Font Size:  

“What of it? They talked some sense into me. Not only that, but they brought up the alleged rape. Emily never accused him publicly. For all I know, it was consensual, and now the family is saying it was rape

“You know what? You’re right. I don’t want to talk about this anymore, either,” Maggie said. “When you come back to earth, call me.”

She hung up on her mother, a first. But she was being so hateful in Maggie’s opinion that she didn’t want to have to listen to her anymore. Now the key was keeping her mouth shut when Justin asked her what Rose had to say.

After checking the baby monitor on her phone, she left the porch to go to the barn. Justin might stay away longer on purpose. But when she was about ten yards away, she heard laughter and a familiar woman’s voice. “Oh, hell,” Maggie muttered to herself.

Being more careful not to crunch on the gravel, she began to sneak up on Justin. She already knew who it was; Amber was volunteering at the animal rescue on Maggie’s property, as maddening as it was, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to ask Kelly Casson, the rescue manager, not to let Amber work there. They needed the help.

“I wondered who was out here,” Maggie said, making her presence known at the entrance to the barn.

There was Justin, without a shirt on, leaning on a hay rake, and Amber, standing a little too close. Maggie saw his shirt thrown across a stall gate. He’d probably been mucking out stalls while Maggie was reaming out her mother.

“I closed at the rescue tonight and saw a light on in the barn,” Amber said.

Maggie didn’t respond. She stood there looking at them, her head cocked to the side. Finally, Justin spoke up.

“Do we have any puppy halters? They need them over at the rescue.”

“I’m sure there are a few of Brulee’s old halters inside,” she said, not budging. She would go after them over Amber’s dead body.

“I’ll get them,” Justin said, grabbing his shirt. He smiled at Maggie when he passed her, and she gave him her squinty-eyed smile.

“You seem pissed off,” Amber said.

Maggie made a face she was known for, a frown with a smile. It spoke volumes.

“Don’t come around my man anymore, Amber. You’ve got Phil now. Creeping around here looking for bullshit halters after dark is a lame excuse.”

Justin returned with the little halters.

“Take the halters and leave,” Maggie said. “And I’m going to tell Kelly that you’re not welcome at the rescue if you keep bothering us.”

Stopped in his tracks, Justin stood there with his mouth hanging open.

“You should try to have more confidence in your man,” Amber said.

“I have every confidence in Justin. It’s you I wonder about. Leave.”

“I feel sorry for you,” she said to Justin.

But Justin didn’t answer her, and that mortified Maggie.

“Don’t worry about Justin, Amber,” Maggie shouted, her voice on the cusp of being shrill.

When Amber was out of sight, Justin put his hands up in surrender. “What the hell was that all about?”

“You have to ask? Why in the hell would you even engage her, Justin? Do you want me to talk to my ex? How about the creeps you were jealous of working here at the cottage when I first moved in? The minute that whore approached you, you should have grabbed your shirt and come back to the house.”

He winced. “Now you’re going to monitor my every move.”

“Is that what you think it is?” She looked at him sidelong, trying to slow her breathing down. “We have some serious decision-making ahead of us.”

She turned and went back toward the house, her heart beating out a staccato rhythm. Disbelief that Amber was still an issue for her stunned her, but evidently, Amber was still an issue for Justin, too.

“Maggie,” he called. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not, Justin. You just revealed something that I needed to know before I marry you. And that’s that you want to be free to talk to that skank regardless of how it makes me feel. So I release you. You’re free to talk to Amber, hire her to work in your office, meet for drinks. I’m over it.”

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
Articles you may like