Something about it struck me as strange and perfect and surprising…and it made me want to know everything about her.
I passed her the mug, grinning to myself.
“You want anything, sweetpea?” I asked. “OJ? Milk?”
“Why can’t I have coffee like Miss Laine?” Nell said.
“Oh, you wouldn’t like it,” Maggie said over her shoulder. “And hey, Nell—when I’m at your house, you can call me Maggie, okay?”
“Okay, but why wouldn’t I like it?”
“It’s very bitter,” Maggie said. “Like—you know how medicine tastes?”
Nell’s face curdled. “Yeah.”
“Like that.”
“But you like it.”
“I’m a grown-up,” Maggie said. “We like weird things.”
Nell looked at me for confirmation.
“She’s drinking the same thing I drink every morning,” I told her. “And you’ve always said it smells like dirt.”
“It does smell like dirt,” Nell nodded. “Can I have apple juice?”
“You can absolutely have apple juice.”
I got it while Maggie finished plating and we settled at the table—Nell with her juice and her chocolate chip pancakes and Gerald propped against the napkin holder, Maggie with her black coffee, me watching the two of them and wondering whatI’d done to deserve this. We all went quiet while Nell inhaled her pancakes, then she nodded in satisfaction.
Looked at Maggie.
Frowned.
“Why are you wearing my dad’s shirt?” she asked.
Maggie’s eyelashes fluttered as she searched for an answer.
I vaguely remembered yanking her button-up open and buttons flying all over my apartment.
“I spilled something on my shirt while I was making the pancakes,” she said, “so I borrowed one from your dad.”
“Oh, okay.”
As far as I could tell, the conversation was over, the matter settled. I let it lie.
But in that moment, I knew that we couldn’t keep this up for long…that Nell was too smart, and I cared about Maggie too much to be able to hide her away.
We were going to have to figure this out fast—especially because, with any luck, Maggie was already pregnant.
SEVENTEEN
maggie
Somehow,Delia always knew.
I guess it wasn’t like I was keeping it all that secret…she’d been at the bar with me, knew she was pushing me toward Nash, had been the one who got the text that said:Hey, not feeling well, going home.She’d reacted to it with a winking emoji.
