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SHE HADN’T ASKED FOR Josh Bergeron’s help. Now she had to spend even more heartrending minutes with him. Face searing as annoyance burned across her cheeks to the tips of her ears, Maggie led Josh to the attic pull in the garage. She did need to get to the store, so his intrusion might be marginally helpful.
Once the ladder extended, he took a step up, but stopped. “Oh, can you check on J.D. while I look around up here?” His eyes widened into a pleading gaze. A flirty gaze.
She remembered that look all too well. Like when he’d talked her into skiing in a bayou full of alligators. She’d held on tight to the rope that day and moved into the boat at a speed akin to pelican diving for a fish. Now, her jaw tightened as she tried to come up with an appropriate retort. She sure didn’t want to unearth more of the past.
“You know,” Josh continued, “J.D. talked about you when I got home last night. How you read to him and colored a puppy with him while you were in the hospital waiting room. He’s dying for a puppy, but it’s hard enough finding someone to watch...” He blew out a long breath. “Oh, and you gave him spicy candy he thought were called Hot Tomatoes.”
That stirred up a chuckle. Hot Tomatoes. “Fine. I’m going over because J.D.’s cute, and his father left him all alone next door.”
“Bad me. I didn’t want to wake him when I first got up, and I didn’t know you’d rope me into all this work.”
“Rope you? Really?” She turned toward the open garage door. “You practically begged to help me, and you know it.” She stomped into the squishy wet grass between the two yards.
His rich laughter trailed her.
Of course he’d laugh. He’d gotten his way like always. After climbing the cement porch steps and opening the door, a cautious step brought Maggie inside the house. No surprise, the decor reeked masculine and nautical. A map and an antique ship’s wheel hung on one wall. A large marlin mounted on wooden planks hung above the fireplace. Humph. If she were in charge, that thing would be in a back bedroom or the garage, not in the living room. Most of the rest of this tacky decor, too.
She couldn’t help but look around and imagine what if. What if she’d stayed? What if they’d made it to the altar? What if they’d had children? Would they be good parents together...a team like her own mother and father? Smiling pictures of the blond boy at different stages hung along the wall in the hall, and she ran her fingers over the glass. Something pinched inside, and she ached for the life she might’ve lived.
Shake it off. Even if she had stayed here, they probably never would have lasted, the man was so stubborn and single-minded. One way. His way. She continued down the hall. The first room held a blue chest of drawers and twin bed made to look like a sailboat, but the covers lay flat. No J.D.
Her stomach did a little flip. Where was he?
She quickened her steps. The next room looked to be an office, and the walls were bare. The perfect place for all the old maritime junk.
In the last room, a small blond head lay on a pillow in the middle of a king-sized bed. The vision caused her insides to pinch harder, and she held her breath. Lord, he’s beautiful. Did I make a mistake? Would that precious child have been hers? Instead, J.D. had a mother who wasn’t interested in her own flesh and blood. How was that even possible?
Moisture fought its way out from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks in big sloppy tears. She sniffled and mashed them away.
The sheets rustled. He must’ve been waking. She used a corner of her T-shirt to make sure she’d cleared all the evidence of her ridiculous emotions.
J.D.’s eyes blinked open. He looked her way, and then he shot straight up. “Hey, Miss Maggie.”
“Good morning, pumpkin.”
“I’m not a pumpkin. I’m a boy named J.D. We drew pumpkins at preschool.”
A laugh loosened the ache inside. “I know, silly. Pumpkin is a nickname because you’re cute and sweet.” She sat on the edge of the bed and tweaked his nose.
“But I already have a name.”
She couldn’t help but run her fingers across a wayward strand of his hair, pushing it down. The strand was soft and feathery under her hand, stirring up more raw emotions. “Right. Your name is J.D.”
“No.” His nose scrunched up, and he cocked his head. “Like pumpkin, but not.”
“Okay.” Whatever he said. It was too early for her to make sense of it. “You want breakfast? Your dad’s next door helping me get storm shutters from the attic.”
“Captain.” He scooted to the edge of the bed and slid to the floor. Prints of red sailboats covered his blue pajamas.
Boats everywhere. There was no escaping them. Maggie stood and considered his word. “You want Captain Crunch?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a cereal, and you said captain.”
“My other name is captain. Sometimes mate, too. Or sailor.” He stared at her like she was pretty dense.
“Oh.” It figured. Josh was totally indoctrinating J.D. into the dangerous life of the sea.
They entered the wood-paneled kitchen. So dark. The walls could use a fresh coat of a light paint. Or maybe he should change out the dark paneling for a narrower beadboard. Maggie opened the refrigerator. “What do you eat for breakfast?”
“Daddy cooks eggs. But I want what you said.” His arms crossed, and he stared up at her with puppy-dog eyes.
“What I said?” A prick of uneasiness brought her brows together.
“Captain cereal.”
Uh, oh. A sinking feeling told her she’d misspoken. “Where do you keep the captain cereal?”
“We don’t have any.”
Of course they didn’t. “How about we have eggs like Daddy makes?”
He shook his head. “You said captain cereal. I’m a captain. I need captain cereal.”
“I can make the special Maggie’s cheese omelet.”
His disappointed face aimed up at her.
“Let’s go next door and see what cereal Dahlia has.” Or go let Josh take the flack for her mistake. She held out her arms, and he willingly came to her and snuggled close.
Though she hated to admit it, she could get used to this warm toasty feeling. But she obviously had a lot to learn about kids.
~~~
MAGGIE HAD BEEN RIGHT about one thing. Josh wished it hadn’t been this thing as he bent over and cut open another box. Cammie and Ruth had never opened the new storm shutters. This project would take a while, and he still hadn’t found the socket set he’d need. Probably in storage. Either that or Trisha had made off with it. Like she had with most of his money and belongings. Why, he couldn’t figure, since she’d left him for a casino mogul.
Anyway, he’d have to run to the hardware store.
“You’re not making much progress from the looks of it.” Maggie’s voice snuck up from behind and coiled around his heart.
Josh turned to find her standing in the garage looking at the panels on the ground. J.D. was settled happily on her hip still in his pajamas. Didn’t she know to dress him before bringing him out? “Morning, captain.” It wasn’t until he pressed his lips to the little boy’s cheek that Maggie’s sweet floral scent drifted to him. She was so close. A current jolted through him. Heated his chest. And for one moment, the world seemed right.
But no. That scenario would never be. She’d never come back here. Or to him. He glanced at her face but she cut her eyes away. Had she felt it, too?
“I want captain cereal for breakfast.” J.D.’s voice brought Josh crashing down to earth.
“What?” The sentence hadn’t fully reached his brain.
“Miss Maggie told me about captain cereal. I want some.” J.D. played with one of Maggie’s curls as he talked. The picture pecked hard at Josh’s heart.
Oh, man. This was messed up. “She did, huh? We usually have eggs.”
Finally, she looked Josh’s way, her dark eyes narrowing. “A misunderstanding, okay? Is it acceptable if I check to see if Dahlia has any, just for today?”
“Please, Daddy?”
They had him at captain cereal. “Just for today, sailor?”
“Yes, sir.” J.D.’s head nodded.
“Carry on then, sir. And ma’am.” Josh saluted them both and held back a smile. The two looked so perfect together. “Can I have some, too? I have to go to the hardware store before I can finish this job anyway.”
Something like a growl vibrated in Maggie’s throat. “Seriously?”
“I’m not one of those fly-by-night installers who throws on shutters without the proper tools, ma’am.”
Trudging forward, Maggie sighed. “I’ve got to figure out if Dahlia has school and open the store.”
He followed them through the garage and into the kitchen. “You don’t have to be here for me to do the job. You can trust me.”
“Humph. We’ll see. Not that I have much choice.” Maggie set to work, searching out a box of captain cereal which could’ve been any of them as far as J.D. knew. She found the real deal. The blue-and-white bowls clinked as she set them on the counter and threw a spoon in each. She turned Josh’s way with raised eyebrows. “You just gonna watch?” The dark eyes drilled into him.
“Huh?” Boy, she had him mesmerized.
“You could get the milk if you wanted to be useful. Can I trust you with that?” A slight tease filtered through her harsh words.
“Oh. Yeah.” He’d been caught staring, enjoying the view of her piddling around the kitchen with J.D. on her hip. He grabbed the carton from the refrigerator and waited until she filled two bowls with cereal. “Aren’t you eating?”
“I need to wake Dahlia first. The school is still open last I heard.”
He poured milk over one bowl and took it to the table. “I’ll let the captain get started, and I’ll wait to have mine, too.”
“Why?”
What she didn’t know about kids could be hazardous to all their health. Mental and otherwise. “You might need all hands on deck to get that one out of bed.”
~~~
THE SMIRK ON JOSH’S face poked at Maggie’s nerves. Again. She’d not asked for his help, but of course, he was on her heels like he owned the place. He wasn’t the captain of this ship. She trudged to Dahlia’s room and flicked on the light. “Good morning, sunshine.”
“Turn that off.” A pillow covered Dahlia’s head. “What are you doing?” A grumpy snarl arose from under the lime green lump.
“You need to get ready for school. Do you ride the bus, or does your mom drive you?” Keeping one’s voice perky took a lot of patience. Maggie pinned up her lips in a grin.
Hands reached out and punched the pillow tighter over the bulge that was Dahlia’s head. No answer.
“Dahlia, let’s rise and shine and give God the glory.” That’s what her mom had always said. Maggie sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed what looked to be the girl’s shoulder. “Come on. We’re serving up Captain Crunch in the mess hall.” Did she really use the term mess hall? Just like her dad. What this place did to her in a day...
“I’m not going to school.”
“What? You don’t have school today?” Probably a fib. “I better check the website again to be sure.”
“We have school.” The pillow spoke again. “I’m not going.”
Josh stepped closer to the bed. “Um, Maggie—”
“Why aren’t you going?” Maggie shot her toughest back-off look at Josh.
“You might need help at the store.”
“I’ll manage, sweetie. You don’t have to worry. I’m here to take care of things.”
An elbow nudged her. Apparently Josh thought he should interrupt. He mouthed words, but she waved him off.
“Aunt Maggie, we’re not doing anything except making Thanksgiving crafts, and my mother was practically killed in a tragic accident, and I am not going to school.”
Emotion punctuated Dahlia’s words and quivered in Dahlia’s voice.
The sentiment wrestled against Maggie’s resolve. She hadn’t considered how deeply the accident had affected her niece. Seeing one’s mother injured and then taken away in an ambulance must have been traumatic. How awful for a child to endure.
Yet Dahlia had carried Josh’s son home, made the call for help, and cared for J.D. until she arrived. Dahlia was strong, but still a little girl. Maggie cut her gaze toward Josh, who wore a look that spoke duh. So that’s what he was trying to tell her. He might know a bit more about children than she did. He was probably a good father.
“Sweetie, your mom’s going to get better. I was with her before I came home.” Of course, Cammie had looked about the same as she had the night before. Groggy and beat up.
The sheets rustled as Dahlia turned over and finally poked out her head. “Like my grandma? She never got better. Or Grandpa? I never even got to meet him.” Worry carved a line between her brows.
The words knifed Maggie’s chest. “It’s nothing like what happened to my mother or my father. Your mom will be home before you know it.” Please, Lord, let that be true. And let her be walking.
“I wish I’d known Grandpa. It would’ve been cool to have a dad like him.” Dahlia eyed Josh.
Bending to one knee beside the bed, Josh offered a tender smile. “Your grandpa was like a father to me when I needed one. I could return the favor. Teach you to fish and take you sailing—”
Wait...what was he offering? To be her niece’s father? And sailing? “No. Not sailing.” Maggie’s voice came out too harsh.
Both heads twisted toward her.
“I mean, let’s talk about this later. You don’t have to go to school. You can come to the store with me.”
“Well, if I’m staying home, can I sleep in? You can come get me at lunch. Or I’ll walk over when I wake up. It’s only two blocks.”
The girl was good. She had to give her that. “Okay, mini-me, that wasn’t the deal.”
J.D. took that moment to appear and jump onto the bed. “I’ll go to the store with you, Miss Maggie.” Milk circled his mouth as he smiled.
If that wasn’t the most precious thing she’d ever seen... “You sure ate quickly. Did you finish all your cereal?”
“Yes, ma’am. I like the Captain. Can we buy some more?”
Josh leaned across the bed and scooped his son up in one fell swoop. “We’ll see. And you can stay home and be Daddy’s helper today.”
“But I want to go with Miss Maggie.” J.D.’s brows met above his nose.
His expression caught hold of Maggie’s heart. Kids usually didn’t give her this much attention. Of course, she hadn’t been around many besides Jane’s kids and Dahlia. She hated to disappoint him. “I guess I could take him. Do you have some kind of sling I can carry him around in?”
That drew a laugh from both Josh and Dahlia.
At last, her niece sat up. “He’s not a baby, Aunt Maggie.”
“What about a backpack? I’ve seen bigger kids in those.”
“There’s not room to walk around with a backpack in an antique store.” Dahlia rolled her eyes. “Next stupid idea.”
“Stupid idea? I’ll give you a—”
“Hey.” Josh stood and pressed his forehead against J.D.’s. “I need my first mate and Dahlia to stay with me this morning. It’ll take all hands on deck to get the shutters up, and then we’ll pick up lunch for everyone and go hang out with Maggie at the store.”
“That could work.” The man did have a smidgen of sense. Maybe. Sometimes. But what did he mean by hang out? Not him, too, surely. He had to know she didn’t want him distracting her.
Like he was already.
She had a headache as it was.
“I’ll see if Aunt Ruth is up.” She’d have to have someone familiar with how to run the business. Maggie smiled at the children and then made her way down the dark hall to Aunt Ruth’s room. A faint glow came from under her great aunt’s door. And the scent of Chanel perfume, a fragrance both Aunt Ruth and Mama loved.
Memories surrounded her, almost swallowing her...
Mama and Cammie moving in with Aunt Ruth after Katrina once new sheetrock had been put in.
Mama hoping against hope Daddy would be found and they’d rebuild on the old foundation a few blocks over.
Then reality had struck.
More like reality had slapped them silly. Daddy was never coming back. The insurance company wasn’t going to cover what they deemed flood damage. Cammie was pregnant and would have to quit her classes at Tulane and come home to take care of a baby while Mama went back to work. All three women had insisted that Maggie go back to Mississippi State and get on with her life. As if...
The door creaked open, and Aunt Ruth appeared. “Oh! What are you doing, Maggie? You scared the life out of me, like seeing a ghost standing there.”
“Sorry.” She knew the feeling. “I was just about to knock.” Aunt Ruth was dressed to the nines, short hair poufy but sprayed in place, face powdered, and red lipstick circling her lips. “You look ready for a day of selling antiques.”
A big smile accompanied a slight giggle. “Born ready for that, sweetie.”
“Great.”
Aunt Ruth took small, shuffling steps beside Maggie down the hall. She seemed to favor one foot, causing a small limp.
If her aunt fell or something... “Have you hurt your foot?”
“My rheumatism. The weather and all.”
Yeah, the weather. Maggie breathed a shaky sigh. She hoped it was only the weather causing Aunt Ruth’s pain. The house was being prepared for the storm, but someone needed to be at the hospital when the next visiting hour came around. Could Aunt Ruth be left alone at the store if something happened with Cammie?