With a nod, I calmed myself down. I did not need Magnolia James for this to work.
I took out my phone and added a reminder to research other planners in the state and start reaching out.
I wasn’t going to fail. My stakes were too high.
As I stuck my phone back in my pocket, Magnolia walked back toward this end of the barn, still taking in the space, her mind clearly spinning with ideas. If we were on better terms, I’d have loved to be in on those ideas.
Her phone rang as she came closer, and she took it out of a pocket in her vest and checked the screen. She frowned.
“I need to take this in case it’s business,” she said.
I nodded and turned my attention to measuring and taking notes based on what we’d discussed. Her idea for separate storage was admittedly a decent one.
Though I had no interest in her life, I couldn’t help tuning in to her phone call, particularly when she sucked in her breath a few seconds after saying hello. The look on her face gripped me, though I couldn’t quite decipher it. Shock? Confusion? Distress?
“I’m here,” she said in between long pauses. Then she turned her back to me and said, “I think it’s safe to say you don’t know a thing about me.” She added a series of mm-hmms, yeses, a no, and then, “Look, I’m working right now and can’t talk. Can I call you back at this number?”
After ending the call, Magnolia seemed to wilt, her back still to me. I wasn’t sure she remembered I was nearby.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She straightened, verifying my suspicions that she’d forgotten where she was.
“That was my mother,” she said, turning but not looking at me. If I wasn’t mistaken, she’d gone pale.
I didn’t have anything good to say about Bianca James. Magnolia hadn’t talked a lot about her parents back when we were close, but I’d learned enough to think they were both assholes. I couldn’t fathom a mother who just up and left her family without explanation.
“She wants to meet,” Magnolia said.
“Meet?” I asked, unsure what she meant. Meet me? Meet Magnolia? Had she not seen her daughter lately?
“She wants to talk.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
Magnolia finally made eye contact with me. “Eighteen years.”
“You never heard from her after she left?”
Magnolia pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I tried to reach out to her twice. She never responded.” She inhaled deeply, her chest rising with it, and I scolded myself for noticing.
What the fuck was wrong with that woman? Leaving her teenage daughter was bad, but I’d always figured she’d come back around or at least caught up with Magnolia if it was her husband she was escaping.
An expression flickered over Magnolia’s features, and I saw a hint of vulnerability. Just for a second. Just enough to send me back nearly two decades to when we’d been…involved.
My hatred began a slow melt, or at least a softening. I knew from experience how tough losing your mom was. My mom’s death had hit me hard, still hit hard even though it’d been years. I couldn’t begin to imagine what it was like knowing your mother chose to disappear from your life.
“Are you going to meet with her?” I asked. I might not like her, but I couldn’t help feeling a smidgeon of empathy for her.
“I…don’t know.” She shook her head, seeming to come back to the here and now. Her tone returned to chilly and businesslike. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.” She checked the time on her phone. “It hasn’t been quite an hour. Don’t you want to get every bit of your money’s worth from me?”
Annnnd any sympathy I’d felt crumbled at the snark in her tone.
“I got what I need,” I said. “Send me a bill for the full hour. Thanks for your help.”
With her jaw tight, body stiff, she nodded once, then walked out of the barn without another word.
Chapter Six
