Chapter 7.
Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will. ~ Jawaharlal Nehru Mitch caught Maggie"s eye when she walked through the restaurant. He wished she didn"t look so d.a.m.n good. He loved how her sweat suit hugged her curves. The older she got, the better her body. And the color-The old Maggie never would"ve worn pink. She made it a point to shy away from any shade of the color.
Mitch took a deep breath trying to free up the tightness in his chest. Deep breathing never worked when Maggie was around, but he tried anyway. The pink made her hair look blacker and her skin more olive. She wasn"t fooling anybody. Her pure soul shone through those dark, mysterious eyes. There was no hiding the real Maggie. He could see right through her attempt to be someone she wasn"t.
He sat up a little straighter when Maggie walked by. Wendy reached over and touched his hand. She smiled and patted him. He focused on her hand. Wendy Owens was a catch any single man in town would love to get.
Wendy was beautiful without trying. She was always up for anything-was one of the guys. He didn"t have to wait on her to put on makeup like the other girls in town, or fix her hair. Today she had jumped into his truck and quickly put her silky blonde hair on all sorts of crazy criss-crosses that wrapped around her head in two rows leaving a few wispies flying in the wind from the open window.
Not that he didn"t like being Maggie"s experiment. He worshipped her. He went along with whatever she suggested. He could still hear her tender words the night before she left for college.
"What if we give up our opportunity, Mitch.e.l.l?" Make love to me. Give me a reason to visit."
He recalled how easy it was to get lost in the way she looked at him. He lost all control. From years of desire, he took his time and gave Maggie everything she begged for. Everything he ever dreamed up came true that night. Mitch begged her to stay, he gave all of himself to her on the promise she"d be back.
Hopeful, he watched Maggie climb out his bedroom window. The next day he went to the cemetery early. Maggie was there and Mitch hid in the bushes. That"s when he knew she"d never leave town without telling her parents goodbye.
"Let"s go." Mitch grabbed Wendy"s hand. He whispered in her ear, "I need you."
"Mitch.e.l.l!" Hazel Greenlee profusely waved her hands in the air, at least twenty bracelets jingled around her small wrist. He waved over to the Greenlee"s and Liz Day.
Against his better judgment, he knew he better go over and say h.e.l.lo. It would be quick. He was on a mission that didn"t include the Greenlee"s.
Mitch"s finger tingled where Wendy squeezed his hand too tight. It was her secret way of telling him to cut it short so he could make good on his promise he had whispered moments ago. As Mayor, he was always stopped by someone wherever they went.
"Mornin" ladies." Mitch made sure to give everyone eye contact, but lingered a little too long on Maggie.
Wendy tugged Mitch"s arm. Her signal for him to cut it short. "Belle, it was a lovely shower yesterday. I had a wonderful time."
"Why thank you." Belle flipped her hair behind her ear, sat up a little taller, and reached over grabbing Maggie"s hand. "Anything for our little bride."
Mitch noticed Maggie didn"t look up. She continued to fiddle with her engagement ring that was nauseatingly big. Nothing he"d be able to afford-especially on the Mayor"s salary.
"Liz, you must come over to Mitch.e.l.l"s and give him some decorating tips." Oh boy, Mitch had to get Wendy out of there fast. "I can only do so much and then it"s too feminine for him. We love the office couch."
There was no way Mitch was going to let some fancy interior designer wreck havoc on his farm house. He loved the wood burning stove. The large wood beams hung from the ceiling, and the wood chips trickled all over the floor where he had carried the wood in.
He wasn"t going to speak up. Wendy was proving a point and he wasn"t going to stop her-yet.
"Anytime. Just give me a call." Liz Day handed Wendy a business card. Liz and her son, Hayes, had moved to Grandberry a few months ago to start a new life.
Grandberry Falls embraced their only interior decorator, who was much needed to help restore the beautiful historic downtown and old homes that made Grandberry Falls a very desirable place to live in the south.
"First she has to get started on helping me plan the New Year"s Eve bash," Maggie"s Aunt Jenna chimed in. "Liz and I are co-host this year."
Jenna Greenlee took pride in being president of the local MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, chapter. Her husband was killed by a drunk driver and she"s made it her life"s mission to help fight anyone who drank a drop before getting behind the wheel. And when Liz blew into town, Jenna embraced her and now she"s just like a Greenlee.
Mitch had them to thank for getting elected. They walked and talked him right into the Mayor"s chair. Liz busted her b.u.t.t making some really cool signs for the newly designed downtown offices and remodeled historic homes.
"Yes. I do have a lot to get done." Liz brought Mitch back in from his thoughts. "Does the Mayor want to donate a prize for the raffle?"
Mitch noticed Liz was looking at Wendy for conformation, just like she had a final say in his decisions.
"We"ve got to go." Mitch"s hand was numb from lack of blood. "I"ll see ya"ll later this afternoon. Maggie, have a safe trip back."
It took everything he had to muster up another goodbye to her. He secretly vowed this one to be the last.
He had to move on and it had to be with Wendy. Maggie had moved on. It was now time for him.
Chapter 8.
It is sad when two people turn from the paths they"re traveling, and their paths go on to cross without them. ~ Robert Brault They rode in silence back to his farm. He thought about Maggie the entire way home and how the pink sweat suit showed off her perfect body. The harder she burned in his mind, the faster he drove. Being Mayor did have some perks. If the police saw him, they wouldn"t pull him over. It wasn"t long before they got to Mitch"s house.
He pulled into the long gravel driveway with his head still in the clouds. He could still picture Maggie"s black lacy bra and panties, her smell and her olive skin. He loved how she arched when her body conformed to his and the small moans coming out of her mouth.
"Slow down." Wendy reached over, caressing the nape of his hair. "
The gravel was flying from under the tires, pinging the side of the old truck. The only neighbor was Hazel Greenlee and he knew she was at the Fatted Pig.
He couldn"t stand it any longer. It was like a ripple effect. He had to have Wendy, right here, right now. He was going to get Maggie Greenlee out of his head once and for all. He jerked the wheel and the truck went off the gravel into the field.
"What"s wrong with you?" Wendy held onto the door jam.
Mitch threw it into park and grabbed her. Placing his mouth on hers, he closed his eyes and imagined Maggie. Never once did he open his eyes. Deep down he knew it wasn"t Maggie, deep down he was saying goodbye-forever.
"Marry me." Mitch pulled back. He didn"t plan for these words to happen, but this would help him move forward with his life. "Marry me today."
Wendy smiled at him. Her blonde hair lay around her face making her so angelic. She was going to make him forget Maggie and he knew it.
"Don"t be going around asking me to marry you because you can"t have Maggie Greenlee." Wendy ran her fingers through his hair and down his back. "Is this about Maggie?"
Mitch knew she was too smart and he could never fool her. To spare Wendy"s feelings, and to move on with his life, he was willing to break any superst.i.tion to get Maggie Greenlee out of his head.
"Wendy Owens, I would"ve married you in high school if you had noticed me." He kissed her lips and pulled away. "I need you, Wendy. Please marry me."
Chapter 9.
Superst.i.tion: Sleep with your feet away from the door to keep away bad luck.
Normally Maggie wouldn"t be so ready to get back to the crowded streets of Manhattan, but today when the Empire State Building came into view, she beeped the horn for joy.
Even in the middle of the night, NYC was hopping and thank G.o.d she had taken off work the next day, because she needed to move her bed-first thing.
"Good evening, Ms. Greenlee." The garage operator lifted the gate. "I"ll call Stan to get your bags."
"Don"t worry about it." Maggie threw her hands in the air. "I only have a duffle bag."
He signaled her to go and the gate shut behind her. Grady made sure it was a safe place to live. She loved how he looked after her.
She"d lived with Grady a few months already, and she still wasn"t use to living in such a luxurious home.
The elevator key took her straight up to the Penthouse. The mail was on the table just to the left of the door. Maggie wasn"t going to waste her time thumbing through it because she wanted to get her bed situated and fast.
The duffle bag echoed when she dropped it on the marble floor. She"d be sure to remember to get it in the morning before Grady came over. He couldn"t stand a messy house.
Their loft overlooked the open floor plan and the family room was just below. The three white couches, arranged in a semi-circle, looked heavenly with the black pillow accents and the back lighting. She looked up at the loft, and then stared out of the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the New York City skyline. It looked like it was out of a magazine.
She galloped down the circular stairs that led down to the kitchen where she was sure she"d find a bunch of roses. Grady always left her a welcome back gift every time she came home from Grandberry Falls. He knew exactly how to relieve the stress that visiting Hazel and Belle put on her.
Her nails slid across the granite countertop making a screeching noise. She peered around the counter into the family room, but there was no sign of flowers, card, or candy.
"Oh, well," Maggie said, dismissing Grady"s oversight. He had been busy lately and there was a lot to do before they took off on their honeymoon. She didn"t have time to obsess about silly flowers. She needed to get the four poster bed moved away from the door and fast.
Maggie couldn"t stop thinking about Wendy and her friends from the Fatted Pig. Those words rang over and over in her ears, "I had a dream she was left at the altar."
"Ugh!" Maggie screamed trying to push the bed remembering why she paid Bova to install it for her. She and Grady would"ve never been able to put this thing together. She stood back, brushed her bangs out of her eyes and with one more push, muttered, "Stupid superst.i.tion."
She might want to erase her past, but she couldn"t erase something so ingrained in her and Hazel beat that one into her head.
If she couldn"t change what was said, she sure could live superst.i.tious-free for the next three weeks. Once she and Grady were married, she"d give up superst.i.tion all together, just like she"d given up Grandberry Falls.
The more she pushed, the more she realized the bed wasn"t budging. She"d have to wait until the morning to have the handyman help her or maybe Grady could lend a hand.
Chapter 10.
Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend. ~ Bill Watterson "What are you doing?"
The automatic shades parted, letting a few rays of sun into Maggie"s bedroom. She laid the crook of her arm over her eyes.
"Get off the floor."
Maggie squinted and then opened her eyes when the shadow shaded the light for her.
"I had to sleep on the floor." Maggie sat up, pleased to see her feet were still pointed toward the wall.
"And what is wrong with your bed?" Lillian looked confused. She handed Maggie a cup.
Maggie was never so happy to see the green G.o.ddess from Starbucks and her long time New York friend, Lillian Alexander. Lillian was a pro-bono lawyer, and was going to South Africa to offer her services after Maggie"s wedding.
"What is it about Grandberry Falls that makes you so crazy?" Lillian leaned to the left with her right hand planted on her hip and coffee in the other. With her hair down, she did resemble the iconic figure on the cup, only her hair was red not green. "Get up. You have that big meeting this afternoon."
Maggie checked the time. 10 am? The big secretive meeting was taking place at two and she had plenty of time to call Grady and see why he hadn"t called. As a matter of fact, she hadn"t talked to Grady all weekend. He hadn"t even called to see what they got from the shower.
Lillian would make herself at home while Maggie called Grady.
When he went with the guys to Cabo and didn"t call her the entire weekend, she threw a fit. Her anger was short-lived when the Tiffany diamond tennis bracelet fit perfectly on her wrist.
"Please leave a message." Grady"s answering machine picked up on the first ring.
Maggie immediately dialed his office.
"Hi, Maureen. It"s Maggie. Is Grady there?" Maggie could hear his a.s.sistant clicking on the computer. She was great at fielding his calls and that"s the one thing he liked about her, but Maggie didn"t.
"Hi, Ms. Greenlee. Mr. Cohen is in a very important meeting. I know he"d love to talk to you, so can he call you back?" Maureen wasn"t making it very easy for Maggie to forgive Grady. Maggie thought Grady should always take her calls.
Still, Maggie didn"t like another women being a gatekeeper between her and her fiance.
"That"s fine. Tell him I"m home and can"t wait to see him." Maggie didn"t wait for Maureen to respond, she hung up and went to find Lillian in the office on the computer.
"I need your help." Maggie looked over Lillian"s shoulder. "How do you have so many friends?" Her Facebook friends seemed endless where Maggie only had a few.
Maggie flicked the overhead lights on. Anything to make the dark wood-panel room lighter. Grady said it was elegant, a business man"s dream. And if he was going to work at home a few times a week, he needed the dark panel muse. Maggie found it odd he believed in muses, but not superst.i.tions.
"I have to move my bed around. I can"t sleep with my feet facing the door until after the wedding." Maggie was hoping Lillian would help her maneuver the bed around to the other side of the wall. Grady would hate it, but she"d use the great view of the city from the bed to entice his pleasures.
Lillian twirled the leather chair around with her toes clicking on the hard-wood floor. "Why?"
Maggie plopped down on the leather chaise. With a weary look, she spoke, "I know Grady doesn"t believe in superst.i.tion, but I overheard a girl in Grandberry Falls say she had a dream that Grady left me at the altar."
Lillian snorted, and put her hand to her mouth. "And what does rearranging your bedroom have to do with this?"
Maggie inhaled. If anyone would understand in NYC, it"d be Lillian. "I"m going to try to debunk that girl"s dream. To help break a superst.i.tion, you must sleep with your feet pointed away from the door. And if moving my bed around will help me feel better-then I"m moving my bed around. With or without your help. "
Maggie got up and went into the foyer to get her duffle bag. She had to get this done before work and before Grady got home. If she did it herself or with the help of someone other than Grady, she wouldn"t have to explain why she wanted to move the bed, it would already be done and he"d have to accept it.
The mail was still on the round table in the middle of the foyer from the weekend. The maid had left it for them so they"d get it when they walked in.