Page 2 of The Me I Left Behind (Tuckaway Bay #4)

Two

Six months earlier

“Please stay longer, Maggie. There is no need for you to go.”

Maggie plucked a pair of jeans from a clothes pile on her bed, loosely folding them.

“You’re sweet, Lia, but we need to get out of your hair.

Christmas is over and we all agreed to leave after a couple of days so you and Zach can have a quiet New Year’s holiday.

Besides, he’s tolerated us long enough, and Sea Glass Inn is still in recovery mode after the Christmas storm and all the related chaos. ”

“But you’re not a problem, Mags.”

Oh, but I am. I am always a problem. “Seriously? Drama follows me to every girlfriend getaway. You all don’t need the Maggie shit show now.”

Laughing, Lia stilled her hands. “Stop folding. Good gracious. Your family provided no more chaos than anyone else’s.”

“Oh? Whose daughter went off and told the world that Alice is gay? Who argued with Ella and made her run out into the storm? She could have gotten hurt.” Pulling back, she reached for one of Jason’s T-shirts on the bed.

“And whose daughter had a baby on the prep island in the restaurant kitchen? Whose ex-husband showed up unexpectedly with his new wife and stepdaughter? And Zach’s not innocent in this, either. What about his fishing buddies crashing our holiday?”

Maggie met her gaze. “Exactly why the Oliver family needs to head home. Besides, I’m tired and sort of brain dead.”

Julia sat on the edge of the bed. “Maggie, look. You seem a little tense. Don’t let all the Carol stuff get to you. She’s going to grow out of this crap sooner or later.”

Staring at the pile of clothes on the bed, Maggie exhaled, then turned and sat beside Julia. “It’s not just Carol.” Pausing, she glanced at both girlfriends. “Well, she’s involved, but this time she wasn’t bringing the shit. It’s Max.”

“But he’s still in Australia. Right?” Lia touched her arm.

She nodded. “Yes, but apparently his reach is far.”

Shifting to face her, Julia asked, “What happened?”

Maggie pushed out another breath and briefly closed her eyes. She had to unload some of this, didn’t she? She’d not wanted to get into it on Christmas Day, and then the day after, with all the storm cleanup. No one wanted to deal with her family shit then.

Especially her.

But now? Maybe.

“Maggie?” Julia prodded.

“All right.” She stood quickly and paced a few steps. Abruptly, her insides felt like trembling jelly. “Let me just get it out, then we can talk.”

“Sure,” Lia said.

Julia agreed. “Of course.”

Again, she took a deep breath. “Here’s the gist of it.

You know Max is working the holiday in Australia.

Well, the kids and I had scheduled a video call with him for Christmas Eve at midnight Brisbane time, which was ten in the morning for us here.

He didn’t log on. About an hour later, Carol got back on the tablet and noticed that he had signed in—but apparently had forgotten to turn the thing off. The computer was in a bedroom and—”

“Oh no…” Lia gasped.

“Fucking shit. What did she see?” Julia stood too.

Maggie shook her head. “Not what you think.”

“Then what?” Lia joined them.

“It was what she heard first—a baby crying. Then she saw Max get up to get the baby. And then him talking with a woman.”

Both Lia and Julia stared for a moment.

“Wait. What?”

“I don’t understand.”

Turning, Maggie headed for the window and peered out over the ocean. “Evidently, Max is starting another family in Australia. It’s his baby. His and this woman’s.”

“Oh, holy fuck.” Julia came up behind her. “We will get his sorry ass, Mags. I swear. Just give me the word and I’ll file divorce papers.”

Maggie swiftly pivoted. “No. I don’t know what to do yet. I don’t know what I want to do.”

“Of course, you don’t.” Julia paused, studying Maggie for a minute. Her voice lowered, she went on. “I don’t mean right now, this minute. These things take time. But give me that time and we will make the sorry asshole pay.”

Lia moved in and embraced Maggie from the side. “Oh, honey. Are you okay? What can I do for you right now?”

Her words overflowed with concern and Maggie’s heart warmed. Turning, she gazed into Lia’s eyes and soaked up her compassion. “I’m okay. I’m numb, actually, so I guess that’s a form of okay. Who knows?”

“Have you talked to him?” Lia’s eyes probed.

Maggie shook her head. “No. I’ve not. Carol has. He told her not to tell me, the bastard, and that he would call. Well, it’s been three days….”

“Goddamn sonofabitch.” Julia paced now, running a hand through her hair. “Tell me what you want me to do. I’ll start researching the legalities in Australia and then we can—”

“Stop, Julia.” Maggie grasped her forearm and met her gaze. “I can’t go there yet. I just need to think.”

Julia pushed out a breath. “Okay. I’m rushing you. But I will be doing some research behind the scenes.”

Maggie nodded. Let her work. It’s what she does. And maybe it will keep her out of my hair for a while. Until I’m ready.

“This is why you should stay, Maggie,” Lia said. “It will give you time to unwind from this and all the other chaos, talk things through with us, and perhaps spend some quality time with the kids for a few more days.”

“No.”

“Why?” Lia stepped closer.

“Well, for one, I am not concerning either of you, or Alice, with my crap right now. You have families to be with,” she said. “Besides, I’m not ready to talk this through, yet. And as for spending time with the kids? I can do that at home.”

“Can you?” Julia asked. “You know what will happen. You’ll get home and Carol and Jason will hook up with their friends, and you’ll not see them until school starts in January.”

She was probably right. “But this has been one hell of a holiday. With Max, and the storm, and Ella getting lost, and Belle’s baby— Good God, Lia, you don’t need me, my kids, or my problems hanging on, too.”

“Then come stay with us, if that makes you more comfortable,” Julia said. “Sam’s place is small, but there is an extra bedroom. The littles can camp out in the family room. Carol can bunk with Hannah until she leaves for Albuquerque. Might be nice for both of them. It would be tight but—”

Maggie stopped Julia with a hug—which seemed to startle her friend. She spoke softly, but directly. “You both are lovely, and I thank you—but we should go. I have things to figure out.”

“Can you do that at home? Alone?” Lia prodded once more. “Is that possible?”

She wasn’t sure, to be honest. “I don’t know.”

“Maggie, please reconsider. It’s only a few more days. Maybe until New Year’s Eve?”

Returning to the pile of laundry on her bed, she folded a few more articles, her brain rolling over the question. “I don’t know, Lia. Let me think about it. We’ll stay tonight, at least. How about that?”

Lia smiled. “Perfect.”

The Nor’easter that blew over the Outer Banks on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day left them with mild temperatures and clear skies. Maggie pulled her legs up on the wooden beach chair and wrapped a blanket tighter around both her and Carol as they stared into the night.

“The stars are really bright tonight,” she whispered. “Look, there’s the big dipper.”

“And the small one, too.” Carol pointed. The two sat huddled together by the firepit at the back of the inn. Chloe was already asleep in bed, and Jason was up in their suite watching a movie. “I wish I knew the names of more stars and constellations. They are really pretty out here at the beach.”

“Umhmm,” Maggie murmured. “So easy to see. Hard to imagine people all over the world looking at the same thing we are looking at right now. Isn’t it?” Times like this, Maggie realized how small their world really was. Her world, her life, her problems.

“Like Dad? Can he see these same stars?”

Maggie wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. Probably not right now. I don’t know how that all works on the other side of the world.”

Carol gazed upward. “I don’t want to go home yet,” she whispered. “Can we stay longer?”

“Don’t you want to go home and see your friends?”

“Not really.”

Maggie rotated toward her daughter, catching the uncertainty in her eyes. “You don’t? I thought Sophie was texting you like crazy, wanting you to come home. Don’t you want to see your best friend over the holidays? Didn’t she mention a party?”

“Yeah, she did. But I’m not in the mood, really.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.” Carol nodded. “I don’t want to be where he was. I want to stay here with you and Jason and Chloe for a while longer and not think about him. My head is still kind of spinning around it all. It’s like he’s not here, but I know once we get home, it will feel like he is.”

Maggie understood. Max permeated everything he touched. Whether or not he was there.

“I understand, honey. But we’re going to have to go, eventually. We can’t impose on Lia and Zach for too much longer.”

Carol’s head fell against her shoulder. “Please?”

Maggie sighed and wrapped the blanket tighter around them. “All right. Two more days. I want to be home before New Year’s Eve. We have school to get ready for.”

“Okay.” Carol snuggled closer. “Thanks, Mom.”

It wasn’t like Carol to avoid her friends and want to be with family. Who was this child of hers right now? The Max incident seemed like a turning point for her.

And likely, would be for all of them.

“Sweetie, what was it your dad said about telling me?”

“He told me not to tell you. That he would talk to you. Did he?”

“No. I’ve had no word. You?”

Carol shook her head. “No.” She inched her arms around Maggie’s waist. “I’m not sure I want you to hear from him. My head tries to sort things out. My heart is really confused.”

That statement hurt her own heart.

Carol went on. “I know you said there’ve been other women. But do you think this time, with this woman, it’s different, Mom? They have a baby. Is Dad coming home, or what?”

Good question. “I don’t know, sweetheart.”

“But if he loves her and the baby, then what? What happens to us? Me and Jason and Chloe? What happens to you?”