Page 30 of A Magnolia Move-In
“Have you been waiting long?” I asked as I hung my purse on the hook next to the booth and slipped onto my seat.
She was sipping her soda, so she swallowed quickly as she shook her head. “Just got seated.”
The waitress came over, and I ordered a sparkling water with lemon. She smiled as she handed me a menu.
I glanced over the items. Everything looked mouthwatering.
“What are you getting?” I asked as I read the description of the eggplant Parmesan.
Maggie shrugged. “I was thinking just spaghetti.”
In a place like this, I was certain even the most mundane food was delicious. “That sounds good.”
The waitress brought my water, and Maggie and I ordered. I stuck with the eggplant Parmesan, and Maggiegot the spaghetti with meatballs. The waitress took our menus and told us she would be back with the bread.
Once the basket of steaming hot bread was set down between us, I grabbed a chunk and began dipping it into the small saucer of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I sighed as I glanced at my daughter. She looked happy, which made me happy.
“How’s the newspaper?” Maggie asked as she tore off chunks of bread to dip.
“It’s going. Victoria and I are cleaning up the office while working on the articles for our first release.”
Maggie nodded. “What are you guys going to do?”
“I thought a little get-to-know-the-move-ins piece would be fun. There are a lot of new faces on the island” —I motioned toward the two of us— “present company included.” I sighed. “In a small town, people want to know about their neighbors. What better way to start out the newspaper than to help fill in the gossip holes?”
Maggie chuckled. “I could see that selling copies. Mrs. Crenshaw tracked me down the other day demanding that I tell her if Clementine’s pregnant.”
My eyebrows went up, but she just waved away my response.
“I don’t think she is. But Mrs. Crenshaw said she looked sickly the other day.” She leaned back and blew out her breath. “I love this town, but sometimes I just want to shoutmind your own business.”
I laughed. “That’s a small town for you.”
“Yeah.”
A silence fell over the table. Thoughts of Spencer kept wandering around in my mind. I wanted to talk to my daughter about him, but I wasn’t sure how to start that conversation.
“Archer wants—”
“Spencer caught—”
We both stopped, pinching our lips together as we stared at each other. I laughed as what I’d wanted to say was pushed to the shadows. If something was going on with Archer and Maggie, I wanted to know.
“You go first,” I said waving in her direction.
She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. What were you going to say?”
I pinched my lips closed and raised my eyebrows.
She paused before she smiled. “Okay. I’ll go first.”
Right then, the waitress brought our food out. I could see the steam rise from the plates as we dug in. After a few bites, Maggie set her utensils down and focused on me.
“Archer wants a baby.”
I was mid-chew and almost swallowed the food whole. Thankfully, I caught myself in time, but my throat tickled from the close call. After taking a long drink, I set my glass down and turned my attention to Maggie.
My heart swelled at that idea. “Really?” I asked. I’d always wanted to be a grandma.
