Hercar.
The one James took to work. It was at the curb in front of Sandee’s office, and James was in it! What was he doing there? He was supposed to be at work!
She stood frozen on the sidewalk as he pulled away from the curb, heading toward her. She wasn’t sure what to do. Wave? Step into the street? Shoot his tires out? She couldn’t do the latter, since she didn’t have a gun, which was probably a good thing.
She couldn’t quite see into the car with the way the sun glared off the windshield, but she could haveswornthat James had seen her. The car sped up, and when he came in line with her, his head was turned as if to avoid eye contact. Did he think he was hiding from her?
Maxi collapsed onto the bench a few steps down. It was true. James was cheating with Sandee. Apparently a little part of her had hoped that she was just making something out of nothing, but this was proof.
That little lying cheat! Well, he couldn’t hide from her for long. Tonight she was going to muster all her anger and courage and confront him. The universe must have been looking out for her when the opportunity for Henry’s cottage dropped in her lap. At least she’d have somewhere to go.
She wasn’t going to let James derail her plans. She pushed up from the bench and marched into the animal rescue.
There was no one behind the desk, so she rang the bell. After a few seconds, a middle-aged woman—Marie, her name tag said—came out of a door. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, I was in the other day and saw two kittens. I’d like to adopt them.”
“Excellent. We have some paperwork...” Marie went to a filing cabinet and pulled out some papers. “Let’s go see exactly which ones you are talking about. We have quite a few cats available.”
Marie led Maxi through the glass doors and along the cages. Maxi liked it here. It was clean, and the animals looked well cared for. Maybe she’d volunteer now that she wasfree. She stopped midway down the row at a cage where a fluffy black kitten was curled into a ball. “This is one... and the white one in the next cage.”
Maxi stepped to the next cage. It was empty. She turned around, glancing in all the cages. “Where is the white kitten? It was right here the other day.”
“I’m not sure. One of the other volunteers might have moved him to another cage, or maybe he got adopted. I've been in the stockroom all morning.” Marie frowned and flipped through papers on a clipboard that hung from the bottom of the cage. “Looks like that one got adopted.”
“Oh no.” Darn! She really wanted the pair. Maxi looked around at the other cages. There were plenty of cats but no other kittens.
“Probably for the best. We feel it’s better to just adopt one at a time,” Marie said.
“Oh, okay.” Maxi supposed that advice was wise. She’d be living alone for the first time, and maybe it was smart to take things slow. “I’ll just take this one, then.”
“Let’s fill out the paperwork, and I’ll have someone get him ready.” Marie led her back out front. “Now, do you have all the accessories? Litter box, cat food, carrier?”
“No, actually. I guess I can get those and come back.”
“Good idea. That will give us time to get him brushed and ready.” Marie handed her the paperwork. “Just make the check out to the Lobster Bay Animal Rescue.”
Maxi stewed about James the whole time she shopped for cat supplies and all the way to Tides.
Of course she should confront him, but was it possible he’d been somewhere else? Was she jumping to conclusions? There were a dozen shops on that street. He could have been in any of them. But that didn’t explain why he’d pretended not to see her.
When she got to Tides, Jane was busy with the food delivery and sent her to meet Andie on the back porch. As Maxi made her way through the historic old home, she noticed that things were taking shape. Broken spindles in the turned mahogany railing had been repaired. The crown molding above the vintage floral wallpaper had a crisp coat of paint. The hardwood floor gleamed a golden oak.
The back porch was perhaps the most amazing feature of Tides. It was wide enough for tables to be set up and wrapped around to the side of the house. A row of white rockers sat at the railing, facing the magnificent ocean view.
Andie was seated at one of the tables. Candles, ribbon, flowers, and glass containers were spread in front of her.
Cooper bounded up to meet Maxi, and her heart lightened as she bent down to pet him. A bubble of excitement pierced her sour mood as she thought about the black kitten who she’d already named Rembrandt. Soon she’d have a pet of her own.
“Hey, thanks for coming.” Andie’s smile was genuine.
“No problem. This will be fun.” Maxi sat down at the table, and Andie slid a fabric swatch and piece of ribbon over to her.
“Do you think these match? The swatch is from the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
Maxi held them up and turned to inspect them in the light. She’d seen the swatch earlier, but holding the items together provided the best way to compare. “They’re pretty close. Maybe a hair off, but I don’t think anyone will notice.”
“Okay. Good.” Andie proceeded to show her how they were thinking about arranging the centerpieces, but Maxi had a hard time focusing. Her mind was on her confrontation with James. Should she confront him as soon as he got home? What if he stayed out late, as he had so often these past months? Should she call and demand he come home on time? Or should she bide her time so she could move her favorite things out of the house before he knew that she’d discovered his affair?
