Weaving the Strands (12 page)

“Can I call you back in a few? I want to finish up
outside before it gets dark.”

“No way, Mom. You’re procrastinating. And I want
you to get messages to these guys. It’ll only take a nanosecond. I’m on my way
out the door, so we can’t talk long.”

Maggie sighed. She could use a short break anyway.
She opened her laptop and logged on to the website. Susan was prattling away in
her ear, dictating possible messages. Maggie interrupted.

“Wait a minute—I’ve got two messages.”

“Good going, Mom. Let’s check ’em out.”

“They’re from DogLovers 7718 and 7719! How about
that!”

“Ohhhh. Interesting. So … what do they say?”

“7718 has proposed a double date. The two of us
and our dogs at the dog park. Next Sunday afternoon. Says he works on
Saturdays. That’s weird—who works on Saturdays?”

“I work most Saturdays, Mom. Don’t start finding
reasons not to like him. I do that, and you call me on it every time. So here’s
a dose of your own medicine.”

Maggie laughed. “You’re right. This is good. Now I
don’t have to figure out how to make the first move. So what do you think? Do I
say yes?”

“Of course you say yes! You and Eve get to go for
a walk, and if you don’t like him, you can get away fast. It’s not like you’ll
be trapped in a restaurant making small talk while you wait for your food. This
will be easy. Brilliant, actually. Maybe I should get a dog and join this
site.”

“How’s this sound? Great plan. We’d be delighted
to join you. I’ll meet you by the south entrance at 2 p.m. If the weather is
wet, we’ll wait under the bandstand. If you can’t make it—Do I give him
my cell phone number?” Maggie asked.

“No way. Too soon. If he can’t make it, tell him
to send you a message through DogLovers. You’ll just need to check the site
before you head out. If he’s a no show, you and Eve can simply enjoy a walk.

“Sounds good. I’ve added that to my reply.”

“Press send. And you’ve done it! I’m proud of you,
Mom. What about the other guy?”

“Okay,” Maggie replied. “He says, ‘We have some
common interests. Would you like to meet for coffee?’ That sounds a bit formal
and drab, doesn’t it?”

“Everybody doesn’t bounce off the page with
enthusiasm. He might be nice. It’s just a cup of coffee. Like you always tell
me, you have time for that.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“I’m right. Email him to set up a meeting, okay?
You should suggest the time and place.”

“Why don’t I wait until I see how it goes with
DogLover7718 first?”

“It doesn’t work like that, Mom. Answer him.
You’re not going steady with 7718; you haven’t even met him yet.”

“All right. Will do.”

“Good. I’ve really got to go now. We’ll talk later
about what you’re going to wear when you meet these guys.”

Maggie set the phone on her desk and leaned back
in her chair. Good lord, she had really done it. When she signed up for the
online dating service, she didn’t think she’d actually go out with anyone. Now
what had she gotten herself into? She glanced out the window; dusk was fast approaching.
She heaved herself from her chair and headed back into the yard to finish her
gardening.

Chapter 25

Gloria took a seat on the bench to
the right of the large double doors leading into the town council chamber. It
was shortly before noon, and the doors were locked. The zoning hearing was at
one o’clock, and no one else had arrived yet. Glenn paced, nervously shuffling
his note cards and practicing his speech. He was making the presentation to the
town council on the proposed zoning variance that would allow Fairview Terraces
to operate moneymaking ventures on their campus.

“Why don’t you sit down and relax?” Gloria
encouraged. “You know what you’re going to say. You’re prepared.”

Glenn sighed, “I know. But it’s been a long time
since I’ve done anything like this. I don’t want to mess up.”

“You won’t,” Gloria reassured. “You’re going to
knock their socks off. I read all of it with a critical eye. If anything were
unclear or missing, I’d have told you. Besides, Councilman Haynes will be
there, and he’s going to vote for us and persuade the others. He told you so.”

Glenn sat and reached for her hand. “We’re first
on the agenda,” he said, gesturing to the notice posted on the door. “At least
I can get this over with soon.”

Gloria sighed and toyed with the idea of
suggesting that they step across the street to get a bite to eat—they had
plenty of time—but decided against it. She may not have known Glenn
Vaughn long, but she knew him well. And she was sure that he needed to stay
right where he was, perfectly prepared and ready to go, an hour early.

***

Two and a half hours later, Glenn,
Gloria, and a handful of other residents from Fairview Terraces exited the town
council chamber in high spirits. A neighboring apartment complex had opposed
their variance, but with the addition of parking restrictions and other
concessions, the town council approved their request by a narrow margin.
Councilman Haynes had been as good as his word and had pushed the matter
through.

“I think we need to celebrate,” Glenn said to the
group. “Why don’t we head over to Pete’s? Gloria and I got here so early, we
didn’t even eat lunch. Anyone else care to join us?”

The group made its way to the lobby and Glenn
pushed the button to summon an elevator. When the doors opened, Mayor Martin
stepped out.

“Why, hello,” she said, smiling at Glenn and
Gloria. “Did you just come from the zoning hearing?” Without waiting for an
answer, she added, “By the look on your faces, I think you’ve had good news?”

“Yes,” Glenn replied. “It passed. Just barely.
Councilman Haynes was a big help.”

“Glenn made a brilliant presentation,” Gloria
inserted proudly. “You should have seen him.”

Maggie couldn’t suppress a smile. “I’m sure he
did. He was brilliant at the meetings at Fairview. Councilman Haynes told me
that it would be tough going, but he thought you’d get a good result.”

“Now that we’re cleared to operate moneymaking
ventures, we need to get them up and running,” Glenn continued.

“There’s time to think about all that later,”
Gloria interrupted. “Right now, we’re headed to Pete’s to celebrate. Would you
like to join us, Mayor Martin?”

“I wish I could. I’m running late for a meeting.”

“When you see Councilman Haynes, would you please
thank him from all of us at Fairview Terraces?” Glenn asked.

“You can thank him yourself; here he comes, now,”
she said, gesturing over Glenn’s shoulder. “Well done, all of you,” she said to
the group as Glenn broke free and intercepted Haynes.

“Councilman,” Glenn said, extending his hand.
“Thank you so much for jumping in to answer questions. I thought I had come
prepared, but I got in over my head pretty fast. This wouldn’t have happened
without your support.”

“I was only doing my job,” Haynes answered with
uncharacteristic modesty. “Glad I could be of assistance. You’re well on your
way to digging yourselves out of this hole. I always like to help people who’re
trying to help themselves.”

Glenn hesitated and looked questioningly at
Haynes.

“Is there something else I can do for you?” Haynes
asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes. I’m a mentor in the
juvenile court system and was wondering if the boy I’m working with could be
given a job at your animal shelter—Forever Friends?”

“We’re almost entirely run by volunteers. I’m
sorry, but we have very few paid staff positions.”

“I’m not talking about a paid position. This boy
needs something to do with his time; needs the responsibility of someone
relying on him.”

“Doesn’t the juvenile court have programs? We
aren’t set up for anything like that.”

“His case worker has approved my idea; I just need
to find someplace for him to intern. You know him, I believe. David Wheeler?”

Frank Haynes’ head snapped back.

“Yes, I know David.”

He stared at something over Glenn’s shoulder.
Glenn waited until Haynes slowly turned his attention back to the elderly man.
“Yes. I’ll make a spot for David at Forever Friends. We’ll find something for
him to do.”

 “Thank you, Councilman. You’ll be glad you
did. It’s the best thing for this kid right now. And if I may suggest, let him
work with the animals. They’ll bring out the kind feelings that he’s trying so
hard to suppress.”

Haynes clapped Glenn on the arm. “Bring him by the
shelter on Saturday morning at eight o’clock. I’ll be there and we’ll set him
up. He paused and pointed to the crowd gathered by the elevators. “For now it
looks like you’ve got an entourage waiting for you. See you Saturday morning.”

Chapter 26

Maggie returned to her office
shortly before six o’clock that afternoon. She had plenty of work to do, but
she couldn’t muster the energy to dive into it. Running into that sweet couple
from Fairview Terraces earlier in the afternoon got her thinking. They were so
caring and so genuinely attuned to each other. Maggie wanted that kind of
relationship in her life. Had she ever had that with Paul? She didn’t think so.

Paul had always put himself first. Anytime he
supported her, there was something in it for him. The promotions in her career
meant he got to rub shoulders with a new group of influential people. As she
grew more successful and independent, Paul became more controlling. The romance
had long ago expired by the time he died.

And the Scottsdale family. That younger woman and
her two kids. Had Paul really expected he could keep that a secret forever?
Maybe. He had certainly covered up his embezzlement from the college for years.
You can’t have the kind of love you saw between that elderly couple when
you’re married to someone as dishonest and self-absorbed as Paul Martin,
she thought.

Maggie spun in her chair and snatched her purse
from her drawer. Since she had been elected mayor in the prior year’s election,
she had been too busy and preoccupied to rehash the betrayal of her faithless
marriage. When she did consider her relationship with Paul, her stomach churned
and acid rose in the back of her throat. Time hadn’t dulled the hurt and
resentment that engulfed her each time she revisited her past life.

One thing was for sure, she told herself as she
pulled on her coat; she wanted something different for her future. She wanted a
happy relationship. She was capable of one and she deserved one. Just like that
couple. But she had to stop being a workaholic, allowing her career to distract
her from the loneliness of her personal life. Starting now. It was time to head
home and figure out what to wear to a dog-park blind date.

Chapter 27

Sunday was crisp and sunny; a
perfect day to spend outside. Maggie tried to slip out unnoticed after church
but stopped when Sam Torres, her first friend in Westbury and faithful
handyman, called her name.

“Hold on there, Ms. Mayor,” he called. “Joan and I
haven’t talked to you in ages.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Maggie replied with a rueful
shrug. “This mayor business is much more demanding than I ever thought.”

“And now you’re sneaking out after church. Not to
go to the office, I hope.”

“No. Not today,” Maggie assured him.

She began edging toward the parking lot.

“You’re certainly in a hurry to go somewhere,”
Joan commented, eyeing Maggie curiously.

“I just need to get home to take Eve to the dog
park,” Maggie replied, realizing how lame that sounded.

“If you’re on a scheduled deadline to walk your
dog on a Sunday afternoon, we need to do an intervention,” Sam teased.

Maggie looked at the concerned faces of this
gentle couple who had completely taken her into their hearts.

“To be honest,” she relented, “I’m meeting a blind
date at the dog park. I need to get home to change clothes.”

She watched as their expressions changed from
concerned to surprised, and back again.

“Blind date?” Joan managed to croak.

“What about Dr. Allen?” Sam cut in. “Aren’t you
seeing him?”

Maggie sighed heavily. “I was. In fact, I’m still
interested in him. But I really blew it. I was always too busy at Town Hall to
spend time with him. I even forgot to pick him up from physical therapy a
couple of times. He had to take a cab home.”

Sam let out a breath. “That’s not good. Not good
at all,” he said, stating the obvious.

“Have you tried to patch things up, dear?” Joan
asked. “I know he really cared for you. We both hoped we’d be going to a
wedding soon.”

“I’ve tried. I really have. Thought I was making
progress. Then he suddenly shut me out. I don’t know what happened. Maybe he
met someone else.”

“Not that I know of,” Sam replied. “But then, he
keeps these things to himself. He never told me that you two had broken up. And
I’ve been giving him rides from physical therapy. You’d think he would have mentioned
it.”

They had been sauntering toward the parking lot
while they talked and had reached Maggie’s car. She pressed her key to unlock
her door.

“Not so fast,” Sam stated firmly. “Tell us about
this blind date. Who set you up?”

“He’s someone I met online.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Joan asked in alarm.
“Aren’t there weirdoes and perverts online? People disappear all the time and
they never find the bodies.”

Maggie laughed. “I’ll be fine. This is through
DogLovers.com. We’re meeting at two o’clock today at the dog park. So we’ll be
in public with lots of people around us. Especially on a nice day like today.
I’ll have my cell phone with me. And Eve. I’ll use common sense. Don’t worry about
me,” she said, giving Joan’s arm a comforting pat.

“I’m
going
to worry about you,” she stated
flatly.

“Don’t give him your address or phone number until
I check him out,” Sam admonished.

“Quit fussing. I’ll be careful,” Maggie assured
them. “Tell you what—I’ll call you when I get home. How would that be?”

“I’ve got a better idea,” Joan said. “Why don’t
you come over for dinner. On the way home. Bring Eve. It’ll be like that first
time we met when you moved into Rosemont.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I insist. It’ll make us both feel better. Perfect
plan.”

“We miss you,” Sam added simply.

How could she refuse these people she loved?

Maggie laughed. “Sounds great. I’ll pick up a pie
from Laura’s for dessert. I’ll see you later, probably by four,” she said as
she slid into her car. “And don’t worry about me. Everything’ll be fine. We’ll
probably have nothing to talk about, and I’ll be out of there in fifteen
minutes. See you later.”

***

Maggie shivered as she entered
Rosemont through her kitchen door. The sun was warm but the air was deceptively
cold. “Hello, girl,” she said as she patted the squirming Eve. “We’ve got a
date this afternoon. Yes, you’re invited. And I’m going to put your new
blue-and-white sweater on you. It’s cold out there. Maybe I should wear something
to match. What do you think?”

Eve wagged her tail furiously.
Good lord,
she thought.
I’m planning an outfit to match my dog? What’s happened to me?

Maggie headed for her bedroom. “Come on, girl.
We’ve got work to do. I need your opinion,” she said as they raced up the
stairs.

***

After forty-five minutes of
rummaging around in her closet and a twenty-minute consultation with Susan over
the phone, Maggie settled on her sapphire-blue cashmere sweater and boot-cut
jeans—the same outfit she had worn when John took her skating. Did this
mean she had a date outfit now? How cliché. Could she help it that the weather
had turned so cold and it was the best-looking thing she had? Besides, it
matched Eve. Not that it mattered, she told herself sternly.

Maggie surveyed herself in the mirror. She
remembered gliding across the deserted rink at The Mill that night, with the
cold wind whipping her hair to bits and her hand securely tucked into the crook
of John’s strong arm. She thought back to the easy flow of their conversation.
And how much she wanted him to kiss her goodnight. And how disappointed she’d
been that he hadn’t; the tragedy of the fires and subsequent chaos had
intervened.

All of that led her to where she was today. She
had been so sure that John would be part of it all. How had she become careless
and preoccupied enough to drive him away? She had to admit that he was
right—their split had been her fault. She sighed miserably.

Maggie turned her attention back to her reflection
in the mirror. It was pointless to rehash all of this. Crying over spilt milk,
as her aunt used to say. She was meeting someone new at the dog park, and it
was time to get going. Swollen, red eyes would not help with a first impression.
She forced a smile at her reflection.

“Come on, Eve. Time for you to get dressed.”

***

John tossed the Sunday paper onto
the coffee table and returned his attention to the lackluster football game on
the screen. The score remained 3-0 late in the third quarter. He checked his
watch. Still a bit early to head out to the dog park, but he was bored and
restless waiting around his living room.

“Roman,” he called. “Let’s go meet this gal. Who
knows, she may have a friend for you, too.” He was almost out the door when his
home phone began to ring. He paused, then pulled his Golden Retriever back into
the house with him, and picked up the receiver.

“John,” said the familiar voice. “It’s Sam
Torres.”

John instantly snapped into doctor mode. “Sam. Is
anything wrong with Rusty?”

“No. Sorry. He’s still the best dog on earth.
Didn’t mean to scare you. I know this is last minute and everything, but Joan
was just saying how she never sees you anymore and asked me to call and invite
you to an early dinner. Tonight. Are you busy?”

John hesitated, caught off guard. He certainly
didn’t have any plans other than to stop by Pete’s for takeout. Again. He drew
in a breath. Why not?

“That’s awfully kind of you. I’d love to. What
time?”

“Why don’t you come by about four? Would that
work? We can visit, and you’ll still get home at a decent hour.”

“Perfect. I’ve got surgery at six tomorrow
morning. That’ll suit me just fine. I’ll see you later. And please, tell Joan
thank you.”

***

John arrived at the dog park half
an hour early. He let Roman off the leash and allowed him to run; he’d need to
work off some steam and sniff everything before he’d be ready to settle down
and be sociable.

They circled the park and closed in on the area by
the south entrance. He watched the parade of humans and canines pass by, noting
the connection between people and their dogs. He could always tell the new,
tentative friendships from the established, long-term relationships; the ones
where commands had to be clearly communicated and the ones where they were
intuitively understood. Long-established bonds of love. At least he’d been
lucky in that department. If DogLover7717 turned out to be one more in the long
line of flaky women he had met online, he still had Roman. The thought,
however, gave him little comfort.

His attention was drawn to a very familiar terrier
mix wearing a ridiculous-looking blue-and-white sweater, being led by an even
more familiar woman in a sapphire-blue cashmere sweater. His heart leapt to his
throat. What in the world was Maggie Martin doing at the dog park today of all
days? He hadn’t seen her here in months. This could get awkward.

He checked his watch. It was five minutes before
two. He turned away, hoping she hadn’t seen him. If she had, he’d say a quick
hello and send them on their way.

Maggie spotted John and Roman just as he noticed
her.
Maybe we can just ignore each other,
she thought.
What are the
odds of running into him?
She made her way over to the opposite side of the
entrance and took up a position under a large oak tree where Eve busied herself
sniffing and rooting out a spot to mark. Maggie snuck a look in John’s direction
and was disconcerted to see that he appeared to be hanging around the entrance,
just as she was. She turned away and tried to figure out what to do while still
keeping an eye out for DogLover7718.

A squat man with long gray hair pulled into a
ponytail and a disagreeable-looking pit bull mix strode through the entrance at
two o’clock on the dot and stopped, scanning the area for someone or something.
Maggie froze; she didn’t want this to be DogLover7718. She hesitated, waiting
for him to approach. He shouted to a young boy in the distance who ran to him,
crying “Grampa.” Maggie sighed in relief.

John and Maggie hovered on opposite sides of the
entrance, studiously avoiding each other like competing Olympic skaters warming
up on the ice. Roman finally settled the matter by giving a quick bark in
greeting and bounding over to say hello to Eve and Maggie. John had no choice
but to follow suit.

“Hello. Sorry about that. Roman, come here, boy,” he
admonished as he produced a leash and snapped it on his collar. His instincts
as a vet overcame his impatience to send Maggie on her way, and he bent down to
greet Eve. He ran over her with practiced hands and looked into her eyes and
ears. “She seems well; back to normal. How is she? Eating and eliminating
regularly?” he asked professionally.

“Yes. She’s doing just fine. Thanks to you. We had
quite a scare.”

He waved away the compliment. “I won’t keep you.
It’s a beautiful day for a walk. I’m sure she’s anxious to be on her way.” He
wanted to add “especially since you so rarely take her for walks, with your
busy schedule,” but he restrained himself. No point in picking a fight. What
she did was none of his business.

Maggie sighed. “Actually, I’m waiting for someone.
We’re going to meet here. At two o’clock.” She glanced at her watch. “I guess
he’s running late.”

John drew in a sharp breath and turned suddenly to
face her, which struck Maggie as very odd. Why would he care if she were
waiting for someone at the dog park?

 “I don’t want to hold you up. Nice to see
you,” she said, pulling on Eve’s leash in an attempt to separate the two dogs
who were happily and inappropriately sniffing each other.

“Actually, I’m meeting someone here at two o’clock,
too.” They regarded each other steadily, and John was the first to smile.

“Are you, by any chance otherwise known as
DogLover7717?” he asked.

As a chagrined smile spread across her face, he
extended his hand.

“Allow me to introduce myself. DogLover7718.”

Maggie took his hand.

“It looks like fate is telling us to give this
another chance,” he murmured. “What do you think?”

“I’d be delighted. I never wanted to break up. You
were completely right about things. I’ve changed my ways; I really have.”

He tucked her hand into his elbow. With Roman and
Eve pulling on their leashes and urging them forward, the pair and the pups began
to stroll companionably through the bright afternoon.

“Why were you on DogLovers.com? I thought you and
Frank Haynes were an item.”

Maggie stopped dead in her tracks. “Are you nuts?
I’ve made a sort of peace with Frank—and he’s actually done a few decent
things recently—but I still don’t trust him as far as I can throw him.
Why in the world did you think I was seeing Frank?”

John looked at her solemnly. “Because the night I
dropped off Eve’s medicine at your front door—that Saturday
night—Frank’s car was parked in front of Rosemont and the only lights on
in the place were on the second floor.”

“What? Yes, Frank was there and he was on the
‘bedroom’ floor, but it is
not
what you’re thinking.”

She drew in a sharp breath, and he could see she
was gathering a head of steam. He instantly regretted bringing the topic up,
but he had to know.

“I was foraging through Rosemont’s attic that day
and got myself locked in—without my cell phone. I was panicked about
getting out of there and worried sick about missing Eve’s dose of antibiotics.
I was even trying to find sheets and curtains to tie together to make a rope to
climb down on Sunday afternoon if no one found me by then.”

“I had no idea,” John muttered.

Maggie cut him off. “I was freezing and miserable
when Frank Haynes pulled up. I was supposed to meet with him at Town Hall that
morning to go over some documents. When I didn’t show up, he drove them out to
Rosemont to leave them for me. I was able to get his attention from the attic
window. He got in the house with my hidden key and managed to force open the
attic door.”