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“You know me, I rarely take a day off work. Today was just a fluke,” Alphé said. “I gotta get Angela home to finish a project anyway.”
“Dad, this was fun. It was worth it to see Maw Maw and Aunt Shawna,” Angela said, hugging her grandmother.
Saying goodbye took half an hour longer, and soon they were on the boardwalk again.
No one said anything. The adults helped the somewhat subdued older kids get into the back. After such a nice visit, there was still a pall of sadness. Katrina had the sense that the house had not recovered from the grief, and might never. They’d learn to live with the loss.
She glanced over at Alphé and wondered how deep his pain had gone. After failing to save his brother, his father died; then his wife flaunted being with another man.
Then, during Mardi Gras, Alphé learned that his wife and brother had been having an affair for a long time. The discovery that he hadn’t fathered two of his children just layered the grief. They were his brother, Rodney’s kids. What he’d experienced in the past few years must have been devastating, but he seemed so normal and well adjusted. Time would tell.
Chapter 5
Monday, not Sunday was the beginning of the new week in Maggie’s eyes. Sunday, she wanted to forget had ever happened. Justin had apologized again, but her perceived humiliation his unfortunate words had caused in front of Amber and Grace lingered.
Trying not to allow the incident to ruin the evening, she’d let it go for the time being, pretending it was all forgotten in order to keep the peace. They went to bed together and cuddled, exhausted after an emotional day.
But Maggie was restless, and after Justin had fallen asleep, she tiptoed down the stairs and succumbed to her single-person behavior, getting a Lent-censured snack, this time a cream-filled pastry out of the box her mother had insisted she take when they went to pick up Brulee. That and a cup of hot tea with sugar and she was ready to do an all-nighter.
Out on the porch, the humidity had increased, fog rolling in off the water, but it was bizarre, hovering feet off the ground, so that when she scanned the yard, she could see black Raven, her eyes shining in the darkness, surrounded by spotted horses from the new band.
The addictive snack lost its hold on her in the magical presence of the horse. Mesmerized, Maggie walked down into Brulee’s little yard and waited by the fence with Brulee at her feet. Without hesitation, Raven trotted over and immediately sniffed Maggie who giggled, then pushed her gently with her muzzle. Like Maggie had the last time they were together, she smoothed the horse’s neck, but this time avoided the top of her head even when it was offered to her, and that seemed to work; Raven didn’t leave as soon as she had before.
The fog swirled around the trio; Brulee lifted her head, and Raven snorted at her, making Maggie giggle. She had no idea how long they were there together. The horse calmed her, soothing her for the night so she could sleep.
Now Monday morning, Justin gone, their goodbyes loving but subdued, there was definitely a lingering angst she’d have to work at overcoming. Sitting at the kitchen table with her leg folded under her and stirring coffee, she looked out onto the yard. It was the last of winter today, with cooler temps and gray skies, not weather to entice a hike in the woods.
The long-grown-cold cup of tea and uneaten pastry were on the porch where she’d left them the night before. When she went out to retrieve them, she scanned the woods, but there was no sign of either band of horses.
Mid sip of coffee, she heard a familiar sound, Gus’s boat motor. Of all the people in the world to intrude on her misery, Gus would be the one person she’d want to see. With Gus, there was no pride. She didn’t have to hide anything from Gus. He’d proven he was above even pillow talk with Grace.
She got up to greet him on the dock. “Come on, Brulee, Gus is here.”
Popping up, she submitted to the placing of the harness and leash. They walked across the yard to the dock. Maggie finally saw horses out of the corner of her eye. The boat motor didn’t scare them away.
Gus pulled alongside the dock and waved. She’d run up to grab his lines, but he was already out, tying up on a piling, and reached back in for bags of goodies. Gus never came empty-handed.
“Hope you don’t mind a drop-in.”
“No, I welcome it.”
“I’ll get right to the point,” he said, giving her a one-arm hug. “Grace told me about that big horseman’s faux pas at the wild horse meeting.”
“Oh, Bubba. Yeah.”
“Since Grace is at Chastain’s clinic today for a job interview…”
“Yes! Oh, I’m so glad. Justin is working himself to death. If Grace and Doc will help him out a few hours a week…”
“She intends on doing it. Since she’s there, I thought I might stop in to make sure you’re okay.”
“I will be. It’s my pride, unfortunately. Nothing more than wounded pride.”
“He was out of line. I’m surprised Justin didn’t bop him one in the nose.”
“Did Grace tell you what Justin’s response was? He was too shocked to protect my honor, I’m afraid. Now, of course, he says I took it wrong, and maybe I did. But I heard Amber tell Grace, ‘Well, I guess he told her.’”
“Uh-ah,” he said, shaking his head. “She didn’t say that.”
