Vivien laughed and agreed to that. After paying, they walked out together into the humid, salty air. The sky was streaked pink and gold, the heat finally releasing its grip.
Without a word, they slipped their arms around each other and stepped onto the sidewalk.
“We’re both facing life-changing decisions,” Vivien mused.
“And we’re sharing a bed tonight.” Lacey gave her a squeeze. “You know the best thing about that?”
Vivien slid her a look. “I can wake you in the middle of the night if all the answers come to me?”
“Yep, and you better. You’re my best friend, Mom, and I trust you. Thank you for good advice.”
Vivien gave her a squeeze, certain of only one thing—this girl was the greatest blessing in her life. Nothing else really mattered.
They had each other.
Maggie woke to a thin gray light just beginning to slip through the edges of the curtains in Barbara’s guest room. For a moment, she lay very still, listening—not for anything in particular, just listening. The house was quiet and heavy.
It made her feel…like she didn’t belong. Not in this house—she certainly didn’t belong here—but not in thisstate.
Which was shocking because Magnolia Fredericks Lawson was a Georgia peach, born and raised, from birth to seventy-eight to…
To something she didn’t want to think about yet.
She shoved the thought away and turned over, focusing on the present. But it nagged, that number—seventy-eight. Just a handful of months away from eighty. Then…
Stop it, Maggie.Age never affected her and she wasn’t about to start feeling her years now. But the truth was…there weren’t unlimited years left.
Was she living them in the right way? In the right place?
She sighed and turned over, forcing herself to think about more important things, like the whole Crista and Anthony situation.
There would be no spying today. And for that, she was grateful. The time here had been…fine. A lot of laughs with Jo, but nothing concrete. And today, there would be no half-formed plans, no hushed strategy over coffee, no careful timing or driving by buildings and pretending it was coincidence.
It had all gotten them nowhere, to be honest.
Today, Anthony would be working—he always worked—and even if he weren’t, they were tired. Bone tired.
The fact was, they’d been on this wild goose chase for too long. They had no proof, only suspicion and unease. Nothing that could be held up to the light and examined.
They’d drawn out the trip, called their kids to say they were alive and well, and went shopping, had lunch, or binged on Barbara’s Netflix, watchingLove is Blinduntiltheywere blind.
Somewhere along the way, the mission they were on had lost its focus and urgency. She was ready to go back to Destin, but they’d decided to stick around for one more chance to try and follow Anthony, maybe this weekend.
Maggie heard the familiar and oddly comforting ding of a dish and pushed the covers back and sat up, feet touching the floor. Pulling a robe on more out of habit than the need to be warm, she padded out toward the kitchen and the sound of Jo Ellen the Mad Tea Drinker.
“Oh.” Maggie drew back when Jo turned, with nary a flamingo bathrobe in sight. “You’re all dressed. Jewelry and everything.”
Jo Ellen absently touched an earring as if just remembering she’d put them on. “Because you and I are going…somewhere.”
Oh, that sounded vague and Jo Ellen-ish. “Where?”
“It’s a surprise,” she said in a conspiratorial whisper.
“Which I hate.”
“I don’t care, Mags. I want to surprise you. Get your coffee, get dressed, and get ready to ride down memory lane.”
Maggie narrowed her eyes as realization and a few recent conversations exploded into an explanation. “You want to go back to UGA.”
