Chapter 3
Chapter 3
M aggie had no idea what Darren’s reaction to Amelia had been, but if the way Amelia dropped him at the curb and sped off was any indication, their relationship hadn’t progressed much in the interim. His greeting to her, however, was warm and loving as he picked her up, spun her around, and kissed her cheek before setting her down. They had always had an easier time of things than he and Amelia.
“It’s so good to see you,” he said.
“You, too,” she said and tried hard to mean it. She loved her brother, she really did. It was just…
“Is that a plastic tree?”
There. That. He was critical and judgmental, even when he didn’t mean to be.
“Cam’s allergic to pine,” Maggie explained. In their family, they always got real trees; it was part of the tradition, one she missed since she got married. But she’d rather have a husband who could breathe than the continued tradition of chopping a live tree.
“Allergies,” Darren said, waving his hand dismissively. “Most of them are made up, I think.”
Maggie stuffed down her reply because there was no point. It wouldn’t change anything, and she would rather have peace for the short time her brother was here. That was the problem between him and Amelia. Amelia wasn’t willing to stuff anything down and let it go. She had to battle it to the end, like an injured anaconda. She sighed, suddenly weary of the coming holiday. She wanted peace with her husband, sister, and friends, not an unending series of snipes and swipes.
“What’s the matter, hon? Mom said you’ve been sick,” Darren said, full sympathy as he put his arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. That was the thing about Darren; you could never hate him completely because he always did something redemptive, was quick to follow up an unfounded criticism with a heartfelt compliment.
“A little nauseated, but everyone assures me that’s a good sign.”
He nodded his agreement. “I did some reading after you told us you’re pregnant. A couple more weeks and you should start feeling better. Maybe by New Year’s.”
She smiled and squeezed his bicep. They were a lot alike in many ways, both preferring to delve in deep and find the most information about a subject. The desire to never stop learning had led Maggie to become a librarian. It led Darren to a doctorate in geology, but he was probably as good at research as she was, and that was saying something.
Ridge emerged from their bedroom where he’d spent an inordinate amount of time changing clothes, probably much longer than was required.
“Darren, good to see you,” he said, heading toward his brother-in-law with outstretched hand, likely to try and prevent the coming hug. The Eldridges were huggers, even the surliest one. Darren shook the proffered hand and used it to pull Ridge close for a bro hug. Even though he was affectionate by nature, he probably did it to annoy Cam, or at least that was Maggie’s cynical thought. Her brother was a grade-A button pusher, by nature or on purpose she could never be certain.
“Cam,” he said now, nodding. “The house looks great.”
“Thanks,” Cam replied, blinking as he searched for the hidden critique.
“I guess you have more money to put into your house when you don’t care what you drive,” Darren continued.
There it is. She could almost hear Cam saying the words out loud. She squeezed his hand. He squeezed hers in return, probably more painfully than he intended. Like her, he chose to stuff things down and let them go, especially because Darren was her brother and not his. “Yep,” he said out loud. “Sweetheart, I’m going to take Smoky for a walk,” Cam said, reaching for the dog’s leash.
Maggie could have pointed out they had a fulltime dog walker. She could have said she already walked Smoky as they were waiting on Darren to arrive. But she also sensed the desperation in her husband’s eyes to get away, so she said nothing besides, “Have a nice walk.”
“Doesn’t he help with supper?” Darren asked as Cam slammed the front door much louder than usual.
“Cam is helpful in all the ways, Darren, but dogs need walked,” Maggie said mildly.
“Can I help with supper?” Darren asked.
“Absolutely,” Maggie said. He was a much better chef than she was, one of his many hidden talents. She assigned him to salad duty, knowing it would end up looking and tasting like something from the cover of a magazine, and it did. How he made such a gourmet assemblage from whatever he cobbled from her cupboards and fridge was beyond her.
“This looks amazing,” she said again when they sat down to eat. “I have no idea how you do this. I feel like I need to turn it into an Instagram post.”
“It’s nothing,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “I’m sure you could do it, too, if you weren’t afraid.”
“Afraid?” Maggie echoed.
“Of food,” Darren expounded.
“You think I’m afraid of food?” she said, lowering her fork.
“Aren’t you? I mean, I would be, if I lost as much weight as you did. Sometimes it’s hard to remember how chubby you were. And now with the baby, it’s going to come back again, probably more. That has to be hard, wondering if you’ll ever lose it again.”
Beside her, Cam’s fork shifted from a loose grip to a spear. He opened his mouth. Maggie shoved a bite of salad in it, preempting whatever he might say. “Good isn’t it?” she asked.
He nodded, giving her a thumb’s up.
They ate for a while in silence until Darren spoke again. “I have something to tell you guys, some news to impart. I was going to wait until Christmas, but I can’t.”
“You’re engaged,” Maggie blurted.
“What? No. Brook and I broke up.”
“You did?”
“Yes, about three months ago,” he said and continued eating.
“Darren.”
“What?” He looked up, confused by her irritated tone.
“You broke up with your girlfriend of more than a year and didn’t tell me.”
“Sure I did, just now.”
“Why not then?” she asked.
“I didn’t think of it,” he said.
“Why did you break up?” she asked.
“She had this one flaw,” Darren said.
“Just one?” Ridge blurted. “I mean, which one?”
“She scraped her teeth on her fork when she ate,” Darren said.
They blinked at him. He finally realized and lowered his fork again. “What?”
“You broke up with your serious girlfriend because she scraped her teeth on her fork?” Maggie said.
“Do I need a better reason?” Darren asked.
“Yes. She was perfect for you, cute, intelligent, kind,” Maggie listed.
“Patient and longsuffering,” Cam added under his breath, wincing when Maggie jabbed him under the table.
“I figure if it bothers me now, how much more would it bother me in thirty years?” Darren said.
Ridge nodded. “Right, right, because eating habits are the most pivotal part of marriage. Good call.”
Darren squinted at him, not familiar enough with him to know exactly how sarcastic the comment was.
“Why didn’t you just tell her the sound annoyed you?” Maggie asked.
“I didn’t want to be critical or hurt her feelings,” Darren said, and Ridge choked on his bite of pot roast.
“Okay,” Maggie drawled. “If you’re not engaged, what’s your big news? Is it a job?” For the last few years, he’d been finishing his doctorate. Now that it was complete, he was ready to be gainfully employed.
“Yes, it’s a job,” Darren said, giving them a Cheshire grin. “I had an interview. With the Department of the Interior.”
“Here in DC?” Ridge said, blinking furiously.
Darren nodded. “They offered me the job, and I accepted.”
“Here, in DC?” Ridge reiterated, his blinks not getting any slower.
“Here, in DC,” Darren confirmed.
“Wow, that’s so wow,” Maggie said, fork frozen halfway between her lips and her plate. “Wow.”
“There’s been an Eldridge DC migration, it seemed like a good time to join,” Darren said.
“Have you told Amelia and Ethan yet?” Cam asked.
Darren shook his head.
“Can I pretty please be there when you do?” Cam asked. “It can be my Christmas present.”
Under the table, Maggie jabbed him again.