Page 14 of Lovesick
“It’s not healthy,” I stated. “That much alcohol isn’t relaxing, it’s dangerous.”
“I’ve been drinking since middle school, Maggie. I think I know what my limits are.” Normally, I loved his smile, but right now it just told me he wasn’t taking my concerns seriously.
“It’s not about limits,” I told him, setting down the water so I could use my arms to gesture. “It’s about what medical science says is healthy versus what it says isn’t.”
“And I’m saying I feel just fine. If it was that unhealthy, and I was really drinking too much, wouldn’t I feel something was off?”
I paused, lips pursed but lacking a rejoinder beyond what I had already said. He did look good… Really good. He worked out regularly, and he always seemed to have plenty of energy. I didn’t have any symptoms to hit him with. “It’s just not healthy,” I insisted one more time.
“Like I said, I’m fine. Really. I know you’re going to be a nurse soon, but that doesn’t mean you have to… Well, scrutinize me for an illness to diagnose.”
I wanted – and started – to be angry at that, but I took a deep breath and paused instead. What were Zoe and Abigail always telling me? Once I sunk my teeth into an idea or a thought, I held onto it like a bulldog. In other words, I could be a bit bossy. I didn’t mean to come off that way… I was just worried about Marty after what I had seen the other night.
Maybe he was right, and I didn’t have a reason to be concerned. His tone and eyes were telling me to drop it, and we had work to do.
“Okay. Sorry.” I couldn’t put anything more into the apology I didn’t really feel. I wanted to ask why he drank – if it was a habit, or maybe he liked the way it made him feel or how it tasted.
Instead, I just watched him walk away. Then, as he left the greenhouse, I suddenly remembered something.
Marty had been drinking ever since I had known him, but he had never drunk heavily during that time. What had happened after I left for college? He had gotten married, then divorced. The look in his eyes when I asked him about his ex-wife told me that he wasn’t entirely over…something. Whether it was the woman herself, the relationship, or being suddenly alone, there was something there he hadn’t dealt with.
A lot of people drank to avoid dealing with certain things. I didn’t want to assume the worst about Marty, but…maybe he had a little drama still going on. Since he had made it clear it was nothing he wanted to talk about right now, all I could do was keep spending time with him, and working on getting to know him better. Then, hopefully, he would eventually open up to me.
There was nothing more I could do but support him as he worked through his emotions, anyway. His drinking… Well, I would just have to keep a close eye on that. If he started acting differently, I was going to sit him down and convince him to at least go see the family doctor. I knew the LaFleurs were the kind of people who refused to go to a doctor until there was something very obviously wrong, and a lot of medical issues could go unnoticed because of that attitude. Many things that people considered fairly minor could be symptoms of something major.
That settled it. I’d watch Marty and drag him to the doctor myself if I thought it was necessary. While imperfect, my resolution did make me feel better, and I started right away by gazing out of the greenhouse door to where Marty was shoveling dirt.
I just wanted him to stay safe and healthy. Anything that hurt him would hurt everyone around him – his dad, his mom…and me.
Chapter Eight
Marty
As our week together progressed, Maggie and I settled into a schedule that was constant, but different every day. In the morning, whichever of us woke up first would text the other a cheerful good morning. Then, I would let Maggie know where we would be working first for the day, and she would drive over and meet me. From there, we handled whatever tasks required attention at whichever location my mom needed us most.
From the morning to the closing of the shop, our days were the same – then we had plenty of time and freedom to switch things up. Each evening, we did something different. We went out for dinner and a movie. We drove out to a large pond not far from Lafayette and did some fishing. We met some old friends from high school to hang out and catch up. We spent time at both of our parents’ houses. The only thing that was the same every evening was that we spent it together.
Today was Friday, and we had something special planned after work today. There was a park on the outskirts of Lafayette near a bayou, and we planned to go there – a place we had been many times in high school – walk the trails, then sit on blankets with a cooler of beer and watch the sunset.
Maggie had suggested it, and I didn’t tell her I had never been back since we were there during the summer before she left. There was no particular reason for that. The park was nice, but on the opposite side of town from the house. “I wonder if the park’ll be different,” I said to Maggie when she came back into the shop after finishing a chore.
“Like from how it used to be? I haven’t been back since…”
“Since us?” I asked, reaching out a hand and holding hers to help her balance as she stepped over a pile of boxes blocking the path to the counter. “Me neither. Whoops!” I announced.
Nothing at all had happened, and Maggie shot me a confused look. Then she shrieked as I tugged her hand and pulled her against me, catching the fall I had orchestrated. “Marty!” she reprimanded me, shooting nervous glances around the empty shop. “Your mom’s going to come back inside any second.”
“A second is enough time to do this.” Her body relaxed against me as I kissed her. Our second turned into an eternity, but I didn’t care – even an eternity holding Maggie in my arms was too short.
My mother shocked me out of my eternity by appearing at the back door. Maggie didn’t see her, and my mom just smiled and backed away, closing the door silently behind her. I resolved to tell her later that she was the best mom ever.
The front doorbell broke us apart. The customer, apparently occupied by a pressing need to find whatever he sought quickly, didn’t even look at us twice.
Slightly red and sporting lips swollen with kisses, Maggie let her fingers linger on my arm before she hurried off to ask the customer if she could help him.Later, I mouthed to her when she looked back. A smile flitted across her face before she turned her attention to her task.
It was amazing having Maggie around all day…but sometimes it was torture not to reach for her, pull her closer and do all the things I had dreamed of doing even back when we first dated. Hopefully, the park wouldn’t be too busy this evening…
In retrospect, 5:30 PM on a Friday evening? No park in the entire state would be empty, and definitely not M. Chateau Park. After we closed the shop, we headed off on our adventure in my truck. I parked in one of the free spaces and surveyed the softball teams who were playing on the diamonds to the right and the families with children who were hanging out at the playgrounds.
