Cliff Hanger by Mary Feliz

Author:Mary Feliz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: 2019-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Gel window stickers (for those old enough to be trusted not to eat them) can provide easily removable entertainment on a car, airplane, and hotel windows

From the Notebook of Maggie McDonald

Simplicity Itself Organizing Services

Friday, June 21, Late afternoon

“What are you doing here?” I asked the very serious, corporate-looking lawyer standing in my doorway. It was Nell Bevans.

“Hi Maggie,” answered Nell. “Forrest sent me. We need to talk.”

The first thing Nell needed help with was locating the condo that Forrest had rented for her to stay in while she finished up work for a client in Monterey and advised us in our dealings with local law enforcement and Jake’s parents.

I helped Nell down our flight of stairs, across the boardwalk, and up a second steep flight to a one-bedroom unit close to the ocean. Only a hint of light lingered in the sky when I opened the curtains on the picture window. “It’s dark now,” I said, stating the obvious. “But in the morning you’ll have trouble getting any work done. The view is guaranteed to distract you.”

Nell dropped her briefcase, sighed, and kicked off her heels. “Stupid shoes,” she said. “I had a meeting in Monterey with an investment group from Los Angeles interested in building a new hotel. It was all very corporate and trendy, but we were looking at a property on the water. With sand. In heels. Crazy. Absolutely nuts.”

“It’s good to see you,” I ventured. “I was about to start dinner. Nothing fancy, but would you like to join us? Come barefoot if you like.” We’d been in the trenches together for some time nearly a year ago, working to get Stephen out of jail. We’d been so focused on helping others that I hadn’t learned much about Nell, yet here I was standing in her living room. I was glad to see her, but other feelings competed for my attention: fear, frustration, and a need to be a gracious hostess while at the same time fiercely protective of my family.

If Forrest thought we needed our own on-site lawyer, I worried that we were in more trouble than I’d thought. But I hesitated to ask. I wanted to assume that everything was okay. Too much had gone wrong already, and I wasn’t sure how much more any of us could take.

Nell looked up. “I’d love to join you. I’ll bring wine.”

“I never say no to a free bottle of wine. We’re having burgers. You aren’t a vegetarian are you? Vegan? I’m sure I can…” I scrambled to think about what I had in the refrigerator that would feed a specialized diet.

“Relax, Maggie. I’m an omnivore. I’ve got fried artichoke hearts too. Can I bring those?”

“From the Giant Artichoke? Absolutely.” Castroville, a few miles south of Watsonville, was the artichoke capital of the world and its twenty-foot tall concrete thistle was a local landmark. But the restaurant’s deep-fried hearts were even more memorable.

“Come when you’re ready,” I said with my hand on the doorknob. But then I hesitated.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.