CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Maggie couldn’t believe he’d done this. “How did you find them?”
Luke shrugged. “I did some phoning around.”
Not for a minute did she believe it had only taken a few phone calls to find the earrings.
“What is it, Maggie? What did Luke get you?” Phyllis asked.
“Earrings.” A tremor shook her voice. “They belonged to my mother.”
“Then, how did Luke get them?”
A very good question. “I had to sell them to a pawn shop a few months ago. I…I needed the money.” Emotion clogged her throat. He hadn’t given any indication he’d been looking for the earrings. How much did he have to pay? She knew what she’d received from the pawnshop, and he’d have had to pay a lot more than that to get them back. More tears filled her eyes. Luke was the kindest, most generous man she knew.
“Can we see the earrings, Maggie?” Reese asked.
She wordlessly handed the box to him. Abby lifted one of the earrings and held it up to the light. “I remember Miranda wearing these. They meant a lot to her.”
She and Reese exchanged a sad smile before he handed the box back to her. Maggie passed the box to Phyllis so she could take a look as well. Then, she lifted her gaze to Luke’s. “Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me.”
“I think I have an idea.”
Of course, he did. No one knew her better than Luke did, even though they’d been apart for ten years.
She went to him, kneeling in front of him and placing her hand on his cheek. She wished she had the words to express her gratitude. “Thank you.”
His throat worked as he nodded. “You’re welcome.”
She leaned forward to kiss him. His lips were warm and sweet and welcoming, and she desperately wanted to deepen the kiss. But she was acutely aware that his family was watching. She contented herself by resting her forehead against his for a moment and breathing him in, revelling in the spicy, clean scent that was all Luke.
I love you.
With regret, she pulled away. He squeezed her hand as she got to her feet.
Maggie faced Luke and his family, her hands tightly clasped in front of her. “Thank you, all of you, for the beautiful gifts and the generosity you’ve shown me. It’s been a wonderful Christmas day.” Her smile wobbled. “I think I’m going to make hot chocolate before I start crying again.”
She hurried into the kitchen, taking a moment to compose herself. She wiped her eyes once more. It had been a very good day, but bittersweet. No matter how she tried, she couldn’t forget this was Abby’s last Christmas.
Life was so short. After losing her parents and grandparents, she knew that better than most. But Abby’s illness had really brought that message home. There was no time to waste with anger from the past. Life was for living, and she had to grab happiness with both hands and hold it for all she was worth.
“Can I help you with the hot chocolate, Maggie?”
The deep male voice surprised her. She turned to find Reese standing at the entrance to the kitchen, an uncertain expression on his face. Maggie gave her eyes one last wipe and stuck the tissue in her pocket. “Sure. Can you get the milk from the fridge?”
Together, they assembled the other ingredients – cocoa powder, sugar, salt, cinnamon, milk, half and half, and marshmallows. While Reese put the kettle on to boil, Maggie whisked cocoa powder with sugar in a pot, then added a pinch of salt and dash of cinnamon. Once the water came to a boil, she poured about a third of a cup of it into her cocoa and sugar mixture, stirred it and set it on a burner to heat.
“What else can I do?” Reese asked.
Maggie handed him a wooden spoon. “Here. You can stir till it comes to a boil.”
She measured out the milk and the half and half and once the chocolate mixture began to bubble, she slowly added the milk while Reese stirred.
Reese lifted the carton of half and half. “What’s this stuff? How come you use it instead of milk?”
“Half and half is half milk and half cream. The milk fat makes the hot chocolate richer and creamer. I think it tastes yummy.”
“I didn’t know you put cinnamon into hot chocolate,” he said.
“I like a subtle hint of cinnamon under the chocolate. You might not like it as much, though.”
“If you like it, I’m sure I’ll love it,” he said confidently. “You know food.”
She chuckled. “We’ll soon find out if you like it. Thanks for your help. This really is much easier to do with two people.”
His smile was warm. “You’re very welcome.”
Maggie added the half and half. Then, she found five mugs in one of the cupboards and set them on the counter beside the stove.
“As soon as that’s nice and hot, we can serve.”
Before the milk mixture could reach the boiling point, she removed the pot from the heat. She added some vanilla extract, then began to pour.
“Can you top each cup with marshmallows, Reese?”
“Sure.”
He stuck a couple of marshmallows into each mug. “Promise me that if you get into financial trouble again, you’ll come to me for help instead of selling your mother’s earrings.”
Maggie spilled some of the cocoa on the counter, rattled by his words and the intense emotion in his voice. Her gaze flew up to his. “That’s very generous of you, but—”
“Promise me, Maggie.”
She blinked at the fervency in his dark eyes, not understanding why her promise meant so much. But she sensed its importance to him. “Now that I’m working with my family, I’m sure I’ll never get into that kind of trouble again. But okay, if I find myself in a bind, I’ll come to you.”
Relief flashed across his handsome, weathered features. “Good.”
“I appreciate your offer, I really do, but I don’t understand. Why would you want to help me? We haven’t known each other for very long.”
“I know, but you’ve known Abby forever. You mean a lot to her, and Abby means everything to me.”
Maggie averted her gaze, busying herself with pouring the rest of the cocoa. A wave of regret swamped her. Abby had tried to keep in contact with her over the years with cards and letters and phone calls, but she’d brushed her off. She’d let childish hurt and petty anger stop her from deepening her relationship with her mother’s best friend.
And now it was too late.
“I think it’s what your mother would have wanted as well.”
Maggie looked up sharply. “My mother? What makes you say that?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s what any parent would want, Maggie. Someone to care for their child after they’re gone.”
Phyllis called from the living room. “That hot chocolate is taking forever in there. You almost done?”
“Coming right up.” Reese grabbed two of the mugs and left the kitchen.
Maggie hesitated a moment before following him. She didn’t know what to make of Reese’s out of the out-of-the blue offer. Until a few months ago, he didn’t even know her.
Still, knowing she had friends who cared comforted her.
Later, they brought out board games and played a couple of spirited rounds of scrabble. Around four in the afternoon, it became evident from the dark circles under her eyes that Abby’s reserves of energy were waning. Luke kissed her goodbye and Reese and Phyllis helped her to bed. His heart ached as he watched them wheel her away. How much longer would she be able to hang on? His mother had been the one constant in his life, his rock. How was he supposed to live without her? He couldn’t imagine not being able to pick up the phone and hear her cheery voice ever again.
Maggie slipped her hand into his and leaned her head against his shoulder in wordless support. He pulled her against him and kissed the top of her head. It was getting harder and harder to remember he was leaving soon and shouldn’t start anything with her. With a sigh, he let her go.
“Let’s put away the board game and clean up. Then, I guess we should go.”
She nodded and helped him pick up the game pieces and put their cups into the dishwasher. As they finished, Reese and Phyllis emerged from the bedroom.
“She’s already asleep,” Phyllis said quietly. She turned to Reese and took both his hands in hers. “It’s been a lovely day, but I’m ready to head home. This old lady has had it.”
Reese kissed her cheek. “I don’t see any old lady here. I’ll get my coat and give you a lift.”
“No need, Reese. I’ll take Grandma and Maggie home.”
Reese nodded. Luke could see he was exhausted as well. He’d probably been sleeping almost as badly as his mother.
Luke pulled on his parka and went out to warm up the truck. When he returned, everyone was in the kitchen, and his grandmother was packaging up leftovers.
Maggie shook her head. “The lodge has a fridge full of leftovers, Phyllis. There’s no need.”
His grandmother added dressing to the package. “You have plenty of people to feed over there.” She turned to Reese. “I’ll take home some leftovers and make turkey soup tomorrow. Abby might enjoy that. It used to be her favorite.”
Reese gave her a tired smile. “I’m sure she will.”
His grandmother and Maggie dressed in their parkas and winter hats for the drive home. Reese hugged Phyllis. “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You will. Make sure you get some rest.”
“You, too.” He turned to Maggie. “Thank you for all your work today. We had a lovely dinner and a beautiful Christmas day. I’m so happy you were here.”
She hugged him, and Reese wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes as if he never wanted to let her go.
Luke knew the feeling well. He cleared his throat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, too.”
Reese let go of Maggie and nodded his head. “Your mother will be pleased.”
They left the house and drove the short distance to his grandmother’s house in silence. Maggie reached into the back seat to grasp Phyllis’ hand as they arrived. “I had a wonderful day. Thank you for everything.”
“It was fun working in the kitchen with you, dear,” she said. “Let me know when you’re ready to move in.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
Luke carried the turkey leftovers to the front door for his grandmother and made sure she got in safely. “Make sure you lock the door. I’ll be home after I drop Maggie off.”
She waved her gloved hand. “There’s no hurry. Take all the time you need. In fact, stay the night if you want to.”
Before closing the door in his face, she gave him an impish grin. Luke shook his head in amusement. His grandmother was definitely one of a kind.
Maggie said little on the drive back to the lodge, but her tension communicated itself to him. He glanced at her profile as she stared out the windshield. She’d seemed happy today, and she’d comforted him when he needed it. If not for her humor and positive energy, it would have been a very somber Christmas. They’d all been too aware this Christmas would be his mother’s last.
He drove past the lodge and up the small incline to the cottages, driving by Ethan and Harper’s cottage and coming to a stop in front of Maggie’s place. He left the motor running.
“Would you like to come in?” she asked.
He looked away. “Thanks, but I think it’s best if I don’t.”
“Oh.” Disappointment made her voice flat and colorless. She reached for the door handle, her gaze averted. “Good night.”
He touched her arm, stopping her. She deserved the truth. “If I go inside with you, if I’m alone with you, I won’t be able to stop myself from touching you. I’m not that strong. That’s why I have to go.”
She lifted her gaze to his, her eyes bright in the dashboard lights. “What if I want you to touch me? What if I want you to make love to me?”
His heart pounded. “I can’t promise you anything. I can’t promise I’ll stay more than a few weeks.”
“I know. I want you anyway.”
Desire exploded inside him. He turned off the ignition. “I want you, too.”
They rounded the truck and as they reached the front porch steps, he held out his hand to her. She clasped it and, smiling, they ascended the stairs together.