Deep in the Heart (30 page)

“
I’m surprised I’m still there.” Her fingers played with her skirt.

“
Oh? Why’s that?”

Maggie shrugged although her gaze was down. “I’m not exactly cut out for living like the rich and famous. Give me a little house in a little town with a little grass and a few kids, and I’ll be more than happy.”

He glanced at her. “No big, fancy parties?”

She shook her head. “Just someone who loves me and enough money to live.” She hadn’t seen it coming, and if she had, she didn’t know if she would’ve had time to react. But suddenly his hand was over hers. His fingers fell in the space between her thumb and her palm. Her heart leaped into gear as her gaze jumped to his.

His look was laced with a smile. “Maybe that dream isn’t as far away as you think.”

“
Okay, Keith, what gives? You haven’t been around this place this much in five years, and now every time I turn around, there you are again.” Inez set the frothy drink in front of him, seemingly as a bribe to get him to open up.

However, he didn’t want to go there. “Do you remember when we used to drink these when I was little?”

“
Do I? What I remember is you coming home from football practice wanting a bag of French fries and three of these.”

Inez laughed. “I thought I would never get you full.”

Keith took a sip. “Those were good times.”

“
Yes and no,” she said, tilting her head to look at him.

His heart clogged his chest. “I really made a mess of things, huh?”

“
How so?”

“
High school. College. He hates me now, even more than before.”

Inez shook her head slowly. “He doesn’t hate you. He loves you. He just can’t figure out how to show that.”

“
Yeah, and that’s why I’ve been banished. He treats me like I’m somebody he could fire tomorrow if I take a step out of square.”

“
So you dance outside the square to prove to him that he can’t.”

He couldn’t argue with that, so he didn’t. “It would’ve all been so different if she had lived.”

There was a long, slow exhale from the housekeeper. “He’s hurting too. You’ve got to know that.”

Keith shook his head. “What does he have to be hurting about? He’s the king of this place. To him, we’re all expendable.” He stirred the drink very slowly. “It must be nice to know you’re not.”

“
Well, in a month you’ll be in your own house with your own wife leading your own life.”

That didn’t help although he knew she meant it to. “The Hendersons are just like him. I won’t be their son-in-law. I’ll be their slave.”

“
Is that how you feel here? Like a slave?”

He couldn’t say it, so he just nodded.

“
Have you told your dad that’s how you feel?”

“
Yeah, right. There’s a plan that would get me shipped off to Siberia.”

Inez continued to look at him. “You know, your mom would never have wanted this. She loved you so much. She would’ve never wanted you to have gotten run over like you have.”

Keith snorted. “I think God took the wrong one.”

“
As bad as that sounds, I’ve thought that too on occasion. But what is it they say, ‘Only the good die young.’”

“
Boy, truer words were never spoken.” He spun the glass slowly. “We’ve been going to the church again. The one she used to take me to.”

That stopped Inez. “We?”

He glanced up. “Me and Maggie.”

She lifted her chin, but said nothing.

“
It’s nice. You know? I didn’t realize how much I missed it.” Tears sprang to his heart. “It’s hard because I remember so much sometimes—the way she was always at my games, the way she would hold those signs up that said, ‘Yeah, Keith!’ At the time I thought I was embarrassed by them. Now I wish I could go back just for a day and feel her arms around me, telling me it will be okay.”

“
You know, she may not be right here telling you that, but I’ll bet she is up there in Heaven, holding those signs up and cheering you on.”

The tears made it all the way to his eyes. “You think?”

Inez smiled. “I know so.”

“
How about here?” Greg asked, indicating a semi-vacant table under a tree.

“
Looks good.” Maggie followed him and set her plate and cup down on the picnic table. The happy sounds in the park enveloped them. On one side company team members played tag football. On the other a myriad of people filled their plates.

“
Must be some company,” Maggie said, picking up her fork.

“
Yeah. There’s something like a thousand employees at all the regional firms. A lot of them show up for this.” He stabbed into the potato salad. “It’s good to get in some face time, network. That kind of thing.”

“
So what do you do exactly?”

He swallowed that bite and took a drink. “I work in accounting. I like it pretty well. Better than being in the computer wing.”

“
You don’t like computers?”

“
When they work, yes. Hit the button, down comes your answer. I like that, but to try to fix one or program one? No way. Not my forte.”

“
So you like living in Houston then?”

“
Greg,” a middle aged lady said, walking up with a man behind her. They both sat down. “This is my husband, John.”

Greg wiped his hands on the napkin and then extended it to the older man. He sat for only a second longer. “Oh, and this is Maggie Montgomery. Maggie, this is Virginia. She works with me.”

“
We’re cubicle buddies.”

“
Oh,” Maggie said.

“
So you’re Maggie,” Virginia said, gazing at her with a smile Maggie wasn’t wholly sure she liked. “Greg’s been telling me about you. You’re the one who works for the Ayers.”

She ducked her head. “Yeah.”

“
Must be quite the ticket up there. Do you get your own butler and maid?”

The pleasant day evaporated from sight. “Oh, no. Not really.”

“
Maggie baby sits the kids,” Greg offered.

Virginia lifted her chin in understanding and then nodded. “I bet they’re a couple of little brats.”

This was a true and genuine ambush, and if Maggie’d had a little better handle on what she could say and what she couldn’t say as a representative of the Ayers, she would’ve told this woman off. However, the fact that Greg had to work with her, coupled with the fact that she didn’t want to embarrass the Ayers made her hold that thought from finding the air. “They’re really good kids.”

“
Yeah. I bet. Do they pay you to say that?” And Virginia let out a whoop the size of the rest of her.

“
And the I-Express flies through the air to the landing pad. Ka-boom!” Keith let Isabella dropped about four inches onto the changing table after the flight up the kitchen stairs. “Okay, you. Let’s see how much damage you did.”

He pulled the pink bloomers down and detached the Velcro. “Ugh! What have they been feeding you?”

Isbella laughed.

“
Yeah, you think it’s funny, huh?” His hands worked as he continued to talk to her. “Keith’s gotta change this nuclear waste diaper. Real funny.”

“
Keef!” she squealed, throwing her arms out to the sides.

He leaned down and kissed her. How could you not just fall in love with that face? “You are too cute.”

“
Do you dance?” Greg asked as the band started off to the side. Thankfully Virginia had gone home, and the evening had cooled off. Both welcome turn of events.

“
A little.” Maggie was doing her best to keep tired from her, but it wasn’t easy. She wondered about the kids and about Keith. They were probably in bed by now, and she wished with everything in her that she was there with them.

“
That makes two of us. Maybe your little and my little will keep us from being helplessly bad.” Greg held his hand out to her, and she put hers in his and stood. He led her to the dance floor, and after only a few sways, she gave up and let the gentle pressure of his hand pull her to him.

He was quite a bit taller than her, and only a step up from being truly awkward about holding her. It seemed disingenuous to let him hold her so close, but she was tired and his presence was the only thing keeping her from falling to the ground and sleeping there until morning.

“
Thanks for coming with me,” he whispered into her hair.

She pulled back to look at him. “You’re welcome.”

And then, even as they swayed, he lowered his lips to hers. It was a brush and barely that, but it set Maggie’s alerts on full-force. Before she had the chance to react, he pulled her back to him, and she was caught there with no way of extricating herself without breaking his heart.

“
Now I’m not very good at this,” Keith told Peter as he knelt by the bed. “I don’t know all the words like Maggie does.”

“
That’s okay,” Peter said, rubbing his eyes. “She taught me how to say it.”

Keith’s smile danced across his heart. “Okay. Then let’s hear it.”

“
Dear Jesus, we love you.” The little voice yanked tears to Keith’s eyes. “Please be with us tonight. Watch over us and help us have a good sleep. Please keep all the boys and girls in the world safe tonight, and let them know that You love them as much as You love us. Amen.”

He could barely get the word out. “Amen.”

Peter was looking at him when he stood.

“
You get some sleep so we can go to church tomorrow.”

And with that, Peter closed his little eyes. Keith let himself out of the room and checked his watch. Somehow he’d thought they would be back by now. How long could a picnic last? Unless they had decided to do dinner afterward or worse, back to Greg’s apartment. It was amazing how bad one thought could hurt.

“
Thanks for coming with me,” Greg said, and he slid his hand through her hair at her neck.

“
You’re welcome.” Maggie’s gaze wouldn’t fall from his. She knew he was going to kiss her, and for the first time, she wasn’t running.

When his lips found hers, it wasn’t melting she felt so much as just gratefulness for him being there. After a lingering moment, he pulled back and looked at her. “Can I call you?”

She smiled. “You better.”

Keith had told himself over and over again that he should go. Sitting here, by her door was beyond pathetic. However, when he heard the noise first at the front door and then at the stairs, his head came up and he watched for her to appear. It was nearly midnight, and it didn’t take a doctorate to know what that meant.

“
Keith,” she said in surprise when she noticed him as she traced down the hallway. “What’re you doing here?”

He looked up at her as his heart broke for how beautiful she was. “Waiting for you.”

She glanced worriedly at the doors. “Are they asleep?”

He nodded.

“
You didn’t have to wait. Inez could’ve kept an eye on them.”

“
It’s okay.” He didn’t get up. In fact, he didn’t move. “Did you have fun?”

She stopped, and after a moment she let herself to the floor against the opposite wall. “Yeah. Did you?”

He tried to smile. “Izzy’s sweet. Peter said his prayers.”

She nodded, but her gaze didn’t leave his face.

Finally he looked at her. “So are you going to see Greg again?” He tried not to let her hear the shattering of his heart.

Her gaze fell from him to her skirt. “He said he’d call me, but you never know what that means. You know how guys are.”

Yes, he did. He knew exactly how guys were. Keith looked at her, and for all the screaming in his head, he couldn’t foist his disaster of a life onto her. “He’ll call. Greg’s a smart guy.” He sighed. “So are we going to church tomorrow?”

She smiled slightly. “If you’re up for it.”

It sounded like Heaven. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

Keith was back at the mansion the next morning before they had even finished breakfast. “Good morning.” Bright and cheery, he sounded so different than the night before.

“
Good morning to you,” Maggie said. “You get any sleep?”

“
Keef!” Isabella squealed, throwing her hands out to the sides.

“
Izzy!” Keith said, mimicking her. He walked over and gave her a big hug.

Maggie eyed him, worried for reasons she knew and some she couldn’t quite figure out. “You’re early.”

“
I couldn’t stay away.”

Church was wonderful as usual. To Keith the only bad thing was when the service was over. His talk with Inez had brought more memories of his mother back. In a strange way he had purposely forgotten even those things that he loved about her. He wondered about that as they drove home.

“
What do you remember about your parents?” he asked, not to make her feel uncomfortable but because he needed to talk to someone who understood.

Maggie narrowed her eyes as if she was watching the memories on a fuzzy screen. “Weird things mostly. Like how my dad liked to smoke a pipe, but my mom wouldn’t let him. How my mom put her hair up in a ponytail when she cooked. And my dad always slammed the backdoor so we knew he was home. It’s strange what you remember.”