Page 100 of Time Out

Maggie was gaping at my father. If she thought any of this was a problem, she’d soon learn.

I expected her to argue, but instead, she scrunched up her face. “Are you sure?”

“Yep. Need to get back and get my arms around Reese anyway.”

“Okay. If you’re sure…”

Dad chuckled and grabbed the things off the table. “I’ll pack and head out before they get here. Probably go better for you tonight with Ruth with less company, men especially around, I gather.”

“Thanks, Jim. That’s really sweet of you.”

He went to her, and my throat went tight. She really had to start seeing how kind people could be if given the chance.

She swallowed as he pulled her into a hug and resisted for a moment before she wrapped her arms around him.

“We’re family, you and I,” he said, patting her back. “That means so is Ruth. You’ll trust us all soon enough.”

He let go and left, leaving Maggie stunned and staring off into the distance. “He feels like more of a father to me in the last two days than my own has ever been.”

She turned to me with tears in her eyes but a hopeful smile stretching her lips into a soft smile.

I didn’t bother telling her her own father was a giant piece of crap I’d love nothing more than to stomp into nothing until he quit existing in the world.

“Calm down.” I squeezed her hand in mine and tried to settle her jitters. We were in the lobby after getting a text from Beth Clancey saying they were about ten minutes out. Since then, Maggie had stayed on the edge of hyperventilating. “You’re going to freak her out when you see her, and you have no idea what kind of mood she’s in.”

“I know. You’re right. I can’t stop, though. I’m worried and scared and excited.”

Tear-filled eyes looked up at me and stole my breath. “I haven’t seen any of my family in three years, Davis. Three long, horrible years, and the only phone calls I’d had with them weren’t good. Not even this one.”

I settled my hand on her cheek and nodded. “I know. But she called you, and she listened to you when she needed it the most. That means something. Trust me.”

She blew out a breath and shot out her arms. “I know. It was huge she called me at all even if she was calling to warn me, but….”

Headlights pulled up to the curved valet drive of my building and stopped.

“That’s them,” she whispered.

We had no way of knowing that, but Maggie took off and was pushing through the circular doors before the valet at the front door could help any of them out of the several year old minivan.

As soon as the back door to the aged minivan opened, Maggie was there, yanking it open the rest of the way.

“Ruth,” she cried out and threw her arms around an almost spitting image of Maggie, save for the ankle-length denim skirt, plain T-shirt, and hair that might not have ever been cut in her life.

The reality was a jolt to my gut. I had yet to watch an episode of the show, but Maggie had told me small details, like how they sewed their own clothes and weren’t allowed to cut their hair, but I could never picture Maggie like that until Ruth’s arm hung at her sides while Maggie rocked her back and forth.

Goodness. My girlfriend was terrifying her sister.

A woman stepped out of the front passenger seat and settled her hand on the back of Maggie’s head, kissing her softly. She then turned to me.

“You must be Davis Hall.” Her smile was kind, if not worried, as she kept glancing back at Ruth and Maggie. “I’ve heard a lot about you on the trip. Safe to say my husband’s a large football fan.”

“Davis Hall.” I held out my hand for her to shake, and she took it easily.

“Beth Clancey. So thrilled we could help these girls out today.” Beth had an even kinder face than her smile, and she covered her other hand with ours, already shaking. She gave me a quick squeeze and pulled her hand back before glancing over her shoulder.

She had her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, and it flipped over her shoulder as she turned to watch her husband come around the front of the minivan.

The man was dressed like every Nebraskan farmer I’d ever met with worn denim jeans, even more, worn cowboy boots, and a plaid flannel shirt buttoned up and tucked into his jeans with a wide leather brown belt and even larger brass belt buckle.

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