Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
By the time Maude’s lunch break rolled around, her feet had made their opinion known.
She loved volunteering, she truly did, but Beechwood General Hospital was a deceptively large place, and walking it for hours straight had a way of sneaking up on a person. Before you knew it, you’d logged three and a half miles. At least that’s what the pedometer on her phone said.
Her Keds weren’t going to cut it. She needed something with more cushion.
She’d escorted families to different wings, restocked pamphlets in three waiting rooms, delivered supplies to numerous floors, and sat with an elderly woman who only needed someone to listen while her husband was in imaging longer than expected.
It was good work. Quiet work. The kind that reminded Maude why she’d signed up in the first place. Giving back made her feel like she was doing something important.
Still, she was grateful when Tess, the volunteer coordinator and her shift supervisor, finally smiled and said, “Go eat. You’ve earned it. Besides, I know a certain handsome doctor who’s waiting on you.”
Maude smiled. “Thanks. Back in a bit.” She and Ollie hadn’t made any big announcement, but they did spend time together and word had spread that they were a thing. She made a point of telling anyone who brought it up that she and Ollie had also been a thing in high school.
It felt important that people understood Maude hadn’t been responsible for Ollie’s recent divorce in any way, shape, or form. For both their sakes.
The cafeteria was busy but not chaotic, the lunch crowd moving along in loose lines at the various stations. Maude spotted Ollie immediately. He was in teal green scrubs, phone tucked into his pocket, scanning the room with purpose.
He smiled when he saw her. “I was starting to worry you’d stood me up,” he said as she joined him.
“Impossible,” she replied. “I’d never miss a meal.”
He laughed. “How’s your day been?”
“Busy. Not only am I starved but I’m super excited to sit down.”
Still grinning, he shook his head. “I hear that.”
They grabbed trays and slid through the line together. Ollie opted for grilled chicken over rice with a side of vegetables. Maude went for the soup and sandwich combo. A grilled bacon and cheese with tomato bisque was just too hard to pass up.
They found an open table near the windows and sat, the clatter of trays and low conversation providing enough background noise to keep their own conversation private.
“So,” Ollie said, taking a sip of his water. “Are you still enjoying being a volunteer?”
“Yes,” Maude said. “But this is the busiest I’ve been. I walked more in four hours than I probably do in a full day normally.” Honestly, it was probably more than she walked in a week.
He smiled. “That sounds about right. This place is so much bigger than people realize.”
She dunked the pointed end of one sandwich half into the bisque. “I like it, though. It feels good to be useful like this. To be doing something more. In a way, it must be a little bit what it feels like to help people the way you do. Obviously, on a much smaller scale, but I can see the appeal.”
“That’s the best part of the job for me,” he said. “That and lunch with you.”
She beamed at him, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
They made it through a few minutes of easy conversation. More about Robbie settling into the flex space, what Ollie’s afternoon schedule looked like, the hospital food being better than people gave it credit for, the website work Maude had waiting on her when she got home.
Then Ollie’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. His expression changed.
“That’s my lawyer,” he said.
Maude stilled. “Everything okay?”
“I don’t know yet,” he replied, tapping the screen to answer. “I should take this.”
“Of course.”
He stood and walked toward a quiet corner a few feet away, turning slightly so his back was to the table.
Maude focused on her soup, though she wasn’t really tasting it. She didn’t try to listen. She didn’t need to. The set of Ollie’s shoulders told her enough.
He spoke quietly, asking short questions. Nodding once. Then again. His free hand slipped into his pocket. When he finally ended the call and came back to the table, he didn’t sit right away.
“Well?” Maude asked gently.
He exhaled and lowered himself into the chair. “Looks like things are moving faster than expected.”
Maude nodded, not entirely sure what that meant. She figured he’d tell her what he could. Or what he wanted to. “Okay.”
Ollie set his phone beside his tray and picked up his fork like he fully intended to keep eating.
Maude watched him for a second, unable to take the not knowing. “You’re being very calm for someone who just said things are moving fast.”
“That’s because,” he said carefully. “So far, it’s good news. I’m processing. And trying not to jinx anything.”
Her eyebrows lifted. She set her spoon down. “Okay. I’m listening. If you want to talk.”
He took a bite of chicken, chewed and swallowed. He was clearly buying himself time to choose his words. Or maybe he was trying to keep his emotions in check. “My lawyer said because of the new information you found, the condo, the boyfriend, all of that, they’ve agreed to revise the settlement.”
Maude leaned forward. “Revise how?”
Ollie glanced up at her then, something more emotional breaking through the professional composure. “I’m getting Milo back.” He shook his head and smiled. “I’m getting my dog back, Maudie.”
For a second, the cafeteria noise dropped away.
“You are?” she asked.
He nodded. “Full stop. She’s not contesting it.”
Maude’s hand came up to her mouth before she could stop it. “Ollie, that’s amazing. Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he said quietly, but still smiling. “I didn’t want to get my hopes up before. But this time, it’s really happening.”
She grinned so hard her cheeks hurt. “That makes me ridiculously happy.”
“There’s more,” he added, less casually now.
“They’re reopening the financial settlement, too.
Turns out buying your boyfriend a condo with joint funds and then hiding that doesn’t play well in court.
” He paused. “There’s a very real chance she’s going to end up owing me money. At least that’s what my attorney said.”
Maude let out a low whistle. “Well. That escalated in a very interesting way.”
“Apparently, lying has consequences,” he said dryly. Then his voice softened. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you doing all that digging.”
She shook her head. “I just followed the thread.” Then, with some pride, she added, “And then completely unraveled it.”
“You performed a miracle,” he said. “At least for me it was.” He took a breath. “Milo is mine again. I can’t believe it.”
They sat there, food forgotten, the weight of the announcement settling over them. She could tell he didn’t quite believe it yet, but he would, once Milo was back with him.
“When do you get him?” she asked.
“Soon,” Ollie said. “Very soon. Maybe even tonight. Emily is supposed to drop him off at my attorney’s office, then they’ll call me to come get him.”
“If you need me to do it, I can. I know you want him as soon as possible. And I know your schedule isn’t always easy to work around.”
“That would be great. I’ll let you know.” He laughed, a deep, throaty sound full of genuine happiness. “This is awesome. This is…a really good day.”
Maude nodded, a lump forming in her throat. It was good to see Ollie so happy. “You know what else I know?”
“What’s that?”
“We’re celebrating. A day like today needs to be marked as something special.”
His grin seemed permanent now. “Celebrating how?”
She glanced around, then her gaze caught on something that seemed celebration worthy. “They have soft serve. And hot fudge. And there might also be sprinkles.”
He laughed. “You want to split a sundae?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”