Page 36 of The Me I Left Behind (Tuckaway Bay #4)

Nineteen

“And that’s why I painted myself like I did.” Chloe smiled and her classmates clapped. The Monday morning selfie art project show-and-tell had gone off without a hitch.

Maggie wasn’t sure she’d ever seen her child grin so broadly. When her teacher, Mrs. Anderson, gave her the nudge that it was time for the next student to share, Chloe ran across the room and into Maggie’s arms.

“I’m so proud of you,” Maggie whispered into her ear. “You are a beautiful artist.”

Chloe hugged her tight. “I love you so much, Mommy.”

Her heart swelled bigger than her chest wall. Could people actually see that? “Oh, sweet girl, I love you too. More than anything.”

Chloe tilted her head and looked into Maggie’s eyes. “Thank you for the glitter. That rocked.”

“It absolutely did.”

Maggie stood and held Chloe’s hand, waiting for the next classmate to share.

She glanced across the room and saw Andy Ryan, from the art supply store, looking her way.

He stood behind a little girl Chloe’s age, his hands resting on her shoulders.

She remembered his daughter was in Chloe’s class, too.

He smiled and gave Maggie a thumbs up.

She gave him a tentative smile back.

After the show-and-tell was over, Maggie kissed Chloe goodbye at the classroom door and headed toward the exit. In the parking lot, she was about to lift her car door handle when someone called out to her. “Hello, there.”

She turned. “Oh. Hi.”

He stepped closer. “I’m Andy. From the art supply store.”

“Yes, of course. I remember you.”

“Maggie, right?”

It felt good that he remembered her name. “Yes, that’s me.” Pausing for a moment, she added, “Your daughter’s presentation was quite fun and unique. Who would have thought she’d selfie herself as a unicorn?”

“Oh, my Anna is definitely one of a kind.” He laughed and shrugged. “But honestly, your Chloe literally shined.”

Maggie leaned toward him. “You mean sparkled.”

“Right.”

“Blame it on the glitter.”

“Definitely.”

Stepping back, she studied him for a moment. “Thanks for your help with the supplies. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” He toed some gravel on the parking lot. “I hope to see you in one of my classes soon?”

It was a question and also a statement. Maggie wasn’t sure how to take it. “I would love to but honestly, the timing is not good right now. Maybe in a couple of months.”

He nodded. “I understand.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of timing, I have about an hour before opening the shop. Are you up for a cup of coffee? We can talk art and easels and stuff. Glitter, too. Us second-grade selfie parents should stick together.”

“I suppose so.” She shouldn’t. And yet, she wanted to, somehow. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“My treat.”

Shit . Did he know about the credit card fiasco? About leaving most of her purchases behind—the ones she never went back to get? Surely not. She was reading into things that weren’t there.

She was unexpectedly embarrassed.

“That’s unnecessary,” she quipped. “I have money.”

He blinked, stepping back. “I didn’t mean to imply—”

“Sorry. And I didn’t mean to be rude.” She touched his arm. “You know what? I could use a coffee about right now, but I want to make sure we’re on the same page first.”

A corner of his mouth turned up in a half-grin. “I get it. You’re not emotionally ready to jump into a relationship.” He leaned closer, his voice lowered. “Love at first sight is overrated, anyway.”

Maggie snorted a laugh. “Ha. I didn’t expect that.”

“I’m glad I could make you laugh.”

“But it’s kind of true, you know?” She slanted her head, watching him.

“I just don’t want to get off on the wrong foot—avoid any misunderstandings.

Coffee as friends would be great. I’d actually like to hear more about your studio and classes.

Plus, we second-grade parents do need to stick together, as you said. But anything else is….”

“Bad timing.” He caught her gaze. Simultaneously, his right eyebrow shot up in question.

She nodded. “Exactly. Sorry to say.”

He took a deep breath and looked down the street. “I get that, too. Hey. There’s a little coffee shop called Ma Malone’s on the next corner. Hole-in-the-wall but super-strong java. Meet you there in five minutes?”

She grinned. “Alright. Who can resist super-strong java?”

But when she parked in front of the coffee shop a few minutes later, anxiety gripped her. She sat there, staring at the lettering on the door.

This was not the time to start something she couldn’t finish. There was too much going on in her life—not fair to her or to anyone else. She couldn’t focus on pleasing another person—she had kids to focus on. Because she’s a people pleaser, right? That’s what the old therapist had said years ago.

Was that still the case? Honestly, she didn’t know.

Have I finally learned my lesson?

She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I should just go,” she whispered.

Why in the hell did I even agree to this? While it seemed safe at the time—Andy had made it feel safe—the idea sounded extremely ridiculous and a little risky.

She liked him, true, and would also like to get to know him better—but she was not on the hunt for a new man in her life. Didn’t know if she’d ever want to be attached to another man, again. She’d sort of grown numb to the idea of it, to be honest.

Take care of yourself, so you can take care of the others.

Julia’s words rang in her head. But does taking care of oneself equate to having coffee with a handsome man she barely knew? She wasn’t sure that it did.

She couldn’t just walk away, however. That would be rude. And if anything, she wouldn’t mind nurturing this relationship for the sake of art—his classes and such. Besides, she loved shopping at his store and didn’t want to stop doing that.

Friends. They could be friends.

She got out and stepped onto the sidewalk. Andy caught up with her at the door and opened it for her.

They made eye contact. “I thought for a minute there you were going to ditch me,” he said.

Maggie took a breath. “I think I almost did.”

He smiled, and it warmed her heart a little. “It’s just coffee, Maggie.”

Just coffee was exactly what she needed.

Conversation with someone other than her girlfriends, or her children, was very welcome. She’d learned about Andy’s daughter, Anna, and his ex-wife, Kate, who lived in Rocky Mount, too. They shared joint custody, and Andy swore it was the best thing for Anna.

Maggie revealed little about Max—just that they were divorcing and that he was currently living out of the country. She figured she could leave the details for another time—if there would be another time.

They chatted about second-grade girls and other random topics. Then he invited her, again, to an acrylics class on Thursday. She didn’t commit, but said she’d think about it.

Forty-five minutes later, they went their separate ways.

Maggie eased out a very lengthy sigh once she got in the car. She took a minute to herself, thinking over the past hour.

“Nice,” she murmured. “That was nice.”

But it was time to get on with her day. Grasping her cell, she quickly texted Julia.

Maggie: I’m stopping by the storage place this morning .

Julia : Sure you want to go by yourself?

Maggie: I’ll be fine. Yes.

Julia: I bet Louise knows things.

Maggie: I wonder if they have cameras.

Julia: Ask to see the footage.

Maggie: What if she refuses? Wants a court order?

Julia: Tell her your lawyer will be in touch.

Maggie: Gotcha. Will get back with you.

She sat there a moment longer, holding her phone and staring at the messages. Should she mention her coffee chat to Julia?

No. I’ll keep that to myself.

She headed on over to Sunset Drive.

Louise jerked her head up from her work as Maggie stepped inside the cramped office.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

She didn’t appear to recognize her, but Maggie wondered if that was true. If not, the woman possessed a damn good poker face.

“I hope so.” She crowded up against the desk, getting as close as possible to Ms. Louise. “I was here on Friday. Came by my unit to get some things and guess what?”

Louise’s eyebrows shot up. “I have no idea. Find a rat inside?”

She had to laugh at that. “I could smell one, to be sure, but find one? No. In fact, my unit was empty.”

She had to hand it to Louise. She held that deadpan facial expression like a champ. “Oh? Empty?”

“Yes. And the day before, it wasn’t. Someone took all the contents. Or moved them.”

Louise blinked. “Unit number?”

“Forty-two.” Louise, the gatekeeper—which was how Maggie was referring to her in her head—flipped through a file of envelopes and plucked one out of the stack. “Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.” Maggie leaned over the desk. “Max Oliver’s unit. I’m his wife. Remember?”

Louise looked up.

Maggie held her stare.

“You say things are missing?”

“Everything is gone. I was here on Thursday, and it was all there. Friday morning, everything was gone. So, I’d like to see your security camera footage for Thursday night.”

Louise laughed. “We don’t have cameras.”

She leaned in. “Seriously?” She looked up at the office corner. “Then what is that?”

Louise didn’t even look up. Instead, she methodically placed the unit envelope back in the stack, then met Maggie’s gaze with a hard stare.

“I guess I’ll just have to call the police, report this as burglary, or something,” Maggie said, pushing away from the counter.

She glanced about, as if taking mental notes.

At least that’s how she hoped it would appear to Louise.

“And contact my lawyer, who was here with me and saw all the items in the unit on Thursday, so she can file changes for negligence against your company. No cameras? Faulty security? Broken locks? What is my husband paying you for, anyway? Of course, I might choose to not go the legal route and just post some bad reviews, write a letter to the editor, call the Better Business Bureau….”

Louise put up a hand. “Stop. I’ll save you the trouble.”

Maggie smiled. “Oh?”