Page 18 of Must Love Flowers
“I’ll need to know how much you want for rent.” This was the last hurdle Maggie had to climb. If the fee was beyond what she could afford, she didn’t know what she would do.
Joan seemed to need to think about this some. “Can we go over that at dinner?”
Maggie needed to be sure the other woman understood that her finances were limited. “I…I can’t afford much…if it’s more than I can afford, would it be possible to make payments later once I finish my classes and am fully employed?”
“We’ll hash all that out later. No worries, Maggie, I can work with your budget.”
Maggie’s relief was instantaneous. “Thank you, but I won’t feel right until I know what you plan to charge.” As happy as she was to find a space to rent, Maggie needed to nail down the details before she packed up her belongings.
Joan shrugged, as if the rent was of little concern to her. “Is three hundred dollars a month fair?”
“Three hundred?” Her father charged her more.
“That isn’t too much, is it?”
Maggie beamed a smile. “It’s more than fair. I can easily pay that.”
“Then it’s settled. I have an appointment at six this evening.I’m hiring a lawn maintenance company. Dinner will be ready, and afterward we can finalize the details.”
“That’s perfect.” Maggie resisted the urge to hug the other woman. “Thank you again.”
“While you’re away I’ll move a few things around in Nick’s old room.”
“Oh, please, let me. I can—”
“Nonsense. Don’t be late for dinner.”
“I won’t.” As she walked back to her car, Maggie felt as if she was walking on air. One door had closed and a sliding glass one had opened. This was big. This was amazing. Only a day earlier she’d been fighting to keep her spirits up. Within less than twenty-four hours, everything had turned around. Joan was asking for a cheaper rent than Mrs. Royce wanted. It felt like a miracle, and perhaps it was. She couldn’t discount that her mother had been behind this from heaven.
Now all that was left was letting her father know she was moving out.
And frankly, that was a task Maggie dreaded, knowing how much he counted on her to help with the bills and his daily supply of beer.
Chapter 8
Joan stood in the doorway as she watched Maggie drive away. What she’d told the young woman was true. Joan was rarely, if ever, impulsive. Reaching out to Maggie had been completely out of character.
Before she’d left the salon, Charlene had hinted about Maggie’s unhappy home life, which had weighed on Joan’s mind. Her heart had gone out to the girl. Now, after personally spending time with her, she couldn’t imagine not helping the young woman.
After she’d spoken to the manager at Starbucks, Joan had been even more reassured. She’d learned Maggie was prompt, kind, and patient with the customers. The manager claimed she wished she had a dozen employees just like her.
Joan had also learned that following Maggie’s nursing classes,she tutored children with reading disorders. Every minute of her day was taken up. All Maggie really needed was a hand-up.
Now, after meeting Maggie, Joan was so grateful to Charlene and to her sister for suggesting Joan take in a boarder in the first place.
Joan found it difficult to admit how lonely she was. It had been easy to deny the silence. She’d always been more of an introvert and appreciated quiet times. For most of her life, she’d been a deep thinker, methodical, rarely acting rashly or on impulse.
She had that night. After talking to Charlene, as hard as Joan tried to put Maggie out of her head, she couldn’t. For reasons she would likely never understand, Joan had made the call.
Their conversation didn’t last long. The meeting time was set. The relief that followed was uncanny. As silly as it sounded, she recognized deep down with a certainty that she didn’t question that she was meant to help Maggie Herbert. For whatever reason, God had put Maggie in her path.
Eventually Nick would discover what she’d done. For now, she’d keep the information to herself. Nick rarely stopped by the house, and if he did happen to drop in when Maggie was present, she’d introduce the two and let the chips fall as they might. As she’d told Maggie earlier, Joan made her own decisions.
—
After Maggie’s ramshackle car had disappeared around the corner, Joan closed the front door and returned to the kitchen. She had taken a small roast out of the freezer for dinner. It’d been a long time since she’d cooked for someone other than family. She had a recipe Jared had especially liked: Mississippi pot roast.Seeing that it was years since she’d last cooked it, she opened the kitchen drawer where she stored papers she wanted to keep. Everything was neatly filed. It didn’t take her long to find what she wanted.
As she pulled out the typed sheet, a small piece of paper was stuck to the backside. When she went to remove it, she realized it was a name and a phone number.
