The Happiest Season (16 page)

Gloria laughed.  “Honey, I’m sorry I didn’t bring any over. 
I promise I’ll make you a batch soon.”

“We should probably get going,” Maggie said.

As the couple stepped out of the house, Maggie was surprised
to find a sedan parked out front, rather than John’s truck.  She gave him a
questioning glance.

“My other vehicle,” he told her.  “I figured it would be
more comfortable.”

She nodded as he opened the door, to allow her inside. 
After closing the door behind her, he rounded the hood and climbed in.  He
belted up and started the car. 

“I hope you like Italian food,” he commented, noting they
were headed to one of the town’s nicest restaurants. 

“I love Italian food,” she assured him. 

Soon they were sitting at a table in a corner of the
restaurant.  A candle flickered on the tabletop, lending a cozy feel to an
already intimate space.

“This is nice,” Maggie said, glancing around her.

“The food’s excellent,” John told her.  “I think this is
probably my favorite restaurant.”

“You come here often then?” she asked.

He suddenly looked uncomfortable and swallowed hard.  “It’s
been awhile.”  He wished he hadn’t mentioned favoring this restaurant.  He and
Kim had come here often when they were married, but he had somehow forgotten
that.  He had actually forgotten about her.

He sat up taller in the chair and took a deep breath.  The
last person he wanted to talk about was his ex, and it was probably too soon to
do so, but he said nonetheless, “To be honest, my ex and I used to come here a
lot.”  He made an alarmed face.  “But, that’s not why I like it.”  He swallowed
hard.  “Wow, I’m … sorry.  I understand it’s poor form to bring up an ex on a
first date.”

“Former girlfriend?” she asked.

“Wife,” he said, and then winced.  “Should we go somewhere
else?”

Maggie actually laughed.  “John, we’re living in a
relatively small town.  I imagine you’ve been to many places here with your
ex.  You can’t avoid them all.”

He laughed, seeming to relax.  “You make a good point.”

Maggie cocked her head and eyed him thoughtfully.  “How long
have you been divorced?”

“Just over a year.”

“Are you … okay?  Divorce is traumatic,” she noted.  “I’ve
had a couple good friends go through it and the breakdown of a marriage is
probably one of the most painful things there is.”

He nodded.  “It was, but…”  He took a deep breath.  “I’m
over it—her,” he clarified.

When a waitress appeared to take their beverage orders, John
appeared relieved.  As she stepped away, he sighed.  “I’m sorry, Maggie.  I
haven’t dated in so long, I don’t think I know how anymore.”

She smiled.  “Well, we’re in the same boat then,” she said
reassuringly.  “We’ll get through it.”

He burst out laughing.  “You sound as if this date is
something we’ll have to slog through, as if it’s going to be painful.”

She joined him laughing.  “No, no, not at all.  It’s just …
new,” she explained.

He grinned.  “I understand and you’re right.  It is new for
both of us.  But I’m happy to be here, with you.”

She met his gaze, realizing that she was happy to be here,
with him, too.  “John,” she said, “if there are rules for a first date, let’s
just forget about them.  Don’t worry that you might say something wrong.  I
won’t judge you.”

He nodded.  “Sounds like a good idea.  And I would never
judge you.”

Both appeared to visibly relax.  The waitress reappeared
with their beverages, and asked for their food orders.  Maggie gave an
embarrassed laugh.  “I haven’t had a chance to look at the menu.  Can you
recommend a favorite entrée?  I trust you to order for me.”

He nodded and placed their orders, and then eased back in
the chair once again.  “You look beautiful, by the way,” he told her.

She smiled shyly.  “Thank you.  You look very nice too.”

The couple chatted for awhile, and soon, their food was
placed in front of them.  They thanked the waitress, and then began enjoying
their entrees.  “The food is excellent,” Maggie enthused of her seafood
fettuccine.

“I’m glad you like it.  Leave room for dessert.”  He
smiled.  “We should take something home for Rickey.  They have an excellent
fudge cake.”

“He’d definitely like that,” Maggie said. 

“He’s a great kid,” John said.  “You’ve done a terrific job
with him.”

“Thank you.  He sure thinks the world of you too.”  Maggie
remembered her resolve not to bring men into Rickey’s life—men who might not be
around for the duration.

John noticed the subtle shift in her manner.  “Is everything
all right?”

She forced a smile.  “Everything is fine.”  She laughed.  “I
just miss him, that’s all.  I’m rarely away from him during the evening hours.”

John nodded.  He admired her devotion to her son.  “My
oldest sister has two little girls.  I know it’s hard for her to let anyone
watch them, other than our mother.”

“I’m so grateful to have met Gloria.  She’s been a godsend,
and Rickey absolutely adores her.  Is your family close by?”

“My folks and sister live out of state.”

“Do you see them often?” she asked.

He shook his head.  “Not as often as I like.  Everyone is so
busy…”

Maggie sighed.  “Isn’t that the truth?  Between work, and
laundry,” she quipped, “there’s little time for anything else.”

John recalled living with Kim, and suspected their domestic
routine bore little resemblance to Maggie’s life.  He and his ex-wife had eaten
out on those nights he’d been unable to cook.  Of course, he’d been working a
day shift during the last couple years of his marriage, so he had often arrived
home in time to cook dinner.

He’d always accepted Kim’s assertion that she couldn’t cook,
but the truth was, she’d been unwilling to do little else toward running the
household either.  He abruptly frowned.  If they had had a child, the poor
little thing would have lived in chaos.  Kim was unwilling to disrupt her set
routine, which included hours at the gym and several weekly visits to the
salon.

He subsided against the chair.  He realized he was seeing
Kim with more clarity and he didn’t particularly like her.  And what’s more, he
didn’t like himself.  He should have asserted himself more—to assure that the
lines of communication had remained open.  Instead, he had shut down, shut up,
and picked up the slack.  Theirs had not been a partnership in any sense of the
word.

He was brought back to the present when Maggie reached
across the table and patted his hand.  “You’re not over the divorce yet,” she
said softly.  “I’m sorry for…”

He snapped his eyes to hers.  “No, no, that’s not why…”  He
shook his head.  “I’m sorry.  I was lost in thought, but not because I’m not
over my divorce.”  He sighed and glanced away, before returning his gaze to her
face.  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what constitutes a good
relationship, and I’ve realized, I didn’t have one.  My wife and I lived
parallel lives, and that’s never what I wanted when I entered the marriage.”

Maggie nodded.  She and Shane had definitely made an effort
to assure they were in sync with one another, and never took one another for
granted.  They’d been a team, despite experiencing the same trials that others
experienced in marriage.

Maggie sighed.  “When I got married, my expectations were
very low…”  She made an alarmed face.  “Wow, that sounded awful.  What I meant
to say is, I was raised in a pretty volatile home environment.  My parents fought
constantly, so it’s basically what I knew.  I guess I expected all men would be
like my father—loud, combative.” 

John nodded, urging her continue.

“Anyway, I married young.  I went into the marriage bracing
for the worst, I guess.”

John took her hand, recognizing she’d experienced pain in
her life and wanting to ease it away. 

She gave a tremulous smile.  “But Shane was nothing like my
father.  He was sweet, understanding, and pitched in at every turn.  He never
judged me for my failings…”

As John watched her beautiful face, he doubted whether
Maggie had any failings.  He’d never seen her be anything but conscientious and
hardworking, and most notably, devoted to her child.

“Anyway,” Maggie continued, “I realized that marriage could
be good, peaceful, even pleasant.  I realized I was lucky, and I decided
immediately that I would do whatever it took to make my marriage a success. 
And Shane made the same commitment.”

“You both understood what was important,” he mused, and then
sighed.  “I’m afraid I married too young.  I had some idea of what marriage
should be, since my folks definitely have a good one…”  He gave a humorless
laugh.  “I knew things weren’t right with Kim and me from the get-go, but I
don’t like to admit when I’m wrong.  I guess I figured if I dug in and picked
up the slack, everything would work out, and it did, to a point.”

He gave his head a swift shake.  “I’m sorry, Maggie.  I
never intended to get into this in depth a conversation about my failed
marriage on a first date.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him.  “You’re human.  And a year
isn’t a very long time.  You have a lot of healing to do.”

He acknowledged her words with a nod, though he felt he’d
done more healing in the last few weeks than he’d done over the past many
months.  And he knew, Maggie and her little boy had much to do with that.

Maggie walked into her family room and found Gloria watching
a program on low volume.  She glanced up.  “How’d it go?”

Maggie sat down on the sofa, across from her friend.  “It was
… fun.”

Gloria turned off the TV.  “Was it?”  She grinned impishly. 
“I heard you pull up, but then, to my dismay, you didn’t come right in.  Doin’
some lip lockin’, per chance?”

Maggie gave her friend a rueful glance.  “We talked for
awhile.”  She bit back a grin.  “And yes, he kissed me.”

Gloria sat up taller in the chair.  “Well, do you like him?”

She nodded.  “I do.  But I think he’s about as ready for a
new relationship as I am.”

Gloria clasped her hands together.  “Well, that’s great!”

Maggie shook her head.  “No, I mean, neither of us is
ready.”

“Oh, you are too.  You just don’t know it yet.”

“Well, regardless, I don’t think he’s ready.  He’s been
divorced a year, but I think he’s still processing what went wrong.”

“That’s natural, isn’t it?” Gloria said.  “Besides, it’s
better to contemplate what went wrong, in order to fix things the next
go-round.”

“I suppose…”

“Are you attracted to him?” Gloria asked. 

Maggie bit back a smile, and then said honestly, “How could
I not be?  You’ve seen the man.”

“Ah, yes.  Easy on the eyes,” Gloria said, arching her
brows.  “And there seems to be substance there too.”

Maggie nodded.  “He seems like a good man.”

“But…”

“I guess it’s the same old story.  I just need time.”

Gloria rose.  “Speaking of time, I’d better go.  Rickey has
been asleep since eight-thirty.  He was tired,” she commented.  “Didn’t even
put up a fuss about going to bed.”

“Great,” Maggie muttered.  “He probably has another lamb
under the covers.”

Gloria chuckled.  “No sign of any four-legged visitors
tonight,” she told her, and then headed for the front door.

Maggie followed and pulled it open.  “I owe you,” she said. 

Gloria shook her head.  “You don’t owe me anything…”  She
paused and eyed her speculatively.  “Actually, you can promise me something…”

“What?”

“Promise you’ll give John a chance.”  She gave a shrug.  “I
don’t know.  Something tells me he’s a good guy.  And Rickey adores him.  You
should have heard the little guy going on about him most of the evening. 
Rickey’s going to be a police officer, you know.”

“That worries me—his attachment to John in such a short span
of time,” Maggie admitted.  “What if I continue allowing him into our lives and
it doesn’t work out.  Rickey will be devastated.”

Gloria understood her reservations, but felt compelled to
point out the obvious.  “He’s already in your life.”

“I know.”  She forced a smile.  “I guess I have some
thinking to do.”

“Did he ask you out on a second date?”

“We’re going to dinner and a movie on Friday.”

“You’ll need a sitter,” Gloria said.  “I’m free.”

“I love you for offering,” Maggie said.  “But…  I should
probably call one of the neighborhood kids.  You have a life, you know.” 

“Well, I’m here if you need me.”

Maggie closed the door behind her friend, once again
thankful to have found such a good support system in her new town.  What would
she have done without Gloria?