Chapter 8

Maggie awoke to the pain starting to throb in her arm and got up for some more ibuprofen. She sat on the couch and turned on the TV, waiting for some of the pain to subside.

Gus snuggled up with her as she flipped channels.

“Shittiest Spring Break in history, right, Gus?” she said to the purring feline.

They sat together for a few minutes and then Maggie ate a bowl of cereal. Makayla and Brett called to check on her. She was inundated by texts from her fellow teachers.

She told them all she was fine and the only thing that would be hard today was getting dressed.

And what a chore that was! She managed to get on a bra and underwear then pull on some sweats and a T-shirt.

She desperately hoped the pain would subside, and the cast would be easier to manage because she couldn’t wear sweats to work!

She brushed her teeth and hair and discovered the limits of what she could do one-handed.

She sighed and grabbed her phone, hat, and book before opening the door to see a delivery man with a huge bouquet.

“Oh...are you Maggie Sloan?”

“Um, yes?”

“These are for you. Can I bring them in for you? I see you are injured…”

She let him in, and he put the flowers on the kitchen table. After signing the man’s clipboard and closing the door behind him, she found the card and read it:

“~I can’t tell you how sorry I am about last night. I hope this makes your day a little brighter! Can’t thank you enough for the sneak peek, dreamed about the full show all night.”~

It wasn’t signed, but she knew exactly who they were from. She huffed but couldn’t help but lean in and sample the sweet smell of the blossoms.

It was a really beautiful arrangement, full of roses, daisies, tulips, and other flowers in varying shades of pink and purple.

Her phone dinged as she smelled the flowers again. She looked and saw that Liam had sent a text.

She groaned in frustration. That man was a pain in the ass! She grabbed her things and headed down to the pool to relax.

Maggie sat and read for an hour before her phone started ringing. Liam. Groaning again, she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, darling. Miss me?”

“Like a broken arm!”

His deep laugh made her tingle a little.

“What can I do for you, Liam?” she asked, trying to keep it formal, realizing her mistake as soon as she said it out loud.

“Well, since you offered so nicely, I will be over in about an hour. I will show you how I would have made a much better nurse than Brett last night!”

“Wait, what? I didn’t mean…,” she sputtered as she heard him laugh again.

“Easy, Maggie, I’m just having a bit of fun with you. I’m calling about something else entirely. Do you have a minute?”

She took a deep breath and responded, “I’m at the pool, but no one is around, so go ahead.”

“Knowing that you are at the pool is not helping the situation, but I have to talk to you about your case.”

“What about it? Jason and Olivia didn’t get caught, did they?”

“That I don’t know, but I heard back from the credit card company.”

She was dreading his response. “They are still going to hold me liable, aren’t they?”

“Well, I was able to use my powers of persuasion and convince them that if they held you liable, despite all the evidence and reports saying to the contrary, they would be sued.

“They agreed that it will be beneficial to all parties that they write off the monies as part of their fraud and identity theft provisions.”

She was in shock and didn’t speak for a minute.

“Maggie, are you okay?”

“Oh my god, are you being serious, Liam?”

“Yes, Darling, I am. It is being taken off your credit as we speak.”

“Holy shit, Liam! I can’t believe this!”

“I take it that you are happy with the results, then?”

“Liam, I am thrilled! Thank you so much!”

“You can make it up to me later. But I just wanted to let you know some good news. I thought you might need it.”

“Thank you, Liam. Really.”

“It was my pleasure. I still have my team trying to find them.”

She sighed. “You know I can’t pay you for this, right? I already told you that.”

“Don’t worry about it, Maggie. This is the least that I can do. You changed all your passwords and put the security codes on like Mr. Jennings talked about?”

“Yes, I did everything he told me. Thank you.”

“Goodbye, Liam.”

“Bye, Maggie.”

She hung up and thought for a moment. She was thrilled at not having one more thing to worry about but felt like there was still some unfinished business.

After a couple of hours more reading, she headed back to her apartment. One of the office workers, an older woman, came out to meet her.

“Are you Margaret Sloan in Apartment 3216?” she asked.

“Yes…”

“Thank you for your payment. Here is your receipt.”

“Payment?” Maggie asked, confused.

She nodded at Maggie and handed her an envelope before leaving. Maggie was stunned when she read the paper.

“Oh, holy fuck…,” she whispered. Her rent for the next three months had been paid.

“I told Brett not to do that! Damn it!”

She texted him, asking why he did that after she told him not to. The club had just opened, and she knew he wouldn’t answer for several hours as Friday and Saturday nights were the busiest.

Maggie went back and slammed the door, stalking around the apartment, looking for her pain pills. She took three ibuprofen and huffed into the kitchen to make a frozen pizza.

“I wish people would just~ listen~ to me! Argh!” she yelled.

She couldn’t even call and complain to Makayla as she and Mike had gone on a weekend getaway and wouldn’t be back until Sunday night.

She flopped on the couch and turned on the TV, watching anything to keep her mind off of what she had found out. After eating her pizza, she drifted off for a few hours.

After waking up, she changed into her pajamas, delicately and went to bed.

The next morning, she took an Uber back to the Urgent Care to get her regular cast, opting for the waterproof one to make work and showering easier.

The doctor agreed and got her set up with a black cast. Back home, she finally enjoyed a nice, if still awkward, shower.

She made lunch and then tried to clean her place as best as she could one-handed. Brett had never texted back, so she tried calling him, leaving a message that she was feeling well enough to work.

After vacuuming, Maggie put on some makeup and put on the sleeveless shirt, pants, and flats again.

She somehow managed to pull her hair back in a low ponytail before pulling on a sweater and heading out.

She got in the trusty four-door sedan she had for years and turned the key. Nothing happened. No lights, no noise, nothing.

“Oh, no, please, no!” She tried repeatedly to no avail. It was like it had just died. Her eyes welled up as she got out and pulled out her phone and called for an Uber again.

This was going to cost her a fortune! But she didn’t have the money for a new car.

She could get a ride to school with Makayla but had to figure out something else soon. She got in the car when it pulled up and was silent as she rode to the club.

Brett was in his office, busy with a phone call. He waved and she gave a thumbs-up. He mimicked that he was watching her, and she saluted him and walked to the upper balcony bar.

She liked working with Sheila. She was a great lady and had a good head for business and customer service, having given Brett several ideas to improve the club.

She was a pretty brunette, about thirty years old, with a mind like a steel trap. Sheila hugged her as she got up and helped prep the bar.

Maggie started out practicing with a tray of water and did okay. If she went slow and kept her balance, she would be able to handle the small tray.

It turned out to be a busy night. Everyone appeared to be out celebrating. The upper balcony was bursting, and the two ladies were working well together and earning big tips.

Brett came up and was sitting with a group in the back, having a good time. Sheila took their order and filled it as Maggie took it over.

She was almost there when a man in a chair right in front of her stood up abruptly and turned straight into her, knocking her tray from her hands.

The booze spilled all down her front and soaked her. Maggie gasped from the shock of the cold liquids soaking into her shirt and bra.

She looked up at the person who had run into her and immediately started crying as she saw who it was.

“Why do you hate me, Liam? What have I done to you?” she asked.