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“Caden Archibald, just because I don’t feel the need to buy a new wardrobe for every day of the week doesn’t mean I can’t afford my own clothes. I have nice things that I earned hanging up in my closet as we speak.”
Caden held his hands in the universal signal for time-out, then regained the wheel. “I was just saying...”
“You were saying my family is broke.” Anger rose in her voice. Her cheeks reddened to a shade he hadn’t seen before.
It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen a family like hers struggle. The Archibalds had lived through tumultuous times back in the day. It was one of the reasons the family house had so many bedrooms. At one point during the Depression, they’d added on more rooms to accommodate family in need. And that was why his mother fought so hard to keep the pageant going—so that everyone had a job if needed.
Maggie rarely used her cell phone for anything, not even for selfies. Hell, her home phone was a landline with a tape-recording answering machine, which he now realized might not be due to retro decorating. The vlogs entered Caden’s mind. Maggie did a lot of budget-friendly videos.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Maggie,” Caden offered quietly. “So what if your family’s fallen on hard times? It is the summer. From my understanding, pecan season is really in the fall.”
An overexaggerated sigh filled the space between them. “Pull the car over, Caden. I want to get out.”
Tourist buses whizzed by. The rows of lights ahead were green, and there were no empty parking spots or pullover lanes in sight. Besides, he wasn’t ready to let her go, especially with the panic in her voice. Caden shook his head. “Well, that’s not going to happen. I can’t let you out, and I can’t let you go back to Southwood without me.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” scolded Maggie. “You just said a minute ago we’ve gotten everything done in one day that might take everyone the next few weeks to accomplish. I have work to do.”
“We haven’t secured the music,” Caden reminded her. “And you have that list.” He pointed to the papers in her lap. “Bringing in other contestants to make this an all-day event is a great idea. No one else will think of it, and I know Aunt Em is going to love it.”
Maggie bent her head and brought her fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose. “No one said we had to get everything on the list of wishes, Caden. I have work to do at The Cupcakery, and I have to get my Jeep in the shop. The check-engine light came on a while ago. I’d planned to take it in to the shop before driving it down to the wedding, but then you and your big partnership happened.”
If memory served him correctly, the old vehicle was not fit for travel. She planned on making the long drive to New Orleans? And if it was true that the family had fallen on hard times, he guessed Maggie was faced with the difficult choice of getting her Jeep fixed or taking whatever funds she had left to get her to the wedding. Working meant survival for her. The Maggie he knew before never had to work. Caden vowed silently that once he became president, he would just contract Maggie for all her services. Clearly she had some good ideas and would be a valuable asset.
“Since you’re being a champ about partnering up with me for the pageant, how about I take you to the wedding? My treat.”
“I can’t let you do that.” Maggie’s cheeks reddened. He wanted nothing more than to pull the car over and hold her. “I have money saved.”
“And as your fiancé, fake or not, I can’t let you go back there alone.”
“Well, it looks like you’re coming to Southwood.” Maggie slumped back into her seat.
Chapter 9
After a partial week at The Cupcakery to help out with the baking for the summer camps in Southwood and the nearby Samaritan, Black Wolf Creek and Peachville neighborhoods, Maggie hated to admit she was glad for a little break from work.
She used the time, with Vonna’s blessing, at the bakery writing out letters of invitation and requests for appearances at the pageant. She helped out at the register when not focusing on the big event, an arrangement Vonna approved, even though Maggie sometimes felt she was giving her mentor short shrift. But Vonna cheered on her campaign to win the leadership position, while assuring her that her Cupcakery job would still be there for her if things didn’t work out. Maggie would make sure they’d work out.
Yesterday, Caden’s aunt Em had approved Maggie’s idea for the GRITS for STEM girls, the group she mentored, to have a stint on stage. Aunt Em liked all of Maggie’s ideas, including the nontraditional ones.
This meant Maggie and Caden needed to plan a few road trips to find more pageants, even a couple at assisted-living facilities, that they could fold into the big fiftieth anniversary one. But before they headed off to those and other venues they were exploring, they needed to attend Auntie Bren’s wedding. Caden insisted, since they were partnering up, on at least escorting Maggie to New Orleans.
With every green highway sign leading to the Crescent City, guilt tugged at Maggie’s heart strings. Since being kicked out of the nest, Maggie had saved her money for this trip, to pay for her car repairs and gas. Caden wouldn’t hear of it and insisted on driving.
Oscar Blakemore had reserved the Melrose Mansion for the whole family for the week leading up to the wedding. Despite Maggie not being there all that time, she still had a room. Correction, she thought with a gulp looking over at Caden behind the wheel. They had a room. Her heart lurched against her chest.
“Are you ready for this?”
Hell, no, Maggie thought inwardly. “The question is, are you?” Over her oversize black sunglasses, Maggie lifted her brows and wiggled them in Caden’s direction. “I haven’t spoken to my parents since the announcement, and now you’re about to face them.”
“Yes, but it’s your aunt’s rehearsal dinner tonight. No one will want to commit a murder and ruin the wedding.” Confident as always, Caden maneuvered his Aston Martin into the property’s parking lot reserved for the wedding party.
“I heard the message they left on your hunk-of-junk answering machine.” Caden paused in anticipation of Maggie’s playful swat on his biceps. “Sorry, vintage answering machine. They just said you needed to talk to them.”
“It was the way they said it,” said Maggie. “Like I’m a kid about to get into trouble.”
“How
much trouble could you be in? I’m a pretty good catch,” taunted Caden with a wiggle of his brows back at her. In jest, he propped his right hand on his chin and square jaw and posed.
