Finding Christmas (10 page)

“Um, I was nine.” He stretched his back again. “What happened to you?”

“A missile hit my plane. There was a fire.”

“That sucks.” Calm, collected, Maggie really liked this kid. “Did you love flying?” he asked.

“Yeah, I did.”

He paused, thoughtful. “I loved my mom.”

Never, in all her days, had Maggie felt so small. Sure she missed her life, but all the people she loved were still with her. Danny started doing a few practice sprints while Maggie recovered from the proverbial slap in the face, and wiped the tear that tracked over her cheek.

“You look like you’ve had an epiphany.” Will stood next to her, watching Danny run up and down the turf.

“That thirteen-year-old boy has more heart, and more strength, than I could ever hope to have. Talk about a reality check.”

“Kids have a way of doing that to you. When I first started teaching, I was still getting over the loss of my basketball career.” He kept his eyes on Danny, who was now running on the track, his long stride eating up the distance. “But then I’d meet a kid who was going through more and who did it better. It was a wakeup call. The loss of your leg is not minor by any stretch, but you still have so much, and you can rebuild your life.”

“Are you a psychologist as well as a teacher and a coach? Anything else I should know about?”

“No,” he smiled. “I just get people.”

“I don’t know how you do what you do. The teaching. It’s more than I could imagine taking on, and you don’t break a sweat. About anything.”

“That’s not true. I sweat the teaching all the time. You never know what a day is going to bring, and the kids deserve my best. But I love it. The work made me see I was more than a basketball.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I was a pilot. I figured if I ever left the navy, I’d be a pilot.”

“You’re more than your wings, Maggie.” He gave her a little push. “Now go hit the track.”

*     *     *

Maggie was curled
up on the couch in his den, dead asleep. After an hour of running, and a carb-heavy breakfast, she’d passed out when he’d gone to change into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. Now he was out stringing lights on his boat and thinking about the woman in his house.

When she’d arrived at the track, he knew she’d been apprehensive, but he admired the way she dug in with the kids, especially Danny, who had a knack for putting things in perspective for people. As much as he liked Maggie—and he did like her—he expected her chat with Danny had been enlightening.

Now he was staring at the boat and wondering if he needed to do anything special other than string lights since he was not only going to carrying the town’s VIP, but Santa as well. ‘Santa’ was the high school principal, Leo Gaines. Leo had been teaching in town since the 70s and he knew everyone. He looked like Santa with his white hair, generous waistline, and newly grown beard.

Lifting his head when he heard footsteps, Ethan and Cooper were coming toward the dock. Good, they could help with the damn lights. It had gotten really cold, really fast, and he cringed at the thought of the night on the water. He didn’t think the temperature was supposed to drop like this, making him wonder if he should stash a bottle of brandy on the boat to keep everyone warm.

“How’s the SS North Pole coming along?” Coop climbed over the gunwale into the bow of the boat and walked toward Will, while Ethan stood on the dock.

“There’s a woman in your house,” Ethan said. “She’s sleeping.”

Will nodded. “She is. Busy morning.”

Cooper and Ethan looked at each other with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. Ethan hopped into the boat and the two of them closed in on Will.

“You want to explain what you mean by ‘busy morning’?” Ethan asked. “Because if it’s what I think it means…”

“It doesn’t.” Will could only wish it was more. “She came out early to work with the Paralympic kids and then ate the jumbo stack of pancakes at Lindsey’s.”

“So she’s in a carb coma.” Cooper laughed. “Only Maggie. Damn.”

Will folded his arms as he leaned his hip into the pilot’s seat. “I have never seen a woman eat so much in my life. Six pancakes, bacon, juice, coffee… it was incredible.”

“Where does she put it?” Ethan wondered. “I saw her on the couch and she doesn’t look like a woman who can eat her own weight.”

Will shrugged. “She works out. I saw her in shorts and a work out top. The woman is in good shape.”

‘Good shape’ was an understatement. Maggie was in
incredible
shape. She wasn’t thin, she was fit—strong, shapely. Every muscle was defined without being bulky. Her body was gorgeous. It was her strength of will, however, her mind, that had Will tied in knots.

But the amount of food she’d consumed was still impressive.

“I like her,” Will admitted to his friends. “It’s kind of like you said, no bullshit with her. She’s just, I don’t know, real.”

“What are you going to do?” Cooper wasn’t going to let go of the comment without an answer. “Because I think we’ve already talked about this.”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot to think about.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Stop being such a candy ass. Make your move, and if she’s not interested, you’ll know.”

“Did you just call me a candy ass?”

“Yes,” Ethan said. “She’s a grown woman. Treat her like one.”

Shit.

Will had made himself believe this whole thing with Maggie was complicated because of her injury, but Ethan had made a good point. She knew her own mind; if she didn’t want to go out with him, she’d tell him to back off.

It was that simple, and Will was a little pissed at himself for not taking her feelings into account. It was a dick move, to be honest, and he’d like to think he could do better.

“So I just ask her out and see what happens.”

“That’s it,” Coop agreed. “She’s smart, and she’s not going to say yes unless she’s into you.”

Thinking about the number of kisses they’d shared, there had to be something between them. Their chemistry was off the goddamn charts, which made him wonder why he hadn’t made a move. It didn’t have to be anything crazy. Maybe dinner or a movie. Something.

He was definitely a wuss.

Movement at the corner of his eye made him look toward the house. Past the white fence, the remnants of summer shrubs, and the now dull-green lawn of his yard, Maggie stood on the back deck.

Her hair was still in its long thick braid, but there were wispy gold strands blowing around her face. She was wearing her worn NAS Pensacola sweatshirt and pants, and what looked like one of his winter jackets. It was a good thing, because it was damn cold on the water.

But what struck him was the way the sun, filtered by high snow clouds, played off her hair and skin. She took his breath away.

Ethan leaned in. “This girl has got you by the balls, man. I can see why, but if you don’t make a move soon, I’m going to. Mother of God, she’s hot.”

“Fuck off,” Will growled, watching every step Maggie made across the lawn toward the boat.

“You shouldn’t have let me sleep like that,” Maggie chided. “Hi Cooper. Hi Ethan,” she said before turning back to him. “How long was I out?”

Extending his hand to help her onboard, Will answered, knowing she was going to be pissed. “About an hour.”

“Seriously? Why did you let me do that?”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Pffft. It was the damn pancakes. They were too good. I swear Lindsey whips some magic pancake flour in there or something. I couldn’t stop.”

“That’s the truth. You ate enough for three people.” He regretted it the minute he said it. Maggie’s face froze in place. “Damn it.”

He heard Cooper and Ethan mumbling words like
idiot
and
asshole
from behind him, which didn’t help.

This was it. Not only was she going to walk away from him, but the town would lose their Christmas Boat Parade VIP—a two-for-one nightmare.

“Maggie, I’m sorry…”

She looked away. No response.

“I’m really, really—”

“Oh, would you shut up?” She cut him off. “I like breakfast, and I ran for the first time in two years.
And
I kept up with a kid who apparently has wings on his blades. I feel no shame.”

“No?”

“None. The only thing that’s bugging me now is that I fell asleep while you three were out here in the cold getting the boat ready.”

Cooper had his head bent and was chuckling. “God, Maggie, I love you. If only because you made Fitz sweat.”

“I’m glad I could provide some entertainment.” Grabbing a handful of lights, Will watched as Maggie, Cooper, and Ethan figured out where to secure the strands of lights to the windshield.

“If I’m going to be riding on this fine vessel, I want it to sparkle like a Vegas casino. No use in doing things halfway.” Maggie’s mouth curved up at the corner, and Will thought he might have to feed her pancakes every day.

*     *     *

The Christmas Boat
Parade was one event that brought people from all over the south shore. Boaters from Holly Point and the surrounding towns decorated their vessels and from different points on the shore, Christmas music blasted from speakers. Some people, the most intrepid, brought chairs and blankets to the beach, while others were on artificially heated decks at local restaurants, or at the yacht club, being served hors d’ oeuvres and cocktails. Either way, people had fun, and Maggie, considering she didn’t want to be identified as a VIP, was excited to be part of it.

When Maggie headed home to change clothes after decorating the boat, he received his marching orders from Cooper and Ethan. He was not allowed to fuck this up.

For some reason, his friends didn’t trust him to handle things with her. And if he thought about it, he wasn’t sure himself. “She’s under your skin,” Coop told him. “If you let her get away, you won’t forgive yourself.”

Logistics for the parade were a little tricky, because it brought in a lot of visitors, but one of the nice parts of living in a waterfront village was that he didn’t have to rely on roads. Will drove the boat to the dock down the road from Maggie’s house to pick her up. Uncomfortable or not, she was primed to have a good time, and just like she wanted, the boat sparkled like a disco ball.

Dressed warmly, with a fuzzy Santa had on her head for good measure, she waved and called out to people on the shore. She teased Leo, just like she had in high school, and sat next to Will as he navigated around the harbor. At one point she kissed his cheek.

No words passed between them. No words were necessary.

After it was over, Will came to grips with the fact that he’d most definitely regret it if he lost her. Probably for the rest of his life.

*     *     *

Will had been
charming, and Maggie had an amazing day.

Having a good time had been easy. He was funny, easy going, and sweet. From the morning with the aspiring Paralympians to the boat parade, Maggie not only felt like part of the town again, she was starting to feel that wonderful gift of Christmas in her heart.

It was hard to describe, but there was a warmth, a comfort, that came with the season, and Maggie was starting to see she needed her family, her friends, and her home to bring it back. Rehabs facilities and hospitals just weren’t going to cut it.