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Authors: Jeannie Moon
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relationship went to hell.
It had been extremely uncomfortable sitting across the table from her, but when Nora started flirting with Will, inviting him to a gallery showing in the city, Maggie was ready to kill.
It was too bad her cousin hadn’t seen them kissing.
As she simmered, Maggie realized she’d never felt jealousy before. This was new, and she wasn’t liking it. Claire leaned in and made sure only Maggie could hear her. “You hate her right now, don’t you?”
“Why do you say that?”
Claire almost laughed out loud. “Are you kidding? I’m getting all hot and bothered just watching you and Will exchange smoldering glances, did you think I wouldn’t notice? Gracie has, too.”
“I’m, uh…”
“Stop. It’s awesome. And Nora is just trying to get to you, don’t let her.”
Dessert had been set out, and there were more choices than Maggie had ever seen. Her sweet tooth would be very happy. Whether her jeans would fit tomorrow was another story altogether. Still, she cut into the pecan pie, the cheesecake, and took two cream puffs.
“You’d better lay off the carbs and sugar, Maggie, now that you’re not as active. You don’t want to bulk up too much.” Nora’s words silenced the table. Maggie had a mouthful of the best cheesecake in the world, so she was at a loss.
“Nora!” Aunt Brigid was mortified. “Maggie is physically disabled. You don’t draw attention to it at the table.”
“Mary Margaret has been working at living as normal a life as possible,” her father piped in. “She’s getting better every day.”
“You should know better, Nora. You’re lovely and able bodied, and poor Maggie…”
Were they kidding?
“Poor Maggie is sitting right here,” she snapped. “And if you all don’t stop talking like this, I’m going to take my leg off and prop it up in the front window. It will be like that lamp in A Christmas Story ,” she said, referencing the family’s favorite holiday movie.
“Fra-GEE-leh,” her brother mumbled, making Will laugh at the famous line. Wonderful. Everyone was a comedian.
“Nora,” Maggie began, “I’m fine. I’m still working out every day and I’m going to start running again as soon as my therapist thinks I’m ready.”
Brigid was beside herself. “Oh, you poor dear. Therapy? This must have been so hard for you. But a psychiatrist… that’s never happened in my family.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Maggie rolled her eyes. “I mean physical therapy, Auntie.”
“Oh. Oh well, thank goodness. But really dear, you should take it easy on yourself. You are … you know…”
Did she do it? Did she level her aunt right then and there? She was, after all, ‘disabled’, why not be a bitch, too?
“Well, if I take it easy on myself, I’ll die. So, since I’m over that being an option for me, I’d rather stay in shape. Excuse me.” Maggie rose from the table, took two steps away, and then went back for her plate of desserts.
It was criminal to let cream puffs go to waste.
“I’m going upstairs to take a rest,” Maggie sniffed, affecting her best Scarlet O’Hara impersonation. “This has all been quite exhausting for an invalid like me, and since Mama has gotten the fainting couch I asked for, I must retire before I fall dead away. I do hope y’all will forgive me.”
It was the only way she could escape without killing anyone or bursting into tears, neither of which were acceptable.
In some ways, Maggie wished she could leave, letting her family have a peaceful holiday, but the truth was, she was stuck.
Maggie hadn’t just lost her limb, or her job, she’d lost the thing she prized most: her independence.
And she didn’t know how she was going to get it back.
* * *
This was quite possibly the dumbest thing Will had ever done, and he’d sneaked into his share of girl’s rooms in his younger days. But going to Maggie when her whole family was downstairs was risky. It was possible he was
It had been extremely uncomfortable sitting across the table from her, but when Nora started flirting with Will, inviting him to a gallery showing in the city, Maggie was ready to kill.
It was too bad her cousin hadn’t seen them kissing.
As she simmered, Maggie realized she’d never felt jealousy before. This was new, and she wasn’t liking it. Claire leaned in and made sure only Maggie could hear her. “You hate her right now, don’t you?”
“Why do you say that?”
Claire almost laughed out loud. “Are you kidding? I’m getting all hot and bothered just watching you and Will exchange smoldering glances, did you think I wouldn’t notice? Gracie has, too.”
“I’m, uh…”
“Stop. It’s awesome. And Nora is just trying to get to you, don’t let her.”
Dessert had been set out, and there were more choices than Maggie had ever seen. Her sweet tooth would be very happy. Whether her jeans would fit tomorrow was another story altogether. Still, she cut into the pecan pie, the cheesecake, and took two cream puffs.
“You’d better lay off the carbs and sugar, Maggie, now that you’re not as active. You don’t want to bulk up too much.” Nora’s words silenced the table. Maggie had a mouthful of the best cheesecake in the world, so she was at a loss.
“Nora!” Aunt Brigid was mortified. “Maggie is physically disabled. You don’t draw attention to it at the table.”
“Mary Margaret has been working at living as normal a life as possible,” her father piped in. “She’s getting better every day.”
“You should know better, Nora. You’re lovely and able bodied, and poor Maggie…”
Were they kidding?
“Poor Maggie is sitting right here,” she snapped. “And if you all don’t stop talking like this, I’m going to take my leg off and prop it up in the front window. It will be like that lamp in A Christmas Story ,” she said, referencing the family’s favorite holiday movie.
“Fra-GEE-leh,” her brother mumbled, making Will laugh at the famous line. Wonderful. Everyone was a comedian.
“Nora,” Maggie began, “I’m fine. I’m still working out every day and I’m going to start running again as soon as my therapist thinks I’m ready.”
Brigid was beside herself. “Oh, you poor dear. Therapy? This must have been so hard for you. But a psychiatrist… that’s never happened in my family.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Maggie rolled her eyes. “I mean physical therapy, Auntie.”
“Oh. Oh well, thank goodness. But really dear, you should take it easy on yourself. You are … you know…”
Did she do it? Did she level her aunt right then and there? She was, after all, ‘disabled’, why not be a bitch, too?
“Well, if I take it easy on myself, I’ll die. So, since I’m over that being an option for me, I’d rather stay in shape. Excuse me.” Maggie rose from the table, took two steps away, and then went back for her plate of desserts.
It was criminal to let cream puffs go to waste.
“I’m going upstairs to take a rest,” Maggie sniffed, affecting her best Scarlet O’Hara impersonation. “This has all been quite exhausting for an invalid like me, and since Mama has gotten the fainting couch I asked for, I must retire before I fall dead away. I do hope y’all will forgive me.”
It was the only way she could escape without killing anyone or bursting into tears, neither of which were acceptable.
In some ways, Maggie wished she could leave, letting her family have a peaceful holiday, but the truth was, she was stuck.
Maggie hadn’t just lost her limb, or her job, she’d lost the thing she prized most: her independence.
And she didn’t know how she was going to get it back.
* * *
This was quite possibly the dumbest thing Will had ever done, and he’d sneaked into his share of girl’s rooms in his younger days. But going to Maggie when her whole family was downstairs was risky. It was possible he was
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