by Mya O'Malley
Just stopped.
She was on her way to meet up with R.J. Keeping her friend at arm’s length had been challenging. Ever since that kiss weeks ago at the bookstore, R.J. was never far from her mind.
But for all she knew he still spoke with Jackie. She wasn’t about to steal another woman’s man. It wasn’t her style. Maggie knew deep down that Jackie wasn’t the one for R.J., but he would have to figure that out in his own time. So successfully avoiding any more meetings with R.J had been trying, but necessary.
It didn’t mean she couldn’t speak with him on the phone, though. They had spoken for hours at a time, about her ex, about their dreams, you name it. He hadn’t mentioned Jackie once, so Maggie figured he was still holding on to their relationship.
R.J. had called that morning to tell her he would like to see her, that it was important. After some deliberation, Maggie decided to go. She would hear him out and then keep her distance.
The little Italian restaurant was one of her favorite restaurants in town. She came here often with Christine and had even brought her ex-boyfriend here once or twice. To sit down here and dine with R.J. would be a treat. Upon walking in, she saw R.J., on time as usual, at a table toward the back of the dimly lit dining room.
Nodding at the familiar waiter, she smiled as he approached her. “Hi, Ted.” She could have sworn the man blushed. He was sweet.
R.J. straightened his posture and rose to his feet. “Maggie.” She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek.
“You look amazing.”
“Thanks, R.J.”
Within minutes, they were given menus and had ordered a bottle of red wine. Now that all the formalities were out of the way, conversation was stilted.
“So what’s up, R.J.?” She was anxious to hear why he wanted to meet with her.
He fidgeted in his chair and hesitated before speaking. “Yes, about that. Maggie, I’ve been trying to see you over these past few weeks.”
“I don’t know what to say. I figured given the fact you’re in a relationship, it might not be the best idea.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“First of all, since when has that stopped you and me from being friends before?”
“Well, I think it’s fair to say things have changed since that…” She paused.
“Since that kiss at the bookstore.” Ryan finished her sentence.
Maggie felt her pulse speed up. “Well, yes.” She couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye.
“Maggie, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Hell, you’ve been on my mind every second of every day.” His voice rose as he clenched his fist on the table.
“R.J.” She didn’t know how to respond to him. If she were to be honest with herself, she’d admit he had also been on her mind.
A lot.
“I wanted to tell you that I broke things off with Jackie. The day after we kissed.”
He did? “What?”
“You heard me. It’s over.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Heck, Maggie. I don’t know. You’ve got my head all screwed up. I guess I also wanted to give you some breathing room since you just split with what’s-his-name.”
“Yeah, him.” She didn’t wish to speak his name out loud either.
He reached across the table and held on to her hands. “Maggie. What I’m trying to say is that I’m crazy about you. I guess I always have been, since that very first day we met. Do you remember?”
Of course she did. Swiping a tear from her eye, she recalled the very first time she had laid eyes on R.J. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. Still was.
“If I recall, you were in the travel aisle.”
She had been. Going to Spain had always been a dream of hers. She figured she’d check out the travel books before heading to the romance section.
“And you said, wait a second, let me quote you,” she giggled. “’Why go anywhere else when you’re already in the best place in the world?’”
“That sounds like something I would say.” His eyes sparkled.
“How did we even end up friends?” Maggie considered the chances for meeting a guy that ended up being just a friend slim to none. But they did it.
Until now, of course.
“I wanted to ask you out, but you were dating that guy, the one with the horses, right?”
“Tim. That’s right.” She and Tim had only dated for a few weeks before she knew he wasn’t the one. By that time, R.J. had already met Jackie. And the rest was history.
“Where does this leave us, Maggie?” R.J. grew serious.
Tough question. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean? Do you realize that finally our timing is right? I mean, this is the first time since we met that we’re both single.”
“I know that, but…”
He sat back in his chair and bit down on his lip. “Wait a minute. Are you still worried about that guy?”
She was. “Yes.”
“Has he done anything?”
“Well, no. Not in some time, but something doesn’t feel right. Call it intuition, but I have a feeling he’s not over everything yet.”
“Who cares? What can he do? Maggie, I’m here for you.”
“I know. Maybe I’m just being silly.”
“Maybe you just need me to take your mind off your troubles.” He leaned over and gently kissed her. Her racing heart told her this couldn’t be wrong.
As she opened her eyes, she met R.J.’s gaze. It felt right. “Thank you. I think you just succeeded in taking my mind off my worries.”
Maggie gazed around the cozy restaurant, taking in twinkling white lights and warm atmosphere. Their waiter caught her eye and quickly glanced away.
A swift movement from outside caught her eye, too, as she turned to the front glass window. A man stood, grounded to the spot.
Maggie gasped aloud.
His eyes locked on hers.
He looked right through her.
Chapter Thirteen
Naomi
“IT’S LIKE HE doesn’t even see me anymore.” Naomi had been complaining to Amy for at least twenty minutes at this point. Amy’s own dating life was still going strong. She and Peter, the guy from their double date, seemed to be getting along well. Naomi missed Amy, though. Why did Peter have to occupy Amy’s time every single weekend? She could use some girl time.
“I’m surprised. Very surprised. I would have sworn Ryan was a hundred percent into you.”
Naomi released the breath she had been holding. “I thought the same thing. I can’t figure out what’s happening.”
“Well, let’s think back. When did you first start to notice him pulling away?”
It wasn’t quite pulling away. “See, that’s just it. He wants to see me, spend time with me…”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem lies in the fact that we’re becoming close friends, but that’s it.” How could she even begin to explain that everything was fine until Ryan had seen her house and then the cemetery beyond?
“Aha. I see. Maybe he’s not interested in women.”
“Come on.” That was absurd. “That’s not it. I’m sure it’s not.”
“Then what? Maybe Ryan is still in love with an ex-girlfriend.”
An ex-girlfriend. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? “You know, you just might be on to something there.” It made sense.
“Ask him. It couldn’t hurt.”
“You’re right, Amy. Thank you.”
“Of course. How’s everything else?”
Naomi hesitated. “Good, I suppose.”
“You suppose? Come on, I’ve known you too long, what’s the matter?”
She blew out a deep breath. “It’s Nick.”
“Oh, no. Is he bothering you?”
“No, not in my waking hours at least.”
“I’m not even going to ask what that means. Has he contacted you or something?”<
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“No, but that’s just it. It’s not like Nick to just let things go so easily.”
“You might have a point there. What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. I’m stumped. I’m having these awful dreams in which I feel like he’s after me or something. Do you think I need closure?”
“Well, normally I’d say yes, but in your case? I’d let things be.”
That’s what Naomi had initially thought, too, but these dreams, they were so vivid. “I guess you’re right. I just hope the dreams stop. They’re like nothing I’ve experienced before.”
“Listen, if you need to talk, I’m here. Don’t do anything stupid like contact him or anything, promise?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m not getting off this phone until I hear the words.”
“Fine. I promise.”
“Good, now I have to go. Talk to you soon, Naomi.”
Naomi stood to pace the floor. So for now, she promised she wouldn’t contact him. Biting down on her lip, she shook her head. God, she hoped she was making the right decision.
Her mind wandered back to Ryan. The mystery of Ryan might be unraveled, but if it were true that he was still in love with a past girlfriend, where did that leave Naomi?
One thing at a time.
Right now she had to meet up with Ryan to try to uncover some more facts about how Maggie T. Field had died. She could casually bring up the question of an ex-girlfriend when she saw him.
Rushing to get out of the house on time, she grabbed her keys and jacket. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see one of her kitchen chairs move ever so slightly, then topple over as if someone had pushed it. Zelda howled from the living room, running in to inspect the situation.
“Oh, I don’t have time for this now. You guys play nice now, you hear?” It struck her as ridiculous that she was just speaking to a spirit, reprimanding it like a child.
Ryan would lecture her about her lateness again if she didn’t get to the coffee shop soon. The traffic on weekends was getting out of hand here. It seemed this area was becoming a popular autumn destination for many.
As she pulled into the parking lot of the café, she spied Ryan’s small truck. Figures. She would love to arrive first, just once.
Just once.
He was sitting at a table perusing a newspaper, a determined stare in place.
“Ah. Look who finally decided to grace me with her presence.” He looked up from the paper.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m only five minutes late this time.”
“Five minutes this time, ten minutes last time,” Ryan joked.
He had taken the initiative to grab her a cup of coffee and a bagel with cream cheese. “Wow, I guess this makes up for your rude behavior. It looks delicious. Thank you.” She leaned over to kiss him hello.
“My rude behavior? Looks who’s talking.”
Naomi took a sip of her piping hot coffee. “You couldn’t have been here for long. My coffee is still really hot.”
“Ah. But I was on time.”
“I’m going to get you one of these days, you hear? One day I will arrive on time and first.”
“Doubtful,” he challenged as he sipped at his own coffee.
Naomi bit her lip as she wondered how to broach the subject of a possible ex-girlfriend that may or may not have crushed him.
“This bagel is ridiculously good.” He bit into the everything-flavored bagel, proceeding to cover his cheek with globs of cream cheese.
Oh, man. Her mission couldn’t contend when food was in the picture.”
“I see. Listen, Ryan?”
He chewed and sipped. Chewed and sipped.
Oh, for God’s sake. “Ryan!”
He dropped his bagel to his plate and glanced around the café. “What has gotten into you? Why are you yelling?”
“I’m trying to talk to you. I have to ask you something.”
“Then why don’t you just ask?”
She could continue this frustrating conversation or get right to the point. Right. The latter was more appealing.
“Have you ever had your heart broken?”
She had his full attention now. His eyes locked on hers. “Now what the heck kind of question is that?”
“Can you please just answer it?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so?”
“I don’t know where that question even came from. Why do you ask?”
His response wasn’t giving her much to go on. “I guess I just wondered about your past.”
His eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “Okay. Since you asked me, now how about you? Have you ever had your heart broken?”
Broken? She didn’t think so, but Nick had certainly done a number on her. “No, not broken.”
“But?”
“But… let’s just drop it, huh?” She wasn’t prepared to talk about her feelings regarding Nick right now.
“Oh, no. You’re the one who brought this up. Is it Nick?”
Ryan could read her mind, she swore he could. Ryan might be able to give her some insight, though. “I guess I’m still worried, you know?”
“I do. If you would just tell me a little more about him, it might just help to ease your mind.” He reached over and took hold of her hands.
“He scared me. Nick had a bad childhood. He suffered from lack of attention, a lack of caring. I felt bad for him at first.” As she continued to share with Ryan, she felt something deep within her begin to relax. By the time she had finished speaking about Nick, she felt a better.
“Be careful. It sounds like Nick could be a loose cannon. He’s probably moved on, but just in case, keep your eyes open. Wide open.”
“They always are.”
He pondered over her admission. “That’s kind of sad, Naomi.”
She supposed it was. Honestly, Nick’s lack of attention lately was unsettling. She worried that it could be the calm before the storm, so to speak. God, she hoped she was wrong.
“Ryan?”
“Yes?’ He gazed at her from behind his coffee cup.
“I never really had closure with Nick, and now I keep having these dreams.”
“What kind of dreams, Naomi?” He lifted his head to meet her eyes.
“Bad ones. Dreams where I feel like he’s chasing me. I have a feeling it’s not over yet between us.”
Ryan waved his hand through the air. “Want my honest opinion?”
“Sure.”
“I think you’re being silly. Dreams are subconscious thoughts. Anything could pop up, and I never really believed they mean anything more than our minds sorting through all of our memories and experiences while we rest.”
Hm. She had kind of pegged Ryan for having more of an imagination on the topic of dreams, but in this case, his viewpoint relaxed her a bit.
“Really? But you heard how unstable Nick can be.”
“Yes, Naomi, I have. But think about it, he hasn’t contacted you.”
“But don’t forget, I have gotten hang-ups, calls with dead air.”
“Ah.” His hand waved through the air once more. “It might not even be him. Could be a wrong number, for all you know.”
“You don’t think I should go to him, speak to him, to give us both closure?’ She fidgeted in her seat.
“Are you kidding? With a guy like that, it’s always best to leave it alone.” He glanced over at the pastries behind the glass counter.
“You’ve had enough.” She sighed and sat back in her chair. How could his mind still be on food when she was divulging her concerns over Nick?
“Yeah, I guess.” He gazed at her once more. “Feel better?”
“I’m glad I spoke with you about him. I do feel a bit better.” Now that both Amy and Ryan had given the same advice, she figured she’d leave it alone.
“Good.” With his fingers, he traced small circles on the palm of her hand.
She swallowed back her emotions. “Now back to you. No pa
st heartache?”
“Why do you keep asking me that? What gives?”
Naomi gazed up at the ceiling. It was time for the truth. “Ryan? What’s happening with us?”
He sat back abruptly in his seat. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. Can’t you feel this? We’re drifting apart.”
He cocked his head to the side. “Drifting apart? How so? We’re together nearly every day.”
“That’s not what I mean. What are we to each other? Friends? Are we dating?”
“Oh. Well. Yes, I had assumed we were dating.”
“But you don’t kiss me anymore. It seems like the friendship part of our relationship is growing, and that’s wonderful, don’t get me wrong. But in the romance department? Not so much.”
“I thought everything was going well.” He looked hurt. She hadn’t intended to upset him.
“It is. But I want more.”
“Like what? What is it that I’m not giving you? I’m trying hard to understand.”
“Kiss me.”
“Now? Right here?”
Her shoulders slumped. “See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Where is the spontaneity? The spark?”
“I’m not much for public displays of affection, Naomi. Never was. I’m confused right now.”
“It’s not about public displays of affection, Ryan. You’re missing the point here. Even when we’re at my house it’s all about how wonderful my house is, how amazing it is that the cemetery is right on my property.”
He chuckled grimly at her comment. “So let me get this straight. You’re jealous of a house? A cemetery?”
“No! That’s ridiculous.”
He shook his head firmly. “You said it.”
He wasn’t grasping what she was trying to tell him. “You know what? Forget it. Just forget that I ever said anything. Everything is just fine between us.” Naomi sat back further in her seat.
“So what? You don’t want to see me anymore? I thought we were going to head over to Maggie’s parents’ house today.”
That had been the plan. Naomi wished to ask them a few questions, hoping to gain a better sense of perspective about what kind of woman Maggie had been.
“I do want to continue seeing you. I like you. A lot.” She hung her head down, fingering the rim of her coffee cup.