to think of him, had broken down Shelby’s confidence one block at a time. He criticized her looks, her job, her friends and family. But he was subtle, never going straight into an insult so much as he danced around his unflattering comments and jibes, blending them with humor.
Personally, Maggie had always thought Rick suffered from a bad case of jealous y . She lby was young, had her own business and thriv ed in a town that had a massage clinic on nearly every corner. Beautiful, smart, and independent, she didn’t need Rick. And that had bothered him. Ech. The passive aggressive tendencies in that man had made Maggie’s head spin. But telling her best friend the truth hadn’t been easy, not when she hadn’t wanted to alienate Shelby.
Li ttle by little, Shelby had become a shell of her vibrant, outgoing self. Catching Rick cheating had been the best thing about their relationship, because Shelby had finally seen him for the asshole he was.
Maggie clenched her fists, still wanting to belt the creep. She wasn’t alone. Mimi and Ron had known all along he wasn’t the right man for Shelby.
Maggie had watched Mimi and Ron do their thing for five years. More than designing homes, they worked with energy. Sure, the psychic stuff was out there, but it got results. Mimi and Ron did more than fix houses for folks; t hey fixed people as well. More than one couple had found each other and stayed together through Vanzant Interiors . Yet Shelby refused to use the help right in front of her.
Mimi finally picked up on the eighth ring. The woman didn’t believe in voicemail . “Hello?”
“Hi, Mimi. It’s me, Maggie . ”
“Maggie, how lovely. So what are you and my daughter up to on a school night?” she teased. “It is Wednesday, isn’t it?”
“All day.”
“Uh huh.” A pregnant pause .
Now to ask for help without asking, because Maggie had made a promise. “I just wanted to talk to a friendly voice after my long walk around Green L ake. I have nothing to say about my best friend, who shall remain nameless . I’m also not calling to tell you about her chance meeting with Shane Collins. Or that the man looks incredible in running shorts.”
“ Not calling to tell me any of that, hmm?” Something chimed in the background. Probably one of Mimi’s many bracelets . Or maybe her wind chimes. Or her shrine to an air divinity aligned with Cupid. Who knew?
“Nope. I would never betray my friend’s confidence like that. I f I told you that he kissed her right there in the park, you might be tempted to interfere. And my friend would never forgive me if she knew I’d shared her secrets. I just called to say hello to my favorite other mom.”
Mimi chuckled. “I think of you as the grateful daughter I never had. Thanks for sharing, dear. I’ll have to mull things over. So tell me about the newest piece you’ve been working on .”
Maggie chatted with Mimi for a few minutes, gave her love to Ron, who was no doubt nearby, then said good bye. She closed her phone and smiled as she set it down. She’d started the ball rolling. Now fate, ushered by unstoppable force of Mimi and Ron, could take over while Maggie watched from the sidelines, keeping everyone in play.
* * *
When Friday night came to a close, Shane sighed with relie f . It had been an exhausting couple of days since he’d been drafted to help on an overdue project at the office. But now his weekend awaited him . He had plans he’d decided to put in to motion. He’d thought long and hard about his meeting with Shelby the other night. As he slipped into his house , he knew he’d been right about her . Just one kiss from those sweet lips of hers had sent his pulse skyrocketing.
It had been far too long since he’d obsessed over a woman. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to follow Mac’s plan of attack, he didn’t know if he could go through with it. He lusted after Shelby, sure, but he ’d started to like her as well.
Low bass thumped through
Personally, Maggie had always thought Rick suffered from a bad case of jealous y . She lby was young, had her own business and thriv ed in a town that had a massage clinic on nearly every corner. Beautiful, smart, and independent, she didn’t need Rick. And that had bothered him. Ech. The passive aggressive tendencies in that man had made Maggie’s head spin. But telling her best friend the truth hadn’t been easy, not when she hadn’t wanted to alienate Shelby.
Li ttle by little, Shelby had become a shell of her vibrant, outgoing self. Catching Rick cheating had been the best thing about their relationship, because Shelby had finally seen him for the asshole he was.
Maggie clenched her fists, still wanting to belt the creep. She wasn’t alone. Mimi and Ron had known all along he wasn’t the right man for Shelby.
Maggie had watched Mimi and Ron do their thing for five years. More than designing homes, they worked with energy. Sure, the psychic stuff was out there, but it got results. Mimi and Ron did more than fix houses for folks; t hey fixed people as well. More than one couple had found each other and stayed together through Vanzant Interiors . Yet Shelby refused to use the help right in front of her.
Mimi finally picked up on the eighth ring. The woman didn’t believe in voicemail . “Hello?”
“Hi, Mimi. It’s me, Maggie . ”
“Maggie, how lovely. So what are you and my daughter up to on a school night?” she teased. “It is Wednesday, isn’t it?”
“All day.”
“Uh huh.” A pregnant pause .
Now to ask for help without asking, because Maggie had made a promise. “I just wanted to talk to a friendly voice after my long walk around Green L ake. I have nothing to say about my best friend, who shall remain nameless . I’m also not calling to tell you about her chance meeting with Shane Collins. Or that the man looks incredible in running shorts.”
“ Not calling to tell me any of that, hmm?” Something chimed in the background. Probably one of Mimi’s many bracelets . Or maybe her wind chimes. Or her shrine to an air divinity aligned with Cupid. Who knew?
“Nope. I would never betray my friend’s confidence like that. I f I told you that he kissed her right there in the park, you might be tempted to interfere. And my friend would never forgive me if she knew I’d shared her secrets. I just called to say hello to my favorite other mom.”
Mimi chuckled. “I think of you as the grateful daughter I never had. Thanks for sharing, dear. I’ll have to mull things over. So tell me about the newest piece you’ve been working on .”
Maggie chatted with Mimi for a few minutes, gave her love to Ron, who was no doubt nearby, then said good bye. She closed her phone and smiled as she set it down. She’d started the ball rolling. Now fate, ushered by unstoppable force of Mimi and Ron, could take over while Maggie watched from the sidelines, keeping everyone in play.
* * *
When Friday night came to a close, Shane sighed with relie f . It had been an exhausting couple of days since he’d been drafted to help on an overdue project at the office. But now his weekend awaited him . He had plans he’d decided to put in to motion. He’d thought long and hard about his meeting with Shelby the other night. As he slipped into his house , he knew he’d been right about her . Just one kiss from those sweet lips of hers had sent his pulse skyrocketing.
It had been far too long since he’d obsessed over a woman. Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to follow Mac’s plan of attack, he didn’t know if he could go through with it. He lusted after Shelby, sure, but he ’d started to like her as well.
Low bass thumped through
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