Essie swallowed. “Frank’s going to lose it. But he needs to know. And his lawyer needs to know, too. Can you send all of this to me?”
“I’ve already got an email in my drafts. I’ll finish pulling all the links when I get home and send it right away.”
Essie grabbed Maude’s hand. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m still really sorry.”
“So am I. But not as sorry as Ryan’s going to be once Frank makes a plan.”
Chapter Ten
Being the bearer of bad news left Maude unhappy, but as she drove home, she knew it had to be done. Frank and Essie deserved to know what was going on. Those poor people. They were so nice.
She took the road to her house on autopilot, her thoughts elsewhere. Sophie seemed like a spoiled rich kid who had no clue about the real world. Maude had worked since she was fifteen. Her brother had, too. She tried not to take anything for granted and prided herself on knowing the value of saving.
Her whole move to the Colony had been part of her financial plan. And would be a part of her retirement. She figured she’d work another ten years and if business stayed stable and she could keep putting money away like she had been, she’d be all right.
That made her think about her parents and how blessed she was to have them and what a great life they’d given her and her brother. She’d text them and tell them that once she was settled. She’d text her brother, too. She liked to remind him she existed. Sometimes he went quiet and with Robbie, that wasn’t always a good thing.
She parked her golf cart and grabbed her stuff. Essie had sent her home with two big pieces of flan in a plastic container. Maude was looking forward to that.
She went inside. “Pixel, I’m home.”
She kicked off her flipflops and stuck the flan in the fridge, then sat in her recliner with her laptop and finished the email to Essie, as she’d promised to do.
As she hit Send, her stomach grumbled. And not just for flan. She needed to eat something. Her phone went off before she could get out of her recliner. Probably Essie texting to say thanks.
Except it wasn’t Essie. It was Ollie. She smiled as she read his text.
You want to meet me for lunch? My treat, but still the hospital cafeteria. How’s that for romantic?
Not sure how I can resist an offer like that. What time?
Whenever you get here, text me and I’ll meet you there.
See you in a few minutes, then.Still smiling, Maude changed into skinny jeans, which might have been out of style, but she didn’t care, and a vintage Depeche Mode T-shirt. Would Ollie remember the shirt? She wasn’t sure. She grabbed a light cardigan, too, because that hospital was always freezing.
She texted Ollie from the parking lot.Just got here. Headed in.
He was standing outside the entrance to the cafeteria when she got there, his big smile almost like a beacon. “Hey, thanks for coming on such short notice.”
“One of the perks of working from home.”
“Hungry?”
“Starving.”
“Good, because today is baked ziti day and it’s actually pretty good. Not to mention, they do a very respectable garlic bread.”
“Good to know.” She hadn’t stopped smiling since she’d seen him, but there was no chance of it going away now. When they’d dated in high school, one of their favorite places to go was Little Italy, a restaurant at the mall. Baked ziti had been his choice then, too.
They went in and grabbed trays. He motioned for her to go ahead of him. They both got exactly the same thing: baked ziti, side salad, and a slice of garlic bread.
And just like when they’d been in high school, after they sat down, she gave him her piece.
“Don’t you want that?”
She shook her head. “You like it more than I do.”
