Chapter Seven #3
Maggie grabbed a clipboard and headed toward where the racers were being applauded. Walker watched her go, watched her smile as she marked the participants, saw how her smile never fully reached inside her, but seemed forced.
What happened to you, Maggie? He wondered. What happened and how could he make her smiles real?
Better yet, why did doing so feel so imperative? And why did the fact that he’d just struck out fill him with such disappointment?
*
Later that night, Maggie placed another ornament onto a hook in the Pine Hill church booth.
One side of the large tent was dedicated to a bake sale, and the other was an ornament sale, including the plastic canvas snowflake ornaments Maggie had helped Sarah and the Butterflies make.
Harry had taken up residence in the corner where Jeannie played in a portable crib Sarah had set up.
The toddler flipped through a stack of Christmas books, taking in each of the colorful pages.
“I’m sorry Bodie had to work tonight,” Maggie told Sarah as they continued to work on setting up the booth.
“Sheriff Roscoe is good to work with him on his schedule,” Sarah said. “But this year, he had to choose between being off work today or Christmas morning. Bodie requested off on Christmas.”
“Makes sense.” Both Sarah and Bodie were very hands on with their toddler.
Watching the couple with the family over the past month had been eye-opening for Maggie. She’d never known anything like the love they so openly showered upon their daughter and each other.
“Plus, he’ll be patrolling on foot around the festival, so we’ll get to see him here too. It’s a win-win.” Sarah stepped back to examine their efforts. “Today is pretty special, too, you know? It’s the second-best day of the year.”
“Because of the Christmas festival?” Maggie guessed, carefully picking up more snowflake ornaments.
Sarah nodded. “I love everything about Christmas. The festival is such a great kickoff to the season.”
“You’re not fooling me.” Maggie managed to keep a straight face. “You people kicked the season off before you had your pumpkins off your porch.”
“Well, the festival is the official kickoff.” Laughing, Sarah spotted Sophie. “Oh, there’s Sophie and Cole. Will you keep an eye on Jeannie? I need to find out when she needs me to take a shift in the Quilts of Valor Foundation booth tonight. You’re welcome to join me for that. You’ll love it.”
Had Sarah stuck around for an answer, Maggie would have said yes to keeping an eye on Jeannie and the booth, but Sarah had taken off.
“Sophie!” Sarah jogged to catch up with her friend and took some of the patriotic quilts Sophie carried.
Maggie had been with Sarah earlier that week when they’d dropped off a quilt Sarah had made that would also be used in the booth that night.
Maggie continued to place ornaments on the hooks, glancing toward Jeannie, then toward where Sarah had disappeared.
There were just enough tent booths between them that Maggie couldn’t see Sarah, unfortunately.
She didn’t like it. The fact that Cole, who’d served in the Marines, was with them kept Maggie from picking up Jeannie and joining them at the Quilts of Valor booth.
Then again, more and more, she suspected Lukas had overplayed the danger from the data breach. She wouldn’t risk being wrong, though.
Wearing his firefighter uniform, Walker came into her periphery. Not surprisingly, he headed straight for her. “Manning the church booth all by yourself?”
Hearing his voice, Harry perked up, came around the table, and nudged Walker’s thigh in greeting. After being ignored by the dog all afternoon, Maggie rolled her eyes at Harry.
“Jeannie is keeping me company.”
Giving Harry a thorough scratch behind his ears, Walker glanced around where the town square was a bustle of activity. “Amazing how quickly they’ve transformed yesterday’s 5K into Christmas magic.”
“Christmas fuels these people.”
His eyes twinkled. “Santa’s high octane. It’s how he powers that flying sleigh.”
Maggie snorted. “That might be it. You’re working today?”
Nose wrinkling, he nodded. “I’m the new guy at the firehall. My schedule has me working today, but it’s okay as I’ll be off at Christmas. Zoie’s small enough she won’t know the difference, but it means a lot to me that I’ll be with her and my sister on Christmas.”
“You’ve talked with Amy about Ben after Thanksgiving at Claudia’s?”
“She says they’re just friends.” He put emphasis on the two words that he’d offered to her. “I know my sister, though. She’s hoping for more. I’m just hoping Ben will move on before Amy falls and gets hurt. That she’s still seeking out his company is telling when she knows how strongly I feel.”
Having seen the couple chatting, their eyes and body language speaking much louder than whatever words they were saying, Maggie suspected Walker’s sister had already fallen.
“How’s work?” Had she really just asked him about his job?
Maggie wanted to smack her forehead. She did not want to make idle conversation with Walker.
She didn’t want to make conversations of any type with him.
To cover her blunder, she turned toward Jeannie, smiling at the toddler still amusing herself with her stack of books.
Currently, while eating an animal cracker cookie, the little girl looked at one with a light up red nose that poked through all the cut-out board book’s pages.
“We’ve been busy helping with set up for the festival.” Despite her attempt to change the subject he circled back. “I’ve not had a chance to get Ben alone since before Thanksgiving. Maybe he’ll be more reasonable than my sister.”
“It may be that the more resistance you give, the more attractive the other will seem.”
He looked thoughtful. “You think I’m pushing them together by trying to keep them apart?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.” Maggie’s cheeks heated. “I am not the person to talk to about romance.”
He studied her and she busied herself by placing another snowflake onto a hook. “You’ve never been in love, Maggie?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Meaning that you have been?” His voice was laced with curiosity. “What happened?”
Why had she opened that canister of Christmas cookies? Maggie’s heart squeezed. “He didn’t love me.”
Better yet, why had she admitted that out loud? All that doing so would accomplish was make Walker ask more questions Maggie didn’t want to answer. Nor did she want to talk about William to anyone. Ever.
“I’m sorry, Maggie.” The deep sincerity in Walker’s voice tore at her and she averted her gaze to where Jeannie was tossing Harry an animal cracker over the portable crib’s rail. The dog happily gobbled up the cookie and waited in hopeful anticipation for the next. Maggie didn’t want Walker’s pity.
“The guy was an idiot if he had your love and didn’t love you in return.”
Maggie sucked in a breath. Why were her eyes stinging?
“I don’t know what happened in your case, but I do know what it feels like to have the person I love, to leave me and our daughter. So, when I tell you I’m sorry, I mean it.”
How had they gotten into such a deep topic within minutes of his arrival?
How did he do that? Make her feel and do things she didn’t normally do or say?
Maggie took another deep breath, then met his gaze.
His honey-colored eyes were empathetic and heightened her awkward feeling.
She was fighting so hard to be strong, tough, admitting anything about William was just revealing how weak she’d once been.
“Let’s talk about something else, okay?”
“Agreed. At a Christmas ornament booth isn’t a great time to talk about old loves.”
“Is there ever a great time?” she countered, reaching out to straighten one of the snowflakes hanging from the display.
For her, there wasn’t. If not for fear of repeating history, she’d wish she could erase William from her mind.
“Maybe not,” he admitted, rubbing his fingers over his chin. “Maybe the past should be kept in the past and one should just look toward the future.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” If only that was an easy thing to do.
If she knew exactly what had happened on the day of the crash, then maybe she would be able to move on.
Until she knew, she couldn’t let go. And if, when she found out the truth, she had been at fault, then she would forever have to live with that knowledge.
Perhaps there was a reason her brain had blocked out vital bits of that day and what immediately followed.
“Then again,” Walker continued. “I’ve no complaints about my present.”
Maggie’s gaze lifted to his, wondering if he meant that exact moment or his present life in general. She’d have asked but Sarah returned to the tent.
“Oh, Walker! It’s great you’re here.” Sarah shot a knowing look toward Maggie.
“Did Chief talk to you about the float contest tonight? I know you’re on duty, but it’s so great he’s given permission for you to sit on the stage with us.
Well, so long as there’s nothing going on at the fire department, of course. ”
“Yeah, Chief mentioned that this morning. That’s actually what I came by to talk to Maggie about.”
“And here I was hoping she was selling you one of the adorable ornaments she helped make.” Sarah leaned into the crib to kiss the top of Jeannie’s head. “Hello, sweet girl.”
Walker’s gaze shifted to Maggie. “You didn’t tell me you made ornaments.”
“I don’t tell you most things.” Even if she had just told him something she’d told very few people.
“Which one did you make?”
She didn’t meet his eyes. “I can’t remember.”
“Well, good thing I’m here because I do.” Her hostess went over to one of the ornament racks and scanned the display. “She made this one.” Sarah picked up a snowflake. “And this one.”
Sarah was right, but how had she recalled which ones Maggie made out of the many snowflakes for sale? The Butterflies had made a great deal more than Maggie had. Even Bodie had sat with them one evening and cut plastic canvas for the ornaments.
“I’ll take both.” Walker pulled out his wallet.
Sarah beamed her pleasure.
Maggie frowned. “You don’t need to do that,” she said even as he handed Sarah the money for the ornaments.
“It’s for a good cause because the money raised here funds Sarah’s special church projects.” Walker eyed the decorated plastic canvas snowflakes and looked genuinely impressed. “Besides, Amy and I don’t have many ornaments to decorate our tree.”
“Oh! Is your tree up? That’s exciting,” Sarah enthused, placing his money into the lock box on the table.
“Not yet,” Walker corrected. “We’re planning to put one up tomorrow afternoon.”
“Bodie, Jeannie, and I are going to put up our family tree tomorrow after church too. It’s a special family time.” Sarah’s cheeks pinkened a little. “Oh, and you’re invited to join us, Maggie.”
And encroach on their special family time? Inwardly cringing, Maggie shook her head. She’d go for a drive or something to give her hosts the afternoon alone.
“Sorry, Sarah, but I have other plans for tomorrow afternoon.”
“Oh?” Sarah’s eyes filled with curiosity. “You hadn’t mentioned having plans. What are you doing?”
Sarah already knew that Maggie didn’t have to work and that she didn’t know that many people in town beyond having said casual pleasantries. Her gaze shifted back to Walker, landing on the ornaments he’d just purchased.
“I’m helping Walker decorate his tree.”
Maggie gave Walker a look that said he’d better go along with it. The Lewis family deserved alone time to decorate their tree together. Maggie might not have any firsthand experience on the matter, but she did know how important the holiday was to them.
“You are?” Sarah’s eyes were big and hopeful, like she was about to be given her favorite Christmas wish. “Walker?”
“Uhm, yeah, I need all the help I can get with decorating.” Before Sarah could say or ask anything further, he turned to Maggie. “I’ll talk to you later, princess.”
Then, the blasted man smiled, bid them goodbye, and went about his business, his two ornaments tucked into his jacket’s side pocket.
What had Maggie done? She didn’t want to intrude on Sarah and Bodie’s Christmas tree decorating with Jeannie.
They needed quality family time, that was just the three of them, which was hard come by with the bed and breakfast. Maggie wouldn’t intrude.
But help Walker decorate? Could she seriously not have come up with something better than that?
He’d been a sport and gone along with what Maggie had said, but she needed to come up with some other reason not to be at Hamilton House the following afternoon.
Whatever she did, she’d be gone when the couple got back from church, so they’d have precious time alone as a family. No big deal.
Only, that spending time with Walker had been her on-the-fly excuse to Sarah, felt like a very big deal.