Finding Christmas (6 page)

This had the potential to turn bad very fast, so he wanted to talk to her to see what had been going through that head of hers. The kiss was great, but talk about out of the blue. “Maggie, listen…”

“What the hell are you two doing?” Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that Sabrina Killen and her friend, Cassandra McKinnon, had come looking for Maggie. Sabrina was not happy. “Were you two kissing?”

Maggie looked up at him and mouthed ‘sorry’, but he didn’t really care what Sabrina, or anyone else for that matter, thought about them. He discovered he liked kissing Maggie Benson, and if there was any way to make it happen again, he was all for it.

“Well?” Bree asked again. When neither he nor Maggie answered, Sabrina walked forward, shoved a jacket and a purse at Maggie, and started to guide Cass to a waiting car. “My dad’s here. Are you coming back to the house, or are you leaving with Will?”

“I’ll be right there,” Maggie said, her voice laced with annoyance.

“Dr. Ed’s here?”

“We all wanted to drink, so he drove us tonight.”

Will smiled, pushing a strand of hair caught by the breeze off her face. “I can drive you home if you want.”

“No, I’m staying over there tonight.”

“A sleepover?” Will dropped his head and chuckled. “Will you talk about boys and paint your fingernails?”

Smacking his arm lightly, Maggie joined in the laughter. “You’re fresh. And the answer is maybe, but only if there’s enough wine.”

Making sure Bree and Cass were safely in Dr. Gervais’ car, Maggie smiled at him and his heart jumped. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. It was very sweet of you.”

“Don’t thank me, I feel like I should be apologizing.” Kissing her like that wasn’t right, but at the same time, if he could have taken her to bed, he wouldn’t have hesitated. So much for his moral compass. Will had bought himself a one-way ticket to hell. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like that. It was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Her eyes dropped from his.

“You were upset… I took advantage of you.”

“
You took
? I guess I’m not remembering correctly, then.” Maggie stepped away and glanced toward the car. “I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“No. That’s not what I meant.”
Shit.

“It’s fine,” she touched his hand and smiled as best she could. “Goodnight, Will.”

As she walked toward the car, he didn’t stop her.
Why didn’t he stop her?

Maggie climbed into the back of the Lexus SUV, and if he could have managed it, Will would have kicked himself. It wasn’t like Maggie hadn’t been through enough, and now Will had embarrassed her. It was never his intention, but that’s exactly what had happened.

And he’d hurt her as a result.

Yeah, he was just a fucking prince.

‡

T
here were few
things more uncomfortable than not talking to your best friend about something you really should talk about. Unless, of course, it was kissing a gorgeous, sweet man and listening him apologize for it.

Currently, she was on a treatment table at Sabrina’s physical therapy practice, stretching her hamstrings with the help of an athletic trainer who was showing her no mercy.

“Aw, jeez, that hurts.”

“I need to do this, Maggie. Your muscles have gotten short. Don’t be a baby.”

He did not say that. Did the man actually call her a baby? “Scott, have you looked at my chart? I’ve been going through this shit for two years. I am many things, but I am not a baby. And how did my muscles get short? I stretch all the time.”

“You obviously suck at stretching, and you are being a baby, so suck it up, Buttercup.”

“Slave driver.”

Smiling, he stretched her leg across her body to one side, pressing it down, and she felt the pull in her hip. Then he brought it perpendicular to the table and started pressing back, causing her to wince. It really did hurt, but truthfully, it hurt no matter what. She’d been living with a certain degree of pain since the crash, and she shouldn’t have to. Sabrina and her team were one of the best around, so coming home had the added benefit of finishing her recovery.

Once Scott finished with her stretches, she got on the bike and set it for fifteen minutes. Five minutes in, Sabrina came over and checked her progress.

“Are you going to talk to me about what happened the other night?” Bree had laced into her about the public display when she slid into the backseat of Dr. Ed’s car, but Maggie tuned her out. Will felt good. Being held, kissing him, and being kissed so thoroughly, and with such care, made her happier than she’d been in a long, long time.

“Are you going to continue to be a judgmental mother hen? Because I need a friend, not someone who is going to scold me.”

Sabrina looked away. “I’m sorry, but you just got home, you’ve been through a trauma, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Bree, it’s too late to avoid being hurt. And I’m going to be traumatized for the rest of my life. It’s time for me to get on with it.”

“I guess, but… Will? I mean he’s nice, and very well liked in town, but he’s a lot older than you.”

“Is he? I didn’t ask. Remind me. How many years are there between you and Jake?”

That stopped Miss Know-It-All in her tracks. There were a good seven years between Bree and her husband. And Maggie wasn’t going to be pregnant at nineteen. “Nothing to say about that?”

Bree grimaced, and Maggie continued pedaling. “Look, I like him—granted, I don’t know him that well, but…” She paused thinking about what exactly she wanted to say. “I feel like I do. I feel like I’ve known him forever. Is that weird?”

“Maybe. It’s hard to say. How was the kiss?”

“The kiss was… a surprise. It was just so good to be held again.” She drew a shuddering breath. “He felt right. Everything felt right for a change.”

Dabbing her eyes, Bree sniffled. Mother Hen was having a bit of a moment. “I want you to be happy.”

“I want that, too. It’s been a long time. That’s why I came home for the holidays. I figured it was my best shot.”

Maggie stilled, giving Bree the chance to hug her hard. That felt good, too. “So what’s the problem with Will?”

“He apologized for the kiss, for taking advantage of me when I was upset. I think he regrets it.”

“Damn. I hate when they go all honorable. You haven’t heard from him?”

“No, he doesn’t have my cell number, and I doubt he’d call the house.”

“Aw. That sucks.” Bree looked away, probably overthinking. Maggie was doing the same.

“I have his number, though. And I did promise to help him with some Paralympic runners he’s coaching.”

Sabrina smirked. “You do? You definitely want to follow up on the kids.”

“Right. He said I could really help.” Maggie couldn’t help but grin. “I guess I could send him a text. You know, to say ‘hello’.”

Whispering conspiratorially, Bree leaned in. “A dirty text?”

“No! Oh, for Pete’s sake. I barely know him, and you want me to send a dirty text? I wouldn’t even know what to write.”

There was very little that made Sabrina blush, but suddenly her cheeks flamed red. “Jake and I do it sometimes when he’s on the road. It’s fun.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus.” Maggie pulled her phone from her pocket and opened a text. “Okay. What do I write? And keep it clean.”

“Flirt,” Bree said. “You should flirt.”

“No shit? Really? I never would have thought of that.” Maggie knew how to flirt. Well, she used to know how to flirt. “I need to be subtle.”

“Subtle. Right. Dear Will. I need to get laid. Are you in?” Bree’s eyes went wide and she burst out laughing, covering her mouth as her voice carried through the office.

“I cannot believe you just said that.
Are you in?
That’s awful.”

Turning the phone away from Bree because she didn’t need that kind of help with the text, she started typing.

Hi Will, it’s Maggie.
Please answer. Please answer.

Hey. :)

I wanted to tell you that I know you regret that we kissed, but you shouldn’t. I don’t.

Okay.

I hope you don’t feel awkward about Thanksgiving, because the whole family is looking forward to you being there.

There was a pause as she watched him start to type, then stop. Then start again.

Even you?

Oh. Her heart started beating a little faster. Did she write the first thing that popped in her head? What the hell.
Especially me.

You just made my day.

:)

And Maggie?

Yeah?

I don’t regret kissing you either. I’ve been thinking about it for two days.

You have? Me too. Over and over.

It was nice between us. And I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Oy, could he tell?
You didn’t.

Liar.

Okay. Maybe a little, but it doesn’t matter now. I’ll see you Thursday.

Thursday. Can I text you before that?

Sure. I’d love it.

Call?

Absolutely. You have to tell me more about your runners.

Right. Yes, I do. I’ll call soon, then. Have a good day.

The man drove her crazy. How did he do that? Sure, he was movie star gorgeous, but he was so nice. And God, could he kiss. She might never be able to kiss anyone else because she’d been completely ruined by him. He was older, considerably, than she was, but maybe that was part of what made him so attractive. He was quietly confident, not cocky. Settled, but still looking to grow.

Oh yes, Will Fitzgerald. I absolutely want to hear from you again.

*     *     *

Will dribbled back
to the three point circle, and with the nice soft wrist he’d been known for in his playing days, sank the basket without even hitting the rim.

Cooper Sammis grabbed the ball as it came through the net, did exactly what Will had done, and missed the shot, the basketball bouncing right off the rim.

“Shit.” Coop grabbed the basketball as it bounced toward him. “I don’t think I’ve made a three pointer in my life. Maybe once before I die.”

Will chuckled and headed toward the bench. Practice had ended an hour before and Cooper, who had become a good friend over the past few years, stopped in every now and then for a little one on one. The distraction was welcome because his mind had been on Maggie and her sweet defense of their kiss all day.

All damn day.

“Where’s Ethan?”

“He had something to do. I think he said something about buying five thousand lights for the boat parade.”

“Five thousand? His boat’s going to look like a whorehouse crossed with a carnival ride.” Cooper snorted.

The boat parade was this weekend, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and while he hadn’t said anything, Maggie was supposed to be riding with him on his boat, as the parade VIP.

It was a holiday tradition in Holly Point, which was the stereotypical waterside town. It seemed almost everyone had a boat. So when it was time for Santa to arrive, he came by boat. In the meantime, residents decorated their boats with lights, trees, and Christmas characters. It was a good time, with everyone taking a lap around the harbor.

Which she wouldn’t want to do at all, so he’d have to make it fun somehow.

Wiping his face with a towel, Will grabbed his phone from the bag. He really wanted to take Maggie out, but he felt like it was too soon. The big question was why? Dating was the way people generally got to know one another, why did it feel like she was different? Thanksgiving at her house would be one opportunity to dig a little deeper, but then what?

The boat parade. Maybe a drink after.

She did say she’d help with his Paralympic kids.

This was nuts.

Nerves or not, it was going to be a date. He was going to have to ask her out, and hope she would say yes.

“What’s on your mind, my friend?” Cooper parked himself on the bench next to Will’s gym bag and took a long swallow from a bottle of water. “A pretty blonde, perhaps?”