Read Online Maggie's Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Deanna Lynn Sletten
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to Circus Circus. Since that hotel and casino was family-friendly, she somehow felt safer going there for a room. Silly of her, she knew, but she'd been family orientated for so long, she couldn't change that mindset.
The streets were bustling with people in the early evening. Even though late September usually meant a slow down of tourists for most places, Maggie knew that Reno never slowed down, like Tahoe and Vegas. At every corner, there was a stoplight, and at every stoplight, people streamed by, crossing to the next casino, the next lucky win. The town was alive with activity, and Maggie felt her spirits soar again after her long drive.
She found her way to Circus Circus and obtained a room on the sixteenth floor, where the view of the city was absolutely incredible. She had no sooner settled into the room and was working up the courage to join the throngs of people below when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Andrew, she took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello."
"Maggie, you aren't going to believe what your daughter has done," Andrew said, bellowing.
His tone immediately irritated her. Her daughter, he'd said. Yeah, as if he hadn't had any part in her creation. "What is it now, Andrew?" Maggie asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
"Your daughter has been skipping school, That's what. The past two days, she's been gallivanting around the countryside with kids she barely knows. What do you think of that?"
Actually, Maggie was surprised. She knew Kaia was headstrong and fiercely independent, but she never did anything too out of line like skip school. She was a good student and hung out with decent kids, as far as Maggie knew. But, under the circumstances, she wasn't entirely surprised by it.
"Well?" Andrew demanded loudly, making Maggie pull the phone from her ear and stare at it a moment. It seemed he said well a lot.
"Well," Maggie replied sarcastically. "I'm not sure what you want me to do about it. You're the one there. You need to handle it."
"Well," Andrew said snidely. "Maybe if you were here, there'd be nothing to handle. Maybe if you were here doing your job, there wouldn't be a problem."
Maggie hated it when he said the kids were her job. The kids were his, too. Although he'd never taken much day-to-day responsibility for them. Now, it was his turn to finally deal with them.
"Actually, Andrew," she replied tartly. "Just how did she get the chance to skip school? If you were dropping her off and picking her up, there'd be no way for her to leave without you finding out right away."
"I wasn't dropping her off," he admitted. "She was taking the bus, which is exactly what she should have been doing all these years instead of being babied."
"That's the problem then. If you drop her at school, she won't be able to wander off. You'll know for sure she's in school. I know you have the time to do it, Andrew. You don't really have to be at work until nine o'clock. Would it kill you to take the time to drop your daughter off?"
"Wait a minute," Andrew said. "Don't blame her bad behavior on me. It's not my fault she skipped school. I'm the one who's here, remember?"
It was snide and cruel, and it hit Maggie just the way he knew it would, in the heart. She already felt guilty, walking out on them, but did she have to take the blame for everything?
"Kaia is a good kid and you know it," she said. "But sometimes good kids make bad choices. You can't blame me for this."
"Oh, but you haven't heard the best part," Andrew said, his tone flippant.
Maggie waited for Andrew to finish. All sorts of horrendous scenarios passed through her mind, like a car accident or maybe someone had hurt Kaia in some way. If anything terrible had happened to her, Maggie would never forgive herself for not being there.
"Your daughter pierced her eyebrow."
For a moment Maggie stood there, letting his words sink in. Pierced her eyebrow? After all the travesties she'd been thinking, this sounded absolutely frivolous. She couldn't
The streets were bustling with people in the early evening. Even though late September usually meant a slow down of tourists for most places, Maggie knew that Reno never slowed down, like Tahoe and Vegas. At every corner, there was a stoplight, and at every stoplight, people streamed by, crossing to the next casino, the next lucky win. The town was alive with activity, and Maggie felt her spirits soar again after her long drive.
She found her way to Circus Circus and obtained a room on the sixteenth floor, where the view of the city was absolutely incredible. She had no sooner settled into the room and was working up the courage to join the throngs of people below when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was Andrew, she took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello."
"Maggie, you aren't going to believe what your daughter has done," Andrew said, bellowing.
His tone immediately irritated her. Her daughter, he'd said. Yeah, as if he hadn't had any part in her creation. "What is it now, Andrew?" Maggie asked, trying not to sound annoyed.
"Your daughter has been skipping school, That's what. The past two days, she's been gallivanting around the countryside with kids she barely knows. What do you think of that?"
Actually, Maggie was surprised. She knew Kaia was headstrong and fiercely independent, but she never did anything too out of line like skip school. She was a good student and hung out with decent kids, as far as Maggie knew. But, under the circumstances, she wasn't entirely surprised by it.
"Well?" Andrew demanded loudly, making Maggie pull the phone from her ear and stare at it a moment. It seemed he said well a lot.
"Well," Maggie replied sarcastically. "I'm not sure what you want me to do about it. You're the one there. You need to handle it."
"Well," Andrew said snidely. "Maybe if you were here, there'd be nothing to handle. Maybe if you were here doing your job, there wouldn't be a problem."
Maggie hated it when he said the kids were her job. The kids were his, too. Although he'd never taken much day-to-day responsibility for them. Now, it was his turn to finally deal with them.
"Actually, Andrew," she replied tartly. "Just how did she get the chance to skip school? If you were dropping her off and picking her up, there'd be no way for her to leave without you finding out right away."
"I wasn't dropping her off," he admitted. "She was taking the bus, which is exactly what she should have been doing all these years instead of being babied."
"That's the problem then. If you drop her at school, she won't be able to wander off. You'll know for sure she's in school. I know you have the time to do it, Andrew. You don't really have to be at work until nine o'clock. Would it kill you to take the time to drop your daughter off?"
"Wait a minute," Andrew said. "Don't blame her bad behavior on me. It's not my fault she skipped school. I'm the one who's here, remember?"
It was snide and cruel, and it hit Maggie just the way he knew it would, in the heart. She already felt guilty, walking out on them, but did she have to take the blame for everything?
"Kaia is a good kid and you know it," she said. "But sometimes good kids make bad choices. You can't blame me for this."
"Oh, but you haven't heard the best part," Andrew said, his tone flippant.
Maggie waited for Andrew to finish. All sorts of horrendous scenarios passed through her mind, like a car accident or maybe someone had hurt Kaia in some way. If anything terrible had happened to her, Maggie would never forgive herself for not being there.
"Your daughter pierced her eyebrow."
For a moment Maggie stood there, letting his words sink in. Pierced her eyebrow? After all the travesties she'd been thinking, this sounded absolutely frivolous. She couldn't
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