“Seriously, you lost me. Can I have something to drink? What did he say that started this whole ordeal?”
I closed my eyes feeling the angst settle in my chest. “He said Autumn’s mom was a nice woman.” I groaned at my childish antics. I peeked over at Judy. She was smiling. Her dimples framed her petit mouth.
“Hmmm. You got it worse than I thought, girl. And now he knows it.”
I closed my eyes wishing I’d kept my mouth shut in the first place. Breathing in the scent of lilacs and fresh-cut grass, I opened my right eye, then faced Judy. “I am such an idiot.”
Judy patted my shoulder. “Seriously, wine, beer, anything.”
Judy yanked me up from my seat. She held the door for me and swatted my bottom as I went inside. “What was that for?”
“Because I can,” she said. “Your mom said there were leftovers in the refrigerator. Must be nice to have a mom that cooks for you.”
“And get in my business,” I said like a sixth grade boy high on hormones. I opened the fridge door. The feel of the stainless steel door cooled my temper. I poked around until I found a plastic container with a note on top from my mom. I read it, letting the cool air waft across me.
Eat. I know how you are. Not eating will not solve anything.
Rolling my eyes, I lifted the top to sniff the contents. “You hungry? Looks like chicken marsala and pasta of some sort.” When I turned, Judy had Chloe’s letter in front of her at the counter, you know.
Her eyes met mine. “John wouldn’t have relished the moment if you hadn’t validated his feelings. You’re all a mess,” she said. “This letter is sweet. They really love you.”
I retrieved a couple of Blue Moons from the fridge. “I don’t have any wine, only beer.” Setting the beers on the counter, I opened the microwave door. “Can you hand me that container?”
Judy passed the chicken over the counter, and I slipped it into the miracle of ovens. Opening the drawer, I slid a bottle opener across the counter in her direction. I leaned against the counter watching the numbers countdown on the digital clock.
The bottle caps clanged as they hit the counter.
“Here,” Judy said, sliding me a beer.
“Thanks,” I said, almost knocking it over as I reached out to grab it. Tiny suds dripped down the bottle, and I licked them off.
“Why does this bother you so much?” Judy asked.
“What?” I took a long drag from the frosty bottle.
“That they love you and want you in their lives.”
I rolled the cold beer bottle across my forehead. “You don’t want to know.”
“Actually, I do so we can get on with life. Actually, I want to go to Montana,” she said.
“Nice.” I chugged my beer. “Want to get me another one,” I said as the microwave beeped. I took two plates out of the cupboard and grabbed two forks then sat next to her at the counter in Chloe’s usually spot. My hand stuck to the seat as I maneuvered the stool up to the counter.
Judy hopped down from her stool and served up two more beers. I popped the tops and held my bottle up to hers.
“Cheers,” I said, pushing a plate of food in front of her. “You need some meat on your bones, too. You eat the big portion.”
“So what don’t I want to know?” she said with a mouthful of food.
I rearranged the food on my plate with my steely fork. Beckett had picked out the modern pattern when we redid the kitchen. “I hate this silverware. Remind me to send it to Beckett.” Heat drifted toward my face. The steam collected on my chin and I wiped it away. “Promise you won’t laugh, or anything else?”
Judy raised her hand as if she were taking the Boy Scout oath. “Promise.” She slurped up strands of pasta.
“You are kind of a messy eater,” I said.
“Don’t change the subject.”
I challenged her stare. “Fine. It’s like I’m cheating on my family.” She chewed slowly as I guzzled more beer. I waited for a response. There was nothing. I took a bite of chicken and mushroom. My mother was a great cook. I swallowed remorse. “Well?”
“You told me I couldn’t react, so I’m not,” Judy said.
Judy’s dark eyes held my attention. “Say something, this is too uncomfortable,” I pleaded.
“You sure?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” I answered, hedging internal bets with myself.
“How can that be cheating on your family? Beckett was the one that left you. He’s off doing who-knows-what and Bradley? He’s in Boston. He’s grown, for Pete’s sake. This sounds like an excuse.”
I frowned. “I just don’t want Bradley to think I’m abandoning him. And Beckett …”
Judy interrupted with a shake of her head. “Oh no you don’t,” she ordered. “Beckett is over. He doesn’t get a say, and I know Bradley wants you to be happy. This isn’t one of your crazy classroom dramas between baby mommas and baby daddies.”
My mouth fell open at her words. I raised my eyebrows at her. “You did not just say that.”
“Sorry, it seems that your clientele is having an unwarranted effect on you. You have a right to be happy. You did what you said you would do and now it’s time to move on. Decide which way to go now that you’ve finally reached your crossroads, girl.”
In a quandary, I squeezed my lips together as she spoke.
“It’s time to live, my friend.” Judy patted my hand with hers then she touched the exposed tattoo on my collarbone from radiation treatment last year.
I twirled pasta around my fork then stabbed a mushroom.
Judy slid Chloe’s letter closer to me. “Stuff like this doesn’t come along every day,” she said with a wink. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I got my test back.”
I held my breath. “And …?”
“And, everything is normal, just like Dr. Nelson suspected. It was just a cyst.”
“Yee-ha.” I held my beer bottle in Judy’s direction. She beamed and I made a toast. “Here’s to ladybugs, healthy lives, and love.”
Chapter 38
With eyes wide open, I stared at the shadows that drifted across the ceiling. Each shape-shift triggered memories that lie dormant, deep, below my everyday surface. Silvery threads of moonlight pulled at the deepest ones, the ones I’d almost forgotten. They ran like film cells through my head, the night Beckett and I learned that we would be parents, Bradley losing his first tooth when he fell off the porch stairs, my fortieth surprise birthday party that I didn’t show for until it was more than halfway over, Bradley’s high school graduation party. I covered my eyes with the palm of my hand then inhaled, held my breath, and tried like hell not to let anything escape.
Holding on was holding me back.
Funny how time tricked me.
Funny how time made me lose my way and warped my vision of the future.
Funny, how I lost track of myself along the way.
I exhaled and kicked my feet against the bed. The cotton sheets rustled in the silence of night as tribulations snuck up on me, tiptoed into my subconscious, and I let them in knowing that I could relive the past. Nothing could erase the past, but I sure as hell could change the ending of the future.
Judy’s words stuck in my head. Recalling our earlier conversation, I remembered her words precisely. The sound of my breath in the midnight air reminded me just how quiet this big house was. I tossed and turned, stared at the clock, and cursed the coming day. In a huff, I closed my eyes. John’s face lurked beneath my eyelids. His sultry eyes beckoned for me the way they did on that night we made love. I could feel his breath on my neck and I remembered tracing that horseshoe tattoo on his shoulder. Touching my collarbone, I could pinpoint my own black tattoo without looking. Foolish regret washed over me. I kicked off the covers and got out of bed then peeked through the slats of the blinds with hopes of catching a glimpse of self-direction. I threw on my sweater then went downstairs.
I switched on the light in the library, organized the
photos on my desk, then sat down to write a list of things I needed to do. Visit Bradley was number one. I flipped open my laptop and searched for a plane ticket. I booked a flight out on Thursday evening after school. My students were higher than kites and I was hanging on by a thread trying to balance academics with survival. Opening my phone, I sent Bradley a text. My heart lightened with the hasty decision. I’d spent my life planning each step, not allowing myself to fall down. This impromptu trip to see my boy excited me.
John and Chloe’s photo peeked out from the bottom of the pile of photos. I kept it there on purpose regardless of my projects or my feelings. It had been in the same place since last summer. I traced the outlines of their faces. Their bright smiles made my eyes tear up.
I placed the photo on top of the pile.
My phone buzzed with a text. Everyone I knew was in bed. The time read a few minutes past midnight. It was Bradley confirming my arrival. I sent him a short note back. Will explain later. Last day of school is next week. Took a personal day. Can’t wait to see you. Love, Mom.
I went back to my laptop to register for a substitute. My phone buzzed again. I expected to see a reply of hugs and kisses from Bradley, but it was John. Saw your light on. Can I come over?
I tapped out a text. I’ll open the front door. I heard him shuffle up the porch steps as I unlocked the deadbolt. Peering through the peephole, I took a deep breath, I felt the future swell in my chest. My heart pounded.
“Hi,” I said.
John’s eyes flashed as his gaze met mine. He opened the screen door and I joined him on the porch.
“Hi. You’re up kind of late,” he said.
“Yeah, couldn’t sleep.” I sat next to him on the swing as he patted the seat for me to join him. He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me close. It was familiar. It was time. It was what I needed. “Please tell me Chloe’s asleep,” I whispered.
“You’re such a worry wart,” he whispered. “She’s fine.”
“Can’t help it.” Goosebumps covered my arms.
“You chilly?”
I nuzzled closer and rested my head on his chest. “No, not really. Can’t believe the school year is almost over.”
“Yeah, but I think the last month has been the longest for me with all this moving stuff.”
I sighed. “I don’t want you to sell your house.”
He kissed the top of my head. “Maggie, I think about you all the time.”
His words calmed me. “Yeah, I think about you, too.” His lips were warm against my forehead. He’d grown to be part of me. I closed my eyes, blinking away the tears.
John lifted my chin with his finger. “Open your eyes.”
I did. A thin smile melted the seriousness that held me hostage. I ran my hand over his chest, his heartbeat strong and steady. I kissed his fingers as they brushed messy tresses of hair away from my cheek. “I’m going to see Bradley in Boston.”
“That’s good.”
“I need to talk to him.”
We both knew what that meant.
“You’re a good mom,” John said.
I snickered. “Some days, I’m not so sure.” I laid my head back on his chest.
“I see how you are with Chloe. Nobody can fake that. Bradley is one lucky boy.”
Bradley’s face filled in my mind. “I just love him so much.” Emotion built in my throat. I swallowed it away with a smile.
“I know you don’t want to hurt anybody, especially him. I know how that goes.”
“Yeah,” I said, remembering the first day I met Chloe. Her brash introduction the beginning of a heartfelt connection that I didn’t want to sever.
John caressed my cheek. I stared into his caring eyes that knew something I didn’t.
“At some point, it has to be about you,” he said.
“You mean us.”
His smile warmed me.
Suddenly, the midnight chill was gone. “You know how I feel,” I said.
“I know,” he said, “I think we both feel the same way.”
His left dimple appeared with his grin. He cupped my face in his hands. His soft lips met mine and I kissed him. I leaned back not afraid to reconnect with his stare.
“Yeah, I’m bad at this mushy stuff,” I whispered.
John’s smile was contagious. “It’s okay, I’m not so great at it myself.”
“I couldn’t sleep. It gets harder and harder to sleep. Why is that?” I asked. “You think after all these years, I’d be so exhausted that I would conk out and not get up. Very frustrating.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. Frustrating.”
John’s eyes twinkled in the moonlight.
“What, you can’t sleep either?” I asked.
“No, you,” he whispered. “You’re frustrating. I’m trying to kiss you and you’re rambling on about not being able to sleep.”
I grinned. “I told you, I’m not very good at this stuff.”
John put his pointer finger against my lips. “Shh, let me kiss you.”
My mind reeled with thoughts of Bradley, Boston, Montana, horses, mountains, possibilities that frightened me, and burdens I felt slipping away. John’s tender lips met mine. His fingertips tickled my neck. A soft moan escaped me as I embraced the moment. Leaning back, I lifted my eyelids to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. “I think you already know, but I’ve decided to see what this Montana thing is all about.”
John’s eyes twinkled and his smile grew. “I knew you’d come around.”
Maggie’s journey continues in: Maggie’s Montana
Dear Readers,
I hope you’ve enjoyed the second part of Maggie’s journey. I also hope Maggie and Chloe have touched your heart in the same way they have touched mine. If you loved this book and have a minute to spare, I’d really appreciate a short review on the page or website where you purchased Maggie’s Fork in the Road. Your message to new readers is invaluable, especially for debut authors like myself. Reviews from readers like you make it possible for Maggie and Chloe to continue their adventures.
It is with much heartfelt gratitude, I thank you. Until next time, remember … all forks in the road lead home.
Sincerely,
Linda
Website: www.LindaBradleyAuthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaBradley-389688594534105/
Twitter: @LBradleyAuthor
Link to my Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/LindaBradley/e/B00JUIS2FS
Also by Soul Mate Publishing and Linda Bradley:
MAGGIE’S WAY
Middle-aged, Maggie Abernathy just wants to recuperate from cancer during the solitude of summer vacation after a tiresome year of teaching second grade.
Maggie’s plans are foiled when precocious seven-year-old Chloe McIntyre moves in next door with her dad, John. Maggie’s life changes in a way she could never imagine when the pesky new neighbors steal her heart. With Maggie’s grown son away, her ex-husband in the shadows, her meddling mother’s unannounced visits, and Chloe McIntyre on her heels, somehow Maggie’s empty house becomes home again.
Available now on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/jowuly4
Maggie's Fork in the Road (Montana Bound Series Book 2) Page 25