An Invincible Summer (Wyndham Beach #1)(14)
The room was crowded, but in the end Maggie made it a point to seek out everyone in it and chat, if only for a moment. Besides renewing old friendships that had sadly been allowed to fade away over the years, she was amused to see how some people had changed, while others had not. The mousy girl from AP English no one seemed to notice back then had turned into a beauty, stylish and confident in ways no one could have predicted. Conversely, the class beauty queen had really let herself go. The once exuberant, happy, beautiful girl now looked emaciated and sad. Alas, however, the class geek had avoided becoming a cliché by not growing up to be a handsome, rich lady-killer. He was still geeky, but he looked comfortable in his skin and seemed to be having a good time.
“He isn’t coming.” Liddy came up behind Maggie, startling her.
“Who isn’t coming?”
Liddy rolled her eyes. “I’ve lost count of the number of times I caught you looking at the door.”
“I wasn’t aware I’d been looking. And if I was, I wasn’t looking for anyone in particular.”
“I just heard there was an accident out on Six. He’s working.”
Maggie cut her off, protesting she hadn’t been looking for anyone in particular, but they both knew she’d been watching for Brett, dreading the moment he’d come through the door at the same time she was anxiously awaiting his arrival. Anybody’d be curious about an old boyfriend. It was nothing more than that, she’d told herself when they’d rehashed the evening later at Liddy’s—who’d changed for the better, who the years had not been kind to. Who was unrecognizable, who hadn’t changed a damn bit. Her protests aside, in her heart, Maggie knew the one face she’d most wanted to see was the one that hadn’t shown.
Chapter Three
For Maggie, deciding in which of the Saturday events to take part had been a no-brainer. She hated golf—she’d learned to play because Art wanted her to, but she’d never taken to it. There was no way she was going to sit in the stands and watch a football game—too many memories there. So while Liddy played golf and Emma tended to the art center, Maggie joined some old friends for lunch at Mimi’s. New since Maggie’s last visit to Wyndham Beach, the restaurant was bright and pretty, with lots of glass overlooking the water and lush green plants in every window.
There were eighteen women in the group, divided between three tables positioned closely enough to each other that the diners could take part in nearby conversations. As Liddy promised, the food was delicious, and the company engaging and downright fun. Maggie found herself seated next to Dee Olson, who, after having raised five children, trained to run marathons.
“You run marathons?” Maggie had a vague recollection of Dee having been somewhat athletic back in the day, but marathons were a far cry from the track events they’d all been forced to participate in.
Dee nodded, a smile on her face. “At least two a year. Sometimes three.”
“When I was younger, I used to run every morning for about forty minutes,” Maggie confessed to Dee, “but I was never good enough to run a marathon. It’s been on my bucket list for a couple of years, though.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by ‘good enough,’” Dee replied. “Marathon running is really more a discipline. Taking your training seriously enough to make a schedule and stick to it.” She smiled wryly. “Which is why I didn’t run my first until I was in my forties. I just couldn’t stick to a schedule while my kids were still in school. At least, that was the excuse I gave myself. After the last kid left for college, I had no excuses left. I realized if I really wanted to do this, I had to stop talking about it and start taking the steps I needed to make it happen.”
“I’m sure it was really hard,” Maggie said.
“It got easier.” That wry smile again. “Here’s the thing. The more you run, the more you can run.”
“Well, I admire the fact that you have the willpower to do something so demanding. I’m really impressed.”
“If you ever get serious about it, let me know, and I’ll give you some pointers.” Dee wrote her number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Maggie. “You might like it.”
Maggie looked at the number before slipping it into the pocket of the navy cable cardigan she’d worn over a white shirt and pants with a subtle navy-and-gray plaid. “Thanks. I just might do that.” She thought she really might. Probably would. Maybe.
On the drive back to Liddy’s, Maggie thought more about running marathons and decided if she lived closer, she definitely would take up Dee on her offer. Before Art had fallen ill, they’d talked about joining a local running club. Now would be a good time to explore distance running. Maybe she could make it a goal to run a 5K in the spring. Several nearby towns sponsored such runs—she’d seen the advertising. She wouldn’t be up to the speed of the other runners, to be sure, but would it matter if she came in last, other than possibly a minor blow to her pride?
Intrigued by the possibility, she made a mental note to check after she arrived home on Monday. She was also going to dig out that bucket list she’d made when she’d turned forty.
“You made a bucket list? What else was on it?” Liddy asked when they’d reconvened in her kitchen before heading out to the dinner dance at the Harbor Inn.