Maggie's Turn (15 page)

"No. No trouble at home. Why would you ask that?" Andrew asked, barely managing to hold back his contempt.

Clyde shrugged. "No reason. Just that you're here alone and not with that pretty wife of yours. That's all."

Andrew ignored Clyde and turned away, looking into the wall-length mirror behind the bar. He and Maggie hadn't come here together to eat in a long time. Not that there was anything wrong with the pub. It was a family-friendly place that served good food. The atmosphere was cozy, with warm oak paneled walls, high-backed booths lining the outer walls, and big, heavy wooden tables and chairs in the center. A jukebox sat against one wall, and a popcorn machine filled with fresh popcorn was on the other. He, Maggie, and the kids used to come here often for burgers and fries, usually on a Friday or Saturday night. But they hadn't done that in a long time. In fact, he and Maggie hadn't been out to eat together for a very long time.

With thoughts of Maggie, he grew angry all over again. He'd left a message for her to call him back, but he still hadn't heard from her. He'd be damned if he was going to try calling her again. The more he thought of her being out with another man, the angrier he became. Yes, he had cheated on her a year ago, and yes, he knew he'd been wrong. But did that make it okay for her to go running away and go out with another man? Was she trying to get even with him?

"Hey, Andrew, how's it going?" Derrick Weiss walked up to the bar and stood beside Andrew, who eyed him suspiciously in the mirror.

"Fine. Just having dinner," Andrew answered.

Russ came over and asked Derrick what he'd like.

"Two beers on tap," Derrick answered. Russ began to draw beer into frosted mugs.

Andrew turned, noticing that Derrick wasn't wearing his uniform. "Off duty tonight?"

Derrick nodded. "Wouldn't be drinking if I was on duty." He looked Andrew directly in the eye. "How's Maggie? Has she come home yet?"

Andrew stiffened. He didn't like Derrick's tone. "She's still out in Seattle, visiting family," he lied. He wasn't sharing his family problems with Derrick.

"Well, that's good to hear. I'm surprised she didn't take Kaia along with her, though. I see those two together all over town. They're inseparable."

That's because it's an occupational hazard of being a young teen.
A grin settled on Andrew's face as he thought of what Kaia had told him. He didn't share this with Derrick, though. "She had school. After all, it just started a few weeks ago."

Russ came over and placed the two beers in front of Derrick, then stood there, joining in on the conversation. "Maggie's been gone? I didn't know that. What happened, Andrew? You two have a fight?" Russ chuckled at his own words, but Andrew was fuming. Derrick's brows rose as he waited for Andrew to answer.

"No, we didn’t have a fight, as if it's any of your business," Andrew told him angrily.

"Cripes, man. Don't bite my head off. It was just a joke. I'm just surprised Maggie left now that school is in session. She's always so active, volunteering in the school and with the PTA," Russ said.

Andrew frowned. He knew Maggie used to be in the PTA but didn’t know she still was involved. He didn't want to admit this to these two goons, though.

"She's usually in charge of the middle school dances, too. The fall dance is coming up, so I'm surprised she left this time of year," Derrick said, eyeing Andrew.

Andrew turned his frown on Derrick. "She had her reasons, okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure she had her reasons," Derrick said in a tone that didn’t settle well with Andrew. Russ snickered from behind the bar.

Andrew's eyes narrowed. He stared from Russ to Derrick. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Derrick looked hard at Andrew. "I think you know what it means. This is a small town, Andrew. You know that as well as I do. People talk. Did you really think you could keep your affair a secret? Everyone in this town likes Maggie. She's a nice person, a good mother, and she gives her time to help benefit this community. She didn't deserve what you did to her."

Andrew stood, furious now, and faced Derrick. They were practically the same height, but Derrick was built wider than Andrew. Andrew didn't care—if Derrick wanted a fight, he'd give him one. "None of this is your business, Derrick. Why don't you worry about your own wife and family, and butt out of my life."

"Oh just calm down, Andrew. I'm in no mood to fight with you," Derrick said, as Clyde chuckled at the end of the bar.

Andrew took one step back, furious at Derrick for butting in and at Clyde for laughing at him. "I do a lot of volunteer work in this community, too, you know," Andrew said, trying to save face. "I spend my free time helping this community grow, bringing jobs into this town, and making it a nice place for our families. Maggie's not the only one who gives her time, you know."

"Yes, I know all about your volunteer work in this town," Derrick said. "But there's a big difference between what you do and what Maggie does. She does it from the heart. You do it for the recognition."

Andrew glared at Derrick, unable to come up with a retort.

Derrick lowered his voice. "I've known you a long time, Andrew. We went to school together, and we coached little league together. I know, somewhere deep down, you're a good guy. But what you did to Maggie…that was low. You know, when you first came home from college and brought Maggie back with you, there wasn’t a guy in this town who didn't fall in love with her. She was beautiful, sweet, funny, and kind. We all envied you. And as the years went on, she just proved over and over again what a valued member of this community she is."

Andrew stared at Derrick, dumbfounded. Russ was still standing there, too, nodding his head in agreement to everything Derrick said. "So you all had a crush on my wife. How would your wife like to hear you say all these things about Maggie, huh?"

Derrick frowned at him, his face turning red with anger. He looked to the back of the room where his wife sat, wearing her scrubs, in the booth waiting for him. "I love my wife. She's a good person, and I'm proud of everything she does, too. So don't turn this around on me. The point I'm making is that you have a pretty wife who cares about other people and who is a good mother, and how did you repay her? You cheated on her with a woman who wasn't even half the woman Maggie is. It was Maggie who had to go through each day, trying to hold her head up high and ignore the whispers behind her back and pretend that everything was okay. You didn't even have the decency to hide your affair. You paraded around town with that woman at your side. You're right. Maggie had her reasons for leaving. And the number one reason for leaving was you."

***

Maggie found a comfortable hotel in downtown San Francisco where she would be within walking distance of several of the town's attractions. She was on the 5
^th
floor and had a fabulous view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The hotel was expensive, though, so she knew she couldn't stay there more than one night.

It was only a four-hour drive from Reno to San Francisco, but she'd hit the town in the middle of rush hour so it had taken her an extra hour to find a hotel and settle in. Now, she just wanted to clean up and take the bus down to Fisherman's Wharf to take photos and eat a delicious seafood dinner.

Kaia had called Maggie earlier, after school let out, to tell her about her weekend with Andrew and that she was spending the night at Megan's house to work on a school project.

"So, what's your father up to without you home tonight?" Maggie had asked her. Kaia said he'd planned on going out for a bite with Kyle, but that was about all.

"Is everything going fine at home?" Maggie asked, curious about how Kaia and Andrew were getting along. This morning she'd listened to the message from Andrew, and he'd sounded angry. Hearing his tone, Maggie decided that she didn’t want to talk to him just yet. She'd let him settle down first from whatever had set him off. She and he had been getting along so well the past few days that she didn't want to ruin it by talking to him when he was miffed about something.

"Yeah, it going good," Kaia answered. "Dad's calmed down a lot. I think he's actually having fun being home more, and he isn't acting as stressed out as he used to be."

After saying goodbye to Kaia, Maggie had pondered her words as she drove along the highway toward San Francisco. Maybe her going away had been good for both of them. It was giving Andrew a chance to spend more time with the family and her a chance to sort out her life. She'd decided that if she didn't hear from Andrew by tonight, she'd call him first thing in the morning.

Grabbing a sweater and her camera, Maggie headed out to get as many photos as she could before sunset, then eat dinner.

***

Andrew fumed all the way home and slammed the door in the entryway, scaring Bear and making the cats scatter out of the room.
Maggie had her reasons for leaving. And the number one reason for leaving was you.
Derrick's words replayed loud in Andrew's mind, and each time he thought of them, he grew angrier.

"How dare he butt his nose into my life," he said aloud to the empty room. "Who the hell does he think he is?" Seeing Bear stare at him with big, droopy eyes brought Andrew back to reality, and he walked over and gently rubbed the dog's ears. Once Bear started happily wagging his tail, Andrew took him outside and hooked him onto his leash so he could do his business. Andrew put down food for Bear, fed the cats, changed all the pet's water, and by the time he was done with these rote chores, he'd calmed down a little.

Maggie hadn't called him back. This upset him more than he wanted to admit. He had no idea where she was, or who she was with. Could she really have found another man that easily? Was he really that easy to replace? He wondered if Maggie had thought the very same things when she'd found out about his affair, and he winced at that thought.

Upstairs, Andrew changed out of his suit and into sweats. The house was cool, proving that fall was upon them, and winter was close behind. As he glanced at the house phone, he saw the light blinking, announcing there was a message. Had Maggie called the house phone instead of his cell? He checked caller ID, and instead of Maggie's number, he saw that the last caller had been his mother. Ignoring her message, he reluctantly called her back.

"Hello," his mother's brisk voice said after the second ring.

"Hi, Mom. It's Andrew. I see that you called earlier."

"Yes, I did. I thought you'd be home, but apparently, you weren't."

Andrew sighed. "I went out for a bite to eat. Was there something you needed?"

"No. What I want to know is what is going on with that family of yours?"

"What do you mean by that?" Andrew asked, confused.

Marcia spoke in a clipped manner. "There are rumors going around town that Maggie has left you. What's that all about? Has your wife left you for another man?"

Andrew stood there, dumbfounded. Who in the world was spreading these rumors? "No. Of course she hasn't. I told you, Maggie went to Seattle to see her cousin. Where did you hear such a thing?"

"It's all over town. People are saying that Maggie left you and the kids, and you're left to take care of everything. It doesn't surprise me one bit, you know. That Maggie was never one of us. I'm surprised she didn't leave years ago."

Andrew ran his hand through his hair, weighing his words carefully. Arguing with his mother would do him no good. Reasoning with her was best. "These so-called rumors aren't true. They're all lies. Besides, who cares what goes on between Maggie and me? This is our business, and no one else's."

"Who cares?" Marcia asked indignantly. "Well, for one, I do. And you should, too. You've worked very hard carving out your place and status in this town. Just because Maggie doesn't care about the welfare of our town, or its future, doesn't mean that you shouldn't. A rumor like this can ruin your chances next year when you run for mayor."

Andrew let out a long breath. His mother didn't really care that there were problems between him and his wife. She didn't care how it affected his children. All she cared about was his chances of becoming mayor. "Maggie cares about this town, Mother. She volunteers in the schools, and people around here like her very much. There's no basis for these rumors, so don't worry about them."

"Well, you'd better get your house in order, and tell your wife to get home," his mother said curtly. "It doesn't look good, her running around the country, abandoning her family. She should feel very lucky to have you for a husband. You're highly respected in this town, and you want it to stay that way."

Andrew snorted, laughter rolling from deep inside his throat. "Really, Mom? Respected? If only you knew the truth. I'm not as highly respected in this town as you might think. In fact, Maggie has a much higher standing with everyone right now than I do."

"Humph. Don't be ridiculous. If you're referring to that little indiscretion of yours last year, well, no one really cares about that. Men cheat all the time. It's in their DNA. No one will hold that against you."

Andrew stopped laughing, shocked by what his mother had just said. "You know about that?"

"I heard the rumors. I don't condone it, but I'm also not surprised by it either. It happens. If that's why Maggie has run off, then she just needs to get over it. All that matters is that you're a good provider for your family, and you have a nice future in this community. People won't hold you responsible for a little indiscretion."

A little indiscretion?
Is that what his mother called cheating on your spouse? Andrew thought back to his childhood and how cold his parents were to each other. Back then, he had heard rumors about his father cheating, but no one ever told him to his face. And his parents had always stayed together, so he figured the rumors weren't true. But now, he wondered. Did his dad also have a few
little indiscretions
?

As Andrew hung up the phone, after assuring his mother that Maggie would be home soon, he mulled over what his mother had said. Her tone, as much as her words, were what bothered him the most. She sounded cold, unfeeling, and uncaring. He wondered if that was how he sounded to Maggie. All his mother worried about was her standing in the community and her own activities. She didn't care about family like most mothers and grandmothers did. But he also had to admit that he had been acting that very same way over the past few years. He'd placed his job, the community, and his own aspirations ahead of Maggie and the kids. And he'd strayed. He'd told himself that Maggie was the one who didn't make time for him since she was so busy with the kids, maintaining the house, and working. He'd almost made himself believe that he'd been justified in having the affair. But at this very moment, standing in this silent house, he realized that there were no excuses. He was the only one to blame for straying.