hadn’t been worried about Edward. I saw friends in pews front and back, but I didn’t see him. I had to search, smiling when catching the eyes of others, and then search more, before I finally spotted him at the back of the hall with Liam. Only then could I face front and settle in.
The meeting itself was a settling experience. Cornelia whispered little facts, like how much had been spent on the last school renovation, who was supplying fire trucks to neighboring towns and at what cost, and the scene created by competing food trucks when last they had been allowed near the green. Kevin was in charge of munchies, alternately pulling candied walnuts, cookie halves, and Hershey’s Kisses from his backpack.
We voted yes on renovations to the elementary school, no on funding a new fire truck, yes on both raising the police department budget and allowing food trucks to park in the center of town during summer months, but with restrictions on the latter relating to hours, size and color of truck, and type of food.
It felt trivial in comparison to a Federal charge of hacking, but the sheer normalcy of it revived me. Small matters were the currency of daily life here.
Actually, that told only half the story, I realized as the evening wound down. In the language of currency, trivial matters were loose change. The big money was being with people I liked.
For that reason, I lingered with friends after the meeting adjourned. One by one, they left, but still I stayed. The church was the epitome of normalcy. I felt safe here.
“All set, babe?” Kevin asked when less than a handful of people remained.
I was in the outer lobby then, and, waving as those stragglers went out the door, I joined Kevin at the coat rack. Ours were the last parkas there. Hangers clinked as he freed mine and opened it for me.
“Your brother headed home. He said he’ll see you there.”
Liam. I grimaced as I inserted one arm, then the other. “I kind of forgot he was here.” Such was the power of compartmentalization. With both Liam and Edward out of sight during the meeting, I had barred them from my mind and, in so doing, had recaptured a little of the me I was in Devon. But now came the other me, worming its way right back in.
“No sweat,” Kevin said. “He did good, by the way. He’s a fabulous cook, and people like him. I probably would, too, if he hadn’t been such a shit to you.”
I shot him a chiding look.
When he swung his parka around, his arms smoothly slid in the sleeves. “Yeah, I hold grudges.”
“Isn’t it my grudge to hold?”
“Not so long as you’re my friend,” he declared and, as soon as we were both gloved, looped an elbow through mine and walked me out.
The night was cold, thanks to gusts of wind that rattled naked branches against each other. Gaslights lit the parking lot, which resembled the coat rack in its sparsely filled way. In a far corner were vans of the set-up, take-down crew. My pickup was several spaces from Kevin’s SUV. One row back and several more spaces over was a black Jeep.
15
Edward stood on the sidewalk at the bottom of the steps. Wearing only his barn jacket, he was huddled against the March wind with his collar up and his shoulders hunched.
I stopped, forcing Kevin to as well.
“And there’s another one to begrudge,” he said to me, then called to Edward over a whistle of the wind, “It’s okay, I’m walking her to her truck. You can go home.” Tugging my arm, he got me moving again.
When we were down the steps and close enough to see a nose that was red from the cold, Edward said, “I need to talk with her,” but his eyes were on me.
“It’s late,” Kevin replied. “She’s tired.”
“Just for a minute, Maggie?”
Kevin’s arm tightened in mine. “It’s been a long night,” he informed Edward. “Lots of drama.”
“No drama here,” Edward insisted. “Maggie?”
But Kevin wasn’t done. Over another shush of wind, he told Edward, “It’s freezing out here, and we can’t go back inside because they want to close up. How about tomorrow?”
Edward’s brows met in annoyance. “Can she speak for herself, please?”
“Why should she,” I asked, “when the two of you are so entertaining?” I freed my elbow, pausing only to briefly squeeze Kevin’s arm with a gloved hand. “I’m fine.”