Only You (15 page)

“JD saved you!” Sammie beamed at her.

Maggie gave herself a minute to find the courage to tell her friends what she’d learned. “JD had a child,” she whispered.

“What?” Claire asked. Both she and Sammie sat down at the table.  

“His name was Donnie, and he drowned, and JD blames himself because it happened at his house. He and Lydia had split by then. And then he found out Donnie wasn’t his biological child. He’s been living here ever since.”

“Oh my God.” Sammie covered her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“That’s why he stopped working as an architect. And why he keeps his distance from everyone,” Claire mused. “He must have been building his house when that happened, and he closed it up and left it.”

“We didn’t talk about his house. We didn’t talk at all after he told me. Except he said he’d prefer if I got the hell out of his life. Only nicer, because he’s JD.”

“Oh, Maggie.” Claire sighed.

Maggie stared at the tabletop. “Yeah. So San Francisco’s looking pretty good to me right now. But enough about me. What happened after I left the bar? How did you two get home?”

“Dave drove me back, and I kissed him.” Sammie grinned.

“No way! What did he do?”

“He said he was old enough to be my father and told me to stop acting foolish. But I know he liked kissing me. I just have to give him time to get used to the idea of dating a younger woman. I need to show him I can take care of myself. I don’t think he’s used to having to think about someone else, and it scares him.”

“That’s incredibly insightful,” Maggie said. If only she’d been as insightful with JD. “And you?” she asked Claire. “What happened with Ethan?”

“Nothing,” Claire snapped.

“Really? You didn’t talk or . . . anything?”

“He says he’d like to ask me out on a date. It’s so stupid. I’m living in his house for God’s sake, and he wants to go on a date. We all need a place of our own and something to use our collective talents on. You need us, and right now, both Sammie and I have to stay here until we work out whether we’re going to have relationships with these damned cowboys. So you have to stay, too.”

Sammie grabbed Maggie’s hand. “Claire’s right.
We
need each other right now.”

Not once in the long history of their friendship could Maggie remember Claire asking for her help. But she was now, and so was Sammie. Maybe they were trying to make her feel wanted, but there was a nugget of truth there as well. Sammie needed time to work out her relationship with Dave, and Claire needed her independence so she could feel equal to Ethan.

And she needed a home, because she was going to contact a donor clinic and find out what steps she had to take to get pregnant.

“Okay. When do we go house shopping?”

Claire laughed and looked at her watch. “In an hour. I’ve made an appointment with an agent to show us what’s available in the area.”

“We’re really going to do this. I’m so excited. Come on, Maggie.” Sammie pulled her to her feet. “You have to get cleaned up so we can go.”

Maggie wished she could feel as excited as her friends. If she put one foot in front of the other, eventually she’d get to where she wanted to be. Or in some ways she would. It was the rainbow in the cloud theory. If she didn’t keep looking for that rainbow, she’d never find it.

“I’m starving,” Maggie muttered as she followed Sammie and Claire into Arnie’s Diner the next day. Everything in the diner was pine: tables, walls, counter and chairs. Floor, too. She supposed the tiny restaurant had a certain down-home look, but personally, unrelenting pine didn’t do it for her.

“Hey, guys.” Ellie rushed over to their table with an armload of menus. “I’ve never seen you in here before. Welcome.” She looked expectantly toward the door. “Are you expecting anyone else?”

“Just us three.” Claire smiled at her. “How are you, Ellie?”

“Good. The usual. You guys?”

“Hungry,” Maggie said. “What do you recommend?”

“Well, I don’t know. It’s not fancy like you’re probably used to.”

“Do you have chicken burgers?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I’ll have one with fries. And a piece of that lemon meringue pie I see in the display case.”

Claire laughed. “Incredible. House hunting must make you hungry.”

Ellie looked up from her order pad. “You’re looking for a house?”

“Yes.” Maggie sighed. “So far, no luck, though.”

“The three of you are going to live together? Here?”

Maggie couldn’t decipher Ellie’s tone. Was she skeptical or excited for them? Maybe just curious. “That’s the plan.”

“Huh,” Ellie murmured and continued writing.

Claire elbowed Maggie. “Do you know of a house for sale, Ellie?”

“You probably wouldn’t be interested in it. It’s old.”

Maggie sat up straighter. “Old can be good. Who owns it?”

“Mrs. Sheldon. Well, she did, but she died last week. She left it to Clay, because she had a pet bird, and he always took care of it when it got sick. Mrs. Sheldon was a little . . . off, if you know what I mean. She lived by herself for as long as I can remember.”

Maggie sympathized with Mrs. Sheldon. She was apparently well on her way to the same fate. “What’s Clay planning to do with the house?”

“I don’t know, but here he is for his regular three o’clock coffee. Hey, Clay. The usual?”

“Thanks, Ellie. It’s nice to see the ladies out on the town.” Clay loomed above them, his gaze resting on Maggie. “How are you feeling? I heard you’ve been sick lately.”

Small towns. Gotta love them. “I’m okay. We’re house shopping, and Ellie tells me you have a house to sell.”

“Here’s your coffee.” Ellie placed the cup on the table. “I told them about Mrs. Sheldon’s place.” She leaned against the end of the booth, obviously not wanting to miss any juicy gossip. Maggie frowned at the unkind thought. It was okay to be curious about what was happening in your neighborhood. Now that she thought about it, she liked that people cared about what went on around here. It was not only reassuring, but endearing as well.

“Would you like to join us?” Claire asked Clay.

“Sure.” He dragged a chair over to their booth. “So the three of you are buying a house?”

“Yes,” Maggie said. No need for anyone to know she was financing the deal. There would be three names on the deed if she had anything to say about it.

“And you’re all going to live there?”

“Yes,” Maggie agreed. She bit her lip to keep from further explaining herself.

“I guess Mrs. Sheldon’s house would be big enough for the three of you. It has a carriage house that’s in good shape, too. I’ve got the ranch, so I don’t need another place. It’d be kind of nice to sell it right away, but I don’t want to push it on you. What if you change your mind? Like, want to live somewhere else after a while?”

“I don’t see that as a problem,” Maggie reassured him. Not for her. She wouldn’t be surprised if Sammie moved in with Dave at some point, and she hoped Claire and Ethan worked out their differences, although that could be a bit trickier.

 “Nothing stopping us from having a look right now if you think you might be interested,” Clay said.

“Can we put a hold on our order for an hour or so, Ellie?” Maggie asked.

“Sure.” Ellie made a face. “Wish I could go with you, but I just started my shift.”

“Drop by later and see if we’re still there,” Maggie suggested.

“Maybe I will.” Ellie beamed at her before hurrying over the group of teenagers who’d just entered the diner.

“Where’s the house?” Maggie asked Clay.

“Down the street. It’s old,” he warned them. “But Mrs. Sheldon kept it up pretty good. I know she put a new roof on a couple years ago, and the basement never leaked. I used to drop by to check on the old dear.” He laughed. “She rescued a wild sparrow a few years back that had fallen out of its nest and hand-raised it. Once it got big enough, I convinced her to leave a window open so the bird could get outdoors when it wanted. Baby Bird would take off for a day or two after a while, but he’d always come back to visit her. She’d call me up when he did, and I’d go and check the bird over as best I could. I suspect waiting for Baby Bird to return home was what kept her alive the last year. Her health deteriorated rapidly last winter, but she wouldn’t move to a rest home. When she did finally go into hospice, she made me promise to watch for Baby Bird.”

He stopped, a blush tingeing his face. Claire leaned forward, a twinkle in her eye. “Will you marry me?”

“Ha! Good one.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Don’t want to think what Ethan would say to that.”

“Ethan can take his opinion and—”

“Keep it to himself,” Maggie interjected as she looked pointedly across the room toward the two tables of people who had grown suspiciously quiet. Neighborly was one thing, but those people didn’t know Claire. Until Ethan and Claire settled their differences, the fewer people involved, the easier it would be to get  Claire and Ethan together.

“That’s a great story. I hope I meet Baby Bird someday,” Maggie added. Maybe the bird would keep her company in her old age, too, because it didn’t look as though her baby plan was working out so well.

Clay stood. “Let’s take a look then, and you can think about it and get back to me. I won’t bother to put it up for sale until you know whether you want it or not.”

Excitement fizzed inside her as they tromped out of the diner, all chattering at once. She owned a condo in San Francisco, but it wasn’t the same as buying a house with a yard. She didn’t know her neighbors in the city, and the condo had always had a temporary feel to it, a holding place until something better came along. Maybe Mrs. Sheldon’s house would be that something else. Her spot, as JD would put it.

Don’t think about him.
Not now
. Buying a house was a step in the right direction for her. She could feel it in her bones, and she needed to stay positive. She’d spent too much of her life trying to please people who didn’t care about her. It was time to invest in her own happiness.

They walked down the street in a gaggle, all talking at once until they stopped in front of a slate-gray Victorian house sheltered by ancient maple trees on both sides. A carriage house, set back from the street, nestled under one of the maples. Immediately, Maggie knew she’d put the gallery there. In the summer they’d have tables and chairs on the side lawn and serve iced teas and desserts and homemade ice cream. She saw the brightly colored shade umbrellas, people relaxing under the trees, the door to the carriage house wide open, inviting people inside to browse through the gallery. Opening a business here was going to work.

She and Claire grinned at each other like kids who had discovered buried treasure, while Clay unlocked the front door. Sammie sped inside first, exclaiming over the gorgeous chandelier hanging in the front hallway. Prisms of light reflected off the cream-colored walls. The original molding and hardwood floors were still intact, and as Clay had said, everything had been well maintained.

The further they explored the house, the more excited Maggie grew. The Victorian had a comfortable feel to it and was big enough for all three of them to live in. It was easy to see Mrs. Sheldon had loved her home.

Sammie and Claire forged ahead,  pointing out each new find. Clay stayed by Maggie’s side as she explored the enormous old-fashioned kitchen. “Does JD know you’re looking to buy?” he asked.

Maggie stopped in the pantry off the kitchen. She’d always loved the idea of a pantry. “I haven’t told him. But honestly? It’s none of his business what I do.”

“Right.” He scratched his chin. “JD’s an old friend. And that night at the movies, the way you were with each other . . . anyone could see you two belong together.”

She swallowed the bitterness in her throat. Things would get better with time.
She
would feel better with time. “JD and I aren’t going to get together. He’s not ready to have a relationship.”

She felt comfortable talking to Clay, because she had a sense he knew JD’s history and would understand.

“That’s too bad. I was hoping he’d healed. He told you what happened?”

“About his son? Yes.”

“Well, that’s something, ’cause he’s never talked about it with anyone I know. Ethan told me.”

She touched his arm. “You’re a good friend, Clay. Thanks.”

Clay blushed. “I’ll leave you to look around and talk it over with the girls.” He shook his head and smiled. “That’d be something, the three of you moving here. Set lots of tongues wagging.”

Maggie smiled. “I think it’ll be fun. I’ll drop the key off at your place later if you like.”

“You hold on to it for a few days. You might want to come back for a second and third look. An assessor is coming in tomorrow. If you think you’re interested in buying, I’ll let you know what he comes up with for a price.”

She went in search of her friends when Clay finally left. She found them upstairs, arguing over who would get the room with the turret. Maggie smiled as she watched them from the doorway. Buying the house would be the right thing to do. It would be a challenge to set up a new business, and a challenge and their independence were exactly what they all needed right now.