She snorted. “You’re a better person than me, son. I’m so… sopissedat him that I would probably let him deal with the shitty public defender.”
“No, I don’t want that for him. We talked after the arrest, and while he’s mad at me, I think he understood what I was telling him about making a deal.”
“Let’s hope so. God gave him a brain. It’s his job to use it.” Deb sighed. “On that note, I’m going to get the baskets out of hiding. Because after all that, you need chocolate and you don’t deserve to hunt them down.”
She wheeled away, leaving a devastated Luke on the couch next to Maggie.
“I ruined Easter,” he murmured, probably not meaning for her to overhear.
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t know they were going to raid last night. How could you? This is not your fault. It’s Aaron’s. He made those choices.”
“Listen to your girlfriend.” Deb reentered the room and dropped two wicker baskets on the coffee table. “Or at least, that’s what the rumor mill is calling her.” She winked at Maggie.
Maggie looked over at Luke, who wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead. “We haven’t discussed it yet.”
“What’s to discuss?”
Maggie grimaced. “My husband.”
Apparently, Easter was the new holiday for airing dirty laundry. She explained to Deb that her husband hadn’t taken the divorce well, and that’s why she’d fled Oklahoma.
“He’s sent a couple things to the diner, so he knows I’m working there.”
“Are you safe at the Haven?”
“This is why I’ve been staying with her so much.” Luke’s arm tightened around her.
“Of course. Let me know if you need anything, Maggie.” Deb stared off into space as she broke open a chocolate rabbit.
Chapter 23
Ithadbeentwoweeks since her divorce petition had showed up at the diner. Two weeks of Luke taking her to the shooting range and teaching her to shoot a gun in their free time. He’d retained an attorney for Aaron and he was sleeping better. Maggie was relieved that the dark circles under his eyes were almost gone.
Virginia had teased them about charging Luke as her roommate, but she’d handed over an extra set of keys anyway. Deb kept asking if Luke was moving in with Maggie, but Maggie had her hopes set on an apartment downtown. The lease for the apartment next to Grace’s above her bakery was up soon and they were excited about the idea of being neighbors. Plus, Grace would make an excellent landlord.
With no news from Alex or threats from Sean, Maggie and Luke had relaxed a little. She had started going places without him, though they were usually not far from each other.
Tonight, however, was slow at the diner, and Maggie volunteered to leave early. Luke stayed because Shorty had come down with a stomach bug and called off. She pulled intothe Haven and parked her car, noticing another car parked around the back. Maggie beamed with pride. Her social media marketing for Virginia must be working.
She waved at Virginia, who was dusting the living area and hopped up the stairs to her room. Maggie giggled thinking of how she could surprise Luke when he got back. But when she unlocked the door, all plans of seduction fled.
Her dresser drawers were on the floor. All the sexy lingerie she’d bought last week with Grace that she’d planned to wear for Luke was shredded. With a cry, she turned to the closet, which had not been spared. No! Her beautiful pink dress that she’d worn for the dance lay in tatters. The matching pink heels met a similar fate.
Her laptop? Missing. The power cord laid on the desk, a loose end.
Her mind whirled as she stood among her ruined possessions. Only one person would be this petty. This violent.
Before she could think his name, the bathroom door creaked open. “Hello,wife.”
Maggie dove for her purse. She had to get to her phone. But Sean stepped in her way. Her self-preservation kicked in and she stepped back.
“That’s right. Look at me, bitch.”
Sean looked terrible. He hadn’t shaved in weeks, and smelled like he hadn’t showered, either. His shirt and jeans were caked in dust. Shaggy blonde hair hung limp and greasy. Apparently, it only took two months for his clean-cut image to fall away and show the world his rotten core. Did he think letting himself go would make her feel sorry for him?
“How’d you get in here?” she gritted out.
He chuckled, leaning in closer, his rancid breath turning her stomach. “I rented a room, of course. Apparently, you never toldMiss Virginia your real last name. It was too easy. Then I just had to pick this old-fashioned lock.”
