Part 5 (1/2)

”Strange.” Maggie picked up the mail. Didn't Grady come by the Penthouse at all this weekend? He goes through the mail before he kisses her, so for it still to be there struck a chord in her.

”What's strange?” Lillian walked in and picked up an envelope off the floor. Her eyebrows lowered. ”What's this?”

Maggie took it, but didn't seem to hear Lillian. She was too focused on opening the envelope where her name was simply printed in Grady's handwriting.

Nervously, she began to read the letter out loud, ”Dearest Maggie, I'm sorry. I love you. I do. But I'm not in love with you. I don't expect you to understand. One day you will look back at this and thank me for not bringing you into a life that you could never live in. All my love, Grady.”

Everything went black.

Chapter 11.

Superst.i.tion: If you have a dream that you are running, your life is going to dramatically change.

There was no sense in lying in bed with the rain beating down on the old farmhouse tin roof. Normally, Mitch would welcome the tinging sound, but waking up to a nightmare was weighing heavily on his mind. Especially one where he was running.

From what, he didn't remember. Only his heart was racing and his forehead was beaded with sweat. The more he tried to remember the dream, the more Hazel Greenlee's words rang in his head.

”If you ever dream that you are running, you better hold on.” Her voice was a loud whisper and her eyebrows arched. ”You're life as you know it, is going to change.”

Change? Hadn't he had enough change the past few weeks-months? He found out Maggie had become engaged, he became mayor, and proposed to a girl the town expected him to-since Maggie was taken.

No matter where he went, someone always asked him about his intentions. ”What about that Owens girl?” or ”It ain't normal for a fine young mayor like you to be single.”

He didn't understand why he couldn't be the George Clooney's of mayors. Not in Grandberry Falls. People didn't understand how you could choose to be single with no kids. He couldn't tell them he didn't choose it, it sort of worked out that way.

He threw the warm covers off and dragged himself out of bed. The rain wasn't letting up and work needed to be done, not only with the eminent domain case, but other community matters like the annual hoedown and Fourth of July parade. Big mayor-type decisions. Before he knew it, he was right in the very spot where he wished his life away.

The pool at the base of the waterfall was overflowing. It didn't stop him from making his daily wish. He paused and pushed the baseball cap up, trying to get a good look to see who was standing near the falls.

”You aren't going to believe what I read on Facebook last night.” Susie put the Grandberry Falls weekly Chronicle and a cup of coffee on Mitch's desk. Nothing on Facebook was ever big news to Mitch, but Susie read it like it was the Bible.

Mitch looked at her with a critical eye. ”Let me guess.” He held a finger in the air while he walked around pretending to think, when really he was trying to come up with something clever.

”You'll never guess.” Something flickered in her eye. She couldn't stand it and had to get it out. ”Ma...”

Mitch put his hand in the air stopping her. ”Bess Buell's pig got loose and ate John Smith's cat's food?”

Susie rolled her eyes. ”Really? You think that'd be Facebook-worthy?”

”Susie, I don't care. All I care about is this phone call I need to make to Patricia Van Meter, that lawyer from New York.” He leaned over top his desk flipping through the roll-a-dex. He really should learn how to use the Microsoft office on the computer, but it would have to wait. Hazel Greenlee and Grandberry Falls was more important than technology.

”New York!” Susie slapped her hands together. ”Beth Harrison shared the link of the Huffington Post that said the engagement of billionaire Grady Cohen and Margaret Greenlee was called off.”

Mitch had to steady his hands from shaking. He didn't want to get coffee all over the place or let on to Susie that his soul was doing a happy dance.

”That can't be.” Mitch pretended to go back to flipping the index cards.

What if it was true? It isn't. Besides, what would it matter to him? She wouldn't be coming back to Grandberry Falls; she'd stay in New York. He glanced out the window at the waterfall. There were a few people milling around in the damp weather. Probably visitors.

”It was there. I read it.” Susie kept her eyes on him.

If he showed any excitement, he knew she'd go back and tell Wendy. He wasn't prepared to deal with that or acknowledge the feelings in his stomach.

”Didn't Wendy tell you? I forwarded the link to her.”

Not eager to discuss any more about this with Susie, he picked up the phone to call Patricia. ”Maggie has nothing to do with my relations.h.i.+p with Wendy. I wish nothing but the best for her.” He started pus.h.i.+ng the numbers on the phone-to his house.

Did Wendy know?

”Is Patricia Van Meter there?” He spoke into his answering machine. Susie rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her. Mitch placed the phone back on the receiver. His stomach was in knots. He sat down with his hand on his face.

If this was true, he still might have a shot with her. He laughed and pushed the silly notion out of his head. She was clear away in New York City where her dreams had come true. He was in Grandberry Falls, exactly where he wanted to be and nothing was going to change either situation.

His briefcase was sitting next to his chair. Wendy loved to use Facebook from his laptop. He would quickly get it out of the case and log in to her account. The pa.s.sword was stored and if he accidently clicked on enter with her log-in, he'd see the article and get his answers.

There it was, in big bold ink attached to a picture of Maggie and Grady. Exactly what Susie had said-only there were hundreds of comments from people he didn't know. Things that read: ”good for her,” ”he's a slime,” and ”back on the singles list.”

Mitch enlarged the picture. He hated the smug look on Grady's face, like he won her. He had his hand firmly grasping on Maggie's arm. His brown hair greased back didn't match the neatly shaved goatee. The suit didn't fool Mitch either. Grady was a jerk and whether it was him or Maggie who called off the wedding, it didn't matter. It was in Maggie's best interest.

Susie knocked on the door and opened it before Mitch could stop her. ”Patricia Van Meter is on line two for you.” A line appeared between her brows. ”I thought you were on line one with her?”

Mitch closed the laptop. ”Disconnected. New York is c.r.a.p.” He picked up the phone and hit line two. ”Ms. Van Meter, thank you for calling me back.”

Susie shut the door behind her.

Chapter 12.

Friends.h.i.+p isn't a big thing a it's a million little things. ~ Author Unknown ”Maggie, dear.” Lillian rubbed the back of Maggie's hair. ”You have to get out of bed.”

Maggie didn't have to do anything. Since she didn't show up for the meeting on Monday at two, she didn't have a job. How could she function? Patricia Van Meter didn't care that Maggie's world had been turned upside down. All she cared about was acquiring some hill jack's land where the client could plop down one of those outlet malls.

”I'm going to lay here until I rot.” Maggie rolled on her side and looked out the window over the city. If it was where it was supposed to be, it'd be facing the window and not the door. She groaned and closed her eyes.

”No, you can't do that.” Lillian dropped a manila envelope on Maggie's pillow. ”Grady wants you out.”

Out? Where was she going to go? She spent her life savings on the couture wedding dress that was non-refundable, custom made. Grady told her to take care of the dress and she'd never have to worry about anything again. ”It's your wedding and our life.” He'd said if it was up to him, they'd elope.

”I have nowhere to go.” Maggie tried to sort out the craziness she was feeling in her head. Maggie had no energy to move. From the window she could see the city was still alive, unlike her. ”Lillian, what am I going to do? What are we going to do?”