just for general purposes.”
“You’ve got quite a punch.” Jeff rubbed his stomach and the side of his mouth twitched with mirth. “Ever think of going into the ring?”
He was acting like this was a big joke? Maggie was aghast. The skin around his freaking eye was beginning to turn blue.
Emmy’s hands went to her hips, and she struck a pose. “Ever hear of kickboxing, jerk-off? How do you think I got a smokin’ body like this?”
Oh, good Lord. Maggie yanked open a drawer and pulled out a plastic storage bag to fill with ice.
“In California, it generally takes several surgeries to achieve those results.”
That brought a snicker from Emmy, and the tension in the room kicked down several notches.
Maggie handed Jeff the bag of ice. From another drawer Emmy pulled out a dishcloth to wrap it with and tossed it to him.
“Thanks.” He nodded to both of them.
“Well.” Maggie clapped her hands together. “I realize this is a tad late, but Emmy, this is Russ’s dad, Jeff Wells. Jeff, my best friend, EmmyLou Creighton.”
Jeff grinned and stuck out his hand. “Glad to make your acquaintance, EmmyLou.”
Emmy grinned back as she took his hand. “I’m still reserving judgment. But you only grunted when I hit you in the balls instead of squealing, so I’ll give you that.”
Jeff laughed, probably not realizing Emmy actually meant what she said.
Her friend’s eyes came to rest on Maggie then and her face sobered. “So you want to fill me in on all the specifics now? You went to Chicago to move your son to college and finished that by hooking up with your ex?”
Heat flashed in Maggie’s chest and started creeping up her face. “I...um...” She didn’t want to lie to Emmy, but how would Jeff feel about her discussing it just yet?
His arm came around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Yep. That’s pretty much the way it happened. We discovered the attraction was still there, so we just decided to go with the moment.”
“Really?” Emmy squealed and danced in place a few steps, drumming the granite countertop with her fingers. “That is so cool! Just like in the movies!”
“Now, Emmy,” Maggie cautioned. “Don’t go letting your imagination run away with this. We simply decided the grudge match had gone on long enough, and it was in everybody’s best interest—especially Russ’s—to let it go.”
“So you’ve buried the...hatchet, so to speak?” Emmy’s eyebrows shrugged to emphasize her meaning.
Maggie rolled her eyes. Only then did she take a good look around the kitchen. “Did you bring food with you?”
Her friend sniffed. “The makings for tacos and margaritas. I thought you were going to be lonely.”
“Tacos and margaritas sound great.”
Maggie caught the genuine enthusiasm in Jeff’s voice.
“Well, I’ll just leave this stuff with y’all, then.” Emmy waved a hand toward the items she’d brought. “Enjoy.”
Maggie shot Jeff a questioning look, and he responded with a nod. “Stay, Emmy,” she said. “We’ll fix the tacos and have a nice supper out on the patio.”
Emmy paused and shook her head. “Y’all probably want to be alone.”
“You might as well stay.” Jeff snorted. “You’ve probably put me out of commission for a few days, anyway.” They all laughed together, and then Maggie felt Jeff’s hand on her shoulder again. “C’mon, Emmy, stay,” he insisted. “I need to find out if all those tales Maggie told me about you are true.”
Emmy directed a pointed look Maggie’s way, and Maggie nodded.
“Well, okay. You talked me into it.” She shifted her gaze to Jeff and arched an eyebrow. “And I intend to find out the same about you, so just get yourself ready.”
* * *
“CALL ME EVERY couple of hours Monday, you hear?” Emmy shifted her car to Reverse and continued talking as she backed around Jeff and Maggie. “And if you need me to take you to the airport Wednesday, Jeff, let me know. I love Nashville. I’ll use any available excuse to spend some time there.”
“Thanks, I will.” Jeff hoped Maggie could take him, but it would depend on how well Eli was doing by then. Emmy volunteering as his backup ride relieved him of that worry.
But right then, a different worry inhabited prime residence in his mind. What had started as a niggle with their first ride to Loyola last Tuesday had blown into a full vexation during Emmy’s tirade this afternoon. He would have to broach the subject carefully and not give Mags the chance to dismiss it. And if she did, he would insist.
He needed an answer.
Emmy threw a wave out the window as she stepped on the gas, and they waved their goodbye to her taillights.
“Whew!” Jeff ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Does her mouth ever close?”
Maggie shook her head. “Dad says Emmy is probably incapable of farting because her mouth doesn’t stay closed long enough to build up any pressure.”
Jeff guffawed. Only Eli could come up with something that outlandish. “I’ll bet she and your dad are a hell of a mess when they get together.”
“I get stomach cramps from laughing at them.”
He rested his arm around her waist as they walked, subtly directing her toward the patio where they’d been relaxing all evening. He wanted to keep her that way—relaxed and open.
“I’m sorry about your eye.” She glanced up and protruded her bottom lip in sympathy. “Does it hurt much?”
“Naw,” he lied, and then thought better of it. If he wanted complete honesty from Mags, he needed to set the tone. “That’s not true. It hurts like hell.” The swelling had completely closed the eye, which made his depth perception wonky, and the bruise reached from his eyebrow to his cheek. “But I’ll live.”
“I’ll get you more ice.” When Maggie pulled away toward the house, he caught her and pushed her gently into a chair.
“You sit. I can get my own ice.”
He went in and filled the bag again. Spotting the mason jar of Emmy’s moonshine, he grabbed it and a couple of shot glasses from the bar.
Mags turned at the clink of the glassware on the table and raised an eyebrow. “That stuff will rid you of any pain you might be feeling.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” He started to pour.
“Half shots.
And sip. Don’t gulp,” she warned as he handed her a glass.
He followed her lead and took a small sip, expecting a punch to the stomach similar to the one Emmy gave him earlier. What he got instead was a burst of cinnamon, sweet and satiny. “Wow!” He drew back and looked at it through his good eye. “That’s smooth.”
“Hence the danger.” Mags wagged a finger at him. “I’m telling you, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Two shots deep and you can’t keep your head up. Despite the yummy taste, the main alcohol ingredient is still Everclear.”
A heron glided overhead in the direction of the pond at the back of the property. Jeff watched it, feeling the warmth of the drink starting to work its magic. He laid the ice pack to the side and reached out to take Maggie’s hand.
She started to smile but it quickly faded. “What?” she asked.
“Emmy’s last punch—the one to my stomach—came after she knew who I was. She said some things...”
The deep breath left her lungs on a slow, audible sigh. “Yeah. I heard.”
That sounded like a confession, and the truth pressed against his chest wall. “She said years, Mags. That you waited for years, expecting...hoping I’d come back.”
“Yes, it’s true. I was still in love with you long after we split up.”
“I thought you hated me.” He worked hard to isolate his frustration and shove it out of the conversation. “When I left, you didn’t even come out to say goodbye. You sent your mom out with Russ.”
“Because I didn’t want to say goodbye.” She glanced away, searching the darkness. “Don’t get me wrong. I wanted you to go.” Her eyes came back and rested on his. “I needed some peace in my life. What we were doing to Russ with the constant arguing terrified me. He’d started to stutter, if you remember...”
“Yeah, I do.” Jeff had tried hard to forget that, but he’d watched his son’s speech patterns cautiously until he was in the fourth or fifth grade.
“That was my breaking point.” Mags got the shot glass halfway to her lips and then put it back down. “I’d already failed as a wife, and I was failing as a mother, too. Something had to give. I thought you and I were too far gone to fix. Letting you go seemed like the only answer.”
Jeff’s attention caught on the regret implied by the word seemed, but before he could question it, she went on.
“After you left, I slept for days. Didn’t eat. Didn’t bathe. Refused to see anybody...including Russ. Until Mom finally shamed me back into the world of the living. But, even after everybody else thought I was okay, I still cried myself to sleep at night for a long time. Letting you go physically was one thing, but letting you go with my heart...that took years.”
His heart compressed. “But you did? Right?” He held his breath, not sure which answer he wanted.
“I finally decided I was making myself crazy, and I needed to move on. I went to Pastor Sawyer for counseling.”
Jeff remembered the kind pastor. They’d gone to him, two kids scared out of their wits, and he’d immediately agreed to marry them. No lectures...no condemnation.
“He convinced me to give myself permission to love again.”
The air stuttered in Jeff’s lungs.
“Zeke came along about that time. He was fun...very indulgent, like Mom and Dad. He treated me like a queen and adored Russ. I jumped in with both feet, thinking it was my new acceptance of myself that I was celebrating.” She paused. “Later, I realized I was trying to make up for lost time. Trying to get my twenties back as I approached my thirties.” She shook her head. “I think he saw me as a challenge—someone who needed to be shaken out of her lethargy—and he thought he could be what I needed, only to realize too late that he couldn’t. I was way past believing in the fairy tale.”
And what about now?
The question was poised on the tip of his tongue. He took a sip to dislodge and wash it away, yet it remained even after he swallowed.
But he saw the look in Maggie’s eye, understood that she’d correctly deciphered his unspoken message. She paused and leaned toward him slightly, preparing to speak again, pinning him with her direct, unblinking gaze, and his body became all ears, open and ready to absorb what she said.
She licked her lips, and then her mouth formed sounds he heard and understood.
“And you should be, too,” she said.
* * *
WHAT WAS HE EXPECTING?
Jeff was far from being drunk, but he’d had enough alcohol for his defenses to be lowered. Disappointment flashed in his eyes, and her gut twisted with panic, away from that corner he was trying to push her into.
She jerked her hand from his grasp. “We had an agreement, Jeff. This week was supposed to be fun and relaxing. A time to clear up lingering issues, not create more.”
“I just thought—” He reached for her hand again, and she pulled it from his reach to rest it on the arm of her chair.
“What? That a few nights together would change everything? Fix everything that was broken?”
“Well.” He shrugged. “They have, haven’t they? I mean, I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress.”
“We’ve managed to spend six whole days together without having a big fight, if that’s what you mean...unless, of course, this escalates.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I’m not trying to start a fight.” He pointed to his eye. “One is plenty, thanks. But I’m trying to be honest with you about how I feel. And how I feel is that maybe the two of us gave up too quickly.”
No, no, no!
“Did you not hear anything I just told you? I didn’t give up quickly. It took me years to give up, and I’m not about to open myself up to the possibility of falling back in love with you. We’ve moved on—literally. We live all the way across the country from each other. This—” she wagged her index finger between them and then caught it with her thumb to form an O “—has a zero percent chance of becoming anything more than great sex with a former spouse.” She pushed out of her chair and paced to the edge of the pool, needing distance and breathing room.
Jeff followed, obviously not understanding why she moved...or not caring.
Why was she not surprised?
His hands rested on her shoulders, and he tried to turn her toward him. “Mags—”
She wheeled around and flung his arms away from her. “I mean it, Jeff. I don’t need this. I moved my son to Chicago last week. I came home to find my dad facing major surgery. I don’t need anything that adds pressure to my life. I have plenty as it is. And, if that’s where you’re going with this, go get your bags ’cause we’re driving to Paducah and getting you checked into a hotel right now.”
“Mags.” His hands came back to her shoulders with a firmer grip, and he bent down to look her in the eyes. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I lost my senses there for a moment. I’m not trying to add any more pressure to your life. I came here to be supportive—someone you could lean on during a difficult time.” He dropped his arms to encircle her and pull her close. The fingers of one hand crept into her hair and coaxed her head against his chest while the other made slow circles on her back. “I want to be the safe room where you can go and not be afraid. I’m sorry if I upset you.”
She closed her eyes and relaxed against him, feeling all the pent-up emotion of the day drain away. It had been forever since she’d leaned on anyone, and it wasn’t something she did easily. But it felt pretty good.
“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “I should take it as a compliment that the idea of reconciliation would enter your mind. Most couples find it hard to even speak to each other after divorce.”
“We were never like most couples.” He kissed the top of her head and tightened his hold, and she allowed herself, at last, to hug him in return.
“Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing
.”
His hand came around and a finger nudged her chin up, bringing her eyes to meet his. “Why?”
“Society sets the rules for most couples. They spend the remainder of their lives nursing an intense dislike for each other. We’re winging it into uncharted territory.”
Jeff smiled and gestured toward the sky with a dramatic, sweeping motion. “‘To boldly go where no man has gone before.’”
Maggie sighed in relief. The playfulness was back. She shrugged her eyebrows suggestively. “Want to go do a little role-playing in bed? You can be Spock and I’ll be Lieutenant Uhura?”
Jeff’s face turned somber. He held up his hand and parted his fingers in the Vulcan salute. “‘Live long and prosper.’” He closed the salute by caressing her nipple through the top she wore.
And if she had any lingering doubt about his answer, he closed his mouth to hers in a kiss that carried her far out into space.
CHAPTER TWELVE
AT SIX-FORTY-FIVE Monday morning, Maggie pulled up in front of the Twenty-Four Hour Café in Paducah. Always open and about a mile from the hospital where her dad’s surgery would be performed—the perfect rendezvous point for her and her ex.
“By the time you eat and make the walk to the hospital, they should’ve taken him back.” She put the car in Park and turned toward the passenger seat. “I’ll text you if they’re running late.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
As soon as her dad was out of danger, she’d tell her mom about Jeff. Probably not until tomorrow. But any hope of pulling off this silly—but necessary for now—charade rested in the details. “Where are you staying, if she asks?”
“Out by the mall,” he shot back the rehearsed answer.
“And when did you get here?”
“Late last night. I drove in from Lake Geneva after talking to Russ, but I’d advised him not to say anything to his grandfather, so Eli wouldn’t get upset.”
“We’ll be cordial, but not overly friendly...”
“So any talk about having sex the past four nights is off-limits.”
“Jeff, I’m not in a joking mood.” Her breath pushed out in a huff as he leaned over and brushed a kiss to her lips.
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