Maggie (Tales Behind the Veils)

by Violet Howe

  I was concerned that he’d gone back to investigate my bedroom, but I didn’t hear him barking or scratching.

  Cabe and I both left the kitchen looking for him, and I was shocked to see him lying on the floor outside my bedroom door, calm as could be. I noticed the door was slightly ajar, and I wondered if Dax had been doing some impromptu dog training.

  “Um, I’m gonna go before this gets even weirder,” Cabe said, stopping abruptly in the hall. “You sure you’re still okay with Deacon being here?”

  “Yes, of course. What time will you be back? Or is Tyler picking him up?”

  “Ty should be done between four and five, so she’ll swing by and get him then.”

  He called Deacon to him and knelt to pet the dog and tell him goodbye. Then he stood and shot me a sideways glance with a grin as he walked to the door.

  “Have fun fishing,” I said. “Catch us some dinner!” I tried to make my voice cheerful and nonchalant, but it sounded more like I was doing a fake commercial.

  Cabe stopped at the front door and turned back to hug me. “It’s okay, you know? You deserve to be happy, Mom.”

  A knot formed in my throat as I patted his back. “Thanks, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “Love you, too. Be good, Deacon.”

  As soon as he was gone, I sprinted for the bedroom and flung open the door. Dax was sitting on the edge of my bed, completely dressed with his boots on. Deacon sat calmly in front of him, enjoying a nice ear scratch.

  “I let him in to keep him from barking,” Dax said.

  “I’m so sorry. I completely forgot I told my son I’d dog sit today.”

  “Dog sit?”

  “Yeah. Tyler has a wedding, and Cabe is going deep sea fishing with a buddy, so Deacon would have been home alone all day. I offered to take him. I’m so sorry I shoved you in the bedroom and shut the door. I just didn’t know what to do or what to say. It was awkward as hell.”

  “No problem,” he said, grinning. “I’m just relieved it was your son. From the look on your face when you heard the bell, I was worried I might need to take off running and climb the fence. I thought there might be an angry love interest on the other side of that door.”

  I shook my head. “No. Nothing like that.”

  “Then when the beast here came clawing, I wondered if I might still need to be worried.”

  I smiled at his teasing.

  “Karma, I suppose,” I said. “I walked in on Cabe and Tyler in the pool house one morning when he was living out there. This was before they were married. Now, granted, she was fully dressed when I came in, but they were in bed together and she’d obviously stayed the night. Still, I think it was worse being on this end of it. Figures that the one time I have a man sleep over, I happen to get caught!”

  “Are you going to get grounded?” he asked with one eyebrow raised, his grin wide.

  “No, I’m not going to get grounded,” I mimicked as I returned his smile.

  “Good,” he said, standing to wrap his arms around me and put his forehead against mine. ”because I have an idea of what we can do the next time we get together. Now, are we still having breakfast, or do I need to sneak out the back door in case he comes back?”

  32 EMERGENCY DOVES

  Cabe called Tyler as soon as he got in his car. “I probably shouldn’t even tell you this, but I know you have a bride from hell today and I figured this would make you smile.”

  “I need a smile. She just told me they have nine unexpected guests coming. Nine! That’s a whole damned table. How am I supposed to come up with extra linens, Chiavari chairs, and a centerpiece out of nowhere on a Sunday morning? Not to mention food to feed these people. I need to call the caterer, so give me this good news and let me go.”

  “I just left my mom’s to drop off Deacon, and I noticed when I pulled in the driveway there was a black pick-up truck parked there.”

  “What? Get out! Dax Pearson has a black pick-up truck.”

  Cabe chuckled. “I also noticed that it was covered in dew, so it must have been there overnight.”

  “What? Oh my God! I knew it! What did I tell you?”

  “So, I ring the bell. Twice. And no answer.”

  “You’re kidding! Oh, please tell me you did not walk in on Maggie and Dax. That would not make me smile.”

  Cabe frowned at the thought as he exited his mother’s neighborhood and merged into traffic. “No. That’s disgusting. I mean, I did use my key and open the door because I was a little concerned that my mom wasn’t answering. You know she’s up at the crack of dawn no matter what. So, she comes down the hall, looking completely flustered—”

  “Was she dressed? Like, clothes for the day dressed?”

  “She was wearing her dance get-up, you know, like she was doing her exercise thing.”

  “Hold on, the photographer’s assistant has a question.”

  Cabe listened as Tyler explained that the bride could not add three extra boutonnieres since the florist had already left for the ceremony site.

  “Okay, I’m back,” she said. “Oh, so she was in her workout clothes? Maybe it wasn’t him. Isn’t Alberto staying in the pool house? Maybe he rented a truck.”

  “No, Alberto flew out yesterday morning. Besides, she confirmed it when I asked her. It was Dax Pearson.”

  “Get out!” Tyler said again. “If Dax Pearson spent the night, why on earth would your mother get up and work out?”

  Cabe sighed. “My mother works out every morning. Even when she’s on vacation. That woman can’t start her day without it.”

  “Hmm,” Tyler mused. “Maybe they were getting together for breakfast.”

  “I don’t think so. I didn’t ask for details, nor do I want any, but I definitely got the impression he’d been there all night.”

  “What did he say to you?”

  Cabe laughed. “I never saw him. Deacon was going nuts at her bedroom door, so evidently he was in there. Again, I didn’t ask.”

  “Wow. I can’t wait to tell Bronwyn.”

  “No, Ty, don’t do that! Mom asked me not to say anything, but I knew you’ve been chomping at the bit for them to get together, so I wanted to tell you. Don’t go telling everybody else, okay?”

  “It’s not everybody else. It’s his niece! And she’s been chomping at the bit, too. She said her uncle hasn’t been out on a date since his wife died, like eight years ago, but since he’s been talking to Maggie, he’s been in a really good mood. She wants him to be happy, and I want your mom to be happy. So if they can be happy together, this is awesome. I have to tell Bronwyn.”

  Cabe shook his head in exasperation. “Babe, c’mon. Let’s just let things take their course. Oh, and I told Mom you’d pick up Deacon between four and five.”

  “Alright. Did you tell her you’re fishing with Jeffrey?”

  “No. I just said I was going with a friend, and she didn’t ask who, so I didn’t say. I’m not going to lie to her if she asks, but I know it upsets her. She says it’s fine, but I can tell it bothers her. Not that I don’t understand why, so I just won’t bring it up unless I have to.”

  “Galen mentioned that she’s thinking about inviting Jeffrey and Julie to the wedding.”

  “Oh, that’s not cool. That would definitely upset Mom. You need to talk her out of that.”

  “Me? I’m just the wedding planner. She’s your sister. You talk her out of it. Hold on.”

  He listened as someone on the bride’s side of the family explained to Tyler that they wanted to surprise the bride with a dove release and wondered if it was too late to get some doves for the ceremony.

  “Did you hear that?” she asked once they’d walked away.

  “Yeah. You have emergency doves in your car, right? Just in case someone needs a dove release within the hour?” He laughed and shook his head, which he did often in response to what his wife dealt with at work.

  “Yeah. I’ll pull those out of my butt along with nine chairs and a centerpiece.”

&n
bsp; Someone yelled Tyler’s name in the background, and Cabe chuckled. “Sounds like you need to go. Have fun. Love you.”

  “Then kill me now!” she whispered and ended the call.

  33 RED CRINOLINE

  I spent the rest of the day after Dax left in a blissful daze, lounging around the house with Deacon.

  My body was still tender and tingling from the intimacy of the night. Vivid images of erotic memories flashed in my head throughout the day, quickening my pulse and sending a rush of warm sensations straight through me.

  It took a day or two for panic to set in, and by mid-week I’d convinced myself I needed to tell him it was a bad idea and we should part ways.

  But the next time he called, just hearing his voice calmed my fears and reminded me how much I enjoyed him before I could tell him otherwise.

  “What are you doing next Thursday night?” he asked.

  “No plans that I know of. Why? What are you doing next Thursday night?”

  “I told you before that I had an idea of something I’d like for us to do together. I did a little research, and it turns out next Thursday is a perfect night for it.”

  “For what?” I asked, intrigued to know what the activity was and impressed that he was putting so much thought and time into it.

  “I think I’d rather surprise you.”

  “Oh, no. I don’t think so. Go ahead and tell me.”

  He refused. Even after I asked multiple times. He turned a deaf ear to my pleas and seemed to find much joy in doing so.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you don’t do well with being surprised, Maggie Mae.”

  “I like to know what to expect. I don’t feel comfortable when I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “You know, a little unpredictability can be a good thing.”

  “Easy for you to say. You don’t have to figure out what to wear without knowing what’s going to be appropriate.”

  “Just wear a dress and some heels.”

  I rolled my eyes and shifted the phone to my other ear. “A dress and heels doesn’t tell me anything. How formal?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That’s not like a universal outfit dress code. Do you mean a strapless sun dress with some sandal wedges, or do you mean a sequined cocktail dress with strappy stilettos?”

  “Well, as much as I’m enjoying the memory of you in stilettos and the faint bruises that I’m sure are still on the back of my thighs, I’d say go with comfortable heels.”

  “There is no such thing,” I scoffed. “It’s an oxymoron.”

  He laughed. I didn’t.

  “I’ll pick you up at five-thirty, and I’m sure whatever you wear will be fine. Oh, and you probably want to eat a little something before I get there. We’ll grab dinner after the top secret activity portion of the evening, but you’re going to be expending some energy, so fuel up.”

  “What? I’m expending energy in a dress and heels? C’mon, Dax. You gotta tell me what we’re doing. What if this is not something I want to do?”

  “Then I’ll know not to ever plan it again. Trust me. I gotta run. I’ll see you Thursday at five-thirty.”

  I spent the next few days waffling back and forth between being excited and feeling overwhelmed. All I knew was it would still be daylight out, we weren’t eating until afterward, and it was going to require energy. A dress and heels would not have been my first choice for an outfit based on those facts alone.

  When Tuesday arrived, I opted for my nude, T-strap platform sandals, knowing I could do a lot of walking or standing in those without the balls of my feet turning to pins and needles. I paired them with a navy blue sleeveless V-neck dress, fitted through the bodice with a flared skirt and scalloped hemline. The scalloped cut-out design lent it a fancy feel, but the cut of the dress could be casual as well.

  My nerves were hyped with energy as I waited for him to arrive. It was the first time I’d seen him since our intimate encounter, so I was both excited and apprehensive.

  I wasn’t sure how we would react to each other after having been so physical and then spending over a week apart. Of course, the anxiety over the unknown activity and whether or not I would enjoy it didn’t help calm my fears.

  By the time Dax rang the doorbell, I was so keyed up to see him that nothing else mattered.

  “Hello there,” he said when I opened the door. That was all it took for everything to be all right.

  We were in each other’s arms almost immediately, and as he lifted me from the ground in a big, bear hug and pressed his lips to mine, I wondered why on earth I’d ever doubted that I wanted to spend time with the man.

  He drove me to a small community center not far from my house. The parking lot was about half-full, and I couldn’t see any signage or other clues to indicate what we were doing there.

  “You ready?” he asked.

  “How can I answer that when I have no idea what we’re doing?”

  Dax’s laughter filled the truck. “You seem really perturbed by this. I had you pegged as the adventurous type.”

  “I’m all for an adventure, as long as I know what I’m doing and how to be prepared for it.”

  He took my hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Do you trust me?”

  “In theory,” I said.

  “I have every confidence that you’re going to be fine.”

  “Well, let’s get it over with and we’ll see.”

  The secret was out as soon as we entered the building’s foyer and I saw the small sign with an arrow directing people to a classroom down the hall.

  “Ballroom dancing lessons?” I asked, bursting into laughter. “Seriously?”

  He darted his eyes away and back to me, a sheepish grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “We both enjoy dancing, and I’ve always wanted to learn more. I thought it might be fun.”

  I put my arms around his neck and stretched onto my toes to touch my lips to his. “You are amazing, you know that?”

  “You probably already know how to do all this, but I just thought…it might be fun to do it together.”

  I was so accustomed to seeing him look confident in every situation that to see him somewhat uncertain made me giggle.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Nothing! I think it’s a great idea, and I can’t wait to dance with you.”

  Another couple entered and passed by with a glance in our direction.

  “I guess we should get in there,” Dax said, taking my hand as we walked down the hall.

  The chairs and tables in the large rectangular room had been pushed to the sides to create an open area for dance. One wall was covered entirely in mirrors, and a large portable stereo was on the floor in the corner.

  Three other couples were standing around talking, and a girl of maybe nineteen or twenty sat alone on a table by the window, swinging her feet back and forth. She wore a pair of traditional dance shoes with her yoga pants and a T-shirt, and I wondered if she was the instructor.

  It had been so long since I’d been in any dance class that my body was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. Memories descended over me in the familiarity of the situation, taking me back to that other life so long ago.

  The butterflies in my stomach fluttered in joy at the thought of dancing again, but I had my doubts about the caliber of instruction we’d receive from the girl sitting on the table. The bright pink gum bubbles she blew were huge, and each time she popped one loudly with her tongue, I worried it was going to be stuck all over her face.

  Dax cleared his throat beside me, and I turned to look at him. His thumb was hooked into his front pocket, and he was strumming his fingers on his jeans while jingling his keys in his other hand. I watched his eyes move from person to person in the room, as though he were summing up their abilities.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, looping my arm through his. “You look nervous.”

  “I am nervous. I’ve never done anything like this, and I don’t much mind
looking like a fool, but I don’t want to feel like one.”

  I bent my arm around his and squeezed. “As someone just told me in the car, I have every confidence that you’re going to be fine. You’re a wonderful dancer.”

  “Thanks, but I’ve never had anybody teach me to dance or tell me what I’m doing wrong. I just go with what feels good.”

  Disaster struck bubble gum girl just as I had feared, and she frowned as she picked strands of pink from her false eyelashes and peeled it away from her nose.

  “Something tells me this teacher is not going to be intimidating.”

  “Easy for you to say,” Dax scoffed. “You’ll probably be teaching the teacher a thing or two. Miss Professional Dancer.”

  “Ballet, maybe. Ballroom? No. I don’t have any formal training in this, so we’ll be looking like fools together.”

  He squeezed his hand over mine and smiled just as a tiny lady entered the room. She was petite in stature, only an inch or two over five feet, with brilliant white hair cut in a chin-length bob.

  She wore a white fit-and-flare fifties-style dress covered in a royal blue floral pattern with a royal blue sweater tossed over her shoulders and buttoned at the neck. She wore thick, nude, traditional dance tights and a pair of red dancing shoes. When she squatted beside the portable stereo and put down a stack of CDs, I got a glimpse of a bright red crinoline peeking out from the hem of her dress.

  “I take back everything I said about the teacher not being intimidating,” I whispered to Dax.

  He looked at me with his brows scrunched in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s our teacher,” I nodded in her direction, “and I guarantee you she’s going to be a stickler for perfection.”

  “Listen up, class,” she called out in a gravelly voice that betrayed she’d spent at least part of her life as a smoker. “It is six o’clock, and we begin promptly at six. I will honor my commitment and start on time, and I expect you to honor your commitment and be on time. Now, let’s get started. Gather round me so I don’t have to yell.”

  I saw the bubble gum girl check her watch and frown before sliding off the table and walking toward the teacher.