She laughed. “See you soon.”
“Oh yes, you will.”
Chapter Eighteen
Maggie met Stephen the next day at noon with the puppy. She had a new bag of food that matched the stuff Reggie had sent, a few doggie treats, and of course, Emily carried her own backpack while Maggie wheeled the roller bag and carried a spare duffel for Emily’s necessary toys. Her daughter did like to be prepared for anything.
They’d arrived at Stephen’s home in Queen Anne, a nice neighborhood in northern Seattle. She hadn’t been surprised when he’d moved from their home in Fremont to a more upscale house in an older neighborhood two years ago. The quaint cottage could easily be her dream house. It was in the Craftsman style, painted a dark blue with white and black trim, a black front door, and a wide front porch complete with a swing.
He had a spacious backyard with a playground set that didn’t get much use, and the house had much more room than a single father with one little girl could use. He’d told her the two-story had twenty-four hundred square feet, and she was jealous each and every time she visited.
Stephen opened the door and welcomed them, his sandy-brown hair longer than it had been, now curling over his nape. It was a good look on him. He sported new wire-framed glasses that made him look even smarter than he was, which was no easy feat. The guy was a tech genius. His navy-blue khaki slacks and a long-sleeve button-down, not a wrinkle in sight, combated the day’s sudden chill. Trust Seattle never to adhere to typical summer weather.
For that reason, she’d made sure to include both long and short layers for Emily to wear.
“Hi, Stephen.” He did look tired, yet his wide smile showed he was indeed happy to see his daughter. He held out his arms and crouched, then swung Emily into his arms when she raced to him.
Maggie held on to Frank by his leash, though the little guy didn’t pull or try to get away. He sat by her feet and watched Emily.
Stephen put her down, and Maggie saw little of Stephen in her daughter. Emily’s looks were all Maggie, though she suspected Emily had inherited Stephen’s big brain. She wondered if her daughter’s resemblance ever bothered him.
“Hi, Maggie.” His big, blue eyes shone with pleasure. Then he glanced at her arm. “Yikes.”
“Yeah.” She walked the dog toward him, carrying Emily’s duffel and pulling her wheeled suitcase.
“Let me get those.” Stephen quickly took the bag and suitcase from her, leaving her to hold on to Frank. When he moved away, she caught a whiff of his cologne, a subtle blend she’d bought for him years ago. Funny, she’d never smelled him wearing cologne before.
She wondered if he had a new girlfriend. She knew he dated, but he’d never been with anyone for very long, a lot like her. They didn’t talk much about their personal lives, but the idea of Stephen dating didn’t bother her in the slightest, and she knew, in the past, it might have.
That she didn’t care brought her a relieved sense of happiness.
Once through the house, she sat with him at the farm table out back on a bench. The patio had a pergola with white lights strewn about, competing with the overhead ivy. Just one more thing to envy about her ex—his perfect backyard.
Yet, it didn’t have the same charm as Reggie’s place, where clusters of flowers and bushes thrived under his tender care. She missed him, and that should have alarmed her, that she kept thinking about Reggie when she needed to focus on Stephen and Emily.
A glance at the swing set showed it getting plenty of use as Emily crawled all over it, slipping down a curving slide while Frank waited and barked impatiently below.
“I missed her,” Stephen said and poured Maggie a glass of lemonade. “It’s taken me a long time to figure out my priorities.” Their hands touched when he passed the glass. Their eyes met.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stephen, don’t be.” What the hell had happened in Denmark? “Are you okay? You seem kind of sad.”
“Just tired.” He smiled and adjusted his glasses. “And thoughtful. Leon died.”
She stared at him, in shock. “Your mentor? Leon Brightwell?”
“Yeah.” Stephen blew out a breath. “He was old, and it was time. Miranda let me know in time, so I took a flight from Denmark to New York and got to spend his last few days with him. We had a blast.” He wiped his eyes behind his glasses, and not thinking about it, she rounded the table to give him a hug.
He stood to accept it, hugging her tight.
He pulled away and sniffed, his cheeks flushed. “Sorry.”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” She sat next to him on the bench and held on to his hand. “I’m so sorry, Stephen. I know he meant the world to you. Was it easy for him at the end?”
“Yeah. He drifted off in his sleep. Miranda said to tell you hello.”
Leon’s wife had been a lovely lady Maggie had enjoyed spending time with many years ago. Then the couple had moved to New York for Leon’s business, and she hadn’t seen them since. Once Maggie’s divorce had come through, she hadn’t thought about staying in touch, as they’d been more Stephen’s friends than hers.
