He is still wonderfully handsome. His boyish face has improved with age, crinkles and lines giving him character that was lacking before. A neatly trimmed goatee hides his soft chin?he used to hate those profile shots when he was at bat. His suit looks expensive, a soft, dove gray with a dark blue tie.
“So how’ve you been, Maggie?” he asks, and instead of awkwardness or shame in his voice, there’s a touch of arrogance.
“Fine, fine, great,” I babble. “And you? How are things?”
“Couldn’t be better,” Skip answers. “Right, Annie?”
She gives a cute little smile and rolls her eyes, as if to say, “Isn’t he a nut?”
“Still working at the diner, Maggie?” Skip wants to know.
I take a long pull of my wine and glance hopefully at the door. If you came in now, Doug, I’d kiss you. Hell, I’d have sex with you right on this table. “Yes. Um, I own it now.” What is usually a source of pride to me now sounds slightly embarrassing. A diner owner. Never left Gideon’s Cove after you dumped me. Couldn’t even find a different job.
“That’s very interesting,” Annabelle says. I wonder if he’s ever told her about me. If so, she must have ice water in her veins, because she looks calm and relaxed. She smiles pleasantly.
“Do you work, Annabelle?” I ask. It’s easier to look at her than at Skip.
“Well, not any more,” she admits. “Not since Henry was born. Our oldest. I do a little pro bono work on the side.”
“She’s a lawyer,” Skip announces loudly.
“Well, now, honey, that’s sweet,” she says affectionately. “Maggie, I was a lawyer before having the children, but now, between them and trying to take care of the house and all, I just don’t have the time.”
Lawyer, wife, mother. “So are you visiting your parents, Skip?” I manage to ask. My heart is thudding in my temples, and I try to keep my hands on my lap so they won’t see that they’re shaking.
“Exactly. We left the kids with them, thought we’d go out and grab a bite.”
“It’s our anniversary,” Annabelle says with another doe-like look at Skip.
“That’s great,” I say. Much to my disgust, I feel tears prick at my eyes. I clear my throat and say, “Well, don’t let me keep you from your romantic dinner. It was nice seeing you?”
“Oh, not at all,” Annabelle interrupts. “This is wonderful, two old friends getting the chance to catch up. We can surely spare a few moments.”
Southern hospitality at its finest. I keep my eyes on the tablecloth.
“You’re not married, are you, Maggie?” Skip asks. His voice is like a knife. He must know that I’m not. His parents still live in town. They even come to the diner once in a great while.
“No,” I answer.
“Any kids?” he asks, his eyes boring into me. I wonder why he’s being so cruel.
“Nope. No kids.” I force a smile as I say it.
“And you’re meeting friends tonight?” Annabelle says.
“Yup! Just one, actually.”
“Anyone I know?” Skip asks.
“So you have a couple kids?” I ask Annabelle. I can’t think of anything else to say.
“Yes, we do. Three, actually.” She shoots Skip a mysterious little smile.
“And another on the way,” Skip announces. See what a colossal stud I am?
“Oh, that’s nice,” I say. “Wow. Four kids. That’s nice.”
Skip always wanted four children. He said so once, when we were enjoying a post-coital cuddle. “Let’s have four,” he said, and the memory is so vivid I can practically smell his sweat. “Two boys for me, two girls for you.” I thought it sounded wonderful.
“Would you like to see a picture?” Skip doesn’t wait, just fishes out his wallet and shoves it across the table to me. There they are, the Skip Parkinsons and their progeny.
“That’s Henry, Henry the fourth, actually,” Annabelle says, pointing with her lovely fingernail. “Here’s Savannah, and here’s Jocelyn.” The girls’ blond hair is neatly braided, their plaid dresses matching. The little boy is the image of Skip.
No doubt the new baby will be also be a boy. Skip always got what he wanted. I nod and blink, hoping the candlelight will hide the tears in my eyes.
“Hey.”
Someone thumps into the chair across from me. I look up. It’s Malone. Maloner the Loner, surly, scary Malone. My mouth drops open.
“I was at the bar. Didn’t see you,” he says, and his blue eyes stare into mine.
“I?um?”
“Sorry you had to wait,” he says. His voice is like a growl, rough from lack of use, no doubt, and it takes me a minute to realize what he’s doing. My eyes pop open a little, and the lines around his mouth move slightly. It might be a grin.
“Um, well. Hi. Hi, Malone. Uh, this is Skip Parkinson. Do you know each other?” Skip extends his hand, but Malone keeps staring at me. Then, as if reluctant to do so, he slides his gaze from me to Skip and gives a brief nod. He doesn’t shake Skip’s hand.
“And this is Annabelle, Skip’s wife,” I say. Malone takes her hand briefly and nods again. Then he looks back at me. I smile tentatively.
“Well, Skip, why don’t we leave these two to their dinner?” Annabelle suggests. “It was wonderful meeting you, Maggie. Hope to see you all again.”
“Good luck,” I tell her, then look at Skip. “Bye.”
“See you, Maggie,” he says. As they walk away, Skip glances at Malone, then leans down to whisper loudly into Annabelle’s ear. I catch the words “poor white trash.” The shithead.
I look back at Malone. “I can’t say I’ve ever been so glad to see someone in my life,” I tell him honestly.
He raises an eyebrow.
“That’s my old boyfriend,” I confide. “He dumped me for her. I’m supposed to be on a blind date, but apparently, I’m being stood up, and they came in and whipped out pictures of their perfect kids and I was just about to lose it.”
Malone keeps looking at me, and I realize he knows all this. He came to my rescue.
“Thanks for pretending to be my date,” I say.
“Want some more wine?” he asks after a minute.
“God, yes,” I answer.
From over at their table, I hear Mr. and Mrs. Parkinson laughing merrily. I try not to look.
“Malone, how did you know I was…you know…being stood up, trapped, whatever? And what are you doing here?”
The waitress comes over. “Here you are!” she cries merrily to Malone. “What can I get you?” Malone orders a beer and another wine for me, and the waitress bustles off.
Malone looks at me for another minute before answering my question. “You’re pretty obvious,” he says.
“I am? How? I mean?”
“You kept looking at the door, then your watch. Then that arrogant ass**le came in and you looked like you wanted to crawl under the table. Good enough?”
Jeez. Surly guy. “So you just dropped by for a beer?” I ask.
He doesn’t bother to answer, just looks over at Skip. Over in the bar, there’s a cheer as the Red Sox do something great. Skip doesn’t look. Too many painful memories, no doubt.
The waitress brings our drinks, and I clink my glass against Malone’s. “To you, Malone. Thanks. Another piece of pie awaits you, courtesy of Joe’s Diner.”
He rolls his eyes. I gather we won’t be talking much. “So you don’t have to stay or anything, Malone. Maybe I’ll just head out.”
“You hungry?” he asks. It’s like talking to a bear, just a series of low growls and grunts that I must translate into words.
“I’m starving, actually.”
“Let’s eat, then.”
And so begins one of the strangest dinners I’ve ever had. My emotions roll and collide…distress at seeing Skip, gratitude toward Malone?who knew he’d do something so nice??irritation with Malone, because he’s about as friendly as a hungover troll. Still, I try to make conversation.
“So, Malone, you have a kid, don’t you?” Attempt number one.
He nods once in response.
“Boy or girl?”
His blue eyes, which would be beautiful on someone else?someone who smiled, say?just stare back at me. “Girl,” he says after a minute.
“Does she live around here?” I ask.
“No.” He stares at me as if daring me to go on, but I lose my nerve. Belatedly, I remember the story of his wife and child moving across country.
I make attempt number two a little lighter. “So, Malone is your last name, isn’t it?” He nods. “What’s your first name?”
I get the death stare and silence, then, “I don’t use it.”
I sigh and drink some more wine. We order dinner?hamburgers for both of us?and the silence stretches on.
Skip and Annabelle seem to have no such problems. Lots of laughs from over there. Twinkling giggles from her, low chuckles from him. At one point during our meal, one of the guys at the bar goes over to Skip and asks, “Didn’t you used to play baseball?” and Skip says with false lightness, “Oh, hell, a long time ago when I was a kid,” as if he gave it up for something more meaningful…like selling cars.
“I really think I hate him,” I whisper to Malone. He nods.
The Parkinsons are not finished. Apparently (I have forbidden myself to look at them), a gift is given, because Annabelle cries, “Oh, Skip! Oh, sugar, you shouldn’t have!”
Malone doesn’t look over. Neither do I. We look at each other instead, united in this odd, uncomfortable way. I’ve now had enough wine that it’s starting not to bother me.
“You don’t talk much, do you, Malone?” I ask.
He doesn’t answer.
“Want to have a staring contest?” I ask. Bingo! The lines around his eyes deepen and the corners of his mouth move upward a fraction. “I think you may have just smiled,” I inform him. “How did it feel? You okay?”
As usual, he doesn’t answer, but there’s something a little different. It takes me a minute to realize it, but Malone is kind of…appealing. Those lashes are so long they’re actually tangled in the corners. His hair is thick, curling a little around his ears and neck. And while his face is slashed with harsh lines, and while I have yet to see a real smile, his mouth is full and slightly pouting and rather sexy, actually. Life has left its mark on Malone’s face with a heavy hand, but it’s an interesting face, scruffy and rugged and gloomy. His cheekbones are sharp and angular, carved by the wind, almost, and it’s this phrase that makes me realize I shouldn’t have ordered that second glass of wine.
I clear my throat and look away. The waitress brings our check, and I fish around in my purse for my wallet. Malone takes out his first and withdraws a few bills.
“No, no, let me,” I say, taking his money and holding it out to him. “This is definitely on me.”
He scowls, making his face a little scary again. He doesn’t take the money. I put it back down and stand up.
“Okay. Thank you for a lovely dinner and everything else,” I say. He follows me across the restaurant.
“Bye, now. So nice meeting you,” Annabelle calls out.
“Ditto,” I say. Malone offers nothing, and neither does Skip.
In the parking lot, I pause. “Thanks again, Malone,” I say.
“Ayuh.” He walks to his truck, pleasantries complete.
I get into my car and turn the key. The engine doesn’t start. This is not an uncommon problem for me, and I sigh, pop the hood and get out. Malone is still there, sitting in his truck, watching me.