CHAPTER SEVEN
Maggie hid out in the kitchen, needing the comforting surroundings to soothe her bruised heart. She heard Luke leave the lodge with Cam and Ethan and sighed in relief. For a little while, at least, she wouldn’t have to hear how sorry he was that he’d kissed her.
To hell with his apologies and to hell with him.
She pulled cookie sheets and bowls from her cupboards, preparing to indulge in her favorite form of stress relief – baking cookies. Lots and lots of cookies. Everything but gingerbread.
She rolled her eyes, knowing that omitting Luke’s favorite cookie was childish. He probably wouldn’t even notice. Damn it.
After gathering her ingredients from the fridge and the pantry, she threw butter and sugar into the mixer and pulsed until a ball of buttercream formed. As she added vanilla and eggs for the chocolate chip cookies, some of the tension eased from her shoulders. There was something therapeutic in the simple act of baking.
Scarlet entered the kitchen and sat at the counter. “Hey. What are you making?”
Maggie stifled a pinch of annoyance. She’d needed to be alone for a few minutes, until she could process her feelings. Apparently, that had been too much to hope for. “Cookies.”
Scarlet waited a beat, as if she expected her to say more. Maggie was sure she heard her sister sigh before she spoke again. “Cameron and I have finalized our guest list. There’ll be forty people for dinner, including the bridal party. Did I tell you Cameron asked his nephew Drew to be a groomsman? He’s going to be paired with you.”
Maggie wanted to groan. Drew had made his interest in her crystal clear last summer at Harper and Ethan’s wedding. But it was an interest she didn’t return. “Wonderful.”
“Come on, be nice. Drew’s a good guy, and he has a big crush on you.”
“He’s too young for me.”
“Only by three years.”
Maggie removed the bowl from the mixer and added chocolate chips. Sometimes she felt a hundred and four instead of twenty-four. “In boy years that’s at least twelve years of maturity.”
Scarlet laughed. “Drew’s a nice young man from a good family. You could do worse.”
Maggie stopped folding in the chocolate chips to give her sister the evil eye. “Did you come into my kitchen to pimp me out or is there another point to your visit?”
Scarlet put up her hands in surrender. “Okay, I get it. No more trying to fix you up. But you and Drew are still going to be together in the wedding party.”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
“I actually wanted to talk to you about the dinner. You’re in the wedding party. You shouldn’t have to cook as well. I was thinking we should get Miller’s Golf Resort to cater.”
“Over my dead body.” She slapped her spoon onto the stainless-steel countertop, splattering cookie dough over the pristine surface. “I managed the food for Harper’s wedding. Wasn’t it good enough for you?”
Scarlet blinked at her. “I didn’t want you to feel obligated to make all the food again. But hey, if you want to be a martyr, be my guest.”
“I can handle it.” She gritted her teeth, trying to tamp down her anger and frustration. “Even if you don’t believe in me.”
“I never said that. What the hell is the matter with you?”
Harper entered the kitchen. “What’s going on? I could hear the shouting from my office.”
Scarlet pointed at Maggie. “She’s being ridiculous. You talk to her.”
Harper picked up the spoon, swiped a bit of the dough from the counter with her finger and stuck it into her mouth. “Making cookies?”
“Brilliant deduction, Sherlock.” Maggie used a small scoop to slap small lumps of dough onto the sheet.
“How did your visit with Abby go?”
Maggie’s hand stilled over the cookie sheet. “It was…”
Her throat closed with tears and sorrow washed over her, not only for Abby, but for the tangled mess her relationship with Luke had become. How had a bond once so beautiful turned into something to be sorry about? Fresh humiliation swamped her.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” Scarlet circled the counter and wrapped her arms around her. “I forgot you went to see Abby today. Forgive me.”
She sniffed against Scarlet’s shoulder. “Nothing to forgive. I’m sorry, too.”
Harper silently rubbed her back while she drew comfort from Scarlet’s embrace. She blew her nose with the tissue Harper offered her.
“What if we plan the dinner together and buy the food?” Maggie dabbed at her eyes. “I can prepare as much as possible in advance, and then Miller’s staff can put the finishing touches on the meal and serve. It’s basically what I did for Harper’s wedding.”
Scarlet brushed a tear from her cheek. “That would be perfect. I want you to have some fun, too.”
“Thank you.” Fresh tears threatened, but she pushed them back. Her sisters were the two people in the world she could most count on. She’d let herself forget that for far too long.
“I was thinking,” Harper said. “We need to decorate the lodge for the wedding.”
“The lodge is pretty already. It doesn’t need anything, other than some flowers,” Scarlet said.
“Remember how pretty the tent was for your wedding, Harper, with the lights and the flowers and the gauzy ribbons? Scarlet did all that.” Maggie made herself smile for them. “We can’t let her show us up. We have to do something spectacular for her wedding.”
“You got that right.”
“You two aren’t competitive at all, are you?” Scarlet grumbled, but her grin told them she really didn’t mind.
“The wedding is three weeks before Christmas. What does every house need at Christmas?”
“A Christmas tree?” Maggie said.
“Right,” Harper said with a nod. “I haven’t had a Christmas tree since Grampa died, but this year I want a great big, huge pine from our property that we cut down ourselves.”
“We can decorate it with Grandma’s old ornaments. You said you boxed them up, didn’t you?” Scarlet asked.
“Yeah, they’re in the spare bedroom of our cottage along with the boxes of Mom’s and Grandma’s photo albums. I’ll get Ethan to bring them to the lodge,” Harper said. “I haven’t gone through all the Christmas ornaments or the albums. To tell you the truth, I’ve been afraid to. Too many memories.”
Scarlet nodded. “We’ll tackle them together. It won’t be so hard that way. And let’s get some new things for the tree, too. We’ve been looking back for too long. Let’s look forward for a change.”
Maggie silently agreed. New ornaments, new future. Exactly what they all needed.
If only the past could be changed as easily. Though Luke’s betrayal had happened years ago, she couldn’t forget it. Or forgive. She was afraid forgiveness was something she wasn’t capable of.
The next afternoon, Luke left the lodge shortly before one. He wanted to visit his mother before she got too tired, but he also wanted to talk to her in private, before Reese came home. Luke had some questions that needed answers, and he didn’t want an audience.
He let himself into his mother’s house and found her in her favorite armchair, wrapped in a couple of colorful blankets.
“Hi, honey. I was hoping to see you today.”
“I need to talk to you.”
Abby tilted her head. “That sounds serious. What did you want to talk about?”
“Reese. Why didn’t you tell me he’s in AA? Didn’t you think it was important to tell me your husband is an alcoholic?”
“A recovering alcoholic. He’s been sober a long time.” She expelled a long breath, then leaned her head against the back of the chair. “You’re right. I should have told you. In the beginning, I didn’t want you to form any judgements about him before you got to know him.”
“Okay, I get that, but you’ve been together for years and I know Reese now. Why couldn’t you have trusted me enough to tell me the truth?”
“He wanted to tell you. He doesn’t like secrets in any form. But I wanted you to respect him, and I didn’t know if you would if you’d known his history. The alcohol is in his past. It has no bearing on the man he is today.”
“You didn’t think I could respect him if I’d known he was a recovering alcoholic? Come on, Mom. You raised me better than that.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “You’re right. I shouldn’t have kept this from you, just as I shouldn’t have kept the information about your father from you. You’re not a child I have to protect. You’re a grown man. A wonderful man. I’m so proud of you, Luke.”
He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Abby grasped his hand. “I’m very…protective of Reese. He means the world to me.”
“I understand.”
“I’m not sure you do. He’s had a lot of adversity in his life. What I want most of all is for him to be happy. Promise me you’ll support Reese and be his friend after I’m gone, that you won’t abandon him.”
“Mom, you’re going to get better.”
She gripped his hand. “Luke, promise me.”
Luke closed his eyes against the pain. It hurt too much to imagine a world without his mother. But she needed his promise. “I promise I’ll always be Reese’s friend.”