a spare bike.”
“I’ll give it a miss, but thanks, and I’m all good.”
“He still has stabilizers on his bike,” Joe added.
“Offer’s there if you want it.” Mr. Goldhirsh turned back to his friends, and they were soon in a discussion about group sets, tire widths, and how many idiot drivers there were on the road.
Fin wondered if he was wrong about Maggs as he sat there drinking his coffee and listening to Joe annoy Ted. Strangely, his gruesome discovery wasn’t taking precedence in his mind, for the first time in days. What was going on with his feisty redhead? Because while he knew what the others had said was likely true and she could be tired, he had a feeling there was more to what he’d seen. He just had to find out what.
Chapter Four
Maggs got inside her house before the panic attack really hit. Her chest felt tight, and she was struggling to breathe. Fighting her way through the waves of anxiety and fear, she focused on breathing deeply, slow and steady. She then started to count out loud.
After about twenty minutes, she felt calmer. Tired, but calm. These attacks were exhausting. She headed for the kitchen and drank a glass of water, then walked through her house on shaky legs.
“Be strong, Maggs. Find the woman you’ve always been.”
She chanted these words as she reacquainted herself with the house that had been her first step toward independence. It was small, two bedrooms and a compact kitchen, but the reason she’d bought it was the conservatory. With windows on three sides, it had spectacular views of the twin mountains, Phil and Roxy, named after the founding father’s twins.
Maggs couldn’t see much as dark was closing in, but she felt them. The large, comforting presence had always been there.
Silence waited for her outside. On the trails leading up those mountains, she would find solitude and space. Something London had not given her. Here she would heal; she had to. Any other option was not acceptable.
Taking another deep, steadying breath, she noted her hands no longer shook, which was a good sign.
The house smelled musty, but that could wait until tomorrow. She’d open windows and clean then, but not now. What she wanted now was sleep.
Heading back outside, she opened the trunk on her rental and took out her luggage. Not much after two years away. She’d brought a few things to remind her of London. Mementos, and clothes. The artwork was being shipped home.
She’d just walked back inside and shut the front door when the sound of a car door slamming reached her. Maggs knew who it was, and felt both excitement and fear at the prospect of seeing her friends.
“Open this bloody door, Maggs!” A fist pounded on the wood.
Inhaling deeply, she let out the breath slowly before heading back to the front door. Genuinely excited about seeing two people who were like sisters to her, she found a smile and opened the door.
“What the hell are you doing back here without telling us you were coming?” These words came from Piper Howard. Tall, dark-haired, with green eyes, Pip was strong-willed and a friend who would stand by you no matter what you’d done. Married to Dylan Howard, with two children, she had been in Maggs’s life since school, as had the other woman with her.
Maggs was grabbed and squeezed, and she squeezed right back.
“Oh, Maggs, it’s so good to see you.”
Bailey Trainer was next, and her oldest and dearest friend. Married to Joe, also with two kids. They’d been close in school, and never lost that connection even when Bailey had left to study piano at Juilliard. Blonde, gentle, and very sweet; Maggs felt the tears fall as her friend stepped forward and hugged her.
“It’s good to see you, Bailey.” She felt some of the old Maggs return. These were her people and loved her, as she did them. This would help her to heal.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? I would have stocked up and cleaned,” Bailey said when she’d released Maggs.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well you certainly did that,” Piper said. “Now move out of the way. We’re coming in, and we have supplies. We’ll help you get sorted.”
“I’m all good, Pip. I thought I’d just make the bed then fall into it.”
“Did you travel from London to here without stopping?”
“I’m pretty sure I stopped in a few places.”
“Ha.” Bailey stepped in and hugged her again. “I missed you.”
“Missed you too.” And she had. Her