someone who will almost surely be gone before anyone knows she’s here is not worth risking what you have with Dallas. As good as it looks, as easy as it looks, it’s not worth it.”
Anger and embarrassment cracked into Keith. “Come on, Ike. I’m not that stupid. Besides, you know that’s not my style anymore. Maggie’s a friend, and not even that.”
“ Yeah, well.” Ike stopped toe-to-toe with Keith, his faded gray eyes as serious as Keith had ever seen them. “Keep it that way, okay?”
“ Dallas! Hey. How’s it going?” Keith put his elbow over the soft tan couch cushion as he sat back that night. He was safe and secure, locked in his own bedroom, far across the mansion from the kids’ wing.
“ Ugh. I’m about two seconds from cracking somebody’s skull against a wall,” Dallas said in typical, Dallas fashion.
“ Oh, why’s that?”
“ What’s it always? Studying as usual.” Her voice softened. “It’s good to hear your voice though. I need some sanity.”
“ Now I’m sanity?” He laughed. “That’s scary.”
“ Tell me about it. I’m so ready to get out of here, I could scream.”
“ Two weeks you’ll be back here, with me. No books. No studying.” He closed his eyes and could almost catch the feeling of her being right there with him.
“ Can I come now?”
His laugh was a breath. “’Fraid not. But I’ll tell you what. You buckle down and stick with it, and when you get here, we’ll throw you a big party.”
“ Ugh. Don’t remind me.”
“ What? You having second thoughts?”
“ No.” The sigh was soft, barely there. “But the planning and the parties and the crowds? Can’t we just elope?”
“ Oh, your dad would love that.”
“ Don’t remind me. Mom called today. They’re coming up for a visit. Well, it’s actually for a fundraiser, but that’s as close as I get to a real visit these days.”
“ The junior senator from Texas has higher ambitions?” Keith asked, amused.
“ Always. Him. Me. It runs in the family.”
“ Well, I can’t speak for him, but I’m very proud of you.”
“ Thanks. I needed to hear that.” She sighed, and he felt it run him through. “I’m so ready to see you.”
“ Me too.” Then he stopped himself. “I mean I can’t wait to see you. I see myself every morning.”
“ You’re crazy.”
“ Yeah, about you.”
They talked awhile longer, and when he hung up, Keith felt better. Ike was right. Being around Maggie was playing with fire, and he didn’t need that in his life. He’d done that enough and had been burned, repeatedly. No. In four days his parents would be back, she would probably be gone for reasons he still didn’t know. What he did know was that at some point things would go back to normal, and normal did not include Maggie Montgomery. Hanging onto that thought, he dug himself in the pillows and forced himself to stay there.
By the next morning Keith had come up with a solid plan. He wouldn’t go anywhere near her unless absolutely necessary. For breakfast he grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of Ike’s stash in the barn. If all went well, he would have lunch at his place and call to let Inez know he was going to be late for dinner tonight. He could show up after they had gone to bed. It was a great plan.
The fact that Keith hadn’t been around didn’t stop Maggie’s heart from jumping every time there was a noise at a door. She had never felt so scattered or so flightly. The kids were great as usual. Through the soccer lesson and lunch, they were angels. For that Maggie was grateful because she was having a really hard time concentrating on anything other than when he might show up again.
Trying to come up with anything that might stave off insanity, she had a thought after lunch. “Hey, you two. What do you say we make smoothies and take them out to the playhouse?”
“ What’s a smoothie?” Peter asked.
“ Come on. I’ll show you.” She took them both to the kitchen,
Anger and embarrassment cracked into Keith. “Come on, Ike. I’m not that stupid. Besides, you know that’s not my style anymore. Maggie’s a friend, and not even that.”
“ Yeah, well.” Ike stopped toe-to-toe with Keith, his faded gray eyes as serious as Keith had ever seen them. “Keep it that way, okay?”
“ Dallas! Hey. How’s it going?” Keith put his elbow over the soft tan couch cushion as he sat back that night. He was safe and secure, locked in his own bedroom, far across the mansion from the kids’ wing.
“ Ugh. I’m about two seconds from cracking somebody’s skull against a wall,” Dallas said in typical, Dallas fashion.
“ Oh, why’s that?”
“ What’s it always? Studying as usual.” Her voice softened. “It’s good to hear your voice though. I need some sanity.”
“ Now I’m sanity?” He laughed. “That’s scary.”
“ Tell me about it. I’m so ready to get out of here, I could scream.”
“ Two weeks you’ll be back here, with me. No books. No studying.” He closed his eyes and could almost catch the feeling of her being right there with him.
“ Can I come now?”
His laugh was a breath. “’Fraid not. But I’ll tell you what. You buckle down and stick with it, and when you get here, we’ll throw you a big party.”
“ Ugh. Don’t remind me.”
“ What? You having second thoughts?”
“ No.” The sigh was soft, barely there. “But the planning and the parties and the crowds? Can’t we just elope?”
“ Oh, your dad would love that.”
“ Don’t remind me. Mom called today. They’re coming up for a visit. Well, it’s actually for a fundraiser, but that’s as close as I get to a real visit these days.”
“ The junior senator from Texas has higher ambitions?” Keith asked, amused.
“ Always. Him. Me. It runs in the family.”
“ Well, I can’t speak for him, but I’m very proud of you.”
“ Thanks. I needed to hear that.” She sighed, and he felt it run him through. “I’m so ready to see you.”
“ Me too.” Then he stopped himself. “I mean I can’t wait to see you. I see myself every morning.”
“ You’re crazy.”
“ Yeah, about you.”
They talked awhile longer, and when he hung up, Keith felt better. Ike was right. Being around Maggie was playing with fire, and he didn’t need that in his life. He’d done that enough and had been burned, repeatedly. No. In four days his parents would be back, she would probably be gone for reasons he still didn’t know. What he did know was that at some point things would go back to normal, and normal did not include Maggie Montgomery. Hanging onto that thought, he dug himself in the pillows and forced himself to stay there.
By the next morning Keith had come up with a solid plan. He wouldn’t go anywhere near her unless absolutely necessary. For breakfast he grabbed a Dr. Pepper out of Ike’s stash in the barn. If all went well, he would have lunch at his place and call to let Inez know he was going to be late for dinner tonight. He could show up after they had gone to bed. It was a great plan.
The fact that Keith hadn’t been around didn’t stop Maggie’s heart from jumping every time there was a noise at a door. She had never felt so scattered or so flightly. The kids were great as usual. Through the soccer lesson and lunch, they were angels. For that Maggie was grateful because she was having a really hard time concentrating on anything other than when he might show up again.
Trying to come up with anything that might stave off insanity, she had a thought after lunch. “Hey, you two. What do you say we make smoothies and take them out to the playhouse?”
“ What’s a smoothie?” Peter asked.
“ Come on. I’ll show you.” She took them both to the kitchen,
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