the same time to see a pissed-off Faye standing in the doorway of my office. Her arms are crossed over her chest and a glare blazes in her eyes.
“Jesus, Faye,” I yell. “How long have you been standing there?”
Maggie shuffles off my lap and stands while buttoning up her sweater.
“Long enough.” Faye’s tone is dripping with disdain, her gaze darting from Maggie to me. “Plan on consulting me first before you replace your cohost?”
A fire burns in my chest. Clearly, she’s been standing there quite some time. “Like you consulted me before you brought an entire crew to my kitchen?”
Faye’s jaw drops. “I did that for you. As of last week, we didn’t have a show. Now we’re one step closer, and you want to test your luck bringing in someone new?”
“I’m not testing anything. Maggie’s the entire reason we agreed on a cohost to begin with. And one week ago you were ready to offer her the part. Why shouldn’t it be her?”
Faye tilts her head. “Are you forgetting how adamant you were that we not cast Maggie?”
“She didn’t want it then.”
Faye lets out an exasperated sigh looks pointedly at Maggie. “And now?”
Maggie steps forward. “I’m sorry I wasn’t ready to agree to this last week, but I am now, Faye. For what it’s worth, I believe in this show just as much as you and Desmond.”
I wrap an arm around her waist and hold her to me. “Maggie is the best one for the role, as you already know. And she wants it. You have to admit, Faye, this is our best option. No”—I suck in a deep breath—“this is our only option.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that if I’m forced to get a cohost to help sell the show, then that cohost needs to be Maggie.”
The air is still as all goes silent. Faye seems to be considering my words carefully while Maggie grabs my hand. The silence stretches, and it’s only a matter of time until someone breaks it. What I don’t expect is the shrill ring of a phone in the background or the cold chill that runs down my spine.
Maggie reaches my desk first and grabs it while I maintain my staredown with Faye. I’m the first one to break eye contact when Maggie approaches me and places the phone against my chest. “It’s for you. The man said it’s important, and he wouldn’t let me take a message. I guess he tried your cell phone too. It sounds pretty urgent.”
My heart is already hammering in my chest when I take the phone from her. There’s only one person who would ever call me on my work phone with important news. With my gaze locked on hers in a silent plea for her to stay put, I put the phone to my ear. “This is Desmond.”
“Hey, Desmond. It’s Mick.” The familiar voice of my father’s case worker is too somber, too apologetic. It’s enough to chill my bones. “Sorry to bother you at work, but it’s important.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, preparing myself for the worst possible news. It’s not the first time I’ve felt this way when Mick has called, but something in my chest tells me it might be the last. “Hey,” I finally say.
There’s a slight pause and then a light exhale before he speaks again. “It’s your father. He’s in the hospital. I don’t want to freak you out, but you should probably get here as soon as you can.”
34
No Show
Maggie
Desmond left for Dallas on a red-eye last night. He was quiet, stoically so, as he packed a small bag for his trip. I watched as he pulled clothes from his closet and tossed them in his duffel bag, all the while running down a list of things he needed me to take care of at the kitchen. Answer the phones. Call his students to let them know about the emergency cancellations. Donate food in the refrigerator before anything went bad. The list isn’t long, but I agreed without hesitation, knowing if there was any little thing I could take off his mind, I would do it.
Even in a state of emergency, Desmond seemed calm and business-minded, but I knew better. The air was thick with unspoken words and questions I didn’t know how to ask. I didn’t know if he was angry or sad, or how serious the issue with his dad was. But by the way Desmond flew out of here, I could only assume it was very