Page 33 of One Last Run

Kiera gave her a nod and climbed into the back of the car.

Maggie and Danica hurried inside the sandwich shop to get out of the cold, stomping their boots on the mat near the door. They ordered at the counter and found a seat near the window.

Danica unwound her scarf and wiped her nose with a tissue. Cold air always made her nose run in a very unattractive way. "Is it just me or did Kiera just sprint away as fast as possible?" she asked, glancing at the taxidermy elk head staring at her from behind Maggie.

"She's going through it, it sounds like," Maggie said, turning to follow Danica's gaze. "Oh, hello. That thing is like, way too close to my head. Didn't know this spot was already taken."

"Imagine its judgment if you’d ordered the elk burger," Danica said. "I just can't figure out why Kiera would stay with Alex. Would you stay if Gwen cheated?"

Maggie shook her head. "No, but I can see why someone might stay because of the kids. Kiera has a job, which would make leaving easier, but leaving a partner when you're the homemaker? I’d have a hard time leaving Gwen if I needed to, since I feel so reliant on her financially, even though I trust her completely. If I didn’t trust her and still depended on her like that… It sounds so daunting."

"That’s a good point, but you’d still find a way to leave, wouldn’t you?" Danica asked, knowing Maggie was taking time off from her career to raise three kids, which sounded like a fuller-than-full-time job.

"Yeah, but Gwen and I have a pre-nup. You and Eddie are probably planning on having one, right?" Maggie asked, glancing up as a server placed their beers on the table, assuring them their food would be out soon.

Danica wasn’t sure how to answer that… Instead, she lifted her vanilla porter to her lips to give herself a moment to think.

Maggie eyed her critically. "Haven’t you been engaged for almost two years?"

Danica sipped her beer again. "Uh, I mean. Yeah. But that's not that long. We still have plenty of time to plan… everything.”

"You haven't plannedanythingin two years?" Maggie pressed, sipping her own milk stout.

Danica shook her head, her guilt and awkwardness from lying was weighing even more heavily on her. She opened her mouth to say something but Maggie cut her off.

“I don’t think you should marry Eddie,” Maggie said directly, watching her closely for a reaction.

A gasp escaped Danica's lips as she stared, utterly taken aback. “Wh-what? Why?”

“You don’t love him.” Maggie pressed her lips into a firm line, looking at Danica as though she was piecing together a puzzle. “I can tell. I have seen you in love, and you don’t love him. Eddie just isn’t right for you.”

Danica blinked, tears welling up in her eyes.

With an unnerving persistence, Maggie continued to watch her, her gaze unwavering. "How long have you…" she trailed off, her hand gesturing vaguely, a silent question hanging in the air.

"Wh-what do you mean? I'm not—I mean, why would you even say that?”

"Did you cry when you broke up?" Maggie asked, her tone gentle, like she was holding Danica’s hand as she dragged her out of the dark cave of her lie.

"Goddamn, Margaret. Yes, I cried." Danica shook her head, grimacing as a wave of discomfort washed over her.

“Wanna start at the beginning?” Maggie continued with the gentle tone.

Danica glanced up toward the ceiling, trying to avoid Maggie’s eye. She took a deep breath, then let it all spill out. She detailed the engagement, the breakup, the aftermath, and the phone call earlier that week.

When she was done, Maggie squinted in concentration. "Let me recap. You’re not actually that upset about the break up? Dani, it’s okay if?—”

"Where are you getting that?" Danica asked, not wanting to hear the end of that sentence. "Are you psychoanalyzing me?"

"No, I know you. You feel things very deeply. You always have. And to be honest, I've never gotten the sense that you've been madly in love with Eddie," Maggie looked at her with a pitying stare.

"Just because we were a bit more subdued with our affection doesn't mean we weren't in love," Danica insisted.

"When did the sex stop?" Maggie asked, apparently not feeling even an ounce of shame as their plates were being set down, and they could be easily overheard. She picked up a potato chip and tossed it casually into her mouth.

Danica tried to roll her eyes. "That's not an indication?—"

"Six months?" Maggie interrupted.

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