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Chapter 7
Justin lifted a box out of the back of his pickup truck and placed it on Maggie’s porch.
“How much you got?” she called out.
“Just that box and a suitcase,” Annie said, getting out of the passenger side with two grocery bags full of food. She held them up for Maggie to see. “I wasn’t leaving this behind. Let his new girlfriend feed him.”
Maggie wanted to laugh but bit her tongue.
“I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but I had a premonition a few minutes ago that you’ll only be here for a short time, that you two are going to get back together fast.”
Shaking her head, Annie didn’t think so. “He loves her, Maggie. That was a tough one to hear.”
“Where do you want the box?” Justin asked, dragging a big suitcase up onto the porch.
“Do you mind taking it up to the guest room?”
“Nope.”
As soon as Katrina told Maggie that Annie could have the guest room at Bayou Cottage, Maggie went into planning mode, asking Justin if he’d mind getting his truck muddy to bring Annie over.
“The water is way down,” he said, lifting the box. He bent over to kiss her. “The road’s not dry, but it’s better than it was. Easier for me to get to you.”
“Is that right?” Maggie asked, giggling. “I think I’ll be coming to your new place for a while.”
“Tell her she might hear sounds coming from your bedroom,” Justin whispered, moving his eyebrows up and down.
“I’ll try to keep it down,” she replied.
“I meant me,” he said, laughing.
They got Annie’s stuff upstairs, and Maggie could tell she was upset, that moving out of her house had not been easy, and now that she’d made the move, it would make it that much easier for Steve to finalize leaving her.
While Annie got settled, albeit temporarily, at Bayou Cottage, Steve wandered around their empty house. The spare bedroom was in the process of becoming the nursery. It felt surreal, how in a second, everything changed. He’d had no intention of cheating on Annie. He wasn’t looking for more affection or satisfaction even though their sex life had dwindled away in the past month. There was always an excuse: she was too tired, the baby was moving too much, she had to get to work.
The school had called about their Wi-Fi being inadequate, and Steve was there doing a survey to see what could be done about it. He was outside with the principal, Randy Benedict, looking at the best site to install a tower, when he saw Lisa. She was on the playground with her class, throwing a football to a bunch of little kids, making them feel like they were pro athletes.
“Teachers’re sure lookin’ young these days,” Steve said out loud.
“Yep, that’s a student teacher. She’s twenty-twoish. You want an introduction? You’re not much older yourself.”
“Not much,” Steve said, not thinking of Annie, but aware of her enough that he put his left hand in his blue jeans pocket and twisted his wedding ring off. He promptly forgot it was there and subsequently lost it, but told Annie he had to take it off because it was a danger when he was climbing those towers to install satellite dishes.
“Well, come on, then,” the principal said. “I like to introduce my staff to nice young people. Keep ’em around longer.”
“Hey, Lisa!” he called out.
“Yes, Daddy?”
“She’s yourdaughter?” he asked, trying not to choke.
“My one and only. An older guy at her college got designs on her, and we don’t want her movin’ to Shreveport or farther away. So I do what I can to keep her around.”
“Oh god, Daddy, you’re not trying to make this man a deal, are you now?” Lisa asked, hearing that last bit as she ran over to meet Steve.
But she was grinning ear to ear, and Steve was smitten before he could even say hello.
They met in the playground every day after she was done with school, and stayed there until her father left and brought the car around to pick her up. His excuse to the father; he had to work in the evenings. But Lisa knew part of the truth. He was married, but separated and getting a divorce. He didn’t mention babies, either, but knew that was going to have to come up next.
