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My next client came down the sidewalk, and I walked to the door to let her in. For the rest of the day, it seemed like it was nonstop. I didn’t even have time to check my phone until I heard it ringing in my pocket.

I excused myself from my client, who was waiting on the bleach to process in her hair, and took the call. “Hi! This is Maggie.”

“Hey, Maggie, this is Bernice Williams, the director at the retirement home. Cam gave me your number.”

“That’s great!” I told her a little about my project, and she asked if I could come in after work to talk and make some plans. Since I had a little time before practice tonight, I said I would.

Rhonda was so happy I was making progress that she offered to close up shop, and I even had time to grab some food to-go at the diner before heading to the retirement home. But when I walked down the sidewalk, I heard someone whistle behind me.

I turned, ready to snap at whoever it was for wolf-whistling at me, but instead saw Rhett getting out of his truck. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Are you following me?”

“Nope.” He walked down the sidewalk carrying a plastic bag of takeout and then kept pace beside me as we walked to the door.

I stared at him. “What, then?”

He punched in the code at the front door like he’d been here a million times before. “My grandpa lives here. I see him every Tuesday night. We eat dinner together before practice.”

52

MAGNOLIA

I staredat Rhett in shock, almost not moving until I realized he was holding the door open for me. “You see him every Tuesday?”

Cam came walking down the tiled hallway in her cute pink scrubs. “Rhett! I was starting to worry you weren’t coming.” And then she saw me, looking confused. “Mags? What are you doing here?”

“Me?” I asked. “I’m here for a meeting with the director. Were you waiting on Rhett?”

Cam and Rhett exchanged a glance.

“What is going on?” I asked, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.

Bernice came out of the front office and smiled at the three of us. “Maggie, it’s great to see you. Why don’t we chat in my office?”

I looked between her, my friend, and my boyfriend. Realizing she was waiting on me, I pasted a smile on my lips. “That sounds great.”

I could feel Rhett and Cam watching me as I followed Bernice into her office and she shut the door behind her.

While we chatted about potential days and times and logistics, I had the same questions running in the back of my mind. Why had Cam seen Rhett every Tuesday without telling me?

Bernice and I made plans to have the salon set up in the community room the first weekend of every month, and she said she had a volunteer who could help me bring equipment back and forth so I wasn’t carrying everything from the salon on my own. We decided to have the first salon day a month from this weekend.

When we were done, she asked if I wanted her to walk me to the door, and I glanced at my watch. We still had an hour until practice started, so I asked, “Can you show me where Rhett and Grandpa Griffen are visiting?”

“Of course,” she said with a smile.

I walked after her down a hallway until we reached a big room with lots of tables and benches and even a little theater area. At one of the tables, I saw Rhett, Cam, and Grandpa Griffen all sitting and eating together, laughing and talking like old friends.

My stomach sank, and those old jealous feelings came up. I knew I shouldn’t be so upset, especially before I knew all the facts, but I also knew if I approached them right now, I wouldn’t behave the way I should.

I made a show of glancing at my watch and said, “Actually, Bernice, I need to get something from the store before it closes. I’ll be in touch closer to the day!”

She smiled. “Sounds good. But you better hurry. You’ve got about ten minutes.”

“I will,” I replied, booking it out of the building. When I got to my car, the tightness in my chest wouldn’t go away.

All I could remember was going to Rhett’s place, knocking on the door and him answering half-naked with Lola behind him, wrapped in a sheet.

This wasn’t the same, I told myself.