“No way,” Kurt insisted, and pointed to his answer.
Nick remained adamant. “I read her biography years ago. Trust me.”
While her teammates continued to look skeptical, Maggie sided with Nick. “I think we should trust Nick. He’s the smart one, remember?”
Bruce scoffed a laugh. “Is that what he’s been telling you?”
There were ten questions, and while they couldn’t be entirely confident they were all correct, Maggie felt they had a good chance of placing.
Darrin gave the teams a few minutes to review the ten answers. Maggie noticed that a number of the teams had their heads together, silently discussing and debating the questions.
Breaking into the waves of whispers, Darrin continued in a raised voice, “For tonight’s bonus question, there are double points.”
“I never do well with these bonus questions,” Kurt complained. “I’d have better luck with the answers in Final Jeopardy.”
Maggie glanced his way. Kurt didn’t look like the type to watch Jeopardy!, but then it was probably a good source for learning trivia answers. He obviously took the game seriously.
Darrin paused and then spoke. “This is a four-part question, and there are double points for each correct answer. What are the four main types of tissues in the body?”
Nick looked to Maggie, as did Kurt and Bruce. She instantly felt the pressure. Reaching for her pencil, she bit into her lower lip and wrote: muscle, connective tissue, nerve tissues, and…the fourth one remained a blank in her mind.
“That’s only three,” Bruce whispered. “Think, Maggie, think. This answer could get us over the top.”
She closed her eyes and remembered this very question had been on a recent test. She should know the answer.
“Leave her alone,” Nick said. “She can’t think with you harping on her.”
All at once it came to Maggie, and she quickly wrote down: epithelial tissue.
Nick penned her answers on the sheet and was one of the last of the team captains to hand it in to Darrin.
Chatter erupted while Darrin scored the sheets. It didn’t take long for him to announce the winners. “Third place goes to our newcomers, The Quizzie Rascals. Congratulations.”
The new team gave a shout of surprise and clapped excitedly.
Maggie heard someone close by mumble, “Beginners’ luck.”
Darrin handed them four five-dollar Starbucks cards.
“Second place goes to The Wizards.”
A gasp followed.
Maggie looked to her team, not understanding.
“They routinely place first,” Nick explained.
Bruce seemed elated. “Over the last few months, they’ve collected enough lighted shot glasses to light up the Space Needle. A little humility will do them good.”
“I really thought we’d place this week,” Kurt murmured, looking discouraged.
“Maybe I got the bonus question wrong.” If so, Maggie would feel dreadful.
“First place,” Darrin said, “is Beer Today, Gone Tomorrow.”
From the way her fellow team members reacted, one would think they’d won the lottery. Bruce and Kurt high-fived each other, and before she realized what he was doing, Nick wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her several feet off the ground. “You did it for us, Maggie.”
If she was surprised to have her feet dangling above the floor, she was even more so when he kissed her. Maggie cupped his face and kissed him, then threw back her head and laughed.
“I’m calling Tyler,” Bruce declared, “and I’ll tell him he’s been replaced. Maggie, welcome to the team.”
“Thank you.”
With Nick’s arm around her waist, they returned to where the truck was parked, proudly touting lighted shot glasses. Even if Maggie had no idea what she would do with them, it was something she would always treasure.
Chapter 23
Joan arrived at the counseling office the same time as Mary Lou. She noticed Phil’s blue Tesla was in the parking lot.
Mary Lou walked toward her as Joan exited her car. The widow was a petite blonde with a fondness for hats. Her smile was contagious, and Joan suspected she had never met a stranger. If so, they didn’t remain one for long. She’d taken Joan under her wing, and for that Joan would always be grateful. “I hope you’ll come to Shari’s with us after the meeting this week,” Mary Lou said, as they met up close to the building’s front door.
Most of the group gathered for coffee and pie following the meeting. Up to this point, Joan had refused. “I wish I could.”
Disappointment showed in Mary Lou’s eyes. “Is it because of the puppy again?”
Joan tucked her purse strap over her shoulder and nodded. “Maggie is out, and I really can’t leave the poor fellow alone for hours on end.”
“Edison is in his crate, right?”
“Yes…but.”
“No more excuses,” Mary Lou said. “Tonight you’re going. I get as much from that time as I do the meetings. You need to come.”
Joan’s impulse was to refuse. The words were on her lips, and she intended to use Edison as a convenient excuse as she had in the past. She abruptly changed her mind. “You’re right. Edison should be fine for a couple hours. I’ll join you.”
“It’s the best way to get to know the others,” Mary Lou reminded her. “The meetings are helpful, don’t get me wrong. Half the time, though, it’s the coffee afterward where we get down to the nitty-gritty of adjusting to our new lives.”
Joan remembered what Dr. O’Brien had mentioned in their session, about the loss of identity after a spouse dies. The group would help her find a new one, Joan realized. New friends, new experiences, and a shared understanding of who she was as a single adult.
* * *
—
When they entered the room, four others had arrived and taken their seats in the circle. Dr. O’Brien acknowledged Joan and Mary Lou with a smile. Joan took a seat next to her friend. Phil sat across from her, next to Dr. O’Brien. It wasn’t long before every chair was filled.
The conversation was friendly as they discussed their week. When there was a short lull, Joan had a question.
“Recently I had an unpleasant discussion with my son. He made a comment that brought me up short.”
Dr. O’Brien leaned toward her. “What was it, Joan?”
“Something I hadn’t thought of until recently.” As difficult as it was to admit, she’d been caught up in her own grief and had ignored her own sons’ feelings. “Nick, my younger son, was concerned that Maggie, the young woman living with me, might be taking advantage of me. Out of the blue he said if his father was alive, he would disapprove.”
“That brings up an excellent point,” Dr. O’Brien said. “Studies show us that sixty-five percent of sons after losing their fathers say it affected them more than any previous loss in their lives.”
“It isn’t only Nick,” Joan added. “I’m afraid my older son, Steve, has withdrawn from me. I feel like I’ve failed him.”
“My son had a hard time when his father passed,” Mary Lou mentioned. Her hands were tightly clasped in her lap, and Joan could see how painful it was for her friend to admit this to the group. “I wanted to help him, but I was so deep into my own grief, I wasn’t much help. He started drinking heavily and ended up with a DUI.” She hung her head as though ashamed, as if her lack of awareness had caused her son to falter.