Maggie's Fork in the Road (Montana Bound Series Book 2)

by Bradley, Linda

  Chloe shrugged.

  “You’re not very helpful,” I said. “Let’s go downstairs.”

  She stood, dropped Voodoo to the ground, and dragged him behind her on his purple leash.

  “Is Voodoo going to Chicago with us?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not going to carry him around. I don’t want my mom and her friends to think I’m a baby.”

  “I doubt anyone will think you’re a baby.”

  Chloe trotted down the stairs in front of me. Voodoo clunked behind her. His scrappy face stared up at me as his head thumped along.

  “You keep dragging that poor cat around like that and Glad will have to sew another eye on him, his front paw is torn,” I said.

  “I know. I like it like that. Keeps him real.”

  Chloe stopped on the bottom stair and faced me. I smiled. Bones greeted us with a muffled woof then trotted away.

  “Want to see if Walter and Harry can meet us at the park?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” Chloe beamed with anticipation.

  If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought maybe she had a crush on Harry who was a year older and in fourth grade. I could see how she might with his dark-brown, almost black curly hair and sparkling brown eyes. His good nature made it impossible not to like him. “You take Bones outside and I’ll call Mrs. Goldstern.”

  Chloe skipped into the kitchen. She called out as she went, “Can I have a snack?”

  “Sure, whatever looks good,” I said.

  “Thank you,” she sang.

  I dialed Judy and made plans.

  “Chloe.” She didn’t answer so I called her name again as I followed her trail. I grabbed the box of cookies she’d left out on the counter then headed for the patio. Chloe sat in the chaise lounge chair on the patio wearing Jackie Kennedy sunglasses that covered her face. She had her legs crossed wiggling her toes in the sun. I sat beside her. “What’s with the glasses?” I asked with a grin, offering her a chocolate chip cookie.

  “No, thanks. Need to stay thin. You like the glasses, huh?”

  “Classy,” I answered, disregarding her need to stay thin.

  “Do they make me look older?”

  I squinted as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. “I guess. Is that what you’re going for?”

  “Totally. If you look grown up, people will take you more seriously.”

  “Um, I’m not sure that’s true. I know plenty of people that are grown-up and, you know, I gotta say, they’re pretty dumb.”

  “Dad says it’s not nice to call people dumb. He makes me use the word silly.”

  “Whatever. Potato, po-tah-toe,” I said in my best English accent.

  “I didn’t know you knew how to speak a foreign language. That’s cool!”

  “I hate to break it to you, kid, but I’m still speaking English.” I munched on another cookie.

  “Oh,” she said, pushing her glasses up on her nose. “It still sounds cool. I want to learn French and go to Paris.”

  “Oo-la-la, mademoiselle.”

  Chloe peered over the top of her glasses.

  I smiled. “Okay, I know a little about French.”

  “Show off.” She snorted when she laughed.

  A piece of cookie went down the wrong way. I swallowed hard to try and stop the brewing cough.

  “You okay?” Chloe asked.

  Nodding, I waved my hand and covered my mouth. My words were barely audible, “Let’s go, girlie-girl. Harry and Walter await.”

  Chloe jumped up. “Let me make sure I look okay,” she muttered as she ran into the house.

  “Take your time.” I patted Bones on the head. He slobbered on my knee. “Gross, let’s get cleaned up. You can go, too as long as you mind your manners.” Bones wagged his tail and barked. “Come on.” I wiped up his drool with a tissue from my pocket.

  Bones jumped and twirled in the air. His paws hit my thighs.

  “Whoa, that was cool.” Chloe clapped at Bones’ display “Let’s go.”

  “Get Bones’ leash,” I said, turning toward the door. I couldn’t help but notice Chloe’s eyes. “Um, are you wearing makeup?” I wondered where she got the eye shadow.

  “No, why?”

  “What bathroom did you use?”

  “Yours,” she said matter-of-factly.

  “You know, you really should ask before you use something that’s not yours,” I reminded her. “Not sure your dad will like that?”

  “It will be gone before he sees me. Promise,” Chloe said. “Quit looking at me like that.”

  I cleared my throat. “Fine, have it your way.” I hooked Bones’ leash to his collar. “Let’s go.” I grabbed my purse and keys off the kitchen table and headed to the garage. I peered behind me at my two passengers. “Buckle up.” Chloe kicked the back of my seat. My head hit the visor, and Bones barked.

  “Sorry, Maggie.”

  “No worries.” I inspected my forehead in the rearview mirror.

  “Better than the last time. At least there’s no blood.”

  “Yeah, you’re right about that.” I thought back to when Chloe and I bumped heads in the kitchen. I wound up with stitches while she shook it off. Her resiliency, mind-blowing. Chloe could withstand bumps, mean girls, a mom that lived far away, a dad that worked nine-to-five and sometimes seven days a week. She was more than resilient, the girl possessed super-human endurance and stamina. She could roll with the punches better than anyone I knew. Checking the rearview mirror, I watched her put some lip balm on. The cherry scent wafted up to the front seat, definitely a crush on Harry.

  Sun glared across the rear window as I backed down the driveway. I rolled my window down to get a better view behind me. Two girls stopped. I braked and waited for them to cross the sidewalk behind my car. One of the girls pointed in our direction. “There’s Chloe. She thinks her mom is a model.”

  “She doesn’t have a mom,” the other girl said loudly.

  The hair on the back of my neck bristled. My grip tightened on the steering wheel as I glanced in the rearview mirror, again. Chloe’s eyes grew uneasy and her jaw clenched. Water brimmed at the corner of her eyes while her chin quivered.

  “You want me to say something?” I asked. “Is that the Hilary you’ve been talking about?”

  Anger flashed in her eyes, and Chloe shook her head. “Yes,” she mumbled. “Just run them over.”

  “As much as you’d like that, I think we’d both regret it,” I replied, glaring at the girl with long, dark hair. The girl’s thin squinty eyes leered back at me, and I wondered what her problem was.

  “Look, Chloe’s hired a bodyguard or did she hire that lady to pretend to be her mother?” The other girl sneered with a smirk.

  A worried expression consumed Chloe’s face when I put the car in park.

  “What a couple of snots,” I muttered to myself. Hilary stared through me. I got out of the car, and Chloe sunk in her seat.

  Bones sulked on the seat beside her as I slammed the car door. “Can I help you?” I asked.

  The girls sized me up. Dialogue ran through my head. I might not be Chloe’s mother and I might not be her bodyguard, but I sure can kick your butts. A woman came around the corner being walked by a St. Bernard.

  “Is that your mother?” I asked.

  Hilary’s eyes shone with spite. Her friend surveyed the area, I assumed for witnesses.

  “Is it?” I asked again, trying to remain calm.

  “No. And even if it was, it wouldn’t matter,” she replied.

  “Too bad, I’d like to talk to her.”

  “You wish,” Hilary uttered under her breath.

  “Nice.” Sarcasm dripped freely as I spun on a heel and got back in the car.

  Chloe let out a loud sigh. “See, I told you. She’s a witch.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. Who is that other girl, the one with the blond hair, the one who actually looked scared?” I asked, putting the car in reverse.

  “That’s Maddie Carson.”

&n
bsp; “Snots,” I said, stopping at the corner. I glanced in the mirror to see Chloe wiping at her eyes. “You okay?” I asked, softly.

  “Yeah, I guess so. I just get tired of it sometimes,” she replied.

  “I know. We all do.”

  Chapter 13

  I opened the door, grabbed Bones’ leash, and let him hop out. “You coming?” I said to Chloe, slumped in the backseat. “It will do you good. If not, I can tell Harry and Walter we’re not going to stay.”

  Chloe unbuckled her seatbelt at a snail’s pace.

  I looped Bones’ leash around my wrist to free my hands. “You mind if I wipe your eyes. I’m afraid your eye shadow is smeared.”

  Chloe stared up into my eyes and nodded. Her hurt lingered behind feisty green irises. Flashes of Bradley came to mind.

  “You know,” I said, “Bradley had a tough time sometimes, too. People can be mean.”

  “What he’d get teased about?” she asked, scooting her legs over the side of the seat.

  “His reading and red hair. And look at him now. He’s a great reader and he’s pretty handsome. The girls love his red hair.”

  “I got a long way to go until I’m as old as he is. Please tell me life isn’t going to be this hard all the time.”

  “You want Voodoo?” I grabbed the cat’s purple leash.

  “No, that’s just one more thing that someone can pick on me about. He can stay in the car.”

  I shut the door. “I’d like to say that it gets better, but we all have our days. My dad used to say, Some days you get the bear and other days the bear gets you.”

  “What does it mean again?”

  “It just means that you have good days and bad days.” I winked in Chloe’s direction. “And some days will really suck. And sometimes when you think everything won’t turn out, it does. Those are the best days.”

  “Thanks, Maggie.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Don’t look now, but here comes Walter.” I waved to him.

  Bones tugged at the leash as Walter’s Spiderman flip-flops slapped madly against the sidewalk.

  “Hi, Chloe!” Walter squealed as he gave her a big hug.

  Chloe gurgled in his grip. “You’re squishing me.”

  Walter laughed. “Come on, Harry’s over there.”

  Walter hugged me tight, grunting as he squeezed. I moaned, “I think the bear got me,” I joked.

  Bones jumped up on Chloe from behind.

  “Now I’m a sandwich.” She moaned, and we all laughed.

  Judy waved me over to where she sat on a bench. “I’ll be over there.”

  Walter tugged at Chloe’s hand. “Come on.”

  “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

  “Hey, Judy. I think spring has decided to stay.” I shaded my eyes and noticed Judy’s less than enthusiastic response.

  She shaded her eyes. “Glad you guys called us. It’s been a dreary day.”

  By the look on her face it wasn’t the late break in spring getting her down. “Want to walk with Bones and me? He could use the exercise.”

  “Hey, Harry, watch Walter. We’re going out to the point,” Judy called.

  “Got it, Mom,” he replied.

  “What’s going on?” I asked. Judy didn’t seem to be her perky self. Her curly short black hair caught in the wind. Her eyes grew dark. My gut wrenched as she put her sunglasses on and stared straight ahead.

  “I think it’s back,” she muttered. “I found a lump.”

  “Oh, Judy,” I said. “Son-of-a-bitch.” I shook my head in disbelief.

  Chills danced up my spine when I caressed my collarbone remembering my own battle. “Is there anything I can do?” Judy stopped in her tracks then faced me. Her shoulders quaked. I wrapped my arms around her. Wet tears soaked my shirt. “I’m so, so sorry. Have you seen the doctor?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t have a good feeling,” she said, wiping at the corners of her eyes.

  “Maybe it’s nothing,” I suggested, not knowing what her prognosis would be, but hoping like hell that she could fight it if it was malignant. Waiting for the results caused a pit of angst.

  Judy pulled back, caught her breath, and tilted her face to the sun. “Okay, now that that’s over, I can get on with it.”

  I rubbed her back and hooked my arm through hers as if we’d been friends for years. There was a familiar sense about her that made me wonder if we knew each other in a previous life. “Yes, you can,” I said. “For starters, I can buy you an ice-cream bar at the snack stand.”

  “Can I have the one with dark chocolate and toffee bits?” she asked.

  I winked at Judy. “You can have the moon if you wish.”

  “Great, I’d like some stardust, too. I hear that stuff can do wonders.”

  Her smiling dimples couldn’t hide her weary eyes, rimmed with worry. Her sadness reminded me how quickly life can turn on you. It was like turning your back on the ocean.

  Chloe ran at us, her arms flailing like a ragdoll. “Maggie, Maggie, you are not going to believe it,” she hollered.

  “Believe what?” I asked with caution.

  “Harry just buried Walter in the sand. Only his face is sticking out. It’s so cool. Come on!”

  Judy and I glanced at each other. We picked up the pace. High-pitched yelps pierced my ears as we neared the scene. Walter’s chubby face peeked out of the sand. Harry piled mounds of sand on his chest like breasts. I couldn’t hold back the laughter. Judy unhooked her arm from mine and hurried across the beach. She shot Harry a look only a mother could cultivate.

  “Get the boobs off.” Walter squawked and stuck his tongue out at Harry. “He promised he wouldn’t make me into a girl. Get them off.”

  Harry stood back, crossed his arms, and snapped a picture with Judy’s phone. “Perfect.”

  “Harry,” Judy said. “Get him out of there.”

  Harry cackled. Chloe did, too.

  I covered my mouth trying not to encourage Harry’s antics, but Walter did make a cute mermaid. “Wow, you work fast,” I said to Harry as I watched Judy dig her little man out of the sand.

  Harry grinned. “It’s a gift.”

  “Good one,” Chloe said, punching him in the arm.

  Chloe’s eyes twinkled as she gazed up at Harry, who was too enthralled in his brother’s dismay to even notice a girl. My heart skipped a beat as I watched Chloe ogle over him in-between the giggles and the friendly punch to his bicep. Judy grabbed Walter’s hand and yanked him up from the ground. Tiny bits of sand rained down all around him as he shook his body like a wet retriever. Judy winced as bits of sand pelted her shins. I couldn’t help but smile. Chloe had found a way out of her funk. Harry and Walter unknowingly distracted Judy from her own worries. All of which, I found amusing to watch and happy to be part of.

  My family was growing by leaps and bounds.

  Judy’s gaze caught my attention. She marveled at the three amigos running down the beach. With her hands on her hips, her face taut with concern, she watched them as if she were saying goodbye. I stood beside her. A sly grin crept slowly across her full lips. Wetness brimmed at the rims of her eyes. Compassion tugged at my heart. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t deserve another round of cancer. Her eyes met mine and my breath caught in my chest then shook my insides lose. All I could do was love her. Standing beside her, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders then held her close.

  “I have to make it for them,” she said. “They can’t be left alone.” Judy wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “I think it’s worse this time.”

  Her broken words left me cold. A familiar shiver ran down my spine as she covered her quivering chin with her shaky hand. Her ominous stare frightened me. “I’ll be with you. You tell me what you need.” Her cheeks were stained with tears. No ice-cream treat would heal this wound. It ran far too deep. She slid her hand around my waist and squeezed.

  We stood together as one, two women bound by circumstance and determination. We held on
to each other knowing that strength was derived from the union of broken souls much like a tattered army limping along with hopes that the war would soon cease.

  “You’re going to be fine,” I said, squinting into the sun. I shaded my eyes to see the kids better at the other end of the beach. They sat at a picnic table near the boulder of rock tossing pebbles into the lake. Lose strands of hair tickled my cheek as the wind sauntered by. The hint of summer kissed the back of my neck, the way John had done that special night.

  Judy took a deep breath. Her shoulders rose and fell keeping in time with the gentle waves licking the shore. “You ready for some ice cream?”

  She looked over to me, her expression fragile.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Maggie, don’t wait too long,” she whispered.

  “For what?” I asked, leading her back toward the Snack Shack.

  “For John.”

  This time, it was my turn for the heavy sigh. A wave rolled over in the pit of my stomach. “He’s leaving, Judy. He going back to Montana to be with his dad. He’s selling his house.” Gravity tugged at the corners of my mouth. “He’s got things he wants to do.” I dug my toes into the sand deeper with each step. “So do I,” I said, listening to Chloe’s laugh in the distance. I put my flip-flops down on the sidewalk, brushed off my feet, then slid into them.

  “You’re brave to go to Chicago with Chloe and her mother,” Judy said.

  “Or stupid. This has disaster written all over it,” I said, searching my pocket for money. Wrinkled green dollars felt cool in the palm of my hand.

  “Yeah, you’re right about that,” Judy added with a giggle.

  Chapter 14

  Chloe and I rolled up to the Ritz at three sharp. The trek across Michigan proved interesting. Evidently, time skewed my memories of riding five hours with an eight-year-old. I didn’t remember the incessant battery of questions, requests for snacks, and frequent time checks to see if we were there yet. Handing my keys to the valet dressed in red relieved me. I slung my purse across my body as my eyes focused on Chloe. My gut twisted with the unsure outcome of our journey. Her mouth dropped open as she peered up into the Chicago skyline. Stepping up onto the curb, I headed inside as another valet sporting a whistle greeted me. Chloe and Voodoo followed.