Page 2 of The Journey of a Lifetime (Tiny Homes and Happy Tails #2)

S till in shock, and with a heavy heart, Maggie walked into her parents’ house.

Her mother, Julia Sullivan, came around the corner and looked a bit shocked when she saw her daughter standing there.

“Maggie! I didn’t think you would be home so soon. Are you done with all your exams?” Her mom came over and gave her a quick hug. She glanced behind her. “And where is Mason?”

Maggie nodded. “Mason still has exams to take. I finished mine.” She cleared her throat. “Mom …”

Her mom waved her hand in the air. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon.

But now that you are here, you can help set the table for dinner.

We are having the Smiths over tonight. You remember the Smiths, don’t you?

They just bought another house in Hawaii.

Their law firm is doing exceptionally well. ” She hurried back into the kitchen.

Maggie didn’t want to help in the kitchen. She wanted to talk to her mom about Mason and Lauren and their betrayal. While she’d never been close with her mom, she felt like she needed her at what felt like the lowest point in her life.

Her feet felt like they were struggling through quicksand as she followed her mom into the dining room. “I need to talk to you about Mason, Mom.” Her voice quivered with emotion. She tried to swallow but her mouth felt like ash.

Her mom didn’t even bother looking at her. “I think the Smiths might just offer you a summer job interning at their firm. It’s great experience and would look wonderful on your resume.” Her mom smiled as she counted out the fine China to set the dining room table.

“I need to tell you something. It’s about Mason.” Maggie managed to get the words out.

Her mother’s face fell. “Please tell me you two didn’t have a fight. You know how much we like Mason. He comes from a very good family and, once you two started dating, his father invested a large amount with your father.”

Her father, John Sullivan, was a financial planner, and had done well by landing Mason’s father as a client. She’d never been close to her father, who always worked late and prioritized success over a family life.

Maggie opened her mouth to speak but nothing would come out.

Why in the world did she think her mother would listen to her this time?

Finally able to form words, Maggie settled with, “We didn’t fight.”

Her mother’s face broke into a big smile.

“Good. That’s good, honey. We will have a nice dinner with the Smiths tonight.

I’m sure they’ll be so impressed with you and offer you an internship.

Although it won’t be a lot of money, but the experience is so valuable. It will open a lot of doors for you.”

Something inside of Maggie seemed to withdraw.

She didn’t want to think about an internship. She wanted her mother to see she was in pain. For once she wanted her mom to comfort her.

Coming home had been a mistake.

Maggie glanced to the back yard. “Where’s Walker?” She looked back at her mother.

Her mother’s gaze darted away, and she began working on a floral centerpiece arrangement for the dining room table.

“Mom?” Maggie narrowed her eyes.

She let out an irritated sigh. “He’s in the garage. We’ve been keeping him out there since he started having problems.”

Maggie’s heart tugged in her chest. “What kind of problems? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Her mother shrugged and continued to work on the arrangement to her liking. “I wanted you to focus on school and not worry about your dog. You know how important college is.”

Worry seeped into her chest. “What’s wrong with Walker?”

Her mother set down a bunch of frilly white flowers and turned to look at her daughter.

“Walker is having problems running into things. He walked into my very expensive vase that I keep by the fireplace and busted it. When he kept running into the wall, I finally took him to the vet. I thought he was having a stroke, but the vet said … getting old. As dogs do.”

Maggie’s heart dropped. She couldn’t imagine a life without Walker.

Her mother picked up the flowers and began sticking them in the centerpiece. “So I decided to stick him in the garage. He can’t get into trouble out there. Maggie, you must know he’s an old dog, and it’s time we said our goodbyes.”

Maggie couldn’t believe her ears. Ignoring her mother, she ran toward the garage and opened the door. Her hand found the light switch on the wall and flipped it up.

Walker was in the corner of the garage curled up on his dog bed asleep. His once white fur was starting to yellow, reminding her of his age.

Her heart twisted in her chest. Her mother put his dog bed out here.

Maggie swallowed the lump in her throat. “Walker?”

The Labrador retriever slowly lifted his head and wagged his tail.