Must Love Flowers(30)

He tore open the bag and reached for the burger.

“You paid the electric bill?” Where he got the funds, she could only imagine.

He ignored the question as he wolfed down the Whopper. Without her there to see to his meals, she worried he’d survive solely on Bud Light.

It didn’t look like he was in the most communicative mood. She’d done what she’d come for. This was her good deed for the day, and it was time she left.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked, his mouth full of food.

“I tutor this afternoon. I only stopped by to see how you’re doing.”

He laughed, as though he found her excuse amusing. “Sure you did. You left me to fend for myself and now you feel bad. Surprise, surprise, I’m doing perfectly fine without you.”

“I can see that,” she said, again refusing to get into an angry exchange with him.

“I figured it wouldn’t take you long to come to your senses.”

“Dad,” she said softly, so as not to arouse his anger. “I’m not coming back.”

He frowned, as if he found it hard to believe.

“Is there anything you need before I go?” she asked.

He stared at her and shook his head.

“I’m glad you have electricity.”

“Go, then,” he snapped, and pointed toward the door, as if she didn’t know where it was located. “Get out and don’t come back. I’ve got news for you. I can take care of myself.”

“So I see. I’m happy to know you can. It would have been miserable for you without power.”

He sat up a bit straighter in his recliner. “You think I was going to fall apart without you. Well, I’ve got news for you. I talked to those people at the city and found a program that will keep the lights on.”

Her father had tackled the problem on his own. Maggie wouldn’t have believed he could solve anything by himself. This meant he either had to make a phone call or stop by the city office on his own. This was progress.

“I’m proud of you, Dad.”

He snorted, as though he didn’t believe her. “Didn’t need you then, and I don’t need you now.”

“You’ll do great without me,” she said. “I’ll stop by again next week.”

“Don’t bother,” he called after her. “You aren’t welcome here.”

“Okay, I won’t,” she said, losing her cool.

She opened the door and was about to leave when she heard him speak again, almost under his breath.

“If you do come, bring another Whopper.”

Maggie smiled as she headed back to where she’d parked her car.



* * *



—

Once she finished with her tutoring, she drove to Joan’s, all the while silently debating if she should mention having met Nick. She noticed how nice the yard looked since Phil Harrison had taken over the maintenance.

Maggie found Joan sitting at the kitchen table with a sleeping puppy in her lap. She looked up when Maggie entered the room. “I think No Name has his days and nights mixed up. He sleeps most of the day and cries all night.”

“Poor baby,” Maggie cooed, as she gently patted his head. At her touch, No Name opened his sleepy eyes and lifted his head to look at her.

“If anyone deserves sympathy, it’s me,” Joan said, yawning as she spoke. “I had no idea a puppy could be this much trouble.”

Maggie pulled out a chair and sat. Her look must have been troubled, because Joan asked, “Is there something on your mind?”

She nodded. “I think I might have met Nick.”

“My Nick? Silly question,” she asked with a shake of her head, as if she realized what she’d said.

“I’ve seen him quite a bit in the last couple weeks, without knowing who he was. He comes by Starbucks before work with his friend Kurt. Kurt calls him Einstein, so I didn’t make the connection until Kurt mentioned Einstein had given his mother a puppy.”

“The work crew calls him Einstein?”

Maggie nodded. “From what Kurt said, it’s because they’re on a trivia team and Nick is their ace in the hole.”

Joan studied her and frowned slightly. “Nick does play trivia. From your frown I’d say you don’t have a good impression of my son.”

“But I do,” she corrected quickly. “I like him, but when he asked me out, I didn’t know what to say and made up a ridiculous excuse about it being against company policy to date a customer.”

“Oh Maggie, you didn’t need to do that. Nick is going to find out I’ve taken in a boarder sooner or later.”

What Joan said was true. In retrospect, Maggie should have handled this awkward situation differently. Now it was too late.

“From what Kurt said, Nick had tried to give the dog to several other people first before he decided No Name would go to you.”

Joan laughed. “That sounds like my son. As a kid he often got himself into messes he couldn’t find his way out of.”

“I liked him up to that point.”

“Don’t judge him too harshly, Maggie. Nick has a good heart.”

Maggie wasn’t sure she believed that.