by Rachel Lee
Chuckling, Maggie nodded. “I appreciate that.”
Their grandmother had been unable to resist pointing out at each recent opportunity that Maggie was now her only unmarried granddaughter. She thought Maggie, at twenty-seven, should be giving serious consideration to settling down and starting her own family rather than spending weekends with groups of friends and planning trips to exotic locations. “You could always see Jamaica on a honeymoon,” she had hinted broadly.
“At least Mimi won’t be trying to throw me at Garrett,” she said with a grin. “She would never want to fix me up with Esther Lincoln’s grandson. It’s bad enough in her opinion that I’m even friendly with the family.”
Shelby winked at her. “Yet another reason for you to be friendly with them. It’s always kind of fun to poke at Mimi, isn’t it?”
Maggie laughed. As much as they loved their grandmother, there were times when the younger generation enjoyed pulling her chain a bit. Mimi was so bluntly outspoken and opinionated, not above getting in a few little digs herself. “There is that.”
Pushing back her chair, Shelby stood. “I’d better go down and help out. It’s crazy down there. Your mom’s been running back and forth from the store to the grill to help my mom, Rosie’s been working the desk and the store register and Mimi’s helping where needed and, of course, ‘supervising.’”
“I’ve got to get busy again myself,” Maggie agreed, glad they’d had at least those twenty minutes of respite from the holiday chaos.
The conversation with her cousin stayed with her as she returned to work. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be married someday, maybe have a family of her own. But her sister’s bad experience with her first marriage had made Maggie wary of making a similar mistake. Hannah had been so sure that she was in love with Wade, that they would be together for a lifetime, that he deserved all the love and loyalty she had offered him. She had been so wrong. Maggie was still amazed that Hannah had found the courage to love again after that fiasco, even though it was obvious to anyone that Andrew Walker was the polar opposite of Wade Cavender.
But Wade had fooled everyone at first, she reminded herself, and Hannah had been very mistaken about her feelings for him. The ugly breakup had been painful, both for Hannah and her family, the repercussions lasting long after the marriage ended.
Fortunately, no children had been involved in that divorce. Garrett McHale came packaged with two vulnerable and impressionable daughters who had already been through a family breakup and the loss of a parent. It would require someone very special to take on the role of stepmother to them—someone confident, tenacious, maybe either trained or at least experienced with adolescent angst. With the girls involved, the stakes were much too high for reckless optimism.
So maybe she had a bit of a crush on Garrett. Maybe the memory of kissing him had taunted her during the night, influenced a few spicy dreams. Maybe parts of her ached to be close to him again, held tightly against that long, lean, muscled body. Maybe she’d like to spend more time with him, to coax out a few more of his sexy smiles, to hear his even sexier low laugh. Maybe she’d like to hike with him, ride horses with him, fly again with him. Maybe there were more things she would like to do with him that she wouldn’t allow herself to specify at the moment.
Every time she thought of actually pursuing any of those things beyond a fleeting few hours, she smacked into the reality of his daughters and their fragile sense of security.
She wouldn’t let herself be influenced by all the happy newlyweds in her family. She had things to do, places to go before she took that momentous step. Garrett didn’t seem to be in any hurry to add more burdens to his already heavy load. So if she could occasionally help him relax and have fun—having a good time herself in the process—without causing any further complications in either of their busy lives, then why not? Her grandmother, and probably his, would be happy to know that there was nothing more to it than that.
Though perhaps it would be necessary for her to remind herself occasionally.
Chapter Six
“I don’t think things are going the way we planned with Maggie and Dad,” Kix said somberly to her sister Thursday afternoon. They’d had a pretty good day so far with swimming, boating, a nice walk with their dad and Grammy, a good lunch followed by a game of Horse at the basketball court. Payton and their dad hadn’t even argued today—much—but now Payton was getting all sulky again because she wanted to go hang out with those boys and she knew their dad would say no if she asked.
Standing at the lakeside behind their cabin, Payton threw a rock into the choppy blue water. It hit the shore in shallow waves kicked up by passing boats and personal watercraft. “It’s not my fault Dad’s such a nerd.”
“Well, no. But maybe he’s been so busy worrying about you that he hasn’t been able to concentrate on Maggie,” Kix said with the wisdom of her newly marked eleven years.
Payton looked resentfully over her shoulder toward the back deck of the cottage. Their dad sat in a wooden patio chair at a round wooden table shaded by a cheery blue-and-white-striped umbrella. His laptop was open on the table in front of him and he appeared to be focused intently on the screen. He was well out of hearing range, but his daughters had no doubt he knew exactly where they were and what they were doing.
“Look at him up there watching us like we’re babies who need a full-time sitter,” Payton grumbled. “You think he’ll go with us to our proms in a few years? Or will he even let us accept an invitation?”
Kix shrugged and knelt to examine a crawfish hole. “It’s a long time until either of us goes to prom,” she said prosaically.
“If it’s up to Dad, we’ll never go.”
Two teenage boys on personal watercraft passed not far from shore, kicking up rooster tails of water behind them. One of them waved at Payton, who immediately posed to better show off her denim shorts and her cute red T-shirt embellished with an American flag across the chest. She’d selected the outfit specifically to mark the holiday—and, she’d confided artlessly to Kix, because it looked really good on her. She thought Trevor Ferguson kind of liked her, and he was sort of cute even if he had a dorky laugh.
Kix thought maybe her sister was a little too focused on boys, though she had little doubt Trevor was crushing on Payton. After all, Payton was so pretty—just like their mom had been. And she had a way of wearing her hair and clothes that made her look older than she was, unlike Kix, whom everyone mistook for younger. That was something Payton had in common with Maggie—looking pretty without seeming to put a lot of effort into it. Kix didn’t care that much about clothes and hairstyles yet, though she did like the cute purse Maggie had made for her. But she liked it when Maggie talked to her without treating her like a little kid.
It would be nice if their dad and Maggie got together, Kix thought wistfully. As much as she loved her grandmother and great-grandmother, they just didn’t always understand what it was like to be young. Maggie was so cool—and she made their dad smile in a different way than he smiled at her and Payton. Maybe if their dad and Maggie got together, Dad would relax his rules a little so she and Payton wouldn’t feel like someone was hovering over them all the time. And maybe she wouldn’t see that sort of sad look in his eyes sometimes when he didn’t know she was looking—the look that always made her wonder if he missed his friends in the air force, or if he was lonely for someone besides his kids and his mother and grandmother. She thought her dad and Maggie made a really cute couple—if only Payton would behave and not scare Maggie away for good.
* * *
Though the fireworks would be visible from most any place in the resort, many guests gathered on the grassy compound around the pavilion and playground. Sitting in lawn chairs and on beach towels and blankets spread on the grass, they laughed and chatted as darkness fell over the lake and the grounds. Children ran giggling around their parents, heedless of the sticky warmth of the evening or the occasional buzz of a flying insect.
; Maggie’s dad and Aaron had set up an old-fashioned popcorn cart in the pavilion, illuminated by strings of red, white and blue lights. The enticing aroma of popping corn wafted through the area. Maggie’s mom and aunt Linda handed out free bags to the eager guests who milled around them before claiming viewing spots on the grassy expanse outside the structure. Most had brought their own water, sodas or beer in small coolers. Maggie’s dad, her uncle C.J. and Aaron walked casually through the grounds, exchanging greetings with guests but also keeping a close eye on things.
Maggie stood near the pavilion, surrounded by yet more members of her family. Her grandparents sat in comfortably padded folding chairs, reigning over the festivities, as they were the king and queen of Bell Resort. Here for the weekend, Hannah and Andrew sat on a spread blanket with little Claire, who sat on her diapered bottom almost bouncing with excitement at the noise and movement surrounding them. It was getting late for her, and occasionally she rubbed her eyes, but she was too intrigued to sleep.
Not far away, Shelby chattered with her brother, Steven, who had also come home for the holiday weekend. The only member of the family missing was their sister Lori, Maggie thought regretfully. Lori had not been back to Texas since she’d run off with Zach last year. Her parents had flown to California in March to see her, returning a week later rather sad but relieved that she wasn’t living in squalor or misery. Looking around the jovial, milling crowd of guests waiting eagerly for the first sign of fireworks over the midnight-blue lake, Maggie realized that she had no envy of Hannah, Steven or Lori. She still enjoyed her job here, had no urge to leave anytime soon. This was home, and she loved it. Which didn’t mean she wouldn’t want to expand her borders eventually, she reminded herself. It was nice to know she’d kept her options open.
“Maggie, Maggie! Hi. When do the fireworks start? Will you watch them with us? We brought bottles of water in case we get thirsty. Is the popcorn for everyone? It smells so good. I love popcorn.”
Maggie smiled down at Kix, who bounced eagerly around her. “Hi, Kix. Yes, the popcorn is free for everyone. Why don’t you get a bag?”
“Okay, Daddy?” she asked, checking over her shoulder.
Looking more casual than usual in a T-shirt, khaki cargo shorts and sandals, a folded blanket beneath one arm and a small cooler in his other hand, Garrett smiled slightly and nodded. “Bring a bag for me, too.”
She grinned broadly. “I will. Come on, Payton, let’s get popcorn.”
Payton followed a little more sedately, though she looked just as pleased as Kix by the prospect of the fresh-popped treat.
“Where’s the rest of the family?” Maggie asked Garrett as he popped the blanket efficiently onto an unclaimed square of grass.
“Mom and Meemaw are going to watch the show from the back deck. They knew the girls wanted to join everyone here, so they told us to come without them. To be honest, I think they enjoy the quiet occasionally.”
Even from several feet away, Maggie could hear Kix chattering to her mom and aunt. She laughed. “Maybe they do.”
“Here’s your popcorn, Daddy.” Scattering kernels behind her like bread crumbs, Kix thrust an overfilled red-and-white-striped bag at him. “Doesn’t it smell good? Miss Sarah and Miss Linda said they’ve got lots more to pop so we can have some more, if we want. When do the fireworks start?”
Garrett looked up at the rapidly darkening sky. “Not much longer.”
“They’re scheduled to begin at nine,” Maggie said. “So we’ve got almost fifteen more minutes.”
Kix sat cross-legged on the blanket with her popcorn and a bottle of water from the cooler. “Oh, I didn’t get you any popcorn, Maggie,” she said just as she got settled. “Want me to get you some?”
“Thanks, sweetie, but I’m not very hungry. I don’t think I could eat a whole bag of popcorn.”
Garrett lowered himself to the blanket and patted the space beside him. “You can share mine,” he told her with a smile.
Awareness rippled through her. Conscious of his daughters watching them, she sat on the blanket, leaving a respectable amount of space between herself and Garrett. He held out the bag of popcorn and she took a few kernels from the top, her gaze locking with his as she did so.
Like most everyone else around them, Maggie wore shorts and a cool top in patriotic colors in deference to both the holiday and the heat. She pushed a strand of hair away from her face, feeling the stickiness on her skin. There wasn’t even a breeze to relieve the warmth that had built up during the day and hadn’t yet dissipated with sundown. Sliding off her flip-flops, she sat cross-legged like Kix, though she ruefully admitted to herself that she wasn’t quite as comfortable in the position as the girl appeared to be.
“I’ve been so busy today that I never got a chance to even say hi,” she said, addressing the comment to all three McHales. “Have you had a good day?”
Kix, of course, burst into speech before her sister or father had a chance to answer, giving Maggie a detailed play-by-play description of their busy day. Payton was patient for a while, but then claimed some attention for herself. “Do you think my hair would look good shorter, Maggie? Like maybe with bangs or cut in an asymmetrical wedge or something? I think it looks like a kid’s cut now.”
Maggie reached out to brush a wavy auburn tress from Payton’s cheek, thinking that the girl really was going to be stunningly beautiful in a few years. Already the gangliness of childhood was being replaced by a graceful litheness. It was no wonder Garrett was worried about the way boys were starting to look at her.
“I wouldn’t do anything drastic,” she advised. “Maybe take it just a little shorter and see how you like it first before you make too big a change.”
“I keep telling Dad I’m old enough for makeup, but he won’t let me wear any,” Payton grumbled.
“Oh, goodness, as perfect as your skin is, you don’t want to hide it behind makeup,” Maggie assured her. “A little lip gloss would be all you need for now, maybe just a touch of mascara for special occasions.”
Payton shot a look at her father. He shrugged. “We’ll discuss it.”
Judging from Payton’s pleased expression, that was almost as good as a yes. Kix beamed at Maggie in approval, making her think she’d done something right that time. Why did it always feel to her as if these girls were putting her to some unspoken tests to which she didn’t know the rules?
Maybe Payton felt like pushing her luck just a little. “Trevor and Drake are right over there,” she said, motioning toward the teens sitting on the grass several yards away and looking over their shoulders at her. Maggie saw the boys’ mom and stepdad in lawn chairs closer to the pavilion, talking with another couple who also lounged in folding chairs. “Could I please go watch the fireworks with them, Dad? We’ll be right there where you can see us. Kix can even come, if she wants.”
“I’d rather stay with Daddy and Mag— Um, yeah, I’ll come with you,” Kix amended hastily after a look from her sister.
“Please, Dad.”
After only a beat during which both girls—and Maggie—held their breath, Garrett nodded. “All right. But don’t wander off. And don’t get rowdy. Be considerate of the people sitting around you.”
Payton’s smile was blinding. “We will. Thanks, Dad. Come on, Kix.”
Garrett offered the popcorn bag to Maggie as they watched the girls run to join the grinning Ferguson brothers. “Lip gloss, huh?”
His glum tone made her laugh as she took another handful of popcorn. “Just a touch. Face it, Garrett, they’re going to grow up no matter how hard you fight it.”
“Won’t stop me from trying to slow it down a little,” he retorted, then tossed a couple of kernels into his mouth and crunched down hard on them.
She looked at his girls laughing and interacting with the Ferguson brothers—Payton flirting, Kix chattering—and she couldn’t say she blamed him. “So I take it Payton’s not in too much trouble for her stunt yesterday?” she asked after washing down
her popcorn with a sip of bottled water.
Garrett shrugged. “I made her apologize to Mom and promise that she wouldn’t run off again without permission, but I didn’t see any need to ruin the rest of the week over it.”
She nodded in approval and shifted into a more comfortable position on the blanket, her knees drawn up in front of her. “At least Stu’s not with them. Maybe his family has moved on.”
“I hope so. That kid just wasn’t right.” He glanced beyond her to where other members of the Bell family mingled. “Looks like your whole clan is here for the holiday weekend.”
“All but Lori,” she agreed, glancing over her shoulder. “Mimi and Pop are tickled to have everyone here, especially the baby.”
She noted that Mimi did not look particularly pleased when their gazes met. Mimi obviously disapproved of Maggie sitting with Esther Lincoln’s family rather than her own, even though Esther wasn’t there. Mimi would just have to get over that. Maggie didn’t choose her friends based on her grandmother’s old feuds.
Garrett nodded toward the infant now bouncing in Bryan’s arms. “Seems like it was only yesterday my girls were that age.”
Maggie smiled at the besotted look on her father’s face. Claire had him wrapped firmly around her little fingers, just as she did everyone else who knew and loved her. She then glanced sympathetically at Garrett. “Andrew’s already fretting about when Claire notices boys—and she’s barely ten months old.”
He shook his head as if pushing thoughts of future issues to the back of his mind and asked, “So you had a busy day? Anything exciting happen?”
“Just the usual workday, with the addition of some holiday complications. Nothing too serious.”
Before he could answer, a murmur of excitement went through the crowd. The patriotic music blaring from the barge in the lake sounded tinny, but no one seemed to mind as anticipation built for the start of the fireworks show.