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“I can’t wait to meet him. We did FaceTime for two hours last night.”
“Fifteen minutes of that is a lot,” Maggie said, laughing.
“He’s so sweet, and he’s hot. And he came right out and said he likes the way I look. I felt like that was a big plus.”
“It really is because it eliminates the doubt. You know where you stand right out of the gate.”
They took her things up to the guest room.
“He wants to take us to breakfast tomorrow at a Café Delphine. Do you know where that is?”
“I do, but I don’t have to go. You go and see what happens.”
“I feel bad though. I’m here to see you.”
“No, you’re not. You’re here to meet Steve, and I think that’s great. I’m glad you’re staying with me for now. It’s helping me stay distracted. I have so much to tell you I barely know where to start.”
“Well, start with the first day here,” she said. “I know the hot guy on the horse showed up when Steve was here.”
They went down to the kitchen to prepare a snack, and Maggie brought her up to date on the Justin/Amber/break-in/theft fiasco. And she agreed with Maggie that Justin was one hundred percent wrong to have kept his suspicions from her.
“But, and this is a big but, you should consider cutting him a break, Magster. He’s just a guy. He’s not Russ. And he’s a vet! And he’s hot. And he said he loves you. He isn’t giving up.”
“Great. You sound like my aunt,” she replied, taking cheese and fruit out of the fridge.
“Where is she anyway?”
“She’s already living with the guy who dumped her fifty years ago. They’re planning on getting married already.”
“No way,” Annie said, taking a bottle of wine from Maggie to uncork.
“Yep, all’s forgiven and forgotten.”
“You seem a little, I don’t know, skeptical.”
Trying her best to hide the bitterness she felt, Maggie knew she was failing.
“I’m pissed! I know that sounds irrational. She came here to see me and support me and took off an hour later, never to be seen again. And what she’s doing goes against everything I feel about love right now.”
“You just went through a divorce, Maggie. Cut yourself a break. If you want to be mad at the world, do it. It’s the cycle of grief. But don’t get stuck there. It’s too hard to succeed in the world as it is without having a huge chip on your shoulder. From where I’m sitting, you’re ripe to becoming a hermit.”
“You have no idea how on target you are.”
“Nothing I say will make a difference. You just have to feel this way until you don’t feel this way anymore! But try to find something to be happy about, or I’m afraid you might end up being sort of sour.”
“I already look like I’m sucking on lemons. Grab that bottle of wine and let’s go outside. My neighbors should be out here pretty soon.”
“Who are your neighbors?”
“You’ll see,” Maggie whispered, smiling for the first time that evening. “Tiptoe.”
Annie followed her out to the porch, and they set up their snacks on the little table.
“Look to your right,” Maggie murmured.
The horses were leaving the safety of the forest and coming out into the clearing, watching Maggie for a moment before they returned to their dinner, lowering their heads to graze. Once her eyes adjusted and she realized what she was looking at, Annie gasped a little, and Maggie could tell she was trying not to emote, her eyes shining in the candlelight.
“It did the same thing to me the first time I saw them, how majestic they are,” she whispered. “They trust me now, so they sleep out here. They’re like giant watchdogs, too, so they help me feel safe. Soon Justin is going to bring another band here to live.”
