Countdown by [email protected]

Author:[email protected]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi
Published: 2013-07-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Maggie walked on air as she made her way upstairs to Harry and Yoko’s spacious apartment on the second floor of the dojo. She would spend an hour with Yoko and Lily until Harry and the boys finished their seven P.M. class and Jack offered her a ride home. She felt light-headed with relief that the boys had welcomed her back into the fold. Even Ted, who had been stone-faced in the beginning, had hugged her and then given her the famous lopsided grin that she loved. For now her world was right-side up. Childishly, she crossed her fingers, so that it would stay that way.

Yoko hugged Maggie and ushered her into the kitchen, where she offered tea and rice cakes. Lily, she said, was in her room playing and would be ready for bed in a few minutes. “You look . . . I don’t know, extra happy.” Yoko smiled. “Do you have a new man in your life, or did you and Ted patch it up?”

Maggie debated a full moment. What to say, what not to say? She pointed to the floor, and said, “Let’s just say I have a whole bunch of guys in my life.” Before Yoko could ask any more questions, Maggie inquired about how the nursery was doing. The nursery was the love of Yoko’s life. She loved planting seedlings in her greenhouse and watching them sprout and come to life. She loved the Christmas season and pretty much lived on-site, with Harry taking care of Lily because business was better than brisk.

“You aren’t going to believe this, Maggie, but guess who came by to buy a Christmas tree today? I waited on him myself. The vice president, that’s who. He said his secretary always buys her trees from me and recommended me. I had Secret Service all over the place. I wanted to whip out my gold shield, but I was very good and I didn’t.” She giggled, and Maggie giggled, and then they were hugging each other and laughing till their sides ached. Oh, this feels so good, Maggie thought.

The two women talked then about everything and nothing, just two old friends playing catch-up. They stopped once to put a sleepy Lily to bed. Cooper, Lily’s protector, eyed Maggie warily until she left the room. At which point he hopped on the little girl’s bed and dropped his head on his paws as he settled down to guard his small charge.

Maggie and Yoko returned to their tea in the kitchen and picked up where they had left off. They chatted until Jack whistled from the bottom of the steps that he was ready to leave.

Maggie grabbed her coat and pack, hugged Yoko, and promised to help out at the nursery on the weekend, the last weekend before Christmas, when things got so hairy Yoko’s workers didn’t know if they were coming or going, and any help at all was appreciated.

Maggie was stunned at the snow on the ground when she climbed into Jack’s car.

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