Chapter 27 Magnolia
The house is quiet when we pull up, and the snow has become nothing but a light dusting over the rooftops. Bode kills the engine of the truck, and I sit there for a moment just to enjoy the quiet of the town on a January evening. The world is a different place this late at night. It’s serene.
“You alright, Maggie?” Bode asks when I don’t move right away.
“I want to remember tonight until the day I die, Bode,” I say to him, turning my head against the seat to look at him. He stares back at me like he wants to say something, but instead, he leans across and kisses me gently, ending the night perfectly.
“Let’s get you inside before Joleen takes it out of my hide for having you out past curfew,” he jokes as he pulls away. He climbs down from the truck, opens my door for me, takes my hand in his, and walks me to the door.
The whiskey flowing through me makes me sway slightly, and for a moment, I think I get away with leaning into him, until he chuckles and presses his lips to the top of my head.
“Maybe we’ll sans the whiskey on our next date.” Bode smiles into my hair as we work our way up the ramp.
I look up at him with a frown, which only makes him laugh more. “I can hold my liquor just fine, Bode Walker.”
We make it to the front door, and he twirls me around, pressing me against the house.
He closes the distance between us, curling his fingers around my jaw as he lifts my gaze to his.
“I never said you couldn’t, Magnolia,” he rasps, leaning into me.
His nose brushes against mine, stealing the huff from my lips.
“In fact, I’m pretty sure there’s not much you couldn’t do if you put this pretty mind to it. ”
“Only pretty sure?” I breathe, reaching up to flick the brim of his cowboy hat.
He leans in to steal a kiss from my lips, his fingers slide into my hair, tugging gently. “Absolutely sure.” Bode hums against me. “Now seein’ as I’m tryin’ to be a gentleman, I should probably make absolutely sure you get to bed okay.”
The laughter that leaves me is soft and warm off my lips, but I shake my head. “Not tonight, Cowboy. Keep that charm to yourself.”
Bode’s smile tightens before he steals one final, languid kiss from me and takes two steps back to put distance between our bodies. I’m tempted to call him back, but I don’t. I’m sleepy and tipsy. I should be in bed.
“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.
“Considering my boss gets extra grumpy when I’m late,” I tease. “I’ll be there bright and early.”
Bode just grins and lets out a sigh as if he wants to say more, but at this point, we’re both dragging out this goodbye. Those blue eyes find mine as he starts backing down the ramp. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I reach for the screen door and nod. “Goodnight, Cowboy.”
Bode just grins, still backing away from me. “Goodnight, Wildflower.”
He finally spins around on the heels of his boots and heads towards his truck as I push the front door open and step inside. I do turn and watch him back out of the driveway, his eyes flickering towards me as he does, giving me one last smile before his taillights disappear down the road.
As soon as the road fills with darkness again and his truck is gone, I shut the door behind me. Kicking off my boots and hanging up my jacket, the soft sounds of the TV fill the house, and I follow the glow of the living room lamp to find Jo crocheting in Mama’s chair.
She glances up and grins. “Did you have a good night?”
I feel my cheeks get warm, and this time it’s not from the alcohol. I lean against the door frame and nod. “It was perfect.” I sigh softly, looking up when the sound of Jo’s soft laugh fills the room.
“He’s a good one.” She says, focusing on her yarn.
He is. Even grumpy, I would rather spend my days with Bode than any other man. “You going to bed soon?” I ask softly as she shrugs.
“Your mother is asleep, and I’ve got to find out who betrayed who,” she says, narrowing her eyes and pointing her crochet hook at the TV.
I glance at it, smiling when I see one of her soap operas playing.
When she first moved in, she mentioned she loved watching them, and since she gets so busy during the day working with my mother, I started recording them for her.
Now, she spends her evenings here, practicing her crochet and scoffing at the television.
“Well, holler if you need me.” I tap the door frame, and she nods, murmuring a goodnight as the arguing starts to pick up on the TV.
I make my way upstairs and stop at my mother’s door, pushing it open slightly to peek my head inside. Thankfully, she’s still asleep, so I close the door and head to my own room.
I go through the motions of getting out of my clothes, despite dreading leaving the smell of Bode and his truck in a pile on the floor, and settle into bed.
I roll over, groaning as the sound of my alarm fills the room. And… of course, my phone is just out of reach. My head throbs, and memories of the night before start to hit me. Bode’s laugh, the smile, the cold, all of the lights. Suddenly, the headache is worth it all.
I silence my alarm and climb from bed with the promise to myself of a nice warm coffee and Dot’s muffins.
When I’m dressed, I stop by Mama’s door again, like I do every morning, but when I push the door open, she’s not there.
Her bed is unmade, and her lamp is turned on.
My body floods with confusion and a heavy pit, and I head down the stairs, finding her wheelchair in the same spot Jo always parks it before bed.
It’s too early for them to be awake, unless Mama had an episode and Jo let me sleep through it. I suck in a deep breath, calming my nerves. It’s fine, Jo just let me sleep.
I head into the kitchen expecting to find them, but still, no one is there.
“Okay…” I murmur with a frown and glance out towards the greenhouse.
The confusion that bubbles in my stomach flips into a heavy ball, making my feet feel like concrete as I try to step forward.
I know she’s out there, but with Jo not around, I don’t know what state she’s in.
If she’s lucid, the hope of her getting better feels bitter, but something deep down knows this isn’t right. None of this feels right.
Against my body’s reservation, I make it to the greenhouse door. It’s wide open and I see her. Her eyes are closed, and she’s propped up against the flower boxes. Maybe she’s just sleeping.
“Mama?” I whisper and take another step forward.
She doesn’t move, her eyes don’t even flutter behind her lids at the sound of my voice.
Tears bite at my eyes as I move closer to her, kneeling to push the hair from her face.
“Mama…” My voice breaks when I feel how cold she is.
A sob steals the breath I try to take as I take her hand, shaking her gently. “Mama, wake up.”
I shake her again, and a bundle of crumpled wildflowers falls into her lap. Torn petals and leaves glare back at me, like I did something wrong. Like, this is my fault.
“Mama, please.” I sob and sink onto the concrete floor next to her.
I wrap my arms around her as I realize that my mother is gone.
“Jo!” My voice breaks at the shrill sound of it, but I don’t know what else to do.
I can’t fix this. I can’t fix her, and it only makes another sob tear through me so hard my chest aches.
I scream for Jo over and over again until I hear her gasp in the doorway.
I look up at her, barely able to make out her form from the tears blinding me. “Help her.”
She kneels next to me and covers my and my mother’s hands. “I can’t help her now, Maggie.”