CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Maggie

 

“You have plans for the fireworks tonight?” Tammy asked.

“Well, I was planning to go,” I answered.

“With who?”

“I was just going to walk over after dark. I don’t know. I didn’t really make a plan,” I admitted.

Tammy just rolled her eyes.

“I’m going with Eric. Come with us. I can ask him to invite Shane if you want…”

“That’s okay. But I will meet you there.”

“No Shane?”

“No Shane.”

She eyed me.

“You still hung up on the chef?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Tell me.”

I thought about it for a moment, but only a moment. Tammy was a friend, and if I couldn’t talk to her, who could I talk to?

“We fooled around,” I said.

“I KNEW IT!” she screamed.

I looked around at all the faces that turned to stare at us.

“Quieter, please,” I begged.

“I knew it,” she hissed. “You slept with him.”

“I didn’t, actually. We never got that far.”

And with that, I told her the whole story. She listened, amazed.

“Wow. And no strings attached?”

“None,” I said.

“Any regrets?” she asked.

“None. It was amazing. Now I just need to find a decent guy who’s able to do those same things—”

“Hmm. I see the issue. Why not Shane?”

I sighed.

“Because when he kissed me, I felt nothing.”

“Ah.”

 

*

After a decadent take-out meal from the local Italian place, I took a quick shower, tied up my hair, and put on a bit of makeup. I rifled through my closet and pulled out a black, short-sleeve wrap dress. A pair of comfortable flats and I was ready to go.

I texted Tammy as soon as I got to the square. There were so many people out—residents, tourists, and seasonal renters alike—that it would be near impossible to find her in the crowd. There were different bands set up in different areas of the square, far enough away from each other that they’d each attracted their own crowd.

I saw a bunch of people I knew, including the crew from Franni’s bakery—Tess, Katie, Jax, and Chance. I’d become a regular at that place and they were all super friendly. Katie’s boyfriend, the actor Mason Scott, was with them but by this point, he was becoming a regular fixture in the town and not stirring up much fuss. Except amongst the tourists.

I made my way towards our meeting spot and saw Tammy standing with Eric, the two of them laughing over some private joke. I felt a momentary stab and wondered if maybe I should’ve given Shane another shot. I hadn’t been lonely before, but now that I’d had a taste of both the company and the sexual possibility, I wanted more.

“Hey, you two,” I said as I approached.

“Mags!” Tammy threw her arms around me.

“Hey, Maggie,” Eric said.

I smiled at him as I pulled away from Tammy.

“I didn’t realize I’d be the third wheel here. I’m sorry,” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’re happy to have you along. And there are plenty of people here, nudge, nudge.” Tammy winked at me to reinforce her point.

We found ourselves a good spot on the grass and I spread out the blanket I’d brought. Tammy and I sat down and Eric went off to find us refreshments.

 

*

The Mayor was wrapping up her speech just as we were finishing our second round of drinks. Tammy was off doing a tour of the food trucks and Eric was anxious she wouldn’t get back in time for the fireworks. There was a slight chill in the air so I pulled my cardigan out of my bag and threw it over my shoulders.

“That’s it,” Eric said. “I’m going to look for her.”

“Are you serious? If you leave, she’ll just show up. Did you try texting her?” I asked.

“Of course. She probably can’t hear her phone in the crowd.”

Eric got to his feet and disappeared into a swarm of people. I stretched out on the blanket, laid down on my back, and stared up at the stars. It was a clear night and the effect was magical. It was like everyone else melted away and it was just me and the universe. Me and the skies. I watched a shooting star, so much more common up here than I’d ever realized, but no less miraculous because of it.

I was in my own world when the first firework went off overheard. I couldn’t help but smile. I loved fireworks. The lights, the music, the show, even the smell. The next set went off and I laid there, transfixed.

Until my vision was blocked by a grinning face. A very familiar grinning face. I sat up.

“Liam.”

“Hey, Maggie. Mind if I join you?”

I looked around, aware for the first time that neither Eric nor Tammy had made their way back to the blanket. I had no acceptable reason for saying no, so I indicated the space beside me and he sat down.

“How you been?” he asked.

“Okay. You?”

“Great. Working hard.”

“Well, if the occupancy rate at the hotel is any indication of the business you’re doing, I imagine so,” I said.

“Yeah.” He was silent for a moment, watching the sky. “Listen, I don’t know what happened—”

“Nothing happened. Forget about it,” I said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

We sat there, together, watching the rest of the fireworks in silence, save for the obligatory oohs and aahs. I wondered who he’d come with, or if he’d come alone. If he’d abandoned his party to come sit with me, and if so, why? I couldn’t piece together his reasoning and he was offering no clues, just sitting there quietly beside me.

He shifted position, and his arm brushed against mine. I felt tingles along my skin where we’d made contact. I swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t notice, and casually moved my arm away. There was definitely chemistry. I chewed the inside of my lip as I contemplated my options. Would one more night with Liam, a chance to finish what we’d started, be a terrible idea or a brilliant one?

By this point, my vagina was doing the thinking. I was well aware of that, but the longer he sat by me, the more tension built between us. I could feel his hands on me, his breath on my neck, his tongue in my—

“Liam? There you are!”

We both turned to see a woman, mid-fifties, standing about five feet in front of us. Liam closed his eyes, the classic Oh, shit look crossing his face. Had he been on a date?

“Trish. Hey. Do you know Maggie Grant? Maggie, this is Trish.”

Trish and I looked each other over and smiled politely.

“You just disappeared on us, Liam. I was wondering what happened,” Trish said.

“I’m all good, thanks. Tell Adam I’ll be in tomorrow, okay?”

Trish stood there, looking stung. She looked over at me again with a new appreciation and a not-so-polite smile. Then she turned and walked away.

“Your date?” I asked.

“No, no, that’s just…” He trailed off, never really finishing the sentence. I didn’t need him to. Her presence had been a reminder of who I was dealing with. If anything, I should thank her for showing up. She’d probably saved me from a huge mistake.