Return to Silver Bay

by Lara Van Hulzen

  She said to Kate, “Josh is a successful architect.” Turning back to Josh, she said, “I read in the paper the other day that your company is doing well. You just received a contract on a new building in San Francisco, right?”

  “Yeah, we’re trying to get our name out there by doing larger projects in big cities. So far we’ve done jobs in Portland and Seattle, but this one in San Francisco is a great deal. They’re giving us a lot of creative freedom on the project, which is nice.” His eyes never wavered from Maggie’s while he talked. “I’ll let you two continue your conversation. It was great to see you, Maggie. Let’s have lunch together soon.”

  “Sure, that would be nice.”

  He backed away slowly with a slight grin and then turned to wait in line. He continued glancing Maggie’s way, however, causing her to be both frustrated and glad at the same time. Irritated that he knew her every move, glad that she was the one he was watching.

  Hannah talked to Josh for a minute and then joined Maggie and Kate.

  “So, Hannah, tell me more about this Josh fellow,” Kate said while eyeing Maggie. “Maggie seems to know him well.”

  “Oh, he’s just a guy we went to high school with.” Hanna winked at Maggie. “Hey! The homecoming football game is this Friday. Do you guys want to go?”

  “That sounds like fun, but I can’t. I have so much to do at the store,” Kate said.

  “Thanks, but I’ll pass,” Maggie said.

  “Oh, come on, Mags. It’ll be fun. Paul and I go every year and it’s like old home week.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” Maggie almost whispered.

  “You’re going. I’m deciding for you,” Hannah said.

  Kate looked between the two women. “Is she always this bossy?”

  “Yes, she is.” Maggie rolled her eyes at Hannah who had the nerve to look pleased with herself.

  Kate looked at her watch and after another sip of coffee, announced she needed to get to the store. Josh had picked up his drink and was leaving at the same time. He politely held the door open for her, but as Kate went through, he looked at Maggie once more, winking and making her heart flutter.

  “How is business going?” Maggie asked Hannah, attempting to divert her attention elsewhere.

  “Business is good, actually, thanks for asking. People want to get away from the big city. They want a calmer, more relaxed life. The tourism is picking up too, so that’s good all around. It should be great for Kate’s business. People love buying that stuff when they’re on vacation, or moving into a new house, for that matter.”

  “Are you going to the grand opening?”

  “Yup. The advertising she’s got going already is fantastic, though, so if that’s any indication of her work, she’s going to do well here.” Hannah took another sip of tea. “You are going to the football game. I wasn’t kidding.”

  Maggie aimed a playful kick her way under the table that Hannah avoided effortlessly.

  “Nice try, Mitchell, but I know you too well.”

  “So, what did you decide about the house?” Hannah wisely changed the subject.

  “I need to sell it.” Maggie swallowed tears that threatened to fall. Where did those come from?

  “Hey, as much as I want you to move back here, I know you… can’t. I’ll put the house on the market for you.” She patted Maggie’s arm.

  “Thanks,” Maggie said. “What do you think I could sell it for?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ll do some comps today and let you know.” Hannah looked at her friend, concerned. “Hey, are you all right?”

  Maggie considered telling Hannah about the letters, but instead said, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Just lots on my mind and a lot to do.”

  “Okay. I’m here for you.”

  “I know you are, thanks.”

  Hannah and Maggie left the coffee shop not long after. They were standing at Hannah’s car saying good-byewhen a woman shuffled by. Her long gray hair was tied back loosely in a blue ribbon and her khaki pants bagged out over her worn shoes. A ragged, torn cardigan sweater draped her shoulders, thread showing where she had attempted to mend it. She got into her old blue Volvo and drove away.

  “I didn’t know Lady Guinevere was still here,” Maggie said, using the nickname they had come up with years ago for the town eccentric.

  “We were thinking of putting her in some of our real estate brochures as a local tourist attraction, but everyone is too afraid of what’s in the back of that car she drives. Too many rumors, you know?”

  Maggie nodded and hugged her friend. Hannah climbed in her car and drove away with a wave.

  Maggie walked down Sea Point Boulevard past the nature food store and Baylee’s Bakery. Huh. That one was new. The cookie lover in her made a mental note to go in and try a treat next time she was in town.

  She passed the used record store, Change Your Tune, a popular hang out in high school. Josh was inside looking through used CDs, his back to the window. The walls of the shop were plastered with posters of Bob Dylan, The Doors, Pink Floyd. Name a famous band and they were on the wall. Sting’s “Every Breath You Take” floated through a crack in the shop window. Visions of bonfires on the beach long ago flooded her mind. Tears threatened to fall. If she let that floodgate open she might never get it closed again.

  With a heavy sigh, she continued on to her rental car.

  *

  Josh looked out the window of the record store where Maggie had stood. He’d seen her. Sensed her was more like it. Not wanting to upset her, he’d pretended to look at CDs. She’d blushed so fiercely at him mentioning the cotton candy he’d bought her. He was getting to her, knocking down the wall she’d built around herself. But he needed to do it brick by brick. Not come at her like a wrecking ball.

  “Hey man, you okay?” Paul asked.

  “Yeah. I’m fine.” Josh leaned against the front counter near the register and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You don’t look fine. You keep staring out the window.”

  “Huh? Oh. Sorry.”

  “You worried about Maggie?” Paul handed the kid behind the counter a stack of CDs and reached for his wallet in his back pocket.

  “It’s that obvious?”

  “Well, yeah.” He took the bag from the kid and thanked him. “It’ll happen for you two.”

  Josh held the door open for his friend. “I sure hope you’re right.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m always right.” Paul clapped Josh on the back as they headed down the street.

  Josh did hope his friend was right. He would move mountains if that’s what it took to have Maggie back in his life.

  Chapter Five

  ‡

  Grabbing her navy sweater off the banister, Maggie stopped to check herself once more in the hallway mirror. She thought of changing her hair from the high ponytail she wore. It made her look like she did in high school.

  “What am I doing?” she said to her reflection.

  The honk of Hannah’s car horn made her jump. She grabbed her keys and headed for the door.

  “Go Cougars!” Hannah yelled out the car window as Maggie came down the front porch stairs. Maggie laughed.

  “What?”

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you still really get into this.”

  Hannah’s auburn hair was held in a ponytail by blue and gold sparkly ribbons. Her cheeks had blue paw prints painted on them and she wore Paul’s old football jersey.

  “What’s your point?” Hannah acted hurt.

  “Once a cheerleader, always a cheerleader,” Paul said from the driver’s seat. He grinned at his wife like the fool in love that he was.

  “You’re both just jealous that you don’t have as much school spirit as me,” Hannah said, a smug look on her face.

  “Yeah, that’s it,” Maggie said as she clicked her seatbelt.

  Paul laughed and backed out the driveway. Maggie looked out the window at the newly planted For Sale sign in the yard. Relie
ved to be doing something to move forward, she still felt a sense of dread about everything, including this evening. How could she have let Hannah talk her into this? She’d mastered avoiding her past. And her friend was about to lead her straight into the lion’s den. More specifically, the cougar den.

  *

  “Lean to the left! Lean to the right! Stand up, sit down, fight, fight, fight! Goooo Cougars!” Hannah cheered along emphatically with the young girls in miniskirt uniforms bobbing up and down at the bottom of the grandstands.

  “She doesn’t embarrass you in any way?” Maggie asked Paul.

  He laughed. “No. I fell in love with her this way. I’m glad she hasn’t changed.”

  “Doesn’t she know that wearing your old jersey ages her?” Maggie asked.

  “WOOOOOHOOOOO! FIRST AND TEN, DO IT AGAIN!” Hannah screamed.

  “That doesn’t seem to bother her.”

  Maggie laughed. “No, it sure doesn’t. I, on the other hand, feel a hundred and ten years old being back here.”

  “Give us a little grace, Maggie. It hasn’t been that long.” He looked up again at Hannah and smiled. “She’s really glad you’re here, ya know?”

  “I didn’t have a choice. She dragged me here.”

  “I don’t mean the game. I mean here. Back home. She misses you a lot.”

  “I miss her too.”

  The Cougars scored a touchdown and Paul stood with his wife and hollered.

  Maggie looked around. Josh hadn’t been anywhere that she could see and it was almost the end of the third quarter. She was beginning to think she would make it through the night without seeing him. Relaxing, she watched the game and even cheered along with Paul and Hannah a few times.

  With three minutes left in the fourth quarter, a hand touched her arm. Josh smiled at her and said, “Come on. I want to show you something.”

  Her heart stopped. As much as her mind told her not to move, she let him take her hand and lead her up the bleachers.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “Just trust me,” he said over his shoulder.

  They reached the top of the bleachers and walked around the building that housed the announcer’s box. He led her through a door in the back to a small room that overlooked the entire stadium. The quiet in the room was such a vast difference from the stands. Maggie feared Josh could now hear her heart pounding.

  “What is this place?”

  Josh walked to the large window overlooking the field. The Cougars scored again and the crowd went wild. “It’s a sky box reserved for alumni or anyone willing to pay for it, but it doesn’t get used too often,” he said. “I used to love to come up here after games.”

  He kept looking out the window at the game. Maggie stood near the door, fearing if she stepped further into the room with him, she wouldn’t have the strength to leave.

  He turned and faced her. “I liked sitting up here, thinking about plays, what went wrong and right in a game. Thinking about you.”

  Her faced flushed. Man, she hated blushing.

  “That was a long time ago.”

  He nodded and chuckled. “It was, wasn’t it? Or it sure feels that way, anyway.”

  He reached out his hand towards her. She stared at it.

  “Come here,” he said.

  She gripped the door handle with one hand behind her back.

  “I promise I won’t bite,” he encouraged.

  Reaching out, she took his hand and let go of the door, leaving her feeling unstable.

  He slowly pulled her close and began to dance with her, moving gently back and forth.

  “I thought we could have that dance we were never able to have at our prom.”

  “There’s no music,” she whispered, hardly able to breathe.

  He sang softly in her ear, her knees threatening to give way beneath her. His arms pulled her in closer. The warmth of his chest against hers lit up her insides like fireworks. Being in his arms again was like coming home. A home that was safe, not riddled with uncertainty. Just like before. Just like it had always been with Josh.

  “You always were a terrible singer,” she teased.

  He laughed. Such a beautiful sound.

  “And you could always make me laugh.”

  The cheer from the crowd brought them back to their surroundings. The game was over. The Cougars had won. Maggie tried to step back from his embrace, but he held her tight. She wasn’t ready to do this. Opening her heart to him meant facing all the pain she’d buried deep inside.

  “Josh. Don’t.”

  “Please stay, Maggie.”

  “I-I can’t. I came with Hannah and Paul. They’ll be looking for me.”

  “I can take you home. They’ll understand.”

  “No. I need to go.” She stepped back and this time, he let her go.

  “I just want some more time with you.”

  “I’m sorry, Josh. I can’t do this. You deserve….better.” She turned and ran out the door, leaving him behind, along with her heart.

  *

  Josh sat at the top of the bleachers, the stands now empty and the field covered in confetti. He kicked an empty soda can beneath his feet; the clanking noise it made as it bounced down the metal steps echoed across the field. He leaned back and took a deep breath.

  Memories projected out in front of him as if playing on a giant movie screen. Football games, bonfires afterward, parties with friends. Maggie was in most of them, but all were overshadowed by having to tiptoe around her dad, his presence always looming. When Maggie had returned for his funeral, Josh’s hopes were high that they could move forward, start over. But obviously, Patrick Mitchell still hovered. For Maggie, anyway.

  Josh hadn’t planned tonight. Hannah told him Maggie was coming, but nothing could’ve prepared him for how he would feel when he saw her sitting there in the stands again, her ponytail and navy sweater making her look as if not a day had passed since high school. He remembered as a teenager playing quarterback, looking up from the huddle and seeing her cheering for him. They were just kids, but even then, he knew he loved her. That he would always love her.

  On instinct, he had grabbed her hand and taken her to his secret spot. And when they danced, he saw the light in her eyes that used to shine, if only for a moment. They dimmed again from pain and hurt, but he was determined to change that. He had hope that he could once again make her know she was loved.

  Chapter Six

  ‡

  “Hi, Maggie.”

  “Hey, Josh.” Maggie gripped the phone in her hand, a knot forming in her stomach. She was unsure of what to say next. Silence between them had never been uncomfortable before. It was now.

  “I wanted to apologize about what happened at the game.”

  “You don’t need to apologize, Josh. It was…nice.”

  “Hannah said you were staying through the end of the month, so I was wondering if you wanted to join me and my family for Thanksgiving.”

  The fact that he and his parents were worried about her being alone for the holidays was heartening, but she couldn’t imagine spending the holidays with people who’d known her dad.

  “I appreciate the invite, but I think I’ll hang out here. I have some…things to figure out and take care of before I go back to Seattle.” Trying to find out the meaning behind the letters consumed her thoughts. Initially she’d come to Silver Bay hoping to bury her father, sell the house, and return to Seattle. Signed, sealed, delivered, and done. Facing her past, let alone digging it up, had not been in the plan. But now…well, now she was more confused than ever.

  “Okay. I understand. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  A part of her wanted to pour her heart out to him and rely on his strength, but the wall she’d built stood its ground.

  “No, that’s okay. But I appreciate it.”

  It was quiet on the other end of the phone for a moment and she thought he was going to hang up when he said, “You know I’m always here for you, don
’t you, Maggie?”

  “Yes,” she answered, her voice a whisper.

  “I really do hope you have a great Thanksgiving.”

  “I hope you do, too.”

  *

  Josh hung up the phone and rubbed his chin. The past was still tearing her up inside, he could tell.

  “Well, son. What did she say?” His mother was sitting at the kitchen table. He had come over to his parents’ house to talk to his mom about Maggie. It was her idea to invite her to dinner.

  “She wants to be alone. She said she has some things she needs to work through.”

  “Did she say what those things were?”

  “No, she didn’t.”

  Josh sat down across from his mother. She was flipping casually through a magazine. Her blonde, curly hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, causing her to look much younger than she was. Always a pretty lady, Talia Harden epitomized class. She had been the homecoming queen and married Josh’s dad, Roy, right out of high school. Josh prayed for a marriage like theirs one day. They seemed to get younger with time instead of older, their friendship and relationship more connected every day.

  Talia watched as Josh linked his fingers together in front of him.

  “What is it, son?” she asked. She set down her magazine, giving her child her complete attention.

  “Nothing.”

  “That’s what you always say. But I’m your mother and I know better.” She reached over and smoothed down the creases that had formed on his forehead. “You always get that adorable furrowed brow when something is bothering you.”

  “I have a feeling it’s a face only a mother could love.”

  She smiled. “Talk to me, babe. This is your mother. You know you can tell me anything.”

  “It’s Maggie.”

  “Well, that much I figured.”

  “I don’t want to push her at all, but I think things could be so great between us if she could leave the past behind her and move on.”