Dr. O’Brien had said as much and had encouraged her to reach out to aid others in need.
How crazy it was to share such a meaningful conversation in a Shari’s parking lot. “Thank you, Phil. Would you mind if I gave you another hug?”
He grinned. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Phil hugged her back. She’d been impressed with him before, especially after he’d helped Maggie. Her admiration grew even deeper after learning about his daughter.
Chapter 25
Maggie arrived at work, excited for the upcoming day. As always Starbucks was hopping with early morning traffic.
Leanne noticed her friend’s chipper mood right away and pulled her aside.
“You got a hot date with Einstein again?” Leanne asked, arching her well-shaped brows with the question.
“As a matter of fact, I do have a date, but not with him. It’s the last day of school.”
Leanne frowned, drawing those same brows together in a sharp inverted V. “I thought your classes let out a couple weeks ago.”
“Mine did,” she confirmed. “It’s the last day for Caleb and Victoria, the second-graders I tutor. I promised them a reward if they could raise their reading level to third grade, which they’ll start in September. I’m taking them to Wild Waves.”
Leanne looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Are you nuts? Do you have any idea of what a crazy place it is, especially at this time of year?”
“Not really. I’ve never been.” Not that it mattered. Maggie had gotten permission from both parents, then collected Caleb and Victoria’s swimsuits and beach towels and stored them in her car’s trunk. Neither student had any idea of what she’d planned. All they knew was that Maggie had a surprise especially for them. They’d both worked hard to improve their reading skills. Best of all, they were now eager readers, going through books by the dozens, as if they couldn’t get enough. There was a world of difference from when she’d first started working with them.
Leanne pulled her aside. “Girl, take it from someone who knows. Wild Waves is a madhouse, with a bazillion kids, running around like banshees. You won’t have a moment’s peace. Don’t even think about lounging on the beach for fear of stampeding eight-year-olds.”
All Maggie knew was what she’d heard from the kids at the elementary school. The park had more than a wave pool; there were carnival rides and booths that sold all the typical fair food. Maggie was quite certain neither Caleb nor Victoria had ever been, as both came from single-parent families and lived in a low-income area.
“Did you take a loan from the bank?” Leanne asked next. “Because you’re likely to need one.”
“Ah…the entrance fee didn’t seem overly outrageous.” It’d been a stretch in Maggie’s already tight budget, but she didn’t hesitate before ordering their tickets. Both children were small, and she was able to get a discount because of their age. The website said that the one-day pass included all the rides plus the water park.
Maggie had packed a lunch and had hoped to avoid buying overpriced snacks. She hadn’t seen anything on their website that prohibited bringing in food. That wasn’t the case in many places.
Leanne chuckled and shook her head. “You’re a better woman than me.”
Maggie promised to update her come morning.
“If you survive, that is.” Leanne patted Maggie’s back and wished her well as Maggie left the building.
Now that her shift was over, Maggie drove to the school. She’d already told the children to wait for her there. As she parked outside the building her phone buzzed. Caller ID told her it was Nick.
He rarely phoned, almost always communicating via text. They’d been to dinner and Maggie had participated in the trivia night with him twice now. She’d had a lot of fun, and not just because she was able to answer the majority of the medical questions when no one else could. It’d been almost a week since she’d last had contact with him. The construction project was on a deadline, with huge fines to be leveled against the contractor if the work wasn’t completed within a certain time period. This meant Nick was working a lot of overtime hours, which resulted in them being out of communication.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked, surprised to hear from him.
“I’ve got the afternoon off, and a friend loaned me his sailboat. How about we head out to Lake Washington? It’s a perfect day and the wind is good. You game?”
Instant regret filled her. “Oh Nick, I can’t.”
A shocked silence followed. “How come?”
She didn’t need to explain herself, but for the sake of peace did. “I already have other plans.”
“Plans? Can you change them? I mean, this is the first afternoon I’ve had off in weeks, and I’d hoped we could get together. I realize it’s last-minute and all. One of the contractors didn’t pass inspection and we can’t continue work until he makes it right, which shouldn’t take long.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t. Any other time I’d like nothing more, but I can’t disappoint Caleb and—”
“Who’s Caleb?” The question came at her like a bullet.
He was jealous and he didn’t bother to hide it. They weren’t exclusive, and he seemed to be reading more into their relationship than was warranted.
“Nick,” she said, keeping her voice even. “I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’ve already made plans for the day, and I won’t change them. To ask me out of the blue like this and be annoyed when I say no is unfair. I hope you have a good time.”
Caleb and Victoria came out of the school and looked around for Maggie.
“I have to go.”
“Maggie, wait—”
“I’m sorry, Nick, my date is here.” She probably should explain who Caleb was, but decided against it. It would do him good to think he had competition, even if it was selfish of her.
Maggie climbed out of the car and met the two children. They looked up at her, both wide-eyed with excitement. They’d been eagerly waiting for the reward she’d promised.
“Are you going to tell us what our treat is now?” Victoria asked. “Caleb said you were taking us for ice cream. Is that it?”
“Nope,” Maggie said, and shook her head. “It’s better than that.”
“What can be better than ice cream?” Caleb asked, grinning and showing off his missing two front teeth.
“I think I know what it is,” Victoria claimed. “We’re going to the zoo.”
Maggie had a hard time keeping the secret. “Good guess, but that’s not it.” She gathered them in the car, buckled them into the backseat, and headed south on the freeway toward the Enchanted Parkway and Wild Waves.
“Where are we going?” Caleb asked, looking out the car window.
“You’ll see.”
“Is it far?” Victoria asked, stretching her neck to view the scenery around her.
Maggie took the exit for the park. It wasn’t long before both children saw the sign for Wild Waves.
“Is it the water park?” Caleb shouted, unable to hide his enthusiasm.