Page 14 of Maggie

She ordered an Uber and stepped outside to wait. Maggie sat at a picnic table on the church’s playground and scrolled through social media on her phone. She ignored the bustle of people leaving and cars pulling away. She started reading an article and quickly became absorbed in the text.

“What are you doing?” a voice unexpectedly asked.

She jumped, startled. Mentally, she kicked herself for letting her guard down. Anyone could approach her out here and she didn’t have bodyguards with her.

Maggie glanced up at the speaker, who luckily turned out to be Wylder. She breathed a sigh of relief and laughed.

He smiled. “Sorry. What are you doing?” he repeated.

Wylder sat down beside her and leaned back against the table. He relaxed and loosened his tie.

“I’m waiting for an Uber. What are you doing?”

“I’m sitting with you until your Uber gets here.” He gave her a cheeky grin.

“I see that.”

He chuckled. “What are your plans for tonight?” he asked.

“Honestly? Nothing exciting. I plan to head to my hotel, take a bubble bath, crawl into bed, and eat gummy bears while I watch TV until I, hopefully, go to sleep. I fly out at 8 am and I’m exhausted.”

Wylder nodded. “Sounds like a relaxing evening.”

“I hope it will be. It’s the most relaxation I’ll get for a couple of weeks.”

Wylder held up two fingers. “Okay. Two questions. Why ‘hopefully’ sleep? And why is it the most relaxation you’ll get?”

She had to hand it to Wylder — he was observant.

“I have a hard time sleeping without medicine. But I don’t want to take anything before my flight tomorrow because I’m afraid I’ll sleep through the alarm and miss my flight. My insomnia is mainly under control with medicine, though.”

Wylder nodded. “That makes sense. I’m the creative type so I keep late hours if you ever need company.” Wylder gave her a cheeky grin.

“Thank you.” Maggie smiled at him. “I’ll be on the road tomorrow for work. Back to the grind.”

“Really? Tomorrow’s Sunday.”

Maggie’s mind turned to Lovely Oblivion’s tour schedule and concerts. Their busiest days were weekends. Having this rare Saturday off had been a fluke.

“Really.”

Wylder’s eyes brushed over her body. Maggie felt his gaze as though he’d touched her physically, and goosebumps broke out over her skin.

“You’re in the entertainment industry, you’re on the road, you work on Sundays, and you’ve got a killer figure. Are you sure you aren’t a traveling stripper?” he teased.

Maggie laughed. “I’m sure. My clothes always stay on during performances. No stripping here.”

“Performances?” Wylder leaned toward her. “What kind of performances?”

“Not telling you right now.”

“So will you tell me later?” he asked.

“Do you want me to?”

Maggie’s Uber, a silver sedan, pulled into the parking lot.

Wylder’s hazel gaze flicked to Maggie’s lips, then back to her eyes. He nodded. “I want to know. For whatever reason, I’m drawn to you. I don’t want to lose that feeling. I’d like to be friends.”

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