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Josh sat at his drafting table in his home office, poring over the plans for the San Francisco office building. The clients were being picky again and he was close to tearing his hair out trying to please them. A task that seemed completely unmanageable, at best. Just as he balled up another piece of paper and threw it in the trash, his cell phone rang.
“Good, a distraction. Hallelujah.” He tapped accept on his phone. “Hello.”
“Josh, it’s Maggie.”
She’d been crying and was beyond upset.
“What’s wrong?”
“I need you,” was all she said.
“I’ll be right there.”
He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and sprinted for the door.
He arrived at Maggie’s house, dust flying up behind his Jeep. He cleared the front steps in one leap and as he reached the front door, Maggie came out and flung herself into his arms. They stood there for a long time.
He held her tight as she sank into his embrace and wept, allowing his strength to hold her together. When she was able to catch her breath, she pulled back a bit and looked up into his eyes. He would solve everything for her if he could.
*
Maggie’s arms were wrapped around Josh’s neck; his hands against her back held her close. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest. He brought his lips to hers and kissed her with longing and passion. She ran her fingers through his hair, surrendering to his embrace and his kiss.
They pulled back from one another, both needing a moment to catch their breath. Josh touched his forehead to hers. “Can you tell me what happened?”
She nodded and took his hand, leading him into the house. They sat down on the sofa in the living room, Dantes circling and then settling at their feet.
“Rose came by today. I was a little surprised to see her here without Kate, but she said she needed to talk to me alone.”
Maggie took a deep breath. Having no clue how to tell him, she blurted out, “Josh, Rose is my birth mother.”
Josh sat back on the sofa.
A sob-like laugh came from her throat at the look on his face.
“I know. You have about thirty questions that just popped into your mind all at once and your brain can’t figure out which one to ask first, right? I felt the same way.”
He looked at her for help. He still did not speak, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.
“She and my mother were best friends in college – roommates. Rose fell in love with a guy named Danny Strauss, my father, who went to serve overseas in the Marine Corps and was killed. Rose found out she was pregnant just before he died. She knew her family would never support her and since my parents were just about to get married, they cooked up a plan to have them raise me instead.
“But my dad…Patrick, didn’t like the setup, or Rose for that matter, and threatened to tell the world if they didn’t part ways and never speak again. That’s where the letters come in that I found. My mother was writing to her in secret so my father wouldn’t find out. Rose came today and showed me the other set of letters.”
Josh moved closer, holding her in his arms, her head on his shoulder.
“Can I ask you a question?” he said.
“Yes.”
“Does Kate know about this?”
“That she’s my sister? No. Rose is going to talk to her tonight.”
She clung to him. If she let go, she might never find stability again.
“I just don’t know what to do now,” she said. “I always pictured myself hunting down my birth mother, not having her knock on my front door and tell me that I’m related to someone I already know and love.” She laughed at the thought, the impossibility of it all.
“If you think about it, it’s quite amazing. Here you’ve been worried that whoever you found wouldn’t want you in their life or wouldn’t want to be found. The truth is your family are people who already love you.”
“But what if Kate is angry with her mother and doesn’t want me to be her sister?”
“I have serious doubts that’s how Kate will respond. She may be shocked at first, yes, but that will change.”
“I guess I’ll know after tonight, won’t I?”
“I will stay here with you as long as you want.” His arms held her tighter.
“Thanks.” She blushed at the thought of their kiss. She buried her head in his shoulder and breathed in deeply. The smell of his cologne filled her senses and she let herself sink into his strength.
*
Maggie woke up on the sofa, a blanket tucked nearly around her.
“Josh?” There was no answer. “Josh?”
She looked at her watch. It was three o’clock in the morning.
She noticed a note on the coffee table.
I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Maggie, but I had to leave. I promise I’ll call you as soon as I can.
Love, Josh
She curled up with Dantes and stared into the fireplace. Drifting off again, she began to dream. She was sitting on the shore again, watching her mother swimming in the ocean. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. What if the waves kicked up and consumed her mother? But Caroline swam and floated, periodically waving to Maggie. She swam towards the shore and came out of the water. She picked up a beach towel and dried her hair with it, threw it around her shoulders, and looked down at Maggie, sitting in the sand, staring up at her.
“What’s the matter, sugar?” she asked Maggie. “You looked worried.”
“I was worried about you, Mama. I was afraid you would get taken away by the waves.”
“Oh, no. Don’t you worry about that. Those waves don’t scare me.”
“Does anything scare you, Mama?”
“The only thing that scares me, sugar, is you being afraid. Afraid to love. Afraid to take chances. Afraid to trust.”
She leaned over and took Maggie’s face in her hands.
“And now that you know the truth, there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. If you let it, the truth will set you free.”
She gave Maggie a tender kiss on the cheek. She let the towel drop and walked slowly back into the water. She began swimming again and with each stroke of her arms, she became more and more a part of the water, melting into it until finally, she was gone.
Maggie opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. The house was quiet except for Dantes’ snoring. She thought about her dream on the plane that night when the waves consumed her mother, secrets that she had to keep her entire life. When she awoke this time, however, she felt a sense of calm, a peace that her mother was giving her permission to accept Rose in her life and enjoy the family that God was now giving her a chance to know.
A lone tear rolled down her cheek. As she wiped it away, she whispered into the darkness, “Thank you, Mama. Thank you.”
*
Josh maneuvered his Jeep through the dark, his headlights shining against the huge pine trees that lined the road. Having driven these roads his entire life, he took each curve with ease, his mind on all that Maggie just told him and the kiss they shared. She had responded this time to him, allowing herself to feel what he knew was in her heart. But did that mean she was ready to let him in her life completely, or was she just caught up in the emotion of what Rose had told her?
He reached out to turn up the heat and when he looked back up, something was in the road. He turned the wheel sharply to the left and tried to gain control, but the Jeep skidded and headed into a roll. In slow motion, he saw glass fly, and the trees turn upside down. He put his arms in front of his face. Maggie’s face flashed before him. Then the world went black.
*
Maggie woke with a start. It took her a moment to realize that someone was banging on her door.
“Just a second!” she cried out, hoarse from the cold air of the living room. She got up, her body cramped from sleeping on the sofa.
When she got to the door, Kate was standing there with her back to her. Maggie’s heart raced. Would Kate hate her or hug her when she turned around?
Kate turned, holding a small five by seven canvas for Maggie to see.
“I made this for you and was going to give it to you at Christmas, but with all that happened with my dad, I didn’t have time to finish it for you. Now, I think there was a reason for that. I was having trouble coming up with a name for it and as of this morning, I have the perfect one.”
Maggie stared at the painting. It was of two women sitting by a fire, talking. One was curled up in a large chair, the other lounging across a sofa. Maggie could see that it was her and Kate. The painting was exquisite. The colors jumped off the canvas and although the women’s faces weren’t detailed, they were so lifelike and real. It was as if she could reach out and touch them, join them in their conversation.
“Oh, Kate. It’s beautiful. I didn’t even know you could paint, and to accomplish something like this. This is breathtaking.”
“It’s one of my many hidden talents, I guess. I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“It’s definitely a surprise.”
Kate’s broke into a smile and her eyes welled up with tears.
“I’ve decided to title it, ‘Sisters.’”