Chapter 11

Maggie screamed into a throw pillow in frustration after the call ended. She took the dress, hung it up in her closet, and went to get a beer from the fridge.

She texted Brett that she couldn’t work on Friday and wasn’t surprised when he sent back a message saying he only had her scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

“And don’t get pissy with me! You are already working full-time and have a broken arm! Relax and finish the school year. We will see how you are doing then.” She read the words.

Before she could put the phone down, Makayla called.

“Maggie, I know you are not going to like this, but just listen. You need to relax! Don’t work yourself to the bone!

“A good Samaritan paid your rent, Brett is letting you use his old Jeep, so you can put all that money back in your savings account for a little nest egg.

“A few days a week at Brett’s could get a down payment for a car.”

“But—”

“But nothing! Just accept some help for once in your life! God, you can be so infuriating about being independent!”

“Wow, thanks, Mak!” she said sarcastically. “You know the last man I had a relationship with was sleeping with my friend and stole my money! If I don’t take care of myself, who else will?”

“All I am saying is for you to give this a chance. You are set until school is out, just go with it, please! And go out with Liam! Have some fun! Gotta go, see you tomorrow to do your hair! Bye!”

“I swear they are conspiring against me, Gus!” she said, rubbing his ears.

She got up to throw the leftover pizza in the oven for dinner. While it warmed up, she decided to look up Liam online.

The results were interesting. He had a photographic memory and had straight A’s all through school. He graduated first in his undergraduate class at Yale and in law school.

There were plenty of photographs of him with different women, but never with the same one twice. They were all extremely beautiful models, actresses, or socialites.

There were photos of him playing rugby and rowing for Yale as well as in his rec leagues here in South Florida. She could see a bit more of the incredible body that the suits were hiding.

That powerful back, the mouthwatering chest, and six-pack abs. Not to mention those muscular limbs. Maggie felt extremely out of her league.

He was beyond smart, very sexy and charming, fabulously rich according to the websites, and a shrewd lawyer and businessman. His family was the same; all good-looking, smart, and rich.

Maggie started to tear up, thinking that there was no way he would stay interested in someone like her.

She ran a hot bath and sat in the tub with a glass of wine, deciding to just enjoy her Friday while it lasted.

There would be no second date. It was back to her lonely life with her cat and her third graders.

She would be a great aunt to Makayla and Mike’s baby and forget about children of her own.

Tears ran down her face as she drank. Once the water had cooled off, she got out, dried off, and climbed into bed, turning her TV on for white noise as she fell into a restless sleep.

Come Monday morning, she was exhausted from the lack of sleep.

As much as she hated coffee, she brewed a large cup in her travel mug and added the flavored creamer that Brett had gotten her hooked on to make it sweet.

She ran out of her apartment to the borrowed Jeep and drove to work so Makayla could pull her hair back in a ponytail.

By mid-afternoon, she was already drained. As she sat at her desk, getting the science lesson ready, there was a knock on the door.

Adam walked in, holding a massive bouquet of red roses. Her mouth dropped open.

“These were just delivered for you, Maggie. I will just put them here on your desk, okay?” he said.

She thanked him as he left and she opened the card to read, “I can’t stop thinking about you and can’t wait to see you in that dress! Love, Liam xx”

She was stunned. Makayla came in and saw her best friend staring at the flowers on her desk, holding the card. She walked up, put her hand on her shoulder, and read the card.

“Wow! He gives me butterflies and I’m not even going on a date with him!” Makayla commented.

Maggie turned to her and smiled sadly. “I’m just going to enjoy this one date. After Friday he won’t ask me out again.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because after all the women I saw him with online, he will figure out I’m not in his league and walk away. Not to mention all the baggage from my past…”

“You really want to piss me off, don’t you? Will you give yourself some credit? I have to go, but we will talk after the kids are gone!” Makayla hissed at her and stomped back to her room. Maggie didn’t have any time to process what she said as the kids flooded in.

The girls went nuts seeing the flowers and Maggie had to calm everyone down as they settled in for science.

Somehow Maggie made it through the rest of the afternoon and fell into her chair as the last child ran from the room.

Her arm was throbbing. Having it in the sling didn’t help much. She popped three ibuprofen with some water that she had at her desk.