Chapter 9
Maggie pulled into her mother’s drive, eyeing the two-story brick home situated on a large wooded lot in a prestigious neighborhood.
Mom had bought the property shortly after being promoted at work. Maggie found the size and grandeur of the home off-putting.
She put the car in Park. It was hard to tell if Mom was home since she parked her car in the three-car garage.
The click of Zoey’s car-seat buckle sounded as Maggie shut off the engine. “Stay in your seat, honey. Let me see if Grandma’s
home first.”
“I wanna see Cleo.”
The cat was usually the main attraction for Zoey. “If Grandma’s home.”
“I’ll wait with Zoey,” Josh said.
“Thanks.” Maggie exited the car and followed the walkway’s arc to the brick porch steps. If her mom wasn’t home, Maggie would
have to use the hide-a-key to enter. After that last cryptic text, she needed to make sure Mom wasn’t unconscious on the floor
or worse.
She knocked on the storm door, anxiety buzzing through her. There were no lights or movement through the sidelight. She should’ve
had one of her friends check on her yesterday.
She knocked again. Or at the very least she should’ve come straight over when she’d arrived in town. She’d convinced herself this was just another of her mother’s antics, but if something was really wrong, Maggie would never forgive herself.
The door swept open and her mother appeared, blue eyes widening. Every dark hair on her head was in place, and her makeup
was done to perfection. “Maggie, what are you doing here? I thought you’d run off to the beach for the summer.”
She didn’t seem to realize Maggie had been trying to reach her since yesterday afternoon. “Mom, didn’t you get my texts? I’ve
been worried about you.”
Her drawn-on brows arched as she opened the storm door. “Well, whatever for?”
Maggie’s blood pressure shot into the danger zone. “Mom, your last text said something terrible had happened and then you
didn’t answer my calls or texts.”
“Something terrible...” Her head tipped back. “Oh, that. It was nothing. Just an issue with Cleo, but it turns out she’s
fine. Are you just doing a drive-by or are you going to come in? And where’s Zoey? You didn’t leave her out in that hot car,
did you?”
Still flustered, Maggie turned and waved Josh over. “Why in the world didn’t you answer my calls and texts? I’ve been worried
sick.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake. You’re such an overreactor. My phone’s just been glitchy lately, that’s all. Come in. I wasn’t expecting
company, but I might have some tea left.”
Heat flushed Maggie’s entire body as she entered. She’d left for Seabrook only four days ago, but she’d forgotten how terrible
being around her mother felt. The thought brought an instant pinch of guilt.
She slipped off her sandals in deference to the pristine hardwood floors and welcomed the cool breeze of the overhead fan.
“I didn’t realize you’d brought company.” Mom reopened the storm door for Josh and Zoey.
She was still very attractive at sixty with thick hair and long legs. Maggie had inherited her mother’s dark hair and tall,
lean physique. She hoped that was all she’d inherited.
As Josh entered, Mom greeted him in such a way as to maintain civility while still making him feel unwelcome. It was a special
gift.
Maggie gave her head a sharp shake. That was so unkind. Why did she let her mother bring out the worst in her?
“Where’s Cleo?” Zoey glanced around the room.
“Well, that’s a fine how-do-you-do,” Mom said to her granddaughter. “Haven’t you got a hug for your grandma?”
Zoey wrapped an arm around her grandmother’s waist while the woman patted her shoulder. “Why don’t the three of you have a
seat? I was just heading out, but since you’re here, I can offer you a glass of tea.”
“Don’t worry yourself on my account.” Josh took a seat on the sofa.
Maggie sat beside him. “We’re fine, Mom.”
“Nonsense! I’m nothing if not hospitable.”
As Mom swept off to the kitchen, Cleo entered the room from the hall, heading straight to Zoey. The tabby wound between Zoey’s
legs. “She missed me, Mommy.”
“She sure did.” The cat was unusually affectionate, especially with Zoey, who treated her with great care.
Josh tugged at Maggie’s hand, and only then did she realize she’d been chewing her nails. Old habits.
“Did she say what happened?” Josh whispered.
“Some mini crisis with Cleo. And her phone has been glitchy so she didn’t get my messages.”
His lips tightened.
“I know, I know. What can I do?”
“If I didn’t think that was a rhetorical question, I’d have a whole list for you.”
“It’s complicated.” When her mom was left as a struggling single mother, she’d done her best by Maggie. At least, that was
what Maggie told herself.
Maggie hadn’t exactly escaped her father’s abandonment unscathed. She’d missed having a dad in her life. Had wondered what
was so wrong with her that made her father take off and never look back. Her mother had also planted plenty of doubts in Maggie’s
mind. Doubts that had led to deep-rooted insecurity.
That insecurity had caused problems between Ethan and her. It took a lot for Ethan to get past her defenses. A lot of patience,
a lot of reassurance. Every change in their relationship felt to Maggie like a threat: when he left for college, when they
began talking marriage, when he left for the military. All of it scared her. Loving him scared her. Losing him scared her.
And ultimately, she’d done just that. Her fears had come to fruition, and losing him had been even more awful than she’d imagined.
Now Maggie was a single mom—something she’d been so determined to avoid. Her daughter was supposed to have a mother and a father. She was supposed to experience the safety net of two loving parents. So much for that dream. It had died right
along with Ethan.
If Ethan had died at all.
She quickly squashed the thought. Couldn’t go hoping that. She wished she could open up to her mom about the mystery man.
But where her mother was concerned, she’d learned to keep her thoughts to herself.
“I had to use my small glasses since I’m almost out of tea.” Mom handed the glasses to Josh and Maggie, who each took a sip.
Her mother did have a way with sweet tea. “It’s very good, Mom.”
“Delicious,” Josh added.
Mom hadn’t brought Zoey anything to drink, but Maggie let it go. Her daughter was entertaining herself with Cleo and didn’t
notice.
“I’m surprised you were able to get away, Joshua. Weekends must be busy in your line of work.” The blue-collar kind, her tone
implied. Never mind that Josh had put in two years of maritime school, passed a rigorous fifty-ton license exam, put in 180
days aboard a ship, and now owned his own business.
“We’re actually closed on Sundays.”
“Oh. Okay...”
Whereas Maggie would’ve explained herself, Josh simply gave Mom a polite smile.
Her mother turned her steady blue gaze on Maggie. “Have you been swimming in the ocean yet?”
“Not yet. We haven’t had time.”
“It seems you have all the time in the world with all these summers off. You don’t know how good you’ve got it.”
Maggie bit her tongue. Between staying after school to help students, serving on committees, coaching the girls’ swim team,
making lesson plans, and grading papers, she worked a ton of hours during the school year. But she resisted the urge to go
on the defense. “How’s your job going, Mom?” She was president of a well-known business consulting organization, having worked
her way to the top over the past fifteen years.
“Very well, thank you. I just secured a contract with the new hospital. It’ll be a multimillion-dollar project.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad to hear it’s going well.”
“It’s all a matter of attitude and hard work. It starts at the top, you know.” She went on, regaling them with her recent accomplish ments and complaining about the dreary chairman of the board. Her mother was gifted at her job—that much was obvious by the position she’d attained. Even before the promotion she’d been a workaholic.
Growing up, Maggie had been closer to her aunt Clara than her mother. She’d stayed with Maggie while her mother worked, given
her the nurturing a little girl needed, and loved her unconditionally. Sometimes Maggie had pretended her aunt was her mother.
Who knew where she’d be if not for Aunt Clara’s warm and nurturing presence in her life?
It boggled her mind that the sisters were so different. They’d both come from the same tragic background. Their father had
deserted them and their mother had neglected them until they were finally shuffled off to Seabrook to live with their cold
grandmother. Maggie had gotten most of the story from her aunt. Her mother only ever brought it up when Maggie dared to complain
about her own childhood.
“You’re so ungrateful, Maggie. You have no idea how lucky you are. My mother didn’t even know I was alive.”
Aunt Clara had passed away shortly before Maggie’s mother’s heart attack. Maggie still missed her terribly.
As her mother’s monologue droned on, Maggie nodded and hmm ed in all the appropriate places while watching her daughter play with the cat.
Much later when her mother checked her watch, Maggie gathered the empty glasses and stood. “Well, it’s getting late. We should
probably be heading back to Seabrook.”
“I’ve hardly even had a chance to talk to my granddaughter. She’s been playing with Cleo the entire time.”
Maggie forced a smile. “You can call anytime and talk to her.” Though she knew that would never happen. She went to the kitchen and put the empty glasses in the dishwasher, rushing so she wouldn’t leave Josh alone with her mother for too long.
When she returned to the living room, Josh and Zoey were already waiting by the door.
Mom swept Cleo into her arms and joined them in the foyer, offering Maggie and Zoey limp one-armed hugs. “Drive carefully
now.”
“Of course. Chat with you soon, Mom.”
“Bye, Grandma.” As soon as the door was open, Zoey took off for the car and Maggie and Josh followed.
After they were all buckled up, Maggie started the car and caught Josh’s raised brow as she turned to back from the drive.
“Don’t even start.”