Page 7 of Raise The Bar
Still, I had practically forgotten she existed the moment I spotted Maggie at the bar. Once the creep who’d been bothering her finally got the hint and left, things unfolded better than my fantasies. We flirted and we laughed. It felt easy and fun. Until she realized I was there with someone else. Watching her smile disappear from her face left me cold and empty.
She’d vanished with Betty and Josh shortly after and when I tried to find her later, she was gone. I thought of asking Josh for her number, but for the first time in my life I didn’t know what to say. I’ve got a talent for talking myself out of unpleasant situations, but I didn’t want to do that to Maggie. She deserves better than my bullshit. Still, I’ve never stopped thinking about how to make it up to her.
Finding her apartment key would be a good start.
I glance around my friend’s apartment, not entirely sure where to start. I head to the kitchen and open drawers, though I’m in no particular hurry to locate this key. I find utensils, spices, and what appears to be a junk drawer with odd items like pens and rubber bands. No key.
“Any luck?” she asks, joining me in the kitchen. She looks more relaxed, though still a bit standoffish. When she looks into my eyes I forget what I was going to say. So damn pretty. She looks away again and I pull myself together.
“Nothing yet,” I admit, leaning back against the counter. She begins looking in the places I’ve already covered. Her brow furrows as she, too, comes up empty. I want to reach out and smooth away her worry. “I’ll text Josh and ask where he keeps it.” Grabbing my phone from my back pocket, I pull up Josh’s contact.
“Thank you,” she smiles, shaking her head while I start to type the message. “I should have thought of that before we ransacked the place.”
Me:Where is the key to Betty and Maggie’s place?
“Oh, this is nothing,” I say, hitting send on my phone and then motioning to the drawers. “If he doesn’t get back to me in two minutes, we start tossing the furniture around.” She grins at that, and I swear it’s like watching my first sunrise. I could stare at her all day, but my phone dings and I check Josh’s response.
Josh:Fuck off, pervert.
I laugh despite myself before sending my reply.
Me:Maggie’s locked out. Also, pervert? Seriously?
“What did he say?”
“You don’t want to know,” I say, unsure if I’m annoyed or amused. Maggie quirks an eyebrow at me but says nothing.
Josh:Shit. My bad.
Josh:I’ve got their key on me.
Me:??
Josh:I keep it with my other keys.
Me:What good is keeping their spare key on you?
Josh:What good would it be to them if I’m not home in the first place? You’re not usually at my place.
This is true.
Josh:We’ll be home in less than an hour. Take care of her until then.
I know exactly how I’d like to “take care of her”, but I push that scenario out of my mind. I may be lucky, but I’m not that lucky.
“He’s got the key on him. He’ll be back in an hour.”
She slumps into a chair in the kitchen with a groan. “Why does he have our spare key on him?”
“I asked him the same thing.” I chuckle, taking the seat across from her. “He reasoned that if he wasn’t home, it would be no good to you anyway since I’m not usually here.”
“I guess that makes sense. Wait, why are you here?”
“My mom is visiting from Tampa and has been staying with me for the past week,” I admit with a guilty smile. “Josh and I were hanging out earlier and he said I could make myself at home for the afternoon. I’m just taking a break for a few hours.” I love my mom and I like spending time with her. But having her in my personal space for the last one hundred and fifty-six hours has been too much of a good thing. “An adult can only take so much mothering at one time, you know?”
“No, I don’t. My mother died when I was sixteen.”
I can actually feel the color drain from my face as I process what she’s said. Maggie gives me a sad smile and shrugs before looking away.
