Page 45 of The Me I Left Behind

She didn’t blame Carol for being mad at Max—but she had to get a grip on her anger, somehow. “I’m sure you are good at that.”

“My parents split up when I was three.”

“So, you’ve been through it.” Maggie exhaled. “I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Do you see both parents often?”

He nodded. “Yes. They live here, in town, and me and my brother, we go back and forth. It’s all we know, really.”

“I’m glad it’s working for you, Tyler.”

Maggie knew, in her head and in her heart, that joint custody would not be a good thing for the kids—but that idea would be off the table if Max stayed in Australia. Julia said she’d see to it. But if he came back to the states to stay, then she was going to have to worry about a different custody situation.

They’d not seen him since he’d left in January, after Carol’s accident and the incident at the house. Jason and Chloe were clueless about what had happened that night. Max called twice in January, asking to talk to the kids, but there’d been nothing—no communication from him—since.

They asked why. She told them it was because of his work and the time differences. They bought it. She wanted to keep the details of Max’s disappearance from them for the time being, hoping to maintain some sense of normalcy.

She, herself, had only heard from him through his attorney. Max had lawyered up after the incident in January—probably concerned about the pending assault charges. When his attorney had reached out to her, she’d referred him directly to Julia. She’d had no contact with Max after that.

It was like her husband had simply stepped off the stage.

While she expected that, given the circumstances, it also worried her. He was too quiet. Calm before the storm?

She supposed she needed to brace herself for anything.

“I don’t think she’s coming down.”

Maggie sighed and met Tyler’s gaze. “Is she mad at you, too?”

“Sorta. Yes.”

“Want me to get her?”

“No.” He shook his head. “Let’s wait a minute.”

Maggie had to chuckle inwardly. If Carol was mad, Tyler probably wasn’t ready to face her, and she didn’t blame him. “Sure. Do you want to talk about it?”

He took another long drink of his root beer, then set the empty can aside. “Apparently, I was looking at another girl. I mean, I guess I stared, or so she said, too long.”

“Ah.” Maggie stood, picking up his can and placing it in the recycling container. “The green-eyed monster reared its ugly head.”

“I didn’t realize looking was a crime.”

Maggie had to laugh. The boy had a lot to learn.

Tyler looked surprised.

“Was this a girl she knows?”

He sniffed and ran a hand under his nose. “Yeah. Someone she doesn’t like.”

“Oh, well, that’s not good. Is it? You ogling a girl she doesn’t like?” She laughed, teasing him on one hand, but on the other, perhaps sending a message to the young man.Ogling the enemy is a first-class offense.

“I didn’t know.”

“Sorry, Tyler. Carol can be… How to say…?”A little bitch?“A lot to handle. I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“I don’t know.”

His cell phone pinged then, and seconds later, so did Maggie’s. She and Tyler exchanged glances.