Page 126 of Wag More Bark Less

“Joe, you know better. Call me Rosalyn.” They’d had the same conversation ever since Rosalyn was elected. “I was looking for Luke. Seen him?”

I stood, bracing to hear what I did wrong now. Was she here to lecture me on how harsh I’d been to my officers lately? I’d snapped enough times they were avoiding me.

“What can I do for you, Mayor?”

The bells chimed again, Connor this time, returning with a bag from The Trailhead Café. As much as I loved their sandwiches, I hadn’t had an appetite in days. Maybe longer.

“I was hoping you had Maggie Holland’s contact info.”

“What do you need that for?”

Dad shot me a look, and I cleared my throat. Fuck, I really was a grouch lately.

“I have something for her. And strangely enough, not a soul in this town has her number. They were all so used to seeing her in person that no one bothered to exchange numbers or emails or anything. I asked the book club to track her down on social media, but it’s like she’s a ghost.”

“Why didn’t you or anyone else ask me for her number sooner?”

Rosalyn quirked an eyebrow, challenging the stupidity of that question with one hard look. “Because we saved poking the bear as a last resort.”

Fuck. I was the bear.

“What do you have for her?” Did I have a right to ask? No. But I had a suspicion I already knew the answer. If this had anything to do with our conversation out at the pumpkin patch last month, the mayor was planning to offer Maggie a job.

“You know what it is,” she said, confirming my hunch.

“A job offer.”

“Between Frank and myself, we were able to pull a few strings. If Maggie wants to be Bluebell Springs’ VSO, the job is hers.”

“Do you have the offer on paper?”

“Why?”

Maybe Maggie would accept the position. Maybe she’d settled in Lansing and wasn’t interested in moving yet again. But there was only one way to know if she’d come home.

“Because I’m going to take it to her.”

FORTY-SIX

MAGGIE

“Ellie sure knows how to wear those boys out,” Mom said as we sat on Violet’s back deck watching the littles chase my dog in circles. There were socks all over the yard, three different sizes of balls in play, and a bubble machine on full blast.

“They wear her out, too,” I added, tucking the flannel blanket tighter around my legs. It was a balmy fifty-two degrees—warm for November in Michigan, but less warm for those not running around the yard working up a sweat. The snow would come soon enough, which only made me wonder if Bluebell Springs was already dusted in white.

Was Luke shoveling his driveway or pulling someone out of a ditch? Or maybe he was helping Opal build a snowman. How was it possible to miss someone this much? Someone who still hadn’t reached out after all these weeks, and likely never would.

“You were happier there,” Mom said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“What’s that?”

“In Colorado.”

I didn’t know how to answer that without hurting her feelings, so I stayed quiet. Mom had been overjoyed to have me home. She was over at Violet’s most days. We’d gone out to eat together, shopped, and even saw a movie. After she got over the initial shock of my wedding dress being destroyed, we got a kick out of the video of Luanne full-on panicking when I caught her trying on my dress.

I thought she’d be overbearing, but she was just my mom.

It was nice.