Page 56 of The Journey of a Lifetime

“Maggie.”

The sound of the familiar voice had Maggie stopping in her tracks.She slowly turned.

Standing behind her was her best friend.Ex best friend.Lauren.

Maggie’s heart thudded in her chest.“What are you doing here?”

Lauren clasped her hands in front of her and stood for a moment before speaking.“You ignored my texts and then blocked me.I really need to talk to you.”Dark shadows hung under her eyes and she looked like she’d lost weight.

“I don’t think we have anything to say to each other.”Maggie turned her back.

“Please, Maggie, we have been best friends forever.You can’t let one mistake ruin our friendship,” Lauren pleaded.

Maggie felt her anger rising.She curled her fingers into fists and slowly turned to face her.

“We were best friends.You destroyed that when you slept with Mason.”Her voice was steady and measured despite how angry she felt.

“It was a mistake.I know that now.I regret that more than you know.”She wore her guilt like a shawl.

But it didn’t move Maggie.

“I trusted you.And you threw away our friendship over nothing.I bet you and Mason didn’t last very long after I dumped him.”

Lauren’s face went pale and she studied the ground.“No.He said I ruined everything.”

Maggie laughed.“That’s rich, coming from him.He’s too selfish to accept the consequences of his own actions.That’s why I ended up blocking him.”

Lauren’s face was full of guilt and regret.“You’ll never know how sorry I am.”

Maggie studied her friend.She sighed heavily.“I believe you are.”

Lauren’s face brightened.

“But that doesn’t mean we can go back to how things were.I need faithful people in my life who won’t betray me.I hope that you remember this when you meet your next best friend.”Maggie turned and headed to the van.

While it stung to leave Lauren behind, she knew she had to forge her own path with solid relationships.

When she got to her campsite, she turned around.Lauren was gone.

Her heart tugged with sadness at losing her friend.But when she opened the door of the van and Walker greeted her with a toothy smile and a wag she knew she’d made the right decision.

She sat down beside him and held him close.“What do you say we go find a spot in the mountains to write and chase bunnies?”

Walker grinned and let out an affirmative bark.

Maggie Sullivanknewshe’d made the right decision.

Chapter47

Walker lay his head at Maggie’s feet while she scribbled in her journal.He didn’t know what was so important that she had to constantly be writing stuff down, but at least it made her happy.

They’d been in Colorado for almost two months now.She decided to get her own van.She had discussed it with Daniel and they came to the conclusion that she would just buy his van and he would design another one.

Daniel had flown out a couple times during the summer to visit.He would always sleep in the tent and Maggie would take the van.Walker could tell by the way Daniel looked at Maggie that he loved her.She just didn’t see it … not yet.

Maggie had limited her clients so she could still have time to write.The owner of the bakery said she could park her van on his land by the water if she wanted to stay.She was contemplating taking him up on his offer.

She was happier than he’d seen her in a while.She was finding her place in this world.

As for him, despite his eyesight growing poor, his sense of smell and hearing were amplified.He could hear a squirrel thirty feet away and smell a bunny across a meadow.It always made Maggie laugh when he launched himself full speed, chasing one of the creatures.He never caught them because they were so fast.Maybe one day.

He looked up at Maggie, and she met his gaze.

“We are living life, aren’t we, Walker?”She rubbed his head.

Living life.That’s exactly what they were doing.

And living life to the fullest.