A Deal to Die For (22 page)

Maggie pried off a lid, wiping her fingers on her paint-spotted jeans, while Ginger
lined several metal paint trays with plastic liners.

“Just to clarify, you know, so I’m clear about things,” Ginger said while Maggie poured.
“Did you say you dated Sam Collins?”

The paint can wobbled in Maggie’s hands. She glanced up quickly and saw Ginger watching
her with a shrewd gaze.

Maggie heaved a sigh. There was no going back now. “Yeah, I did say that.”

“And you never told me?” Ginger hissed. “When was this?”

“Twenty some odd years ago,” Maggie said. “It was the summer after our junior year
of high school.”

“How—why—?” Ginger spluttered, obviously losing her powers of speech.

“You were away at band camp when it started,” Maggie said. “And when you got back,
well, you knew how much I hated him growing up. I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

“What do you mean you didn’t know how to tell me?” Ginger hissed. “I’m your best friend.”

“I know,” Maggie cringed.

She’d had a feeling Ginger would take it badly. There was no comfort in being right.

Ginger reached up and pulled the knot on the scarf she’d tied around her head even
tighter. Maggie wondered if it was to keep her temper in.

“Ginger, I’m sorry,” Maggie said. She put her arm around Ginger and gave her a half
hug, but there was no answering half hug in return.

“All these years, and you never said a word,” Ginger said. She sounded stunned.

“Well, once he left for college, he never really came back except for short weekend
visits with his parents, so it seemed kind of pointless,” Maggie said.

“When he came back to town a few months ago, you
might have worked it into the conversation, don’t you think?” Ginger asked. She sounded
hurt, and Maggie felt extremely guilty.

“Well, ‘I once slept with the sheriff’ is not as easy to work into conversation as
you might think,” Maggie retorted.

The sound of a splash as a plastic cup hit the floor behind them spun both Maggie
and Ginger around. Claire stood there with her eyes wide behind her black-frame glasses,
and Joanne stood beside her with her mouth in the shape of an O.

“I’m sorry,” Joanne said. “I didn’t mean to listen in.”

“Me neither,” said Claire.

The men were deep in football talk, with Ginger’s boys animatedly discussing how St.
Stanley was going to pound rival Rosemont on Thanksgiving. Maggie waved Joanne and
Claire in, and the women formed a tight circle over the paint can.

“It’s okay,” Maggie said.

“It most certainly is not okay,” Ginger snapped.

“Ginger, I’ve known you since we were two. Are we really going to have a problem over
this?” Maggie asked.

“I was matron of honor at your wedding to Charlie. We raised our babies together,”
Ginger said. “You know all of my secrets, every last one, and I thought I knew all
of yours.”

“She’s right,” Claire said. “You know all of my secrets, too.”

They all looked at Claire. Given that she had been arrested for murder a few months
ago, it was not surprising all of her dirty laundry had been aired out.

“I don’t have any secrets,” Joanne said quickly.

“That’s because you’re honest,” Ginger said. “Unlike some people.”

“Oh my god, this is exactly why I didn’t tell you when he came back. I knew you would
take it badly,” Maggie said.

“Of course I’m taking it badly,” Ginger said. “Here I’ve been badgering Roger to push
the two of you together, and now you tell me you’ve already seen him in his altogether.”

“He’s cute when he’s naked, isn’t he?” Claire asked.

The other three turned to look at her.

“What? I had a lot of time to contemplate his attributes while I was incarcerated,”
Claire said. “He was very nice to me.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to share that with someone who has just confessed to
being in love with him,” Joanne said to Claire.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Maggie said. “Hold the phone, back away from the crazy talk. I
never said I was in love with him.”

“Well, you must have been at one time, right?” Joanne asked.

All three of them turned to look at Maggie, and she squirmed. What was she supposed
to say? Sam had been her first love, her first everything. She couldn’t admit to that
now. She was still trying to wrap her head around what he had said to her earlier.

“Ladies, are we in a huddle for a reason?” Roger asked as he approached the group.

Ginger rose up on tiptoe and peered over the heads of the others.

“Girl talk,” she said.

“Oh.” Roger froze in mid-step, obviously afraid of what sort of topics the umbrella
of
girl talk
covered.

Maggie was not about to let her escape hatch shut, however.

“We’re done now,” she said, and she broke ranks. “Paint’s drying. We’d better get
moving.”

Ginger looped her arm through Maggie’s, preventing a clean getaway. “I see a long
chat in our future with a lot of groveling on your part.”

“Okay,” Maggie said. She hung her head.

Now Maggie knew how Ginger’s four boys felt being on the receiving end of her bad
face. Maggie was pretty sure she’d do anything to get back into Ginger’s good graces.

She couldn’t help but notice, however, as everyone chose a wall and started painting,
that it felt good to finally have the information about her and Sam out there. The
heartbreak she had kept to herself for so long felt lighter now that she had shared
it with the others.

Amazingly, with eleven of them working all at once, it only took a little over an
hour for the entire shop to be painted. Maggie had to crack the windows and open the
front door to keep them all from being asphyxiated by the smell, but as they packed
up the empty paint cans and bagged the used rollers, she had to admit the shop looked
fantastic. Just as Sam had said, the colors were classy and gave the place an elegant
aesthetic, not that his opinion really mattered, of course.

She could feel a zip of excitement race through her. She could just picture the racks
of clothes and the shoe shelves—oh, and she really liked the idea of adding the odd
bit of furniture for sale.

“You look happy,” Pete said. He stood beside her while they surveyed the shop.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she said. “Bringing everyone here and getting this done.
I’ve been a little overwhelmed.”

“Owning your own place is like that,” he said. “It’s all hit or miss until you find
your stride. You’ll be all right.”

The Lancaster boys were leaving en masse, and they all
turned to wave at Maggie and the others before they headed out. Aaron, the oldest,
was driving his brothers home so they could finish up their homework before calling
it a day.

Ginger and Roger followed their brood. Maggie noticed that Ginger gave Pete a considering
look before she yelled good night across the shop. She did not come over and hug Maggie.

“She’ll get over it,” Joanne said as she did stop to hug Maggie.

“Get over what?” Michael asked as he shook Pete’s hand and gave Maggie a hug.

“Oh, Maggie scored at a half-price sale that she forgot to tell Ginger about,” Joanne
said.

“You ladies and your sales,” Michael said with a chuckle. “It’s like Mortal Kombat
for you gals.”

“It will be if Maggie ever keeps a secret like that again,” Claire said. She was not
a hugger, so she patted Maggie on the shoulder. “Max, I’m headed your way. Do you
want a lift?”

“That’d be great. Thanks,” he said. And the two left the shop, looking like old friends.

Max closed the door behind him, and Maggie realized that she was alone with Pete.
She supposed it wouldn’t have been awkward if they didn’t have a date looming in a
couple of days. Then she thought about what Max had said about how even if Pete said
it was just as friends, for him it wouldn’t be just as friends.

Her throat felt dry, and she began bagging up the remains from dinner and getting
ready to haul them out to the Dumpster in the back of the shop.

“Here, I’ll take care of that for you,” Pete said. He took the bag out of Maggie’s
hands and began to tie it.

“Oh, thanks,” she said. She tidied up what was left, and
when Pete came back she said, “Well, we should probably give our lungs a break from
the fumes.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said.

She locked up the shop behind them, leaving the windows open just enough to ventilate
the large room. Pete ambled along beside her as they headed toward her Volvo. Maggie
didn’t know what to say. Pete had been such a huge help, and she wasn’t used to having
anyone—well, specifically a man—help her like that.

“So, are you like the nicest guy ever?” she asked, feeling the need to fill the quiet
and let him know how grateful she was.

Pete rubbed his chin as he considered her question. “Yes, I think I am.”

Maggie laughed, and he did, too. The awkwardness disappeared just like their puffs
of warm breath on the cold night air.

“Oh, hey, don’t move.” Pete leaned in close and touched her cheek very gently with
his index finger.

“What is it?” Maggie asked.

“I’m not sure.” Pete frowned. “But I’m guessing you’ve broken out in a severe case
of Aqua Chiffon freckles.”

“Oh no,” she said. She put her hand to her face. “Sure enough she could feel the hardened
spots of paint on her skin. “Oh man, because my regular freckles aren’t bad enough.”

Pete leaned in close, and whispered, “I like your freckles.”

He voice was so genuine and his smile so warm, Maggie couldn’t help but feel a flutter
of attraction for him. Judging by the way his smile widened, he felt it, too.

A honk sounded, and both Maggie and Pete jumped. She turned to see a squad car slowly
rolling up to them. Maggie
glared at the window. If this was Sam trying to make her feel like an idiot, she was
going to blast him.

The window on the passenger side rolled down, and Deputy Dot Wilson leaned over to
look at them.

“Maggie, we just got a report of a domestic disturbance over at Dr. Franklin’s,” Dot
said. Her tone was grim. “When I saw you, I thought you’d want to know.”

“What kind of disturbance?” Maggie asked. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and
she was terrified that something had happened to Doc or Alice.

“I don’t know. Sam’s already there, and I’m on my way there now,” Dot said.

“Can I have a lift?” Maggie asked.

“Get in,” Dot said.

“Sorry, Pete,” she said as she pulled open the passenger door. “I have to go.”

“No worries,” he said. “Call me if you need me.”

“Thanks,” she said.

Before she stepped into the car, Pete cupped her face and planted a swift kiss on
her lips. Maggie was stunned as she slid into the car and he shut the door behind
her.

Dot peeled away from the curb, giving Maggie a sideways look.

“Do not speak of this,” Maggie said.

They were both silent while Dot turned the corner toward the Franklins’ neighborhood.

“So, Pete Daniels, huh?” Dot asked. “I heard a rumor that you two had a hot date coming
up.”

“I thought we weren’t speaking of this,” Maggie said.

“You may not be, but I sure am.” Dot chuckled. “Good kisser? That looked like a good
one.”

“Ugh,” Maggie groaned. “He caught me off guard. I don’t know. Maybe. Yes. Ugh.”

Maggie had to admit that Pete’s kiss had been swift, but it had packed a lot of punch.
Good grief! The date that was supposed to be just as friends was now looming up at
her like something a whole lot more.

“You have blue paint on your face,” Dot said. She pulled in behind a squad car that
was already parked in front of Doc’s house.

Maggie sighed. “Please do not mention the kiss to Sam. He will tease me endlessly.”

They both got out of the car, and Dot looked at Maggie over the roof. “Like I’m really
going to tell my boss that the girl he has his eye on was kissing another man. Do
I look like the type who is stupid enough to commit career suicide?”

Dot stomped up to the house, and Maggie fell in behind her, wondering how her life
had suddenly become so complicated.

Sam was standing on the Franklins’ front porch with Alice. She was hunched over and
shivering, although Maggie noted that she had Sam’s heavy police jacket draped over
her shoulders.

“Alice, are you all right?” Maggie rushed forward. “Where’s Doc? What’s going on?”

Alice glanced up at Maggie and began to weep.

“Dot, take Mrs. Franklin down to the station,” Sam said. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“But what’s happening?” Maggie asked.

“Why are you here?” Sam asked. “And what’s on your face?”

“Paint,” Maggie said.

“It’s blue,” Sam said, frowning.

“Really, I was unaware,” she said.

Maggie turned away from him and rubbed her face with the end of her sleeve, trying
to get the paint off. She gave Dot a warning glance not to mention anything else that
may have been on her face, like Pete’s lips. Dot rolled her eyes.