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“Why? You usually want control over the cottage.”
“It’s your kid; you get to decide.”
She shrugged off his arm and took his hand, bringing it to her lips. Maggie wasn’t normally demonstrative, and he reveled in it, the kiss as soft as rain, her lips leaving a shadow of a kiss mark on his hand.
He held her hand as she jumped down into the skiff. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home,” she said.
Down in the skiff, her arms could just reach his waist, and she hugged him, her right cheek against his zipper, his hands on her shoulders.
“I love you, Maggie Angel.”
She looked up at him and nodded. “I love you so much.”
Sitting down on the bench across the rear of the boat, she went through the steps to start the motor, and it revved right up. He untied her rope and threw it into the skiff, watching as she turned around in a tight little circle and headed for open water.
“See you later!” he called, waving to her.
Gus was waiting, as usual, when he heard her motor’s characteristic sound. They were like human voices; once you heard it, you’d never forget it. He stood at the end of the dock and waved when she came into view.
“I heard you had excitement at Bayou Cottage today.”
“News travels fast.”
“Sheriff’s radio and all. I got the scanner in the shack.”
“Gotcha. Yep, I don’t know why he came to me. I don’t even know Calista that well.”
“Maybe because he met her at your place and all.”
“Oh, right! I forgot all about that godforsaken luncheon, the root of all evil.”
Snickering, Gus offered her a hand as she climbed up the ladder. “Tide so low so early in the day, what’s going on?”
“It does that sometimes,” he said. “You be gone long?”
“No. But you leave if you have to.”
“Grace asked me to have tea with her today. I’m headed home at two.”
“Enjoy! Say hello to Grace for me.”
She skipped along, preparing for an adventure and some gossip with Katrina. But when her friend pulled up in her new SUV that was now unnecessary, she saw right away that there was a big problem, not just news like Justin had implied.
“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked, grabbing her by the arms. “You look like shit.”
“Let’s get something to go and sit in the car.”
“I want a burger. Can we go to the drive-thru?”
“Okay, jeez, you are really pregnant.”
“Big time.”
They got back in the car, and she pulled out onto Main Street. “I told you that Sunday night, Calista and her children went to Alphé’s house, didn’t I?”
“No.”
“Well, they did. In the middle of the night Austin threatened her, so she called Alphé instead of calling afriend,and he picked her up and brought her and her two spawn to his house.”
