Maggie's Turn (27 page)

Rob stepped forward and grasped Maggie's hand in his. "Don't be sorry, Maggie. I'm not. I feel closer to you than I have anyone else in a long time. But, I understand. You made it perfectly clear that we were just friends, and I shouldn't have taken advantage of that. I'm afraid I couldn't help myself."

Maggie pulled away from his touch and walked back over to the fireplace. Rob turned off the stereo and turned on the overhead light in the kitchen, making the magic of the evening disappear. He walked over to where Maggie stood.

"I think I should go back to Cassie's tomorrow," Maggie said sadly. "It's time I go home and try to straighten out my life before I make an even bigger mess of it."

"Please don't go because of what just happened. I promise, it won't happen again. I'd really love for you to stay awhile longer," Rob told her.

Maggie gave Rob a small smile. "If I stay, it will happen again. I'm not going to lie. I'm attracted to you, and if I stay, it will just complicate my life further. I have to try to fix my marriage. I know things between Andrew and I have been bad for the past few years, but we used to be good together. I have to believe that we can be good together again."

Rob looked at Maggie with soulful eyes. "Your husband is an idiot," he said, then smiled wanly. "But he's a very lucky man."

Maggie walked over and pulled Rob into a hug. She was grateful to him for the time they'd spent together, and she hoped they could still be good friends.

***

Maggie left early the next morning, driving Rob's expensive, black BMW convertible back to Seattle. She'd asked about taking a flight but Rob insisted she take the car instead. He said he'd fly up the next time he visited and pick up his car then.

Driving along Highway 5, Maggie thought about Rob and the time she'd spent with him. She had developed strong feelings for him, and that had surprised her. In all the years she'd been married, she'd never once looked at another man. But after all that had happened between Andrew and her these past few years, it had been easy to respond to Rob's attention. She wondered if that was what had happened to Andrew, when he'd had his affair. She was relieved she hadn't done anything to make her situation even more complicated. She was finally ready to face their problems head-on and make a few changes in her life. Hopefully, Andrew would be ready, too.

It was a twelve-hour drive from Rob's home to Cassie's, taking the main highway. Maggie decided she just wanted to get back, so she drove all day, and by the time she reached Cassie's house, it was after seven o'clock in the evening. The sun was just making its way to settle on the horizon as she entered her cousin's home from the front door, carrying a small bag Rob had also loaned her for the few clothes she had brought along.

Cassie was in the kitchen when she saw Maggie enter the house and hurriedly came over to her side. "You're already home," she exclaimed. "I thought for sure you'd stay there a few more days. Why didn't you call me to pick you up at the airport?"

Maggie hugged her cousin, happy to be back after the long drive. "I drove one of Rob's cars instead. He insisted. He said he'd pick it up on his next visit."

Cassie looked nervous and kept looking toward the kitchen. Maggie was tired and hungry and just wanted to go up to her room and sleep. She knew she had a long drive ahead of her over the next few days to go home. But she couldn't help but notice that Cassie was acting strange.

"What's going on? You're acting weird," Maggie said.

Cassie sighed. "It's Andrew," she said in a hushed voice. "He's here."

Maggie's mouth dropped. "Here? How long has he been here? Why didn't you call to tell me?"

"He showed up yesterday afternoon. I didn't call you because he asked me not to. He just wanted to wait for you." Cassie pulled Maggie toward the kitchen and pointed to the deck outside where the lights were now on as the sky darkened. "He's been moping around here the entire time. I kind of felt sorry for him."

Maggie stared at Cassie. "You felt sorry for him? Hmmm. Will wonders ever cease?"

"Oh, stop it. You'd better go out and talk to him before he jumps off the deck."

Maggie ran her hand through her hair to smooth it down and fidgeted with her T-shirt. She hoped she didn't look as terrible as she felt after a long day in the car. Taking a deep breath, she opened the patio door and stepped into the chilly night.

"Andrew?"

Andrew looked up, surprise lit on his face. "Maggie, you're back."

Maggie walked closer to her husband. They didn't embrace. They only stared at each other.

"Maggie. You look…wonderful," Andrew said, his eyes surveying every bit of her as if memorizing her. "Your hair looks really nice. You look beautiful."

Andrew's compliment unbalanced Maggie. She wasn't used to him noticing how she looked and didn't know how to respond. All she could manage to say was, "Why are you here?"

"Am I too late?" Andrew asked, his expression turning sad.

Maggie frowned. "Too late for what?"

"To win you back."

Maggie stood there in the cool October night as the ocean breeze caressed her skin and the damp air chilled her. But it wasn't the breeze or the damp air that caused the goose bumps to tingle down her spine. It was Andrew's words. The words she'd been waiting a long time to hear. She just didn't know if it was too little, too late.

Andrew drew closer to her, daring to take her hands in his. Standing there, holding both of her hands, he said softly, "You were right, Maggie. I didn't try hard enough to win you back. I just wanted to brush what I'd done under the rug and forget about it. But I was wrong, and I'm so sorry. I'll do anything I can, anything you ask of me, to win you back." He let go of one of her hands and pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket.

"What's that?" Maggie asked.

Andrew slowly unfolded the paper. It was a copy of the photo of the two of them that had been hanging on the wall of their bedroom. Before he left home, he'd asked Kaia to carefully copy the photo so he could take it with him. Now, he handed the sheet of paper to Maggie.

"It's us," he said, as Maggie stared at it in amazement. "It's the couple we used to be, the happy couple I want us to be again."

Tears filled Maggie's eyes. She hadn't even known that he'd ever noticed this old photo on the wall, but here, he'd actually made a copy of it to bring to her. To remind her of how good it had been between them then. To remind her that he remembered how good they had been once.

"I…I don't know what to say," she stammered. "I want to be like we were then, but can we? Is it possible to go back, after everything that's happened? You've changed, and so have I. I don't know if we can ever be like that again."

Andrew tilted her chin to look into his eyes. She knew his eyes well, but she hadn't looked at him like this, so closely, so intimately, in a very long time.

"I mean it when I say I'll do whatever it takes for us to be happy again," Andrew said. "I know we both lost who we were, somewhere along the line, but I also know we can get it back. We can do whatever you want, Maggie. We can move somewhere else. Anywhere. You can open an artists' shop like you've always talked about and work at your photography. And I'm going to quit all those committees that take up my free time so I can spend more time with you and the kids. The whole idea that I would run for mayor was ridiculous anyway. And it isn't as important as my relationship with you and the kids. Anything, Maggie, just say what you want me to do, and I'll do it."

Maggie stood there, trying to absorb Andrew's words. "Andrew, I never said I wanted to move. I like living in our small town. It's where we've placed our roots and raised the kids. And I'd never ask you to give up your committee work. You love doing all that. And running for mayor? That's your dream. I wouldn't ask you to not run if that's what you really want. All I've ever wanted is for you to balance your time between work, volunteering, and the family. The kids, no matter how old they get, will always need time with you, and we need time together, too."

"To be honest, Maggie, I don’t think it was ever my dream to become mayor. I was just fulfilling my parents' plan for me. And as for all the committee work I do, if I'm completely honest, I only did it as a means to an end, not because I was so civic minded. Derrick pointed that out to me, and although it made me angry at the time, deep down, I know he was right."

Maggie stared at Andrew, completely confused. "Derrick? Why would he say that to you?"

Andrew chuckled. "Apparently, he and the entire town think I'm a jerk. And you know what? They're all right. I am a jerk. I let my family go by the wayside while I tried to act like a big shot. But I don't want to be a big shot, Maggie. I want to be your husband, and Kaia and Kyle's dad. That's more than enough for me."

Maggie laughed with joy as tears rolled down her cheeks. She reached out her arms and Andrew did also, pulling him close to her. It felt so good, finally being in the arms of the man she was meant to be with. The man she'd chosen to be her partner many years ago, and still, deep down, wanted to share her life with.

After a time, Maggie pulled away and looked at Andrew seriously. "It's not going to be easy," she told him. "We still have a lot to get through. A lot to talk about. Are you game for the long run?"

Andrew nodded. "I'm game," he said, smiling. "And we'll start by taking our time going home. I think a road trip sounds like fun, don't you?"

"Road trip? What about Kaia? What about your job?"

"Kaia is fine at Megan's house, and her mother said to take our time. And my job can wait. I haven't taken a vacation in years. It's about time I did," Andrew said with a grin. "Besides, I can't wait to drive that red Mustang across country. I was looking at it today. It's a great car."

Maggie laughed as the two linked arms and headed inside to the warm house. She knew it wasn't going to be easy and that all their problems weren't going to solve themselves. But she was happy that they were going to try. That was all she'd ever asked for. And maybe a few hundred miles on the highway together, with Bob as the soundtrack, might be exactly what they need to bring them back together.

Epilogue

Eight months later, Maggie stood in the quaint little shop in downtown Woodroe as people milled about. It was the Northern Artists' Gallery's grand opening, and everyone in town was stopping by to wish Maggie well in her new venture. Even though the shop had been open for a month already, today was the day for everyone to celebrate.

Not long after returning home last fall, Maggie had used some of the money she'd inherited from her father and rented an empty, corner building right off Main Street. It was an old building like all the other downtown buildings, built in 1895, and had a main floor and a basement that Maggie currently used for storage. The feature that had drawn Maggie to this particular building was the large display window in front, perfect for showing off artwork. She'd fixed up the shop with shelving and glass cases to display all forms of art. Not only did she carry local artists' paintings, photography, and sculptures, but she also had other unique pieces such as handmade pottery, jewelry, etchings, and books by local authors. Every piece was sold on consignment so Maggie didn't have to invest much into inventory, and so far, the sales had been amazing. Maggie knew that summer, when the tourists came to town, would be her best months for sales, so that was why she'd hurried to open the shop by May.

Maggie's photography from her weeks on the road was displayed proudly beside the other artists' work. Prints of all sizes from her favorite photos had been made and framed for display, and could also be purchased unframed. The walls of the shop were covered in her memories of the weeks she'd run away from home, and they were happy memories. That trip had helped her to find her place in the world again, to find herself, and had brought her closer to her children and Andrew than she'd ever thought possible.

Cassie made her way through the crowd to Maggie, carrying a large, framed print of the curving mountain road that led up to Mount Rushmore. "I sold another print," she said, beaming.

Maggie smiled at her cousin. Cassie, Matt, and the kids had come out to celebrate the grand opening, and Cassie immediately took it upon herself to help out in the store. She was a natural salesperson and had already sold several prints today as well as a few pieces of jewelry. Kaia, who'd turned fifteen over the winter, was also helping Maggie in the shop. She planned on working all summer with Maggie and also on weekends during the school year. She couldn't wait to turn sixteen and have a car of her own, preferably a small sports car like Maggie's Mustang, so she was saving all her money.

"Take it to Kaia to ring up," Maggie said to Cassie, then walked over to where Cindi and a few of the other group home residents stood with her former boss, Jan, admiring a photo of the vineyards around Rob's home.

"Your photos are beautiful," Jan told her, giving her a hug. "Congratulations."

Maggie hugged all her friends in turn, thanking them for coming. She and Cindi hugged the longest. Maggie knew that Cindi still missed her, but Maggie invited her to come visit her at the shop anytime.

Across the room, Maggie caught Kyle's eye, as he and Ashley talked to friends in front of the local photos she'd taken over the winter and spring. Kyle smiled and nodded, then turned his attention back to his friends. He'd finished his fall college classes but hadn't gone to school this past spring. Instead, he'd worked full-time at the motorcycle shop. He planned to go to the tech college in the fall for a mechanical degree in both large and small engines. He wasn't sure if he'd expand on that later by going back to the college for an engineering degree, because he enjoyed designing and making parts for engines. Maggie was just happy that he was finally doing what he loved, and they'd just wait and see where it led him.

Derrick Weiss and his wife stopped by to say hello, as did a few of the kids' past teachers who Maggie had been a room mother for. Russ from the pub, and Charles Larson from the bank also stopped by. Everyone in town was dropping by, and it warmed Maggie's heart that they were all so supportive of her new business.