Divine Temptation (17 page)

The revelation was an excellent excuse for Maggie’s shocked expression. She flicked her gaze back to her friend. “Stop it! Really?”

“I kid you not. Looks like suburbia’s no longer satisfied with burning the kids out on their sport by age fourteen; now we’re going for, what—five?”

Maggie dared a glance back at Evan. He lifted his hand and fluttered his fingertips at her while a teasing grin twitched upon his lips. She responded with a subtle nod while her insides did cartwheels.

“Well, I guess Liam’s all washed up then.” She forced herself back to the conversation. “Poor kid’s already nine and never strapped on a cup. You think they make jock straps for babies?”

“Sure, build ’em right into the diaper.”

Maggie’s laughter flowed easily, the joy coming from more than the thought of reinforced nappies.

When the waitress cleared their plates, Sharon said, “We’ve got a couple hours before we have to pick up the girls from camp, want to do some shopping?”

“Oh, um…” Maggie shifted her gaze toward Evan, who tapped his wrist and then made an upward motion with his fingers, as if to indicate flying away. She took it to mean he had to leave soon. “I’m sorry; I’ve got to run.” She made a show of looking at her watch. “Yipes! Right now actually. I’ve got a…church thing to take care of. Here.” She pulled out a twenty dollar bill and held it out toward her friend. “Mind taking care of the bill?”

Sharon waved the money off. “I’ve got it. You’ll owe me next time, all right?”

“Sounds good,” Maggie said as she stood and leaned down to give her friend a peck on the cheek. “You’re the best! This was fun.”

She dashed out of the restaurant and across the street. Evan had moved down the sidewalk and briefly locked eyes with her before turning a corner. By the time she got to where he’d veered from the main road, he was several yards away and took another detour behind a row of tall hedges. The cat and mouse chase intensified her desire to reach him. Running down the sidewalk, she flew around the side of the hedge to practically slam into him.

“Evan!” she gasped and without thinking about what she was doing, wrapped her arms around his neck. She inhaled, and took in everything about him, including the aroma she unexpectedly recognized as uniquely his—like freshly laundered cotton enhanced by undertones of something more exotic. Coconut and spices, perhaps. She also noted that his golden hair was trimmed to the length it had been when they’d first met.

“I can only stay a moment. But you called, and I had to see you.” His hands gripped her waist, the force of his touch surprising her.

“Is something wrong?”

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean to imply there was.” Relaxing his hold, he slid his hands to the small of her back. “I was glad to be summoned, but I have to go now. I’ll be back soon…if that’s what you want.” His silvery eyes glinted as they intently bored into hers. “You’ll have to stay open to me for that to happen.”

They spoke in whispers, hidden from outsiders behind the large shrub, and Maggie tightened her grasp around his neck, as if that could somehow keep him there longer. “I didn’t know I was closed to you. I kept you away?”

“I’ll explain when I come back; I have to go.”

His words rushed out, and before Maggie could complain, he pressed his lips firmly against hers. She sank into him, but rather than a soft and watery sensation, the pressure and tension in his kiss felt more like smashing through an iceberg. Maggie hadn’t realized she’d closed her eyes until she opened them a few moments later and stared at the empty space where Evan had stood. Touching her fingertips to the tingling pink flesh of her mouth, she murmured, “What the hell was
that?”

Her thoughts whirred on her drive home. He’d said she wasn’t “open” to him, but she didn’t understand how she’d kept him away. Was it because she’d recognized that she was probably better off having that temptation removed from her life? Perhaps she’d inadvertently put up a barrier against him. Then at lunch, she and Sharon had been talking about him, and she’d suddenly wished for him.

So he’d come back, and the first thing she did was press herself against him, gaze longingly into his eyes, and kiss him. She berated herself for being so weak. Though, in fairness to herself, she hadn’t exactly been prepared for him to make such a move. Was it possible that he really did return her human affections? She both wanted to know and didn’t. Because what difference did it make? The situation remained impossible. While attempting to sort it all out, she missed the turn to take her back home. Glancing at the clock, she saw that she had just over an hour before she’d have to pick up the kids. Kirsten’s camp was on the way to Somme Park anyhow…

Ten minutes later, Maggie pulled into the garden’s parking lot. The meandering trails and varied foliage were just what she needed to help unwind her jumbled thoughts. She yearned for clarity. Somme was a big place, she reasoned, big enough for her to avoid the
tholos
with no problem as she’d done when her sister had visited. She didn’t have enough time to get into any real trouble there, just a quick walk around the gardens and she’d be gone.

As she strolled the rose garden, it struck her that she’d never confirmed that the scene of the vines was, in fact, where she’d assumed it was. Every description led her to believe it was at the Greek replica, but she didn’t know for sure.

She only had fifteen minutes before she’d have to head to her car to be on time for kid pickup, so she skirted the round pond in record time. What she saw confirmed that the
tholos
was indeed the place. A small group of people were gathered there, and thick vines grew up the pillars, though she was too far away to make out any detail. With her purpose accomplished, she continued along the gravel path as it circled to the fruit tree grove. When she reached the opening in the hedge, she stalled for a brief moment, and then stepped through it.

Automatically, she went to the leafy tunnel through which she’d chased Evan. As she walked through it, her mind focused on the stand of trees just beyond the other end. If that was Mary in the urn, Maggie hoped to get the answers and clarity she needed. She yearned to sense something as beautiful and clear as the vision she’d seen from the
tholos
that day. The urn was a font of strength. She felt it calling to her through the trees. It was telling her to come forward to receive a reprieve from her mistakes and fortification against future error.

Or would going there, to this unverified energy, be the biggest mistake of all? She stopped before reaching the end of the tunnel, reversed her direction, and left the park.

He’d watched her enter the tunnel. As expected, telling her to keep her distance was the best way to ensure she’d be tempted. But she was stronger than he’d thought, so he’d have to find another way. This one was promising.

Chapter 12

T
HE
V
INES
C
ONTINUED
T
O
G
ROW
and did so in normal, random patterns, leaving the Latin hidden underneath, and public interest waned. For several days Brenda and Maggie fielded angry phone calls and e-mails accusing the monsignor of driving the Blessed Mother away by speaking out against Somme, but by early August, that too had died down, and Maggie was glad because now she could enjoy her week-long visit in Colorado without feeling bad about leaving Brenda alone to deal with the deluge of ire.

“Dad looks good,” Maggie said to her mom as they cut vegetables for the salad while Maggie’s father tended the grill on the back deck. Through the sliding glass door, she could see him and Kirsten sitting on cushioned patio chairs looking down to the yard below where Liam was no doubt romping with Dusky, his grandparents’ yellow Lab.

“Yes, he seems to be back to normal. Finally. Knowing you and the kids were coming was a good incentive for him to rest and keep up with his therapy. Those first few weeks were tough, though.” Karen groaned.

“When you schedule the other knee, let’s coordinate—Carl will take the kids so I can be here to help this time.”

“Nonsense. Your kids need you. Us old coots will do just fine. Besides, next time should be easier since he’ll have at least one good knee to rely on.”

The glass door slid open and Kirsten poked her head in. “Grandpa wants to know if we’re eating outside.”

“Sure, it’s a nice night,” Karen said. “Come on inside to wash up, and I’ll get you some plates so you can set the table.”

Life slowed down at the Dawson residence in Golden, Colorado. Maggie’s parents had bought the place about ten years earlier, their retirement dream home. It wasn’t big but had mountain views from its open kitchen and living area and plenty of sleeping space for guests on the finished lower level. The whole area invited visitors to kick back and take a break from the rest of their lives, and Maggie was happy to oblige.

The midweek tradition on these summer visits was for Fred and Karen to take their grandchildren to Heritage Square, an amusement park filled with bumper boats, go-karts, and a huge alpine slide, while Maggie stayed back and enjoyed the alone time, reading on the deck, hiking, whatever she wanted. After she’d kissed them all goodbye, she showered, threw on a tank top and cargo shorts, and went for an adventure of her own.

Taking her parent’s second car, she drove along the highway and parked in a small lot at the side of the road when she saw signs for the beginning of a trail. The day was sunny and warm, but not unpleasantly so, especially in the generous shade provided by the tall evergreens along the gravelly trail. As she walked further into the wild and away from the highway, gaps through the trees opened to reveal views of dusty brown hills nearby and sharp gray mountains in the distance. The thrill she felt at the sight of the mountains never dimmed; each glimpse was just as impressive as the last.

Armed with a small backpack filled with water, fruit, and a book, her plan was to find a cozy, secluded spot and read. She came upon a shallow river and walked next to it for a bit before finding the perfect place—a flat area with an inviting rock that was just the right height and width to sit on comfortably. But after settling in, the book didn’t hold her attention. Instead, her eyes wandered to the water, rushing over low rocks and flowing around larger ones. She caught silvery flashes of fish as they glided by, and watched dragonflies dip to poke at the water’s surface.

Glancing back up at the mountains, she thought she might understand her fascination with the majestic peaks. They reminded her of just what a small thing she was in the universe. Nothing but a speck. Insignificant. Unnecessary. But this thought didn’t depress her. On the contrary, it gave her a sense of freedom, much like the realization a few years earlier when she’d recused herself from running the PTA and saw that it hadn’t fallen apart without her. Whatever she did in this world was her choice, and whatever she chose, the people she cared about would be taken care of. Carl was obviously thriving in his life without her. Her aging parents were getting along fine living halfway across the country. And her children…yes, even they were growing in independence and had lives away from the tiny grain that was their mother.

Yet in this big world, even the smallest sliver of a human had a purpose; Maggie knew this, and her thoughts turned to Evan. Surely he must’ve been sent to her for a reason. He hadn’t returned since the day she’d had lunch with Sharon—because the only thing she’d been able to determine with conviction was that keeping him away had made things easier. So she continued to block him, and this time it was intentional. But sitting on that rock, feeling small yet significant, she understood that by denying Evan, she was telling God no.