Maggie's Turn (19 page)

"Like you appreciate what you have? Like you appreciate everything Mom does for you? Or how you appreciate your kids? If that's appreciation, then I'm glad I don't supposedly understand what it is."

Andrew and Kyle stopped and stared at each other, neither saying a word. Finally, Kyle turned toward the back porch.

"I’m out of here. I won't bother you with my mooching any longer," Kyle said, his hand already on the back door's handle.

Andrew snorted. "And where the hell do you think you're going to stay? At Ashley's? Are you going to mooch off of her parent's now?"

"No, I'm going to Nick's. I'll come pack up my stuff when you're not here."

"Fine. Go. Maybe if you have to pay rent and bills, you'll finally see how hard it is to live without handouts from your parents," Andrew yelled at Kyle's retreating figure. The back door slammed shut, and Andrew heard Kyle's truck roar to a start and squeal out of the neighborhood.

Andrew turned and was startled to see Kaia standing on the bottom step.

"What have you done?" Kaia asked, her voice just above a whisper.

As Andrew looked at Kaia's startled face, he wondered the same thing. What had he done?

Chapter Eighteen

Maggie, Cassie, Matt, and Rob all sat on logs by the now burning fire pit as nighttime settled on Puget Sound. Maggie and Cassie were each wrapped in wool blankets to ward off the autumn evening chill. Cassie's two children, Jessie and Brandon, were just saying goodnight to the adults and heading up to their rooms for the night. Even though they were older—Jessie was twelve and Brandon was fourteen—both had school the next day and needed a good night's sleep.

Maggie stood and hugged each child tightly before they left. "I'm so happy to see you both. I wish Kaia and Kyle were here. They'd love to see you too."

Jessie hugged her aunt longer than her brother had, and curled up inside Maggie's blanket. "You'll still be here tomorrow after school, won't you Aunt Maggie?"

"Of course. I may be here so long, you'll get sick of me," Maggie said, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't forget, you promised me a ride in your new car," Brandon said. He tossed his head for the umpteenth time, flicking his longish brown hair out of his eyes.

Maggie laughed. "I won't forget."

Once the kids were gone, Maggie settled back onto the log and hugged her blanket tight. "I forgot how cold it gets by the water at night. Especially this time of year."

"This is nothing compared to that icebox you live in six months out of the year," Cassie said.

Rob sat on the other side of Maggie, holding his mug of warm coffee in his hands to keep them warm. He'd put on one of Matt's heavy jackets since his leather riding jacket wasn't warm enough for this damp cold. He smiled at Maggie. "What part of Minnesota do you live in?"

"The northwestern section, about one hundred and fifty miles south of the Canadian border."

"Must get cold there in the winter, being so far north," Rob said.

Maggie nodded. She hadn't had much chance to talk to Rob since they met earlier over pizza in the kitchen. He seemed like a nice man, though. At first, she was taken aback at how handsome he was. He had wavy, dark hair that was a little long but styled nicely, and a well-groomed beard and mustache. His eyes were a deep blue and twinkled when he smiled. He was tall, about as tall as Andrew, but huskier, yet definitely not fat. All he needed was a bandana and his riding leathers, and he'd look like he belonged on a Harley. He sort of reminded her of a younger Bob Seger. He was a nice man who had a quick smile and a good sense of humor.

"Thirty below zero isn't unheard of in December or January," she told Rob.

"Ah, but it isn't the cold that gets to you. It's the wind, right?" he said with a grin, and they both laughed.

"Yeah, but thirty below is thirty below, wind or no wind. It's a crazy place to live in the winter, but the summer and fall are beautiful," Maggie said.

"Give me good old Seattle any time," Cassie said. "I need to live by the ocean."

Maggie nodded. "I miss the ocean. That's for sure. When I drove up the coast road yesterday, I just couldn't get enough of it."

Matt had been sitting across the pit from them but now came over and sat close to Cassie. He refilled his coffee mug from the thermos they had brought down and offered some more to the others. Maggie had always liked Matt. He was easy-going and cute for a computer nerd. He also had longish brown hair like Rob, but Matt's was shaggier. He was clean-shaven, and his brown eyes lit up when he smiled. Cassie and Matt were the perfect pair, especially since Cassie was so intense compared to Matt's laid-back personality.

"Rob lives near the ocean. He owns a gargantuan house in the middle of a vineyard in northern California," Matt said, as he placed his arm around Cassie, who snuggled in closer to him.

Maggie turned to Rob. "You own a vineyard?"

Rob laughed. "Yes, I own the land and house, but someone else grows the grapes and makes the wine. We share in the profits."

"You think our house is amazing, but you should see his," Cassie said. "It looks like a Tuscan Villa, sitting on top of a hill, overlooking the vineyards. It's huge. You should see it. It's beautiful."

"Sounds lovely," Maggie said.

The next day, Maggie rose late in the morning after a restful night's sleep. The long drive yesterday, along with the late night and fresh air last night, had worn her out. Today, she felt good as she headed downstairs to the kitchen in search of breakfast. Rob was sitting at the island counter, drinking coffee and reading the paper when Maggie entered.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he asked, his face crinkling into a friendly smile.

"Good morning," Maggie replied. She pulled a mug out of the cupboard and poured herself a cup of coffee. "I slept great. Where are Cassie and Matt?"

"Cassie went for a run, and Matt's working in his den on a new video game."

"Oh." Maggie dug in the refrigerator and pulled out a large bowl of cut-up fruit and a hard-boiled egg. She placed them on the island counter, next to her mug. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Yep. You go ahead. I may steal some of that fruit, though," Rob said.

The two sat quietly for a few minutes while Maggie ate and sipped her coffee, and Rob continued reading the paper. After he was done reading, he offered it to Maggie, who shook her head.

"I have enough going on in my life right now. I don't need to read bad news, too," she said.

Rob nodded. "Cassie said you and your husband were going through a rough patch. She didn't elaborate, though."

Maggie nodded. She really didn't want to talk about Andrew today. "Looks like a beautiful day outside. I should be out there instead of inside, I guess."

"I was thinking about heading into Seattle and going to Pike Place Market. I haven't been there in a while," Rob said.

"Oh, that sounds like fun."

"Would you like to come? I'm going to pick up some fresh salmon for Matt to grill tonight."

Maggie considered Rob's offer. It would be fun to go, and she could bring her camera along and get some nice pictures. "Sure, that sounds like fun. We can drive my car, if you'd like."

"Sounds like a plan." Rob got up and rinsed out his coffee mug. "I'll go tell Matt we're leaving, and we can get going."

Maggie ran upstairs and grabbed her camera, car keys, and a sweater, in case it grew chilly. She was dressed casually in jeans, a white cotton shirt, and flats. She remembered how much walking a person did at the market, so she was happy to have comfortable shoes on. By the time she came back downstairs, Rob was waiting in the foyer. She handed him the keys to her car.

"Are you sure you want me to drive?" he asked, surprised.

"If you don't mind. I'm kind of tired of driving." They walked out the door and over to her car.

"I don't know," he said, as they stood by her shiny red car. "It might be a hardship driving this car, but I guess I'll manage." He winked at Maggie and opened her door for her, then ran around to the other side and slipped in behind the wheel.

Maggie smiled at the look of joy on Rob's face. "How does it feel?"

"Fits like a glove," he said and smiled. He started it up, and they were off.

With the top down, and the wind whistling between them, they didn't need to fill the quiet with conversation as they sped along the highway into Seattle. Once there, they parked in a crowded parking lot near Pike Place Market and, along with numerous other people, made their way to the shops and vendors lining the street.

The day was sunny and beautiful, so taking good pictures of the busy marketplace was easy. Maggie snapped several photos of colorful buckets of flowers in front of a florist shop, and a few of a young child and his mother buying ice cream from a sidewalk vendor. The child had to stand on tiptoe to reach his freshly scooped cone, and it made the most adorable moment in time for Maggie's camera.

"Do you work as a professional photographer at home?" Rob asked, intrigued by Maggie's obsession to capture every moment in the market on her camera.

"No. I've always loved taking photos, though. I majored in art in college, or at least for the two years I was there. Photography was my first love. After I married Andrew and moved to his hometown, my dreams of becoming a professional photographer slowly slipped away. I've always wanted to own an artists' shop, where I could sell my photos and art by other local artists, too. I'm thinking I might work on doing that when I go home."

Rob nodded. "You certainly seem to have a knack for finding the perfect shots. Maybe you'll get some good ones here at the fish market."

Maggie soon learned that was an understatement. The moment they entered Pike Place Fish Market, they both had to duck as a huge salmon flew across the aisle from one counter to another. People clapped and cheered as the other guy caught it easily. Maggie readied her camera and caught a picture of the next flying fish in midair just as it was about to enter the arms of the man catching it. While Rob went up to the counter to buy fresh salmon for dinner, Maggie walked around and took photos of the activity all around her. She snapped photos of kids staring into unseeing fish eyes, their own eyes wide, and of the men who worked the counters as they nimbly wrapped up fish for customers. It was a carnival atmosphere, and a wonderful place to take photos of an iconic piece of America.

Afterwards, Rob offered to buy Maggie an ice cream cone, and the two sat on a bench in the sun, enjoying the cold treat.

"That was amazing," Maggie said, as she captured a drip of chocolate ice cream with her tongue. "I took so many great photos. I can't wait to see them on my computer."

Rob smiled at her. "It is fun, isn't it? You know, before we sold the company, all I did was work. I never enjoyed a nice sunny day, I rarely took my bike out for a coastal ride, and I certainly didn't go to a place like this to buy fish. I ran to the local store, got what I needed, went home, and ate it. I feel very lucky that now I can take my time, enjoy more in life, and work less."

"You and Matt worked very hard to get where you are. It's not like they just handed you free money. But it must be nice, not having to worry about money, and just enjoy life," Maggie said.

"Yeah, but money isn't everything. I had always hoped to find someone to share my life with and have children, like Cassie and Matt. Their life is so full. I just wasn't lucky enough to find the right one."

Maggie looked at Rob thoughtfully. He was a good-looking man and had a kind disposition. He was obviously smart, too. She couldn't imagine why he'd never been able to find someone to settle down with.

"Do I have ice cream on my face?" Rob asked, wiping his mouth and beard with his napkin.

Maggie reddened. She didn't realize she'd been staring at him for so long. "No, no. I didn't mean to stare. Has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like the singer, Bob Seger?"

Rob broke out in laughter. "Actually, I have had a couple of people say that. Especially since I grew this beard. I take it as a compliment, though. I like his songs."

"Me, too. I was listening to Bob's music when this whole crazy journey began. And since I left, I keep running into people with variations of his name. Bob, Bobbi, and now Rob. There's definitely a theme going on here," Maggie said. She told Rob about her encounters with Wild Bill, alias Bob, and Roberta the stylist, alias Bobbi.

"You have had an interesting trip," he agreed.

Cassie was happy to see them when they returned to the house, and especially happy to see the fresh fish for dinner. "Great This will be so good on the grill," she exclaimed, and soon she and Maggie were working in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Rob, Matt, and the kids went off into the den to play Matt's latest video game to find errors in it.

Once Maggie finished helping Cassie, she brought her computer down to the kitchen and uploaded the day's photos. The photo of the child reaching for his ice cream cone was adorable, and the ones in the fish market were amazing. The colors were vibrant and alive as the slick salmon flew through the air. Maggie was pleased with her photos and started adding the best ones to a folder of photos she'd handpicked from the entire trip.

"Wow. That's a beautiful photo. Did you take it?" Cassie asked, as she came up behind Maggie, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. They were looking at one of the photos of Lake Tahoe.

"Yes, I did. Isn't it wonderful? The water is so crystal clear by the shore, then deepens in color as the water becomes deeper." Maggie began clicking through the different pictures she'd taken as Cassie looked at each one.

"Who's that?" Cassie asked when a photo of Wild Bill came up on screen. He was standing with his back to Maggie, looking up at Mount Rushmore. Maggie had turned the photo into a sepia tone, giving it an old-fashioned look.

"That's Wild Bill. What's more American than a photo of an everyday citizen admiring a national landmark? I think the sepia tone adds to it. Don't you?"