Goodbye, Magnolia (Cornerstone Book 1)

by Krista Noorman

  “How’s business?” asked Brooke.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m more interested in what’s happening with you two.”

  “Well,” Brooke patted her belly. “Baby number two is on its way.”

  “Really? Brooke, that’s so wonderful.” Maggie was happy for her friend, but felt a sadness deep down inside. Her best friends were married with families of their own. She wanted that so much it made her heart ache. “What’s new with you, Kay?”

  Kay ignored Maggie’s question. “So, this might not be the perfect time to bring this up, but Tom told us you’ve been having kind of a rough time lately.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna kill him.”

  “Do you wanna talk about it?” Kay asked.

  “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  Kay looked at her in disbelief. “This is us you’re talking to. We know you. Tell us.”

  Maggie relayed the story of her discovery of Ben’s engagement.

  “I can’t believe him.” Brooke shook her head. “This girl, Beth, he’s engaged to, he’s known her for like six months.”

  “How do you know that?” asked Maggie.

  “His mom and mine are still really good friends.”

  She had forgotten. This information did not make her feel any better about the situation, but it sort of explained why Beth didn’t know he was previously engaged. They barely knew each other. At least not compared to how long she and Ben had known each other before they got together.

  Sarah joined them at the table, and Maggie made introductions. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by all of the most important people in her life. She was in a happy little bubble all night long.

  Maggie walked through the crowd to Bill and Cindy, who were standing by the counter talking with a couple of their employees.

  “You guys!” She hugged them both at the same time. “Thank you so much for having my party here.”

  Cindy returned her hug. “We know how hard you’re always working and we wanted to help do something special for you.”

  “Happy Birthday, Maggie.” Bill squeezed her a little too tightly. “Promise me you’ll relax and have fun tonight.”

  “I will.”

  “Because you really do work too hard and you need to take care of yourself.”

  “I know.”

  “I hate to see you looking so tired.” He seemed overly concerned about her.

  Maggie knew he didn’t mean it as an insult, but she was suddenly self-conscious. Did she have dark circles or bags under her eyes? Was it really so easy to tell how exhausted she was?

  She was about to excuse herself to check her reflection in the bathroom mirror, when she heard music from the back of the room. A band had taken the stage and was now playing just for her. It was a group she’d heard at the coffee shop before that she enjoyed. She moved closer and took a seat at one of the tables.

  Sarah, Tom, Kay and Brooke joined her.

  She pointed at the band. “This is too much.”

  “We didn’t hire them.” Tom revealed.

  Sarah shrugged her shoulders.

  “You didn’t?”

  Cindy overheard them and piped in. “Oh, they showed up earlier and said they were here for the party. I assumed one of you had called them.”

  “Wasn’t us.” Sarah replied.

  Tom shrugged his shoulders this time.

  “Well, it’s great.” Maggie turned to Kay and Brooke. “I heard these guys play here last year, and they were amazing.”

  Everyone enjoyed the live music and plenty of coffee as the night went on.

  Maggie knew she should mingle more, but all she wanted was to be with Kay and Brooke. She had missed them so much, and longed for those youth group days when they were attached at the hip. Things were so much simpler then.

  “Hey, birthday girl.” DeDe walked over to the table and tapped her coffee cup against Maggie’s mug.

  “Any news on the big event?” Maggie asked.

  DeDe shook her head as she took an open seat. “They’ve got a couple more vendors to meet with, then they’ll make their final decisions.”

  “I’m dying here.” Maggie was never very good at the whole patience thing.

  “I know.” DeDe replied.

  “What’s this big event?” Brooke asked.

  Maggie’s face lit up. “The governor’s daughter is getting married, and I’m up for the photographer job.”

  “Wow!” Brooke exclaimed.

  “That’s so great,” said Kay. “Are you all booked up this year?”

  Maggie hesitated. “My calendar’s pretty full this year and about half what I’d like to shoot for next year.”

  “Don’t worry. The weddings will come. People are always getting married,” DeDe replied with a smile.

  She hadn’t been completely honest. There had been another cancellation, this time one of her September weddings. Truthfully, she was growing worried. The timing was horrible with the cancellations being so close to the end of her wedding season. And her calendar for next year wasn’t even close to half booked. She had a few weddings on the books, but nowhere near as many as she needed to stay afloat. Nowhere near as many as she had booked by the same time last year. She wasn’t sure if Walker’s new studio was to blame or not. What she did know was that her finances were going to be extremely tight, and without new bookings, she would have to come up with new ways to cover her losses.

  Maggie heard the door jingle. Her heart leapt a bit, thinking perhaps it was Simon making a late appearance, but it was someone who didn’t see the sign on the door that read: CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY.

  She took a sip of her mocha and stared out at the street. Simon had surely been invited and she knew why he hadn’t come. Since the Fourth, there had been no sign of him in town. Maggie was a little sad about it. He was a busy guy, but she knew he was purposely staying away to avoid any more … situations. She wondered how his meeting with the governor’s daughter had gone. DeDe would tell her nothing, and she felt too unsure of where their friendship stood to call him and ask.

  Bill stopped by the table with a fresh mocha for Maggie without being asked.

  Suddenly, the notes of a familiar song came from the band. A smile spread across her face. It was “You Don’t Know Me”, the song she and Simon had danced to in Vegas, and she had a sudden realization.

  “I bet Simon hired the band,” Maggie stated.

  A little snort escaped from Bill.

  Tom noticed.

  Sarah raised her eyebrows. “Really? Why?”

  Maggie grinned. “Just a hunch.” She looked over at her brother, whose curious gaze followed Bill to his place behind the counter.

  “Tommy? Do you know something.”

  “What? No.”

  Sarah leaned forward and looked him in the eye. “To-o-om?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Maggie stared him down.

  “Honestly. I don’t know who hired them. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Simon.”

  “I’m so right.” Maggie felt proud of herself, so sure she had figured it out.

  “Who’s Simon?” Kay asked. “Do you mean Simon from college? Your roommate’s friend?”

  “Roommate’s boyfriend now,” Maggie stated.

  “Ah.” Kay nodded.

  Bill approached their table again with a small plate of muffins. “I forgot to tell you. Cindy saw your friend, Michelle, in here with her boyfriend the other day.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Maggie managed.

  “Tell them ‘congratulations’ for me.”

  “What does that mean?” Sarah asked as she grabbed one of the muffins.

  “On their engagement,” he replied.

  Maggie’s mouth went dry.

  “They’re engaged?” Sarah’s eyes grew wide.

  Bill looked nervous. “Oh, I thought you all knew.”

  “No, we hadn’t heard that.” Sarah looked at Maggie.

  “Sorry to ruin the surprise.” Bill sheep
ishly returned to his post.

  “I can’t believe they’re engaged.” Maggie tried to feel happy for Michelle, but all she could think about was being under the dock with Simon.

  Tom was watching Bill again.

  Maggie followed his eye line and received a grin and a nod from Bill.

  “What are you looking at?” Maggie asked her brother.

  He was wearing his “deep in thought” expression, but came out of it at Maggie’s question. “I’m just surprised Simon didn’t tell me himself, that’s all.”

  At the end of the night, after all the hugs and thanks and sad farewells to Kay and Brooke, Maggie walked back across the street to her office. Tom and Sarah had rushed her out of there so quickly that she had no time to finish answering emails or power down her computer.

  Her inbox remained open on the computer desktop, and there were a few new messages. The last one caught her eye.

  Simon. She couldn’t stop herself from grinning.

  Happy Birthday, Canon!

  Click this link for your gift.

  - S

  She clicked the link, which took her to a webpage with the photo booth pictures from Vegas. Her face broke into a huge smile. There on the screen were all the silly photos of her and the girls as well as the round of photos when Simon had joined in. She looked ridiculous just standing to the side while the girls hung all over Simon. She rolled her eyes. But the very last picture caught her attention and brought her the biggest smile of all. Simon was dipping her back. His nose was nearly touching hers, their faces so close, both of them smiling, and the girls were laughing in the background. She stared at the photo for a few minutes, remembering what had happened not long after it was taken, and she got butterflies in her stomach thinking about his lips touching hers.

  This was the best gift she’d received all night. She clicked “reply” and paused, unsure of what to say.

  Simon,

  Thank you for the pictures. Best gift ever!

  You were missed tonight.

  Maggie

  She paused again and considered congratulating him on his engagement, but she couldn’t bring herself to mention it. She clicked “send” before she had a chance to change her mind.

  By Monday, Maggie was extremely anxious about the Hartman wedding. She was dying to know their decision. Ever since the meeting, she’d been praying daily they would choose her, that this whole thing was meant to be. Even though she had stopped attending church after Ben, prayer remained an important part of her life. She always believed every client she worked with was chosen for her by God. Other photographers she knew would complain about bride-zillas, horrible family situations, and overall nightmare weddings, but Maggie had never experienced that. And she had to believe all of the canceled weddings weren’t by accident, that there was a reason she wasn’t supposed to photograph those weddings. She had to believe that or she might lose faith in everything.

  Sarah was already at her desk when Maggie arrived, which meant she was ducking out early to do something with Tom.

  “Hey, sis,” Maggie winked at her.

  Sarah didn’t respond right away. She wore a look of concern.

  “What is it?”

  Sarah walked over and gave her a hug.

  “What’s the matter?” She was acting so strangely that Maggie was overcome with panic. “Is everyone OK?”

  “Yeah. Sorry. Everyone’s fine.” She handed Maggie a piece of paper with a message on it. “Megan called this morning.”

  “Megan?” Her brain wasn’t registering the name.

  “Your August fifteenth bride Megan.”

  “August fifteenth Megan called? Oh, this doesn’t sound good.” She backed up and grabbed onto her wingback chair.

  “She and Chris broke up.” Sarah winced as she spoke. “The wedding’s off.”

  The paper slipped from Maggie’s fingers and floated to the floor. “What is happening? Doesn’t anyone stay together any more? Why don’t we just call up the rest of the weddings and tell them we’re canceling them, too.”

  “Maggie, it’s gonna be fine.” Sarah tried to comfort her. “You’ll book more.”

  The phone rang and she jumped. “I’ve gotta get out of here.” She bolted out the door as fast as a spooked horse.

  Maggie didn’t know where she was going, but she climbed into her car and turned the ignition. She drove around town for a while, taking State Road out toward Algonquin Lake. As she neared Algonquin, she thought of the Fourth of July, which caused her to suddenly turn left on Airport Road to get away from there, too. She kept driving, turning randomly at every stop sign. Before she knew it, she was at Gun Lake. She stopped at the gas station across from the Curly Cone ice cream stand to fill up, then drove to the little park on the west edge of the lake. It was the place she always went when she needed to think things through.

  She parked her car and walked across the street toward the water. There were several children running around the playground and some families having picnics together. Maggie found an empty picnic table under the shade trees and sat facing the lake.

  She wasn’t aware of the time passing, she just sat for hours, letting the thoughts freely flow — first the canceled weddings, then her own broken relationship, then Ben’s engagement, and now Simon and Michelle’s engagement. It all felt like too much.

  Each canceled wedding was like salt on an open wound. Seeing Ben again had been excruciating, worse than she ever thought it would be. But knowing he had moved on had given her some sense of closure. There was a part of her that thought she might finally be ready to move on, too. But all of these breakups reminded her that there was no such thing as a secure relationship. Not even Dave and Vi were safe and stable after thirty years. Things never worked out like they were supposed to. Happily ever after wasn’t a reality.

  She felt like a fool for believing it could ever happen for her again and for letting Simon into her thoughts so much after the dock incident. He was with Michelle and they were engaged now. It infuriated her how he could show her so much attention one minute, then propose to Michelle the next. But how could she be so weak and so easily betray her friendship with Michelle just for a little bit of affection from a guy? Michelle’s guy!

  And what about Michelle? Part of her thought she should be honest and let Michelle know what had happened under the dock. Could she really let Michelle marry someone who was so capable of infidelity? Shouldn’t Michelle have all the facts before she made such an important decision?

  She felt nauseated. It didn’t help that she hadn’t eaten all day.

  Her cell phone buzzed. It had been buzzing all day, but she ignored it again.

  She walked closer to the water. The breeze off the lake caressed her face, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was peaceful there, and she hated to leave, but when her stomach growled for the tenth time, she decided to drive to her parents house to bum a free meal.

  Her mother greeted her with a big hug when she arrived. “Sarah called. Are you OK?”

  “No.” Maggie was so numb that she couldn’t cry. “I’ve lost so much business in the last month, Mom. I feel totally helpless.”

  “Hey, Magpie.” Ron was playing cards with Dave, Vi and Uncle Pete, as had become the usual.

  “Hi, Daddy.”

  “Here,” Patty pointed to the mug on the counter. “I made you some coffee.”

  “How did you know I’d come?”

  “You’re my daughter. I know you.”

  Maggie was glad for that. She slid the mug closer and added some sugar and creamer.

  “I’m scared, Mom. Business has been going along really well for the last few years. I’ve had cancellations before, but never three in one month. And I’m just not booking weddings right now. I’m taking a huge hit.”

  “There’s a reason for everything, Maggie,” her father piped in.

  Uncle Pete was listening intently. “Everything will work out,” he encouraged. “You’ve gotta have faith.
”

  She grinned at Pete. He really was a kind man. “I know. I’m hoping to get this big wedding for next year.” She faced her mom. “The governor’s daughter is getting married, and I met with them a few weeks ago.”

  “Wow!” her mother replied. “That would be great for your business.”

  “I know. They’ll be married on Mackinac Island next summer. It’s gonna be a huge affair.”

  “Simon mentioned that wedding, too,” Uncle Pete blurted.

  “Yeah, they met with several photographers from around the state.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Pete spoke hesitantly.

  “Why not?” Vi asked.

  Pete didn’t speak. He was flushed and clearly regretted having opened his mouth.

  “Pete?” Vi spoke again.

  “Well,” he paused. “He got a call from them today. They hired him for the wedding.”

  The look of shock on Maggie’s face made Pete cringe.

  “I’m so sorry, Maggie. I’m sure everything will work out. Hang in there.”

  Her eyes began to sting. “Excuse me.”

  She walked out the front door before Pete could see her cry and sat on the porch swing. She had been praying about this for weeks. Not only would this help her financial situation, but it would be a stepping stone for her business. It would lead to bigger and better things for her. She wondered why good things never seemed to happen to her. After all the talk about God having a plan, she really wanted to believe it, but so far, all she’d gotten out of that plan was a broken heart and a failing business.

  Please help me, God. Why aren’t you helping me?

  Tuesday dragged on endlessly. Maggie shut herself in her office and worked all day, barely speaking to Sarah at all. She felt bitter and resentful toward Simon and angry at everything. Things seemed to go wrong all day. Her computer locked up while editing a batch of photos, she had trouble uploading some files to the internet, and her website server was down all afternoon. By the time she got home, she was emotionally exhausted and more angry than ever, which made it impossible for her to fall asleep. She tossed and turned, full of worry and frustration.