Chapter 5 Maggie
MAGGIE
The soft chimes of my cellphone alarm was the only piece of familiarity in the silence of my surroundings.
A silence so foreign, I needed a moment or two to orient myself.
The sheets were so soft I could feel the stubble of my legs snagging with the slightest movement.
Then there was the darkness. The absolute lack of light brought more terror than peace.
A soft kick to my back made me smile. Jaycee. Usually, I would find her heel digging into me annoying but in that moment it served as a much needed anchor to something familiar.
I shoved her leg away, refusing to linger in that bed any longer. My bare feet hit the floor and my toes squished into the plush rug. Rushing over to my suitcase, I quickly changed into yoga pants and my faded UCLA hoodie. I needed those reminders of the ordinary person I was.
I quickly stopped in the room next door to check on Hayden.
I would’ve been happy to have both kids in the bed with me but Hayden was determined to prove that he was a big boy.
After hanging out with Connor and playing video games the night before, he’d made himself comfortable.
He even listed things he needed from Forte Femme. His lego, some art supplies.
I would be back up in half-an-hour to wake them and get them ready for school. Jaycee would only be at pre-school for a few hours but I still insisted that she go everyday.
My hotpink plastic shoes squeaked on the tile floor as I made my way downstairs.
I switched the light on at the entrance to the kitchen.
The bright fluorescent lights were no less threatening than the absolute darkness of the bedrooms. The stainless steel appliances and dark polished wood lining the walls served only to intimidate, my only comfort was that I could navigate the space on my own.
I tried to follow my same routine as I did at Forte Femme.
First, I needed to start the coffee. The coffee maker probably cost more than my first car.
I stared at the buttons and icons trying to figure out the process.
Eventually, I searched for it on my phone and followed the online instruction manual.
Figuring that out instilled some much needed confidence and I continued with the rest of my tasks.
Making breakfasts and lunches. It was slower than usual because I needed to find everything.
Not that it was hard, Maria obviously had a different system than me.
I found four different types of cereal and took them all out and lined them on the counter and placed two slices of bread in the toaster.
If everyone was used to a big breakfast they would need to tell me.
I was just sitting down with my coffee and a slice of toast when Connor drifted into the kitchen.
The kid had no sense of urgency and seemed to be the least dramatic teenager I knew. “Oh. Can I have a slice of toast, please?”
“Sure.” I offered him my second slice.” Then nodded to the toaster. “I have two more slices in right now that we can share.”
He took the bread and walked to the fridge for a protein drink. “Thanks.”
Connor scrolled through his phone while I added to my to do list. I turned to him. “Do you have toast every morning?”
“Nah.” He leaned back on the kitchen stool. “Most mornings I have one of those.” He pointed at the cereal. “Sometimes, Maria will make bacon and eggs or pancakes?”
“I do pancakes on the weekend for my kids. I can make it for everyone if you like?”
“Cool. That might get Zoe to the breakfast table.”
That got my attention. “Why does Zoe not eat breakfast?”
“She’s usually running late. I have no idea what she does that takes so long.”
I buttered a second slice of toast for each of us and offered one to Connor while I did another sweep around the kitchen.
I found a banana and yoghurt and even some blueberries and strawberries in the fridge.
I was just laying it all out when I heard a scream coming from upstairs. A very familiar four-year-old scream.
Lightning quick, I rushed to the stairs only to see Theo rush ahead of me. By the time I got to the room I shared with Jaycee, Theo was kneeling in front of the bed and Hayden was in the bed comforting her.
She looked up at me hiccuping with no tears. “I woke up and you was gone.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” I moved to the other side of the bed. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
I gave her a quick kiss on her forehead and leaned over to kiss my little boy. “Morning sweet boy. Sorry she woke you.”
He offered me a sly smile. “Sorry enough for pancakes?”
“Nice try kid. But I did see a box of Choco-Ds in the kitchen.”
My son’s eyes went wide. “Really?” The cereal was packed with sugar but it was his favorite. “Can I have some today?”
“Go get dressed and meet us in the kitchen.” I turned to my daughter who was having a tough enough time. “What do you say you and I have a mommy-daughter day?”
“Can we paint our nails and have tocktails?”
“Cocktails. And yes. Well, I have to work but after that, yes.” I stood from the bed. “Let's go get some breakfast.”
Theo picked her up from the bed. I could practically feel my eyes bug out and my mouth dry.
The man’s blue dress shirt hung open. The sight of all that…
man on display while he held my daughter did things it shouldn’t have.
The contrast short-circuited my brain. The hard lines of his chest and abdomen as he cradled my daughter. Yes, it did things. Tingly things.
His skin was a little lighter than mine and I wondered if I poked it, would it be hard.
I followed the trail down his abs. His very delectable abs.
Before I could drop my gaze lower. He cleared his throat and I lifted my gaze to his.
And then all I wanted to do was remove that stupid smug grin from his face.
I shook my head. “This is why we need more fucking rules.”
“Mama.” Jaycee's little voice took on a stern edge. “You need to put a dollar in the jar.”
I let out a sigh and nodded. “I will sweetie.”
“You have a swear jar?” I could hear the smirk in his voice even as I walked ahead of him. “I’ll put twenty dollars in this morning. That should get me through the day. I can imagine living with me, you’ll fill that jar quite quickly.”
My eyes narrowed and I turned to glare at him. “Shut up.”
“Mama.” Jaycee sounded exasperated.
“Oh.” His brow rose. “Is shut up a swear word too?”
Jaycee gave him an exaggerated nod. “Mama said shut up is the worst kind of swear because you stop people from talking.”
“I said it stops people from using their voice.” I turned and continued walking down the stairs. “But close enough.”
The next forty-five minutes were a whirlwind of bread crumbs and spilled milk. Connor needed to find his pop quiz that needed signing all while the smoothie blender hummed in the background.
With Hayden and Connor standing at the bottom of the steps with Theo, Jaycee and I walked out of the kitchen just as Zoe came running down the stairs. “Theo, I need–”
“Here you go.” I handed her a sealed drinking cup with an attached straw. “Just please rinse the mug out when you’re done so it's not gross later.”
Zoe’s eyes widened. “What’s this?”
“Fruit smoothie. It's got berries and a banana.” I spoke as I handed a lunch box to Hayden. “I can do peanut butter also. Let me know.”
Then I handed her and Connor a lunch bag. “I’ll get you boxes or those cooler bag thingies if you want but this will have to do for today.”
Connor smiled and turned to Theo. “Told you she made the best snacks.”
Finally, I handed one to him. “Here you go. I promise it's not just peanut butter and jelly. There's bread and cheese. An apple and I even managed to find some energy bars in the pantry. Those things are filled with sugar, you know. All things you can eat between meetings.”
Hayden nodded. “My mom has a thing about sugar.”
Theo was still staring at the bag I was holding out for him. “You made me lunch?”
I frowned and tilted my head. “I made everyone lunch.”
Just as I pulled my hand with the bag back he grabbed my wrist. “Thank you.”
“No big deal.” I waved my other hand. “I’ve been making lunch for Tiffany for years.”
He raised his brow and repeated. “Thank you.”
I nodded. “You’re welcome.”
Who took care of him. He took care of everyone around him. He ran a multi billion dollar company that employed hundreds. He had all that responsibility. He opened his home to protect me and my children. But who was taking care of him?
My day passed uneventfully. I picked all the kids up from school. Made dinner, tidied up and made sure the kids were doing their homework. Well, my kid at least. I assumed the teenagers knew what was needed from them.
By the time dinner was done I was exhausted. Jaycee decided that she rather wanted to sleep with her brother than me. As much Hayden groaned about it, he would do anything for his sister.
I was loading the dishwasher when Theo walked into the kitchen in sweatpants and an old T-shirt, barefoot.
The night before he sat on the stool and watched as I worked. Maybe he was impatient, maybe he was bored. I’m not sure. But I liked the idea that he chose to help me load the dishwasher. Each time our fingers brushed, heat spread through me.
I loved that he watched me closely enough the night before and tried to mimic my routine.
As I scrubbed the big pot I’d used for cooking, he reached over me to get the dish cloth from the sink.
Even though he’d showered hours earlier, the scent of his ocean fresh soap tickled my nostrils and goosebumps spread over my skin.
“You know it's my job to do all this, right?” I smiled as I placed the rice pot on the drainer.
He didn’t answer me immediately and I thought he was ignoring me. Eventually, he turned around. “Your job finishes at five. You started at 6 this morning. You made us breakfast, lunch and dinner. You made sure Zoe had breakfast.”
“I didn’t do that because of my job. I care about them… all of you.”
He turned to me, handing the cloth over. “Yes. Exactly.”
“Theo.”
He shook his head. “Maggie, we're friends. Of course, we care about each other.”
“Even when we hate each other?”
“I could never hate you.” He looked at me for another moment.
Our gazes locked in each other, both had something to say but neither of us was willing to break the moment.
After several seconds of silence, Theo shook his head.
“Now, if you're done, I'll set the alarm and make sure everything is secure down here.”