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The butterflies in Maggie’s stomach were having a merry old dance as she entered Ward’s Surveillance Supplies an hour later. She didn’t know why she felt so nervous. Sam Ward was just a man; just a friend. That was all. Nothing more.
Her butterflies disagreed and fluttered some more when she saw Sam. He was sitting at a computer behind a desk at the other side of the shop. That dark blue suit he was wearing accentuated his slim, athletic build. His light brown eyes looked her way, and he broke into a wide smile causing crinkles to appear around his brown eyes in the most charming way.
Maggie swallowed nervously and gave him a shy smile. She didn’t know why she felt this nervous when she was with Sam. He was just a friend.
“Maggie. Hi!” Sam stood up and walked towards her, still smiling. He stopped in front of her. “How are you? How’s Oscar doing? Is he still at home recovering?”
“He went back to Newcastle yesterday. I don’t think he had recovered nearly enough, and I told him that. But he told me to stop fussing. And I told him it was my job as his mother. Then he said—” She abruptly stopped, and let out a nervous laugh. “Sorry. You didn’t need to know all that. Oscar is fine, thank you. How are you?”
“Fine. Thank you. And you?”
“Fine. Thank you.”
They smiled at each other.
Maggie broke the silence. “I’m here for professional advice.”
A look of disappointment came into Sam’s eyes. “Oh? This isn’t a personal visit?”
“Well, yes and no. I wanted to say thank you for coming to see Oscar while he was recovering. And for all those magazines you brought him. It was kind of you.”
Sam shrugged. “It was nothing. He’d been through a tough time. So had you. I wanted to make sure you were both fine. That’s all.”
Maggie nodded. “We appreciated it.” She paused. She had meant to invite Sam out for a meal to say thank you for his kindness. Not a date, just a meal. But she hadn’t found the courage to ask him yet.
“Is there something you wanted to ask me?” Sam prompted her.
Maggie shook her head. The courage to ask him out for a meal still hadn’t appeared.
“But you said you were here on a business matter,” Sam said. “Would you like to take a seat and tell me what’s on your mind? Can I get you a hot drink? Or water?”
“A tea would be nice, thank you.” Maggie followed Sam over to the desk. He pulled out a chair for her, and she sat down. She glanced around the shop at the surveillance equipment displayed on glass shelves. It was far too clinical-looking in this shop, and too open. If someone wanted to discuss a problem of an intimate nature, they would have to do it in front of any other customers. Not that there were any other customers in here at the moment. In fact, Maggie had never seen customers in here. How did Sam get business?
She jumped as something was placed in front of her.
“Here’s your tea,” Sam said with a smile.
“Thanks. I didn’t even you notice you leaving the room to get it.”
He grinned. “I’m a tea-making ninja. I’m empty-handed one minute, and in the blink of an eye, I’m handing you a cuppa.” He moved to the opposite side of the desk and sat down. “What can I help you with?”
Maggie pulled the gold-coloured plastic coins from her bag and placed them on the table. “I found these.”
He frowned as he picked one up. “Where? Inside a Christmas cracker? It’s a bit early for Christmas shopping, isn’t it?”
It was July, and not too early in Maggie’s opinion. But she didn’t tell Sam that.
She continued, “I found them at the bottom of a tree.”
“Okay.” He nodded as if that were normal.
“The tree is in that public lane at the bottom of my garden.”
He nodded again. “I have noticed those trees. They need pruning.”
“I know. I’ve phoned the council many times.”
Sam said, “Phone them again. Tell them about this littering business as well.”
“Littering?”
He held the plastic coin up. “This?”
“Oh no, that’s not littering. At least, I don’t think so. I suspect it was the man in the tree who dropped them.”
Sam blinked and lowered the coin. “What man?”
“The man in the tree. I thought he was spying on me. But I’m not so sure now.” She took a sip of tea. “You make a lovely cup of tea.”
Sam leaned forward on the desk. “Maggie, are you telling me there was a strange man in a tree, at the end of your garden, and he might have been spying on you?”
She nodded. “He might have something to do with these coins. I found them when he jumped out of the tree and ran away. I think I scared him with my rolling pin.” She took another drink of tea.
“Rolling pin?”
“Yes, I threatened him with it. Well, sort of. I waved it at him. I wouldn’t actually hit someone with it.” She considered the matter. “Unless it was in self-defence.”
A muscle twitched in Sam’s jaw. In a voice devoid of emotion, he said, “Am I right in assuming you approached a strange man in a tree?”
Maggie nodded.
“Were you on your own?”
She nodded again. She didn’t like the look in Sam’s eyes.
“On your own with only a rolling pin to protect you?”
Maggie’s nod was less certain. “Erm, yes. But when I realised I might be in danger, I told him I was going to phone the police.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Sam said tightly.
“That’s when he jumped out of the tree, winked at me, and then ran off.”
“He winked at you?” Sam’s hand tightened around the coin.
“Be careful,” Maggie pointed at the coin. “Don’t break it.”
Sam put the coin down. He let out a long sigh. “Maggie, that was a dangerous situation you put yourself in. You could have been hurt.”
“I know, but I wasn’t hurt.”
“But you could have been. You need to take care of yourself.”
Maggie was touched by his concern, but her defensive side came out. She sat up straighter. “I can take care of myself. I didn’t come here for a lecture on personal safety. Do you recognise those plastic coins?”
Sam held her gaze for a moment before giving his attention back to the coins. “I’ve never seen them before.”
“I have,” said a cheery voice behind Maggie.
Maggie almost jumped out of her skin. She looked at the young man behind her. “Jake! You scared the life out of me. I never heard you come in.”
He grinned, looking just like his dad. “I’m like a ninja. Light on my feet.” He threw a wrapped packaged towards Sam. “Dad, they didn’t have any bacon sandwiches left, so I got you a sausage one.”
“Thanks. I’ll save it for later.” Sam pointed to the coins. “You’ve seen these before, then?”
Jake pushed his floppy blonde hair off his face, and perched on the end of the desk. “Who found them?”
“I did,” Maggie admitted.
Jake took a sharp intake of breath. “Big mistake. I would not like to be in your shoes right now.”