you never read about is the millions of normal women who are struggling to hold it all together and don’t own a planner because we don’t exactly know what we’d write in one!”
“Maggie, breathe!”
She breathed, and realized he was looking at her as if she were a stranger. “Sorry. Might have got a little carried away there.”
“A little?”
“Ignore me. I’m feeling a little bruised by all the rejections, that’s all. My file is full.”
“You keep a file? Where?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ve accepted that a new direction isn’t as easy as it looks. Or I thought I’d accepted it, and then I read about Catherine who makes it look easy.” She finished her toast and lifted her mug of coffee. “Don’t look so traumatized. Maybe I don’t have a job I love, but I adore my family. Life is always a compromise.”
“But you’re the one who made the compromises.” His voice was rough. “I flew around the world, leaving you to hold the fort.”
“And you missed out on being with the girls. You weren’t there when Rosie took her first steps, or the first time Katie read a whole page of her book and realized that words linked together. That was magical.” She put her coffee down, remembering. “If I could have my time again, I’d do the same.” But maybe she could have worked a little harder to find a different job. She’d played it safe, staying in the same place where they accommodated her family pressures. Maybe she should have looked a little harder to find the one thing she would have loved to do. But she wasn’t like Nick, who had excavated his parents’ garden aged five and written to the director of the British Museum when he was nine. She didn’t have one overriding passion.
He was frowning at her. “What you said earlier—I don’t always succeed at everything.”
“You do, and that’s okay. I’m proud of you, Nick. I always have been.”
“You’re talking about my work.”
“It’s more than your work. It’s your passion. It’s the most important thing to you, we all know that.”
“Family is important, too. I didn’t succeed at that.” His voice was rough. “I didn’t succeed at our marriage.”
She lifted her head and looked at him. There was a long silence.
He started to speak but then paused and his gaze shifted to a point over her shoulder.
“Rosie is here. Bad timing. Looks as if she has some clothes for you.”
Maybe it was good timing. The conversation had gone from uncomfortable to confusing.
And then Maggie realized that she’d forgotten the part they were playing. “The sofa—”
“I cleared the bedding away, don’t worry.” He threw another glance at the door. “Mags, are you sure we shouldn’t—”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She didn’t let him finish the sentence. “We’re here for a wedding, Nick. You don’t discuss divorce at a wedding. Even the most emotionally insensitive person should be able to see that.”
“Are you saying I’m emotionally insensitive?”
“I wasn’t, but if you genuinely think this is the right time to tell her then maybe you are.” She walked to the door as quickly as her headache would allow. Rosie stood there, looking sleek and chic in a tailored ski jacket, her jeans tucked into snow boots.
Maggie’s heart filled with love. Why didn’t people see that not all people were motivated by money and status? Some were motivated by love. The choices she’d made had been driven by love.
Even now, Rosie still seemed vulnerable to her. Perhaps because she’d been by her side for all those difficult moments when she’d struggled. It was hard to see beyond the young girl she’d once been. Or maybe it was because Rosie was so open to life and all it had to offer. She put up no barriers, and that was both a good thing and a bad thing.
Maggie opened the door and gulped as a blast of freezing air rushed toward her. “Good morning, sweetheart. Come in out of the cold.”
Rosie stepped inside and gave her an anxious look. Her long hair flowed from under her wool hat, and her cheeks were pink from the cold. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine, and I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. Next time I’ll go for a general anesthetic to get me through the flight, not alcohol.” She hugged her daughter. “Forgive me?”
“Nothing to forgive.” Rosie kissed her and then tugged off her boots, scattering snow everywhere. “It snowed again in the night. Another couple of inches. Dan and Jordan went out early to get first