She jumped from her bed and grabbed her phone. “You up?” she texted Kiara.
The little dots blinked immediately. “Lying here ignoring the lack of man in my bed,” Kiara replied.
Maggie grinned in spite of herself. “You're better off without him.”
“I keep telling myself that. What's up?”
Maggie pressed her lips together and shoved the idea of Annabelle having to adjust to someone new from her brain. This was always the way it was supposed to happen, right? Vane was always going to have to find someone new after she left. She was doing him a favor, really. “Do you still talk to Melinda? Is she looking for a job right now?” Melinda had been Kiara's boss back when she worked at the co-op. A fifty-year-old who still thought she was twenty-five, she was perennially short on cash. But she had a sweet, motherly air about her, and she would be perfect. Really.
The dots reappeared. “If she wasn't so damn picky, she'd have found something by now. But she stormed out of an interview last week because she found out the boss of the company didn't recycle.”
Maggie smiled again. “Give her my number. I have a position for her.”
For all her slowness when it came to the men in her life, Kiara was always quick to pick up on everything else. “You leaving early?”
“I'm leaving when I said I would.” Maggie leaned back and stared at the words she'd just written. Seeing them there, in stark black and white, didn't feel as good as she'd hoped. Hoping that doubling down on it would make it feel more enticing, she added, “It's time for my next adventure.”
From down the hall came the sound of Annabelle murmuring in her sleep. Maggie braced herself for the scream of a night terror.
But Annabelle giggled.
14
Maggie tripled checked the email before hitting Send. Then she zipped up her duffel bag.
It was still dark outside, but she could hear Vane moving around downstairs as he got ready for the day. She took one last look at her empty room, checking to see that the “parts” pictures were all carefully returned to their box, before shutting off the light and closing the door.
She should be feeling excited, she reminded herself. And she was. Starting the next stage of her adventure was a happy moment, not a sad one. It's the lack of sleep, she rationalized. You were up half the night.
Once she made up her mind, everything happened fast. Kiara contacted Melinda, who had texted her well past midnight. She'd emailed the references Maggie asked for right away, impressive for a hippie who wore her gray hair in a fat braid that extended past her hips. Maggie had even paid for the background check, just to give Vane peace of mind. She'd emailed it right to him so it was there waiting for him after she said goodbye.
After she said goodbye.
She squared her shoulders. How would he react? She'd lain awake half the night imagining his reaction. All the variations, from indifference to tears to rage. She was pretty sure she could handle most of them.
Except indifference. Though that should be the easiest to deal with, she would prefer he yell at her rather than show her he'd never really cared.
She swallowed and descended the stairs. When she stepped into the kitchen, he looked up with a bright smile that faded the instant he saw her bag. “Going somewhere?”
She nodded. This was not the time to lose her nerve. “Yes. Today is the day I was always supposed to leave, Vane.”
He blinked. “You said you'd stay longer.”
“Because you need childcare longer, right?” she pressed. And waited. Waited for him to say this was so much more than just her watching Annabelle. Waited for him to say he wanted her to stay for him, because he loved her... dammit. She swallowed hard as she realized that was exactly it. She wanted him to love her the way she loved him. “Right? That's why you wanted me to stay longer?”
He blinked again. “Well... yeah.”
It was so innocuous, but to Maggie it was a punch to the gut. The air exploded from her lungs as if he'd struck a blow and took with it all her nervousness and hope.
In its place was anger. Bright, hot, and all consuming. “Then you're fine,” she snapped. “Because I arranged it all for you. I have another nanny all lined up.”
“Another nanny?”
“Yes, isn't that what you need? Someone else to watch Annabelle?”
“No. Wait, you're really leaving?” He was suddenly thunderous. “How could you do this, Maggie?”
“You knew all along I would do this! Don't pretend to be surprised!”
“I'm not surprised, I'm pissed!”
“Why?” She was crying and didn't want to be. She wanted to be strong, and he made her feel so weak. They weren't equal and never had been. He'd always been her boss. “Tell me exactly why you're upset." It was pathetic how much she needed him to change her mind. Tell her why he wanted her to stay.”
“Because you're going to break Annabelle's heart!” he roared.
She stared at him. “Her heart? Just hers?”
Vane's voice broke. “Please don't leave, Maggie.” He swallowed. “She needs you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “No, Vane. You're her guardian. She needs you. And I need to go.”
* * *
She left.
Vane stood stock still in the center of the kitchen. He felt like his feet had turned to stone, but his mind was spiraling downward.
A knock at the door shook him out of his breakdown.
Bewildered, he robotically moved to answer it. Why would Maggie be knocking at the door?
On the porch stood a flustered-looking middle-aged woman he’d never seen before in his life. He was sure of this, because she was instantly memorable, with her long, thick rope of graying hair and startlingly young eyes.
“I’m so sorry I am late,” she babbled as she burst in through the door. “I was looking for someone who could watch my granddaughter, since she’s home for the summer, but there wasn’t anyone. I hope it's not a problem I brought her with me."
“I’m sorry, who are you?”
She was completely unfazed. “Melinda. Maggie sent me.”
“You have a granddaughter?” Annabelle had appeared at the door and was peering around it eagerly.
“Yes, she’s about your age.”
“Are her parents at work?” Annabelle wanted to know. “Does she like horses?”
Melinda gave a sad smile. “Her parents aren’t around anymore, honey. I take care of her now. And yes, she loves horses. I take her riding as much as I can afford.”
“I’m sorry. Start over.” Vane was completely bewildered
“Her parents aren’t around anymore?” Annabelle pressed. Her eyes were unnaturally wide. “Where are they?”
“Annabelle,” Vane chastised.
Melinda waved her hand. “It’s okay. Kids are curious.” The older woman knelt down and took Annabelle’s hand. “Her parents were in a car crash.”
“They’re dead?”
“Annabelle,” Vane said more sharply.
But Melinda just nodded. “Yes, honey."
“So are mine,” Annabelle said gravely.
Melinda’s eyes twinkled. “Then I bet you would have a lot to talk about. Would you like me to introduce you? Her name is Lila.”
Annabelle thundered down the front porch, then remembered herself. “Can I go, Uncle Vane?”
Vane was still staring at this implacable apparition, but he managed a nod, and Annabelle took off toward the new car in the driveway. “You said Maggie sent you?”
“Yes, for the nanny position. I realize it’s kind of out of order that I brought Lila with me. But you know, it was somewhat sudden.” Melinda’s eyes twinkled even more.
Vane swallowed. “You can say that again.”
“Oh, honey, you looked shellshocked.” She took his hand and squeezed. “Don’t worry—one nanny leaves, another shows up to take her place. It’s the way of the world. I’ve been doing it a long time.”
Vane pulled his hand ba
ck. “She’s way more than just my nanny… She’s my—” He cut himself off. What was Maggie to him?
Everything
She was everything.
He’d told her Annabelle needed her. Clearly, that was a lie, given Annabelle's happy chatter with her newfound best friend. No, he hadn’t wanted her to stay to be his nanny.
He'd wanted her to stay because he loved her more than anything else in the world.
But she had her dreams, he realized in the same breath. She wanted to travel, have her freedom. What did his love matter if loving her stood in her way? Maybe it was better this way.
“Excuse me a moment?” he asked Melinda. “I just need to—”
He trailed off and walked away without finishing. He instinctually moved to the safety of his office and shut his door behind him. It was familiar and safe, but right now it felt wrong. He looked around wildly to figure out why, and his eyes landed on the picture he'd just put on his desk yesterday.
It was a shot of the three of them. A selfie he'd taken that afternoon at the dunes. He picked it up and traced his finger over her beautiful laughing face.
Maggie should have this, he thought. A memento to take with her on her journey.
It was like a key sliding into a lock and opening a door that had been shut all this time. He grabbed the picture and thundered down the stairs in a perfect imitation of his ward. He vaulted onto the porch where Melinda was patiently waiting. “Melinda, you’re hired. Can you start right now?”
Once again, Melinda was completely unfazed. “Sure, that’s why am here. Just show me where the bathroom is and I’ll be good to go.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I’m an old lady now. We need to know these things.”
“Annabelle will show you.” He was already starting his car. “I’ll be back, I promise.”
Annabelle waved happily, hand in hand with her new friend. It struck him as he looked in the rear view mirror that she'd had no playmate her own age this whole summer. He had never seen her smiling like this. It was one more thing he needed to fix. He put find Annabelle friends on his mental to-do list.
Right below the main priority.
Maggie.
15
Maggie’s house plants were all dead. Her elderly neighbor, the one who was supposed to water them for her, acted like she’d ever seen her before and slammed the door in her face.
Maggie decided it had to be a sign. There was nothing else here for her.
It took less time than she liked to get everything packed up. She was just tucking the last box into the back of her car when she heard the sound of an engine cut out behind her.
Vane? She had no idea why that was where her mind went. Why would he be here? This was the last place she expected to see him, especially since she was pretty sure he had no idea where she lived.
But if he was the last person she thought she’d see, the person getting out of the car was the second last.
“Hey, princess,” her mother said breezily. “Where you headed?”
“Mom.” Maggie closed her trunk and sagged against it. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I was just passing through, looking for a place to crash if you have a piece of floor I could pull up.”
“I literally just gave my keys back to the landlord. Your timing could not be worse. Why didn’t you call me?”
“Oh!” Her mother laughed. “Because I had no idea I was going to be here until just now. I was passing through and thought, hey, I think this is where my daughter lives.” She eyed Maggie’s packed car. “So you're really heading out?”
“Just like you always said, got to stay light on my feet, right?” Maggie laughed, and hoped her mother didn’t hear the slight hysteria in her voice.
“Oh.” Her mother sounded startled. “I said that?”
“Enough times that it plays on repeat in my brain. Why do you think I’m all packed up to move out? I'm on my way to the next adventure.”
“Yeah? What have you been up to? Tell your old mom.”
It struck Maggie just then how strange this must look to anybody else. A mother and daughter, both with their cars stacked high with belongings, standing in the road and trying to catch up on the last five years. But this was completely normal to her. As was her mother’s idle lack of curiosity about what was in store for her daughter next.
“I took a posting as a rural teacher in Alaska. Five years. But I wanted to do some traveling before I start.”
Her mother tilted her head. “You do? You don’t sound very excited about it.”
Maggie blew out an aggrieved sigh. “I guess it was kind of spur of the moment. This morning I woke up in a completely different place.”
“Than here? Very nice, my child.” Her mother waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“Mom, it wasn’t like that. I had a nanny position.” She gritted her teeth. “And yes, I guess it became a little something more than that. But I've got to stay light on my feet right?”
“Is that what you wanna do?”
“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?”
“That’s what I’m supposed to do, Maggie. Not you. Yeah, when you were a kid, we moved around a lot. But you never seemed to like it very much, and I always figured as soon as you were off on your own, you’d have yourself a perfect little house with a white picket fence. Probably that you built yourself, since you’re strangely good with a hammer.”
Maggie stared at her mother. “You really thought that?”
“Of course I did. Any place we lived, you always did your level best to make it a home. You always had your plants, your pictures, all the things that you carried with you. You may not have had a permanent home, but you had an idea of what home should feel like. And, I might add, you were very opinionated about it, too.”
She laughed in recognition. It was finally clear. Home was the feeling she’d been searching for her whole life.
The feeling she had felt with Vane.
“Crap.”
Her mother raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”
“I think I may have just royally screwed up everything.” Maggie buried her face in her hands.
Her mother shrugged. “So fix it.”
“Oh, that's your motherly advice? Everything is always so easy for you, isn’t it?”
Her mother broke into peals of laughter. “Whatever gave you that impression? Things are plenty hard. But I always knew what I wanted, and what I wanted was a life unlike everyone else’s. That was for me. I'd hoped by now you’d have figured out the life for you.”
A sob broke free from Maggie's lips. “I think I had it,” she blubbered. “And I let it go.”
Her mother folded her into an embrace. “So get it back,” she whispered patting her on the back.
* * *
The landlord seems confused to see Maggie again. “Thought you were done,” he grumbled.
“I just want to show my mom around. I’m not moving in again.”
“I can give you twenty minutes,” the landlord grumped. “And then we got to start cleaning for showings.”
Shouting her thanks, Maggie led her mother around the empty apartment.
“I can picture it.” Her mother nodded enthusiastically every time Maggie described how she’d set everything up and how exactly she'd made this place a home.
She'd just finished up when a knock sounded on the door.
“Is that twenty minutes up already?” her mother wanted to know.
“All right, I’m leaving!” Maggie complained as she went to the door.
Vane stood in the hallway.
Her breath left her lungs. “What are you doing here?” she whispered, unconvinced she hadn't conjured him out of sheer longing.
He held out a framed picture. “I wanted to get this to you before you left on your trip. It's for you to put in your new place. So you remember me. Remember us.” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking wholly unsure of himself. “I’m not going to hold you back, Maggie. I just want
you to know that I was wrong about why I was upset you were leaving. It was my heart that was breaking. I love you. But if you need to do this, I’m not going to hold you back. Here.” He pushed the picture toward her.
She took it into her hands and stared. He'd captured the three of them laughing. She wasn't even looking at the camera. She was looking off in the distance. And he was looking at her.
He'd captured them. All three of them, as whole people. “Where was this last night?” she whispered.
“What? In my office, actually. I took a whole bunch just like this. They're kind of corny. Just a guy taking pictures of the woman he loves.” He shrugged. “I picked the more artsy prints for your room.”
She smacked her hand against her head. “Mom?” she called, aware that her mother was watching this whole thing without a word. “Thank you for showing up like this. You delayed me just long enough to keep me from making the biggest mistake of my life.” She cupped Vane's face in her hands and kissed him hard. “I love you, too."
His face broke out into a wide, shocked smile. "You do?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "You look so surprised!"
"I'm…" His smile turned into an expression of awe. "I guess I hadn't dared hope. You're amazing, Maggie. Before I met you, I didn't know it was possible to feel this way. I never trusted my own feelings. You made me realize what happiness, real happiness, feels like. You changed me, and I had to tell you how grateful I was before I let you go."
She touched his face. "The fact that you came all the way here, not to try to stop me from leaving, but to give me this." She looked at the picture again. "Right? You weren't going to put a condition on this? If I accept it, I agree to stay for another six weeks?" She grinned.
He shook his head slowly. "No strings. I just wanted to give it to you because I thought you'd want something for your new home."
Her heart squeezed tight in her chest. "You are my home."
The Billionaire’s Ward: McClellan Billionaires Book Three Page 10