“Delicious,” Josh added.
Mom hadn’t brought Zoey anything to drink, but Maggie let it go. Her daughter was entertaining herself with Cleo and didn’t notice.
“I’m surprised you were able to get away, Joshua. Weekends must be busy in your line of work.” The blue-collar kind, her tone implied. Never mind that Josh had put in two years of maritime school, passed a rigorous fifty-ton license exam, put in 180 days aboard a ship, and now owned his own business.
“We’re actually closed on Sundays.”
“Oh. Okay...”
Whereas Maggie would’ve explained herself, Josh simply gave Mom a polite smile.
Her mother turned her steady blue gaze on Maggie. “Have you been swimming in the ocean yet?”
“Not yet. We haven’t had time.”
“It seems you have all the time in the world with all these summers off. You don’t know how good you’ve got it.”
Maggie bit her tongue. Between staying after school to help students, serving on committees, coaching the girls’ swim team, making lesson plans, and grading papers, she worked a ton of hours during the school year. But she resisted the urge to go on the defense. “How’s your job going, Mom?” She was president of a well-known business consulting organization, having worked her way to the top over the past fifteen years.
“Very well, thank you. I just secured a contract with the new hospital. It’ll be a multimillion-dollar project.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad to hear it’s going well.”
“It’s all a matter of attitude and hard work. It starts at the top, you know.” She went on, regaling them with her recent accomplishments and complaining about the dreary chairman of the board. Her mother was gifted at her job—that much was obvious by the position she’d attained. Even before the promotion she’d been a workaholic.
Growing up, Maggie had been closer to her aunt Clara than her mother. She’d stayed with Maggie while her mother worked, given her the nurturing a little girl needed, and loved her unconditionally. Sometimes Maggie had pretended her aunt was her mother. Who knew where she’d be if not for Aunt Clara’s warm and nurturing presence in her life?
It boggled her mind that the sisters were so different. They’d both come from the same tragic background. Their father had deserted them and their mother had neglected them until they were finally shuffled off to Seabrook to live with their cold grandmother. Maggie had gotten most of the story from her aunt. Her mother only ever brought it up when Maggie dared to complain about her own childhood.
“You’re so ungrateful, Maggie. You have no idea how lucky you are. My mother didn’t even know I was alive.”
Aunt Clara had passed away shortly before Maggie’s mother’s heart attack. Maggie still missed her terribly.
As her mother’s monologue droned on, Maggie nodded andhmmed in all the appropriate places while watching her daughter play with the cat.
Much later when her mother checked her watch, Maggie gathered the empty glasses and stood. “Well, it’s getting late. We should probably be heading back to Seabrook.”
“I’ve hardly even had a chance to talk to my granddaughter. She’s been playing with Cleo the entire time.”
Maggie forced a smile. “You can call anytime and talk to her.” Though she knew that would never happen. She went to the kitchenand put the empty glasses in the dishwasher, rushing so she wouldn’t leave Josh alone with her mother for too long.
When she returned to the living room, Josh and Zoey were already waiting by the door.
Mom swept Cleo into her arms and joined them in the foyer, offering Maggie and Zoey limp one-armed hugs. “Drive carefully now.”
“Of course. Chat with you soon, Mom.”
“Bye, Grandma.” As soon as the door was open, Zoey took off for the car and Maggie and Josh followed.
After they were all buckled up, Maggie started the car and caught Josh’s raised brow as she turned to back from the drive. “Don’t even start.”
Chapter 10
From her spot on the pool steps, little Mia bit her bottom lip.
She and Maggie had started out playing with squirt toys, then progressed to a breath-holding contest. Maggie had just demonstrated putting her face in the water while holding her breath, then asked Mia to give it a try.
Mia’s wide green eyes flickered with fear. “I can’t.”
