Part 9 (1/2)
”What?” Maggie wasn't going to give up until he disclosed the truth or at least some of it.
Having her in his office was something he had thought about since he took office, only it wasn't discussing anything. Many fantasies about her on the desk she was leaning on were never going to come true. Smelling her signature Chanel cologne wasn't helping matters.
”I saw you in New York and knew I'd lost you forever.” He remembered seeing her in the city with Grady and picking up his heart was harder than burying his mother.
Maggie leaned on his desk, her eyes narrowed. ”When? When did you come to New York”
”I came for a business conference. I found you laughing and holding hands with Grady.” Swaying a bit, he leaned up against the window for support. He felt weak in the knees and unsure if they were going to fail him.
He'd never planned on telling her he'd gone to New York and seeing her made him sick for days. He was sure once she saw him she'd want him to stay, and he had prepared the rest of his life to accommodate her.
When he saw her with Grady, his decision was made for him-by her. No matter how much he wanted to go up to her, he saw what he saw and his arms weren't the arms that were wrapped around her.
”Why didn't you tell me? I'd love to have seen you there.” Maggie tilted her head in a way that made his heart melt. He loved when she looked at him this way. Her big brown eyes hidden under her newly trimmed bangs made her even s.e.xier than before, which he never thought was possible-until now.
”I didn't come as a friend. You came home two months before that and we had made love.” There was no way he could fall for this again. The record needed to be set straight. He watched her smile fade. Whenever they did talk, she never mentioned their hook-ups. ”I wanted more than a friend.”
”Wanted?” Her voice urged him to elaborate.
He felt anger remembering the emotions he had coming back to Grandberry Falls. He vowed to never let anyone hurt him that way again. Seeing her here in Grandberry Falls didn't help matters.
”Wanted, Maggie.” His eyes narrowed. He had asked Wendy and he planned on making good on his promise. ”I'm engaged to Wendy. And I won't leave her like Grady left you.”
”Excuse me?” Maggie glared and gritted her teeth. He did hit below the belt, but he had to. ”Who are you?”
Mitch needed to put an end to his relations.h.i.+p with Maggie once and for all, even if he did lie about his engagement to Wendy. He was a grown man that lived life exactly the way he planned. He accepted he couldn't have Maggie. He'd come to terms that he would never get married.
”Maggie, you can't,” he stopped and amended his thoughts, ”you can't come back into town and think you can crawl into my bed.”
His body ached with pleasure and pain. She broke his heart, yet again, and his body groaned remembering how good she did feel in his bed.
”I never once thought about crawling into your bed this week. I only wanted my friend to lean on because I was dumped and left with no money.” She took a deep breath. Her eyes acted like a dam holding back water. When she blinked, the dam broke.
Mitch went to reach for her, but she ran out of the office and didn't look back.
He was unfair. Why in the world did he think Maggie Greenlee wanted to jump back in bed with him? Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part to think Maggie's engagement might have ended because of him.
Grandberry Falls did need her. The only lawyer in town retired and left the town without one. Mitch couldn't cross Hazel nor disrespect her. That was one thing the Greenlee's were-stubborn.
He'd have to figure out a way to live in this town with Maggie Greenlee in it without the help of alcohol.
He watched the crowd file into the Turtle. Maggie wasn't anywhere to be seen and Hazel's stand had long since been closed.
Chapter 22.
A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.
~Douglas Pagels ”What are you going to do today?” Belle asked Maggie the next morning, and plopped her big purse on the counter.
Maggie wiped up the splash of milk that tumbled out of her bowl. She never understood why Belle carried such a big purse. Belle said that she had important stuff in there. Stuff consisted of make-up and more make-up.
”This is my favorite part.” Maggie picked the bowl up and drank the left over milk.
”Simple pleasures in life, right?” Belle gave her the apologetic look Maggie was getting use to from everyone she walked past.
No one said anything to her, but she could tell what they were thinking by their tilted heads, frowning eyes, and weak smiles. Belle re-filled Maggie's coffee cup after she poured her a cup.
”Why don't you come down to the Hair Pin and work the phones for me today?” She asked.
Great, Maggie thought. She'd spent all those years getting her law degree. Answering the phone at the Hair Pin was not going to pay back the ma.s.sive loan she owed. A far cry from where she thought she'd be at this point in her life.
”No thanks.” She leaned back and looked into the family room. Hazel was already in there watching Paula's weekly round-up and bargains. ”I might see what Paula's deals are or go to the lake for the matinee.”
Maggie and Mitch had spent countless hours on Matinee Sat.u.r.day. She saw where they were showing her all time favorite movie, Back to the Future. There was nothing better than watching a movie on the outside screen sitting on a blanket and eating freshly popped corn.
Belle grabbed her bag, her mouth twisted sideways and her eyebrows dipped. ”If you change your mind, come on by.”
Maggie appreciated how Belle and Hazel weren't pus.h.i.+ng her to move forward, but really take the time to get her life in order. It did scare her how little she'd thought of Grady and how much she thought of Mitch. Wrapping her head around the fact that Wendy Owens was going to be Wendy Dozier and picturing how cute their kids were going to be, had taken over all of her soul.
”Granny.” Hazel was mesmerized by Paula. Maggie gestured toward the door. ”I'm going to the matinee in the park.”
Hazel nodded and shooed her away. If Paula was on, Hazel was going to be glued to the television, which was good. Maggie always felt guilty leaving Hazel. But when she was in her element and happy as could be, those were the times Maggie took advantage of.
The crowd was much larger than Maggie remembered it ever being. Grandberry Falls was definitely growing. A twinge of confusion settled in her stomach. She had to question why she was yearning for the old days when Grandberry Falls was a small town, and she knew everyone. She wasn't use to walking in the park and not know a soul.
There was even a line for the gondola rides. She recognized Butch Caudill underneath the straw hat with the black ribbon hanging down, trolling the paddle along the slick gla.s.s lake. Butch was always a nice guy who was easy to talk to. Many high school nights, Butch joined the gang in Maggie's old '66 Mustang, trying to see what kind of trouble they could get into. He was the first one who threw his feet in the air going over the railroad tracks near the old saw mill.
She could hear him now, ”I need all the wis.h.i.+ng I can do.”
She smiled. No matter how hard she tried to escape superst.i.tion, it somehow let her know it was still in her life.
”Maggie Greenlee.” Butch pushed her money away from her. ”You get a free ride.”
Charity was something Maggie didn't take lightly. She paid her scholars.h.i.+p back and she'd recover from this change in her life plans.
”No, Butch.” She shoved it back in front of him. ”I'm not going to let anyone take pity on me.”
Butch took her by the elbow and lowered her into the boat. He steadied the oar against the shallow depths of the lake so she could sit down on the padded bench.
”Pity?” Butch pushed against the soil, and with a couple swooshes of the oar, they were sliding along the lake. His right eyebrow rose. ”What are you talking about?”
Hazel had mentioned something about Butch coming around trying to court Belle, but never gave it any thought until now. She did wonder how he wasn't s.n.a.t.c.hed up yet. His strong jawline was p.r.o.nounced by the sunlight jutting off the lake. His green eyes stood out from his olive skin and black spiky hair, which she was sure came from Belle's scissors. She remembered how his body had been out of proportion, but which had now filled out to fit his six-foot-four frame.