Chapter 29
Chapter 29
T he next day Maggie spent with her sister. They went shopping and, to Amelia’s delight, Maggie was much more open to all the clothing suggestions she made. She came away with a ridiculous amount of new sweaters, skirts, and dresses.
“This is too much,” Maggie said, her arms loaded down with bags.
“It’s a new season. You have to have different clothes,” Amelia told her.
“But I also have to have food and mortgage payments,” Maggie said.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “Right, Saver McSaverson, like you don’t have money sitting in the bank, gathering dust.”
“It’s for emergencies,” Maggie said.
Amelia picked up the new makeup she’d convinced Maggie to get. “I’ve seen your makeup stash. This lipstick is an emergency.”
Maggie’s phone beeped with a text from Ridge.
Having fun with your sis?
SO much , Maggie replied.
The office isn’t the same without you. No one has tried to force feed me cake in days. Hurry back.
Tomorrow , Maggie typed.
Can’t come soon enough , Ridge said, and Maggie smiled.
“That your boss?” Amelia guessed.
“Work stuff,” Maggie said, tucking her phone back in her pocket.
“Work stuff,” Amelia said, employing the air quotes again. “Is that what you kids are calling it these days? Speaking of which, I don’t have to leave until noon tomorrow. Maybe I could go into work with you, check it out, say hi to the beautiful man in your life.”
“Um,” Maggie said, stalling. “It’s kind of high security.”
“Is it?” Amelia said. “Is it really? I thought you’re a librarian.”
“I am, but it’s DC. Everything is high security here.”
“Maggie, come on,” Amelia said.
“Come on what?” Maggie asked, busying herself arranging her new clothes.
“How many librarians speak Arabic and go to Quantico for twenty weeks? I know your job isn’t what you say it is.”
“I can’t talk about it, Amelia. Really and truly,” Maggie said.
“I know, and I think that’s so incredibly cool,” Amelia said. “So, is your boss, like Bond, James Bond?”
Maggie shook her head. “I can’t talk about it, and you can’t either, I’m serious.” She grasped Amelia’s shoulders and looked in her eyes. “You can’t talk about it with your friends, not even in a roundabout way. People could get killed, real people, people I know. Never, ever, ever talk about my job with anyone, please.”
“Okay, chill,” Amelia said, paling slightly. “I’m not a kid anymore, you know. I do realize these things, and I haven’t talked about your job with anyone but Darren, and we both know our social recluse of a brother has no friends. He doesn’t believe me that you’re a, you know, a spy.” She whispered the last word and looked frantically around.
Maggie smiled and released her. “I’m not, really. I am a librarian, I promise. Most of my day is spent compiling, cataloging, and dispersing information. It’s just a different sort of information now.”
“And Ridge?” Amelia asked, somewhat hopefully.
“Ridge is everything you think he is, and probably then some, hypothetically speaking because this conversation isn’t happening. ”
“ Wow ,” Amelia mouthed. “Can I ask one more question?”
“Maybe,” Maggie said.
“What happened to Samson, was it part of your job? And does it have anything to do with that massive bruise on your cheek you’ve been trying to hide with makeup?”
Maggie nodded. She had almost forgotten the bruise. It only hurt when she smiled, and her feet weren’t sore at all anymore. It was as if her body had completely absorbed the trauma of the last few days.
Amelia’s eyes widened. “Maggie, are you in danger?”
“Not anymore, and probably not ever again. It was a freak thing, but everything is OK now, I promise. And Ridge is, you know, pretty good at looking out for me. It’s hard to think of anything happening when I’m with him.”
Amelia nodded, a little dazed. Then her face cracked into a wide smile. “You are so in love with him.”
“Amelia, don’t mistake friendship for love,” Maggie said.
“I’m not, you are,” Amelia said. “Come on, Maggie, I see your face, I listen to your voice. I know the signs, and I know you. You’re completely in love with him. I don’t know how I didn’t see it until now.”
“Maybe there was nothing to see before. The last few days have been…extreme,” Maggie said.
“No, this has been going on for a while. For months, your conversations have been peppered with stories about him. I thought it was because your job was intense that you were spending so much time together, but this has nothing to do with your job.” She clapped her hands. “This is so exciting.”
“Let’s talk about literally anything else,” Maggie said.
“How about your hair?” Amelia suggested.
Maggie laid a protective hand on her tresses. “What about it?”
“It’s blah. You need something up here.” She waved to Maggie’s face.
“Like a mask?” Maggie suggested.
“No, like bangs.”
“Bangs?” Maggie repeated, horrified.
“Not like the bangs Mom used to give us when we were kids, like those straight across the brow horror shows. I mean something side-swept and feminine. Let me do it, let me cut your hair.” She clapped her hands together again.
“Let you cut my hair? Do you know how many ways that could go wrong?”
“Do you know how many ways it could go right?” Amelia countered. “Come on, trust me. I cut people’s hair all the time at school. In fact, guys pay me to cut their hair for them. I have my own clippers and everything.”
“Did you ever think that’s maybe less about your skill with clippers and more about letting a pretty girl run her fingers through their scalp?” Maggie said.
“Yes, but I still make money off it, so it’s good either way. Come on, I’m not going to take no for an answer. It’s time for a change, and it’s going to be totally perfect. Trust me.”
“Famous last words,” Maggie said, but she allowed Amelia to take her hand and lead her to the bathroom where she sat her on the commode and pulled out a pair of scissors and commenced cutting Maggie’s hair. In the end, Maggie loved it. The side-swept bangs were exactly what her face had been missing. Amelia also trimmed the rest of her hair, something Maggie hadn’t had time for since leaving for Quantico over a year ago. The trim was the perfect refresh she’d been hoping for and she smiled as she surveyed herself in the mirror.
“Maybe college was wrong for you. Maybe you should be a stylist,” Maggie said.
“I’m thinking about it,” Amelia admitted. “But I don’t know how to tell Mom and Dad. I mean, I just spent four years getting a degree. How do I tell them it was a waste?”
“College is never a waste,” Maggie said. “And good stylists can make a fortune. Your math degree could help you build an empire. You could open your own salon and franchise it.”
“Maybe you should tell Mom and Dad for me,” Amelia suggested.
“No, but I’ll help you draft some talking points, if you want,” Maggie agreed, still staring at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe what a big change a few hairs could make. The new ones around her face framed it so much better. Her eyes looked bigger, her cheekbones higher. “This is perfect, Amelia.”
“I know. You should always listen to me.”
“I’m beginning to believe you,” Maggie said.
“Let me pick your outfit for tomorrow and do your hair and makeup,” Amelia said.
“All right,” Maggie agreed.
“That was too easy,” Amelia said, suspicious.
Maggie shrugged, too embarrassed to tell her that Ridge’s wholehearted approval of everything Amelia had ever picked for her had been her deciding factor. “Hey, I found this awesome restaurant you’ll love. I’m going to take you there, and then we’re going to load up on cookies and binge watch Gilmore Girls. ”
“In other words, a perfect night,” Amelia agreed.
In the end, it was exactly the sort of restorative therapy Maggie didn’t know she had needed. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Ridge, there was nothing like girl time with her sister to set things right.
“Maybe you should move here after you graduate,” Maggie said.
“Do you think you’ll stay here forever?” Amelia asked.
“At this point in my life, I don’t know much,” Maggie said. “But I do know that I love having you here.”
“I’ll give it serious consideration,” Amelia promised her, and it was enough to fill Maggie’s heart with a wondrous sort of hope. To have family in town would make her new life pretty close to perfect.