Maggie's Turn (17 page)

"Why didn't I know all this?" Andrew asked, sounding stunned.

"Because when I tried to tell you, you told me you didn't care what I did with my
little
inheritance. As usual, you didn't pay attention to what was going on."

"And you've been paying for Kyle's college tuition?"

"Of course. I'm hoping to have enough for him and Kaia. But that depends on what happens to us." Maggie sat back against the pillows on the bed. She was exhausted. Sparing with Andrew was getting old, and she was tired of it.

There was a silent pause from Andrew's end of the line.

"Andrew? Are you still there?" Maggie asked.

"It's time for you to come home, Maggie," Andrew finally said. "You've had your fun, and you've bought your toy. It's time for you to turn around and come home so things can get back to normal around here."

Maggie sighed. He just didn't get it. She didn't want to go home and get back to normal. She wanted things between them to change. She wanted things to change for the better. "I can't come home yet," she said. "I'm not ready. We're not ready."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Andrew asked in an exasperated tone.

"If I come home now, our life will just go back to the way it was before I left. I don't want to go back to that life. I want it to change. We need to change, Andrew. Don't you understand that?"

Andrew ran his hand through his hair as he paced the floor of their bedroom. "No, Maggie. I don't understand. In fact, I'm beginning to think you just don't want to come home at all. You want to flit around and play, and forget about your family and your responsibilities. You ended up being just like your mother after all. You walked away and left your family behind, just like she did."

Maggie gasped. Andrew couldn't have hurt her any more if he had stabbed her in the heart with a knife. Anger bubbled to the surface. "How dare you compare me to my mother," she said, her voice low and menacing. "You left us long before I ever drove away. I was the one who raised the kids while you made excuses to be at work late or volunteer all over town. I was the one to drive them to school, care for them when they were sick, take them to activities, and attend all their sporting events, school conferences, field trips, and plays. I was with our children every second of every day, taking care of their needs, and yours. I didn’t abandon them, you did. Just like you abandoned me." Maggie paused a moment, giving her words a chance to settle on Andrew. "I'm heading up to Cassie's place. Don't bother calling me until you're ready to apologize." Without another word, Maggie ended the conversation and clicked off her phone.

***

Andrew knew he'd gone too far the moment the words came out of his mouth.
You ended up being just like your mother after all.
He couldn't believe he'd said those words, let alone with such vehemence. He knew Maggie was a good mother. She was nothing like the woman who had left Maggie, her little sister, and her father without even saying goodbye. Yet, there it was. He'd said it.

Andrew groaned. Why did he keep saying things to hurt Maggie? Why couldn't they just talk this through and settle things? He was such an articulate, organized person. He liked his life running smoothly, the way it used to. He just wanted everything back to the way it was.

She was the one who left, he reminded himself. He'd stayed in the marriage, even after last year's mess. He believed he was right in wanting her to come home. She needed to come back so they could finally talk this all out.

"And now she's going to her cousin's house," he said aloud, shaking his head. Cassie didn't like him, and he knew it. They never got along from the first time they met, years ago, and he knew she really hated him now, after he'd had the affair. Cassie and Maggie were as close as sisters, so he couldn't really blame Maggie for having told her about their problems. Unfortunately, her being in Cassie's home wouldn't bide well for him, especially since he wasn't there to defend himself.

Downstairs, Andrew heard Kyle come in, his heavy work boots pounding on the wooden floor, then on the staircase. Andrew looked at the clock. It was after ten, and Kyle was just coming home.

"Hey, Dad," Kyle said, as he stopped in front of Andrew's door. He smelled slightly of oil and gas. There were stains on his jacket, and his backpack was slung over his shoulder. He lifted the picture of the red Mustang. "What's this? I saw it on the table. Are you thinking of getting a different car?"

Andrew stared at the photo of the sports car. He'd left it on the kitchen table by accident, and Kaia had asked him the exact same question earlier. "That's your mother's new car," he said. "Apparently, she decided that the minivan wasn't cool enough for her."

"Cool," Kyle said, still looking at the picture. "Can't wait till she comes home so I can test-drive it."

Kyle's total acceptance of anything his mother did irked Andrew. Why did the kids always judge him harshly but let Maggie have a free pass all the time? Annoyed, he lashed out at Kyle. "Why are you home so late? I thought I told you to come home early enough to do your homework."

Kyle stared hard at his dad. "I did it at Ashley's. Ate dinner there, too. I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Before Andrew could reply, Kyle was already in his room, and his door was shut. Andrew backed up and dropped onto the bed, defeated. "When will this mess end?" he asked aloud to the empty bedroom.

Chapter Seventeen

Maggie's phone vibrated only minutes after she'd hung up on Andrew. He'd better not be calling to yell at me some more, she thought as she lifted the phone. To her surprise, she saw the caller was Kyle.

"Hi, Kyle," she said, happy to hear from him. She hadn't spoken to her son since she'd left.

"Hi, Mom," Kyle said, his voice deep and sounding so much like his father's. "Where are you tonight?"

"I'm staying at a cute ocean side bed-and-breakfast on the Oregon Coast."

"That sounds fun. Hey, you bought a Mustang. Way cool. How is it to drive?"

Maggie smiled, hearing the enthusiasm in her son's voice. He'd always loved anything with a motor. She remembered when he was just a baby, making
vroom, vroom
noises with his toy cars long before he could even talk. "It drives like a dream. It has five on the floor and hugs every curve in the road. I'm sure you'd love to drive it."

"Sounds like I get my love of cars from you," Kyle teased.

"That's probably not too far from the truth," Maggie said. "So, how's everything going with you? How's school?"

Kyle's tone grew serious. "Everything's okay. School isn't going so well. I just can't get into it this semester."

"Well, maybe it's time we talk about you trying something different after this semester ends. I know you aren't happy at college. Have you thought about going to the tech school?"

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, like Dad would agree to that. He thinks working on bikes and cars is a waste of time."

"Don't worry about your dad. You need to do what makes you happy. Speaking of your dad, how is everything going there?"

"I don't know. Dad's being kind of weird. One minute, he's trying to act like our friend, and the next minute, he's bossing Kaia and me around. It's weird, you not being here."

"Your dad's trying to do his best, I'm sure. He's just not used to being alone with you kids, or being in charge of the house." Maggie was trying her best to sound positive about Andrew, even though she was mad as hell with him.

"Yeah, I suppose." Kyle grew quiet. After a moment, he continued. "Will you be coming home soon?"

Maggie sighed. After the last conversation she'd had with Andrew, she didn't know the answer to Kyle's question. "Probably not for a little while yet, honey. I still need some time to sort things out. I'm going up to your Aunt Cassie's for a few days, then we'll see what happens."

"I'm sorry about everything, Mom. Sometimes I wish…" Kyle stopped as Maggie interrupted him.

"Nothing is your fault, Kyle. Don't ever think it is. This is between your dad and me. You kids didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Maggie insisted.

After a pause, Kyle said, "Okay, Mom. I hope everything works out."

"Try getting along with your dad, and I'll be home soon. Okay? I love you, Kyle," Maggie added softly.

"Me, too, Mom. Talk to you later."

Maggie hung up the phone, her heart heavy for her oldest child. He was a kind, warm-hearted person, and the complete opposite of Andrew. She hoped the two wouldn't clash too much before she finally made her way home.

***

After a long day of highway driving and hitting rush hour traffic that actually lasted more like three hours, Maggie pulled up into the driveway of her cousin's Puget Sound home and sighed, relieved to finally be here. Maggie parked in front of the four stall garage on the brick paved driveway and sat quietly a moment, admiring her cousin's mansion of a house. Cassandra Wiles and she were the same age, and they had both been raised in modest, not-quite-middle-class families with enough but not many luxuries. Now, Cassie, her husband, Matt, and their two children lived in a home of over six-thousand square feet with amazing views of Puget Sound and beach property to call their own, because Matt was in the right business at the right time. Ten years ago, Matt, a computer program designer, and his business partner, struck it rich when they designed software that Microsoft had to have, and the men sold out their entire company for millions. Despite their ridiculously decadent wealth, Cassie and Matt were still the same down-to-earth couple they had been when they were surviving on soup and grilled cheese sandwiches in the lean years before success. And although Cassie bluntly spoke her mind whether she's been asked advice or not, Maggie still loved her as much now as she did when they were both children.

Maggie stepped out of her car and headed to the set of large double doors in the front of the house. She hadn't called Cassie to tell her she was coming, because she wanted to surprise her. She rang the bell and waited, hoping they were home.

When Cassie answered the door, she broke out into a broad smile and pulled Maggie into a big hug.

"Oh, my God! I can't believe you're here. This is such a great surprise. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Cassie said everything as if in one sentence, and Maggie laughed as she hugged her cousin tight.

Cassie pulled away and looked intently at Maggie. "Wow, you look amazing. Have you lost weight? I love your hair. You look…happy." Before Maggie could respond, Cassie started looking around as if something was missing. "Where are the kids? I can't wait to give them a big hug. It seems like forever since I've seen them. Are they still in the van?" She ran past Maggie and out to the front of the garage before Maggie could tell her they weren't with her. Cassie stopped short when she saw the red Mustang sitting in the driveway instead of the minivan, and no one else in sight. She turned and stared at Maggie, her expression reflecting confusion.

"You have a Mustang? A red Mustang? Where's the van? Where are the kids?"

Maggie walked over to her cousin. "I'm here alone," she said softly.

Cassie's brown eyes searched Maggie's blue ones. Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb had gone off in her head, and she lifted a hand to her mouth. "You left Andrew?" Cassie asked, her tone solemn. Then she smiled wide and blurted out, "You finally left Andrew. Well, thank the good Lord you've finally come to your senses. But where are the kids? Why are you alone?"

Maggie shook her head. It was so like Cassie to jump to conclusions and not give her a chance to explain. She stepped up to her cousin and put her arm around her waist, walking her toward the front door. "No, I haven't left Andrew, and the kids are with him. Let's go inside and talk."

Cassie and Maggie entered the home, as Maggie once again marveled at its grandeur. The entryway was two stories high, with tall windows pouring in sunlight. A shiny tan and cream marble floor stretched out beneath their feet and met up with the gleaming natural oak floor in the expansive living room, complete with a two story high river-rock fireplace with floor-to-ceiling windows flanking each side. Stretching out to the left of the living room was the kitchen, a massive room with an attached family room and another smaller fireplace. The entire house was surrounded with an outside deck with views of the Sound, the Olympic Mountain Range, and the Maury and Vashon Islands, depending on which side of the house you were on.

Entering the kitchen, Cassie quickly poured Maggie and herself fresh brewed coffee into heavy mugs, and they both sat on the stools at the island before Cassie finally looked Maggie in the eye and said, "Dish it, girl."

Maggie stared at her cousin and smiled. They were from the same bloodline and yet were as different as they could be, but they still melded together perfectly. Cassie was tall and athletic, a natural runner, and always participating in the latest fitness craze from aerobics to spin classes. She wore her mahogany brown hair short and stylish, generally wore very little makeup, and was a no-nonsense sort of woman when it came to clothes. Workout gear, jeans, T-shirts, capris, and shorts dominated her closet with a dress or two for special occasions. Maggie, on the other hand, rarely exercised, rarely wore anything other than jeans and khakis, and couldn't imagine cutting her hair short. But she and Cassie had always gotten along well. They'd grown close when, at ten years old, Maggie and her sister, Amy, had lived with Cassie's family for almost a year while their father was assigned overseas. Cassie's mother, Aunt Karen, was Maggie's father's sister, and she was more than happy to take the young girls in and care for them while her brother was away. Cassie's family had become Maggie's second family. They were as close as sisters, and since losing her father and sister over the past two years, Maggie was even more grateful for having a good friend in Cassie.

Maggie began explaining to Cassie about her trip here, and how she'd just driven off one day after dropping Kaia off at school and hadn't returned. She told her about meeting "Wild Bill" in Deadwood and their ride up to Mt. Rushmore, about her days in Reno with the vivacious Bobbi, and about the conversations she'd had with Andrew throughout her journey. She left out her last conversation with Andrew, when he had accused her of being just like her mother, because it hurt too much to repeat. Cassie already didn't like Andrew, and this bit of news would only increase her dislike of him.