Chapter 8
8
B y the time Tabitha made it downstairs, the party had already started. She fell down a rabbit hole, putting just one more garment into her bag. That led to checking the Maine weather just one more time as if it would have drastically changed from an hour earlier. She no longer worried about Greg, and now she was on to worrying about Greg meeting Maxim.
"You'll be so missed because you mean something to everyone here. I see you on the floor, walking by offices, and stopping in when someone looks like they need a little sunshine in their lives. The reason I know that is from hearing stories about you. The last few days, your absence has been noticed," Mel said. "I was circulating a card to share, and everyone commented. Jason was ready to quit until you gave him a few pep talks about the difficulties of being new at any job. Then there was Helen, who said she wouldn't be able to survive without your chocolate chip cookies. I didn't have the heart to tell her you bought them from Publix."
Mel and Tabitha stood at the snack table. They shared a love of salty treats and much preferred savory to sweet. They had so much in common, and those similarities only increased when they left for different colleges. Years of separation didn't lessen their friendship one bit.
“It’s my nature to be cheerful. My father was like the ambassador of any town where he lived. My mother, too, and until my father became ill, I don’t think she had a bad day. Gloria always told me to keep my sunny side up. I’m flattered that people at work noticed that side of me. I think it was what got me through the divorce.”
“That’s for sure. I heard someone say that a divorce can take at least ten years or half as long as you were married until you recover. It took you little more than a year, and I still don’t know how you managed,” Mel said.
“I’m a scientist, and it made no logical sense to waste years mourning a failed marriage. You can’t get those years back, and I had to pull myself out of despair, not only for my sake but also for Deenie’s, too,” Tabitha said.
"Excuse me, ladies," Deb said as she joined their conversation. "Nice hair and makeup, Tabitha. You must have an amazing stylist, and you're going to have to give me her name."
“She does a good job, I guess. The price is right, and I don’t think she’s taking new clients until after the summer. She has a lot of travel planned to Maine,” Tabitha said with a smile.
Deb laughed. Tabitha hadn’t paid for her friend’s services for years, and Deb considered it an insult if she even tried.
"How are things going with Greg? Do I need to take him out back?" Deb asked.
“I’ll join if you want us to rough him up,” Mel added.
“No. He’s better than I thought, and I don’t mind having him here. Deenie is loving having both of her parents in the same room, and I think she’s proud of how we’re handling things,” Tabitha said.
“How’s it going with him and April?” Mel asked. “You mentioned some tension between them.”
“They’re being civil, although they haven’t really had a conversation. Kylen is excited to have his uncle here, and April feels like I am. It’s time to put the kids first because what kind of adults would we be if we allowed our disagreements to spill over into their lives?” Tabitha asked.
“The real test has yet to come. Did you warn Maxim, and when is he expected to arrive?” Deb asked.
Tabitha was keeping her eye on the door. Maxim’s arrival would be the true test of how mature Greg and Tabitha really were.
“I texted Maxim and didn’t hear back, so I guess he’s okay with Greg being here. The French are mature about these matters,” Tabitha said. “I am surprised, though, that he didn’t text back. He’ll usually text me a K or a smiley emoji.”
“Are the French really that mature regarding matters of the heart?” Mel asked.
“Honestly, I have no idea, but it sounded good,” Tabitha replied.
As the words came out of her mouth, Maxim walked in with a bottle of wine. He made his way directly over to Tabitha and kissed her. He put his hand firmly on her lower back and pulled her tight. Mel and Deb greeted him warmly and then left the couple alone.
“Looks like you came from work,” Tabitha commented. Maxim wore trousers and a tie that was generously loosened around his neck.
“There was a problem with some of the linking software that needed my attention. Actually, it needed my boss’ attention, but I couldn’t contact him. I guess I went over his head. Everything is good now, and I made it before the party was over. I have a little something for Deenie to celebrate passing her driver’s test,” Maxim said.
Before Tabitha could ask him if he got the text, Maxim was almost to Deenie. She was chatting with her father. Her heart sank, and she predicted this wasn't going to go well. He was her first boyfriend that Greg was going to meet, and she panicked. What if Greg wasn't mature enough to handle the situation with grace? She was sure before, but now that it was happening, she wasn't so sure.
Tabitha was watching, and so were Mel, Deb, and April, whom she could see out of the corner of her eye. Deenie seemed to say something to them, and if it was an introduction, there was no handshake. Greg looked at Maxim with a concerned expression on his face. Things did not appear to be going well from Tabitha’s vantage point. She glanced at her friends, who were each seeing the action from different angles. Deb nodded in their direction as if to say she should head over.
Tabitha strode over to the window seat where Maxim, Deenie, and Greg were sitting.
“Hi, I guess I should have been the one to introduce you. I’m not sure of the protocol if there is one that concerns a situation like this,” Tabitha said.
All three of them looked at her concerned. “Can you offer advice about how to skip through the chain of command at work? It was one of those cases where I did that, and Greg happened to be at work today. I was explaining to him how it worked out,” Maxim said and then wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I’m glad I was able to help,” Greg said. “I saw his badge while I was walking down the hallway, and I heard you were dating a man named Maxim. The name was unique enough, so I figured it was him,” Greg explained. “I thought I would introduce myself. It turned out that he needed help, and I was able to offer it.”
“How did you know I had a boyfriend named Maxim?” Tabitha asked.
“I used to work at Cape Canaveral, in case you forgot, and I still have friends there. The grapevine is well cultivated, and I’ve known for months,” Greg said.
“Did you think this was going to be a problem?” Deenie asked.
Tabitha sat and put her head in her hands. She was laughing so hard that she was trembling. Her ex-husband and boyfriend, who would soon be adding the ex-prefix, had met one another and got along fine. She had spent hours worrying for nothing, and Tabitha should have known better.
She looked up, and standing there was April. “Gregory Dixon, what did you do now?”
Tabitha put up her hand. “It’s nothing, April. Greg didn’t do a thing except offer Maxim some professional advice. I had myself tied up in a knot for nothing. I have no idea what’s happening with you and your brother, but there’s nothing here to be added to that. Let’s all get back to wishing Deenie and me well.”
Deb and Mel made their way over as well to make sure Tabitha was okay. She was, and they were all relieved. Greg left early because Herman and some other friends he had from Cape Canaveral were anxious to spend time with him.
He kissed Deenie goodbye and told her he’d pick her up at around noon the next day.
Tabitha was going to pour herself a generous glass of wine since she assumed the drama was over for the rest of the night.
There was a knock at the door, and she couldn’t think of anyone important who had yet to show up.