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EJ laughed and shook his head. “You think that’s why she wanted her here?”
On the defense, Caden squared his shoulders. “Yeah, EJ. If you were a part of the pageant...”
“Like you are now? I at least have made it known that I want nothing to do with it.”
“That’s irrelevant. Maggie has single-handedly changed the face of the pageant. It’s because of her this thing is going to be a smash.”
“Wow.” EJ reeled. “You’re still so blind. I guess Mom was right.”
“What?”
EJ flattened his hands on the table. “When you found out about Dad’s infidelities years ago, Mom did her own investigation.”
Caden looked away for a moment, still angry about his father’s actions.
“Mom has known about you and Maggie all this time. She had a sinking feeling that the reason you’ve led your foolish playboy lifestyle all stemmed from the day you found out about Dad.”
Chapter 12
“You can’t stay here forever.”
Maggie looked up from her plate of Death by Chocolate, Coo-Coo for Coconut German Chocolate and Daringly Double Peanut Butter Fudge cupcakes and found her brother standing over her with a disapproving stare. Coming up beside him with forks in their hands were Bailey and Erin, both pushing him out of the way to dig into Maggie’s plate. She already knew why they were here. Maggie had decided she was no longer going to be a part of the pageant. She used all the money she had left in her coffeepot and put a down payment toward the thousand-plus cupcakes Vonna had promised to make as well as bring down to Savannah in t
he new company van she purchased. She was done fooling herself. She’d look for another full-time job to satisfy her father.
“Go away, Richard,” said Maggie, pushing her plate toward her cousin and niece. “I’m in no mood.”
“It’s Friday,” Richard pointed out. “The thing you’ve been waiting for all summer long is tomorrow.”
With a carefree shrug of her shoulders, Maggie licked the rest of her frosting off her spoon. “It’s covered. They don’t need me.”
“Maggie,” Richard grunted. “You’ve worked so hard. What about your trust fund deadline?”
Annoyed, Maggie frowned at her brother. “What is it with you and my trust fund?”
Richard patted Bailey’s shoulder. “Because I’d like for my daughter to have a decent role model in the family.”
“Hey now,” Erin interjected with chocolate icing on her lip. “I am a respectable physical therapist. Athletes have been coming to Southwood for a year now to rehab at my center.”
“Sorry,” Richard said. “Yes, Bailey has you as a role model.”
“Y’all are going to stop treating me like the brunette-headed stepchild around here.”
Everyone else at the uninvited table laughed at the joke. Maggie half smiled. Her heart wasn’t in it.
Erin set her fork down and looked up at her cousin. “Would you mind giving us a moment, you know, for some girl chat?”
Richard shook his close-cropped red head. “I am going down to get in my truck and wait fifteen minutes before I drag you down to Savannah.”
Bailey leaned in close. “He’ll do it, you know.”
Right now Maggie wanted to wallow in her own pity party. Her cell phone rang again for the umpteenth time. There was no longer room for voice mail. She didn’t need to see the name to know who was calling. Caden. The earlier messages from yesterday had turned from concerned to angry by now. She didn’t know why he was upset. He’d get the job, the one he was positioned to get in the first place. What was the big deal?
“Mags,” Erin started once the bells over the entrance stopped jingling. “It is important that you attend the pageant.”
“Why?” Maggie shrugged her shoulders and scanned the dining area. In order to get Vonna to help, Maggie had promised to cover the register if help was needed. Everyone in Southwood seemed to be taking a break from the sweets today. The streets bustled with back-to-school shoppers getting a head start at the boutiques.
Erin dramatically checked left and right for anyone within earshot. “Have you checked social media?”
