I walk into the kitchen.
“You need any help?” I ask Maggie.
She shakes her head and opens the refrigerator, placing a salad inside. “No, thanks. Everything is finished except the lasagna.” She looks at Ridge and Warren. “You guys ready to sit at the table and do this before we eat?”
Warren slaps his jeans. “Ready,” he says, hopping up.
The four of us make our way to the kitchen table just as Bridgette walks out of the bathroom. Maggie is at the head of the table. I’m sitting next to Ridge, and Warren is seated next to an empty chair, but Bridgette chooses to claim the chair at the opposite head of the table so that there’s an empty seat between Warren and her. He shakes his head, ignoring her.
Maggie opens up a folder and then sits up straight and signs everything she begins to speak. I like watching her sign. I don’t know why, but I find it a little easier to follow her than Ridge or Warren. Maybe because her hands are more delicate, but it seems like she signs a little slower and—if this even makes sense—with more enunciation.
She looks at all of us. “Thank you for agreeing to this.” She directs her attention at me. “And thank you,” she says, without being specific. I nod, but really, it’s Warren she should be thanking. He’s the one who gave me the kick in the rear I needed to finally make a forward move with Maggie.
“I’ve made a couple of decisions that I want to talk about first, because they affect the next year of my life. And subsequently, yours.” She nods her head toward her hallway. We all look at the hallway, and for the first time, I notice moving boxes. “My internship is over, and so is my thesis, so I’ve decided to move back to Austin. My landlord informed me on Wednesday that she was able to rent the house to someone else, so I have to be out by the end of the month.”
I take her pause as an opportunity to interrupt with a question. “Isn’t your doctor here in San Antonio?”
Maggie shakes her head. “She has a satellite office here one day a week. But she’s based out of Austin, so it’ll actually be easier for me.”
“Have you found an apartment yet?” Warren asks. “The end of the month is just a few days away.”
Maggie nods again. “I have, but it won’t be ready until April fifth. The tenants just moved out, and they have to carpet and repaint.”
“Is it the same complex as last time?” Warren asks.
Maggie’s eyes flicker from Warren to Ridge. There’s something unspoken there, even though she’s shaking her head, giving them an answer. “They didn’t have anything available. This one is in North Austin.”
Warren leans forward and gives her a look that I don’t understand. Ridge sighs heavily. I feel lost.
“What?” I ask. “What’s wrong with North Austin?”
Maggie looks at me. “It’s pretty far from you guys. Ridge and I… Back when I had my apartment in Austin…we both chose complexes that were close to the hospital and my doctor. It made things easier.”
“Have you checked our complex?” Warren asks. “I know there are units available.”
Bridgette makes a noise of protest. She clears her throat and then plops her purse down on the table. She pulls out a nail file, leans back in her chair, and starts filing her fingernails.
I look back at Maggie, and she’s looking at me. She shakes her head and says, “No, but North Austin should be fine. I’ve been here in San Antonio for a year now, and everything has been fine.”
“I wouldn’t say fine,” Warren says.
“You know what I mean, Warren. I haven’t had an emergency to the point that I would have died without you guys here. I think I’ll be fine if I’m only on the other side of town.”
Ridge shakes his head. “You would have died in my bathroom if Sydney hadn’t found you. Just because you’ve been lucky doesn’t mean it’s been a smart move.”
“Agreed,” Warren says. “You live north of San Antonio. We live in South Austin. It takes forty-five minutes from our driveway to yours. But if you move to North Austin, with traffic, it’ll take more than an hour to get to you. You might be moving to the same city, but it’ll take us even more time to get to you.”
Maggie sighs. She looks down and lowers her voice a little. “I can’t afford anything else right now. The only apartments near the hospital with any availability are too expensive for me.”
“Why don’t you get a job?” Bridgette asks.