Twice in a Lifetime (Love Found) (26 page)

Plugging her iPod into the portable speaker and turning the volume up loud, she gave the oven a thorough scrubbing, then moved on to the refrigerator. While she reloaded the cold food, her smartphone danced its way across the counter. Reaching for it, she turned down the music as she pressed the device to her ear.

“She called.”

The tightness in his voice made her laugh. “Hi Jake.”

His breath whooshed in her ear. “Sorry. I’ve been on edge all day.”

“Tell me about it.” She replaced the milk carton and loaf of bread onto the top shelf of her sparkling refrigerator and closed the door. “But she’ll meet us?”

“Tonight at seven. Can you make it?”

“Even if I have to reschedule the apocalypse.”

It was his turn to chuckle. “Your house is between mine and hers; can I pick you up on the way?”

“That would be nice, thanks.”

“Good. I’ll see you in an hour.”

“See you then. And Jake?”

“Yeah?”

“Relax.”

He let out another whoosh and chuckled again. “Seeya, Allie.”

“Seeya, Jake.”

She fit the sliding racks back into the oven and turned for her bathroom. It was amazing how a quick shower, a little make-up could make her feel better. She stood in her walk-in closet, inspecting her wardrobe. What to wear to meet the lover? She chuffed out a laugh. What a bizarre question.

She fingered her options. Her navy linen suit? It was generally reserved for funerals and such, but hey, this almost qualified. A dress? She snorted. Who was she trying to impress? Jeans? Well, she wanted to impress a little. Muttering an impatient oath, she yanked the slacks and pullover she wore to school that day from their hangers and put them back on. With her feet wedged into three inch heels she was ready to meet Maggie Jensen head on.

The bell rang. Allie retrieved her purse and ran to answer it. She threw open the door and there stood Jake, in brand new black Wranglers, tugging on the collar of a starched button-down. His timeworn Red Wings even had a good cleaning.

She slipped through the open doorway, couldn’t resist a tease. “Poor Jake. You couldn’t look more uncomfortable if you were wearing a three-piece suit.”

More than uncomfortable, now he also looked embarrassed. “Don’t laugh. I had it on for about a minute.” He held her door, and then her hand as she climbed into the cab of his truck.

“I won’t laugh at you if you promise not to laugh at me.”

His eyes touched on her as he hoisted into his seat. “But you look great.”

“Maybe, but I considered wearing my blue suit.”

He did snicker. “Your funeral suit?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Oh shit, we are a pair.” He grinned in her direction.

She grinned back. God, she was glad he was with her. “Aren’t we though.”

Weaving his way through traffic that was finally lighter, Jake followed Maggie’s directions, pulling into the driveway of a nondescript stucco ranch within fifteen minutes.

She lifted her eyes, studied the windowless front entry—the six-paneled door, the roller skates propped against the wall beside it. A shallow breath escaped through parted lips. “I’m nervous.”

He took her hand, laced their fingers. “Me too. Shall we get this over with?”

Maggie opened the door to them. Barefoot, dressed in worn jeans and a sleeveless blouse, she stepped back and waved them in. Allie refused to feel overdressed.

Jake cleared his throat. “Thank you, Maggie, for seeing us.”

She gestured them into the living room. “It needs to be done.”

He crossed the oatmeal berber and took a seat on the patterned sofa.

Allie lowered herself beside him. “Yes, well…” Her idle glance around Maggie’s home found it comfortable with a pair of russet wingbacks facing them and shelves full of books lining the far wall. The kitchen could just be seen from where she sat. Her hands wanted to flutter; she locked them together on her lap. “Where’s your daughter?”

“Next door, playing with a friend. She’ll be home soon.”

Allie nodded, rubbed her thumbs together, met Maggie’s gaze. “We don’t want to cause trouble for you. We simply want to understand.”

Maggie perched on a chair across the coffee table. Her voice was quiet, calm, which was almost admirable.

“There’s not much to understand, really. I ran into Ben late one night. He was coming out of the supermarket with a twelve pack. He said he was on his way home, but my battery was dead in the parking lot. He gave me a ride home.” Maggie stood and moved behind her chair, her fingers kneading the upholstery.

“I guess you two were fighting. He seemed very upset. I asked him if he wanted to come in and talk.” She let her fingers loosen. Lifted her chin a notch. “Jimmy was living with my ex by then. We polished off the beer and moved on to a bottle of scotch I had in the cupboard. One of many I had in the cupboard back then.” Maggie’s voice changed, became less confrontational, almost apologetic. “Anyway, one thing led to another and… you can imagine the rest.”

Woodenly, Allie dropped down beside Jake. “You make the whole… situation… seem so straightforward.”

“Yes. Back then my entire life was one whole… situation.”

Maggie resumed her seat, let a sardonic smile twist her lips. “It was a mistake from the beginning. We both knew that.” She barked a scoffing laugh. “Jesus. You should have seen the expression on his face when we were done. If ever there was a man who regretted his actions, it was Ben that night. He couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”

Allie lowered her eyes. Hated that she’d just sat through that monologue and still needed to know. “And yet he continued to see you.”

“No. I didn’t see him again. I hadn’t even planned to tell him about the baby. I mean, I had no illusions about breaking up your marriage; you guys were happy.” She waved her hand for emphasis. “He was just screwed up one night and I was drunk enough to not care. We ran into him a couple of years later, though. He guessed she was his.”

Allie had only seen the child’s face once, but it was apparent why she seemed familiar. “She looks a lot like him.”

“Yes, she does.”

“And you never saw him again?” This seemed unlikely.

Maggie hesitated only briefly. “He came here to see Merrie. I’m an accountant. I have clients out of town and eventually he offered to stay with her. I don’t have family in town. He’d stay for a couple of days, if I needed to be gone for work.” Maggie’s eyes bored into hers as she spoke insistently. “You have to understand, he didn’t come to see me. He came to see Merrie. He hated coming here, hated lying to you.” And then, sadly. “I think he almost hated Merrie. But he felt… obligated. She was his daughter.”

Maggie’s story had a ring of truth, but for years she held one scenario firmly set in her mind. It was hard to dispel. “How does that explain poker nights?”

“Poker nights?”

“Ben was gone. Every month, first Tuesday.”

Maggie tilted her head to the side. “Poker night.”

Allie hesitated, held her breath. “He said that’s where he was. You can see how I may have my doubts now.”

“He wasn’t here. My guess is he was playing poker.”

“Oh shit.” Jake scowled and leapt from his seat, prowled the room.

“Yeah.” The quaking in her knees was unnerving. She let her eyes follow him as he stalked between the sofa and the bookcase, then back again. Was he thinking the same thing she was? Years ago she confronted him about these nights. Why was he not a part of this ritual? He simply explained that he spent every day with Ben, and while he may be his best friend, they needed time apart. Jake didn’t know if he played cards every month or not. Without a clear answer, Allie let it drop.

Troubled as he seemed, Jake faced Maggie, arms folded across his chest, his square jaw set. “Did he come here the night he got in his accident?”

Maggie’s long breath sounded across the room. She lowered her eyes before responding. “Yes.” Her nod was slow, diffident. “He hadn’t been here for a few months, and then he showed up out of the blue. He’d never done that before. I always called him to let him know when I needed to be gone.”

“Why did he come here that night?”

Maggie turned to look at Allie. “You’d just returned from your trip north. He came to tell me he was done, he couldn’t do it anymore. He couldn’t stand lying to you. He planned to come clean, tell you about Merrie. And he planned to stop seeing her.”

Jake dropped back onto the sofa, reached for her hand. His palm was sweaty.

“Honestly, he was more upset than I was. You see, Merrie doesn’t know he was her father. To her, he was just Ben.”

Oh, Lord. Was anything she knew real? “Did he give you money for her?”

Maggie shook her head. “The night he came to say goodbye—the night of his accident—he offered again but I told him no. I’m a partner in my firm, I have good benefits. There was a life insurance policy, which was a surprise to me. It’s in the bank. Hopefully, she’ll use it for college.”

Yes, hopefully she would. “If you don’t mind my asking, how does she handle her condition?”

Maggie lifted one shoulder. “She’s bright, well adjusted. We deal with the rest day by day.”

The door flew open and Merrie, dressed in hot pink from the ribbon in her hair to the laces in her grimy white tennies, barreled in, hands flying.

Maggie turned in her seat at the sound of the door crashing against the wall, smiling and holding her arm out to her daughter. She signed as she spoke. “Come in here, honey; there are people I’d like you to meet.”

Breathless, the girl spun into the room, a bright smile on her face. She stared at Jake for a moment before lifting her hands to gesture.

“I remember you. You were at DQ.” Maggie’s hands were smoothly confident as she translated.

He smiled and nodded to her. “Yes I was. I used to know your brother. And I wanted to say hello to your mom.”

Merrie stood with her mother, who used her hand motions to pass on Jake’s words then introduce the visitors. “Honey, this is Jake and his friend Allie. They were friends of Ben’s.

Merrie nodded to her mom with a happy grin. “I remember Ben. He moved away.” Maggie put Merrie’s signs into words. “He used to play with me when I was little. He was a nice man.”

Merrie then turned back to Jake, a study in seriousness. “My brother told me you used to be his soccer coach when he was younger than I am. I want to play soccer, too.”

Allie melted. Just grinned at the girl with so much energy, so much enthusiasm. She found Jake’s eyes. He was grinning, too.

“You need to talk to your mom about that.”

Maggie’s hands lifted, moved. “Yes, I did already.” Merrie screwed up her face. “She thinks I need piano lessons instead.”

The girl was adorable. Jake’s laugh rumbled against her side. “Well, they say mommies know best.”

Merrie pouted, then grinned. “If I have to play music, I want to play the drums. I can feel the drums better, anyway. I could play The Little Drummer Boy on my birthday.”

“Your birthday?”

The girl bubbled with energy as her hands flew. Again, Maggie’s voice told the story. “Uh huh. My birthday’s on Christmas. That’s why they call me Merrie. Get it? It’s really short for Meredith, but I like Merrie—it sounds happy.”

Maggie smiled indulgently and reached for the girl, wrapping her in her arms. “Honey, time for your bath. Say goodbye please.”

Merrie skipped across the room to the pair on the couch, gifted Jake with a two-armed squeeze around his neck, then Allie. Standing back, using her best company manners, with a grin that crooked up a little more on one side than the other, she signed, “It was very nice to meet you. ‘Bye.”

And she was gone.

Jake stood. Allie followed him up, her eyes following the path the girl took. “Maggie, if you don’t mind, at some point, I’d like to spend more time with her.”

Maggie, still seated, was more curious than suspicious. “Why?”

The woman was as much a casualty as any of them. Why did Allie feel the need to apologize? Maggie was a person she knew long ago, whose life was dramatically affected by a twisted series of events. But it was her nature to focus on the positive. She chose to glean any good that may be wrung from this odd situation. And to her, that meant Trey had a sister.

“She has a brother she’s never met.”

Maggie’s head bowed. Tears silently drenched her eyes before she dashed them away.

Allie reached out a hand, let it touch Maggie’s shoulder before returning it to her side. “My son has a sister. I’d like him to know her.”

Maggie nodded, rubbed her eyes again, led Jake and Allie to the door. “Please don’t feel that you must have a relationship with Merrie. But if you want to see her, let me know. We can set something up.” Maggie passed her a business card, her contact information neatly listed.

Allie took the card, glanced at it. Had she ever received one before, years ago? “I’ll be in touch. Hopefully soon, but I need to discuss this with Trey before Merrie simply appears in his life. Needless to say, this will come as somewhat of a surprise.”

Maggie’s expression was impassive. “I agree, that will be best for both of them.”

Allie leaned in to hug this woman she had a bizarre link to. There was no bitterness, no resentment. They were merely two mothers, each protecting their child.