“Dad,” Maggie tried one more time, “you can’t go on drinking like this. It’s killing you. I can’t live here and watch you drink your life away. I want to move out, and you should know I’m looking for a place.”
That got her father’s notice. He sat up and glared at her. “You’d leave me?”
“Yes. I can’t bear to see what you’re doing to yourself, drinking day in and day out. You keep saying you can quit at any time, but you don’t, and I can’t keep picking up after you. You have a problem.” Although she didn’t say it, Maggie felt like her living at home was aiding and abetting him. He relied heavily on her, and the burden had become more than she could bear.
“You won’t do it,” he said, sounding confident. “We both know you could never afford to move into an apartment, with all those pricey classes. You’ll just have to stick around if you’re so hell-bent on wasting your money on schooling that you don’t even need.”
“I’m going to be a nurse,” Maggie insisted. “It’s what Mom would have wanted for me and I don’t care how much it will cost.”
He simply shook his head, silently scoffing at her.
Maggie did her best to ignore him. The minute she got word from Mrs. Royce, Maggie was moving. Her father was right about the cost of renting an apartment. As a financially struggling college student, she couldn’t afford the rent, even if she shared the space with three others. Rent in the Seattle area was outrageous.
“You’ll never leave me,” Roy insisted. “I’m all you’ve got.”
“You’re wrong, Dad. I plan on moving out as soon as I find somewhere affordable to live.”
He snickered as though he didn’t believe her. “No, you won’t. You need me just as much as I need you.”
Maggie had heard it all before and did her best to block him out. “I need to get to work.”
Maggie headed toward the front door, refusing to allow his words to taint her day. She let his negative attitude flow away from her like water off a duck’s back, because it wasn’t her father speaking, it was the alcohol.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, girl. I’m talking to you. We could afford to pay the bills if you gave up school and took on a full-time job.”
The urge to argue was so strong she had to clamp down on her jaw to the point that her teeth ached. She was aware her dad wasn’t thinking straight and tried not to let his words discourage her, but it was hard. “I’m going to be a nurse. It’s what I want for my future, and you’re not going to take that away from me.” Despite her attempt to not let him get to her, Maggie’s words came out like nine-millimeter bullets, each one hitting the target.
“Come on, Mags, let’s not fight. I’ll stop drinking, I promise.”
Maggie had heard it all before.
“I need to go, or I’ll be late for work.”
“Okay, but when you finish your classes, would you bring me dinner? I could go for a Whopper.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Likely that would be the only food he’d eat all day.
* * *
—
Because her father had held her up, Maggie arrived at Starbucks with only minutes to spare. She cleared her mind, determined to make the best of her day with a positive attitude.
She took her place at the cash register. Several of the morning customers were regulars, and she’d gotten to know them by name. It took effort to leave the negativity behind. Disciplined as she was, Maggie had learned to smile despite how unsettled her father made her feel. For the first time since her mother’s death, Maggie had hope of escaping him.
“Morning,” she greeted, as she automatically reached for a cup to scribble down the order and the name.
His hard hat identified him as a construction worker and someone Maggie didn’t automatically recognize. There was a huge apartment complex going up down the street, and she suspected he was one of the crew currently on that project.
“Morning,” he murmured, as his gaze lifted to the menu listed on the wall behind her. While he perused the selections, she couldn’t help noticing his dark brown eyes that reminded her of the chocolate brownies that were her favorites. Her mother had baked them for her birthday every year rather than a birthday cake because Maggie enjoyed them so much, plus they were easy to share with her friends.
This guy wasn’t hard on the eyes, either, and she guessed he was probably married. He didn’t wear a wedding band, but few in the trades did, because of the potential risk of injury. Even if he was available, it wasn’t like Maggie had time for relationships. It would be nice, though, one day.
“I’ll take a double espresso, a bagel with cream cheese, and give me a slice of your lemon pound cake.” His gaze left the menu long enough to smile in her direction. Yup, this guy was a charmer, and he knew it.
“You got it,” she returned, ignoring his lazy grin. She gave him the total, which he paid for with cash and left a five-dollar tip. “Your name?” she asked, ready to write it down on the cup to give to Ashley, who was filling the orders. “Einstein,” his friend answered for him.
That was clearly a nickname. “Thanks, Einstein, your order will be right up.”
The guy behind him was apparently working on the same project. “A bunch of us are going out for a few beers after work, you coming?” he said, speaking to his friend.
“Your order?” Maggie asked, not wanting to hold up the line.
“Oh, sorry.” He glanced up at the board. “Give me the double-smoked bacon, cheddar, egg sandwich and a Frappuccino.”
Typing in the order, she heard Einstein respond, “I can’t tonight. I’m taking my mother to dinner.”
“Your mother?” The other guy laughed. “Man, are you that desperate for a date you need to take out your own mother?” He seemed to find this information highly amusing.
“Ha, ha, you’re hilarious. It’s not my idea of a fun night, trust me. She’s been in this emotional slump since my dad passed, like she’s got this dark cloud hanging over her head. It’s hard to ignore.”
“Man, that’s not good.”
Maggie gave him the total for his order and got his name. Kurt. He swiped his credit card across the machine.
“I know I should go by the house more often, but every time I do, I leave depressed.”
“So why are you taking her out?”
The two moved down the line, and another customer, a regular, stepped up to the counter. While Maggie took his order, she couldn’t help overhearing the conversation between the two previous men.