Looking For You All My Life Part 43

went upstairs for something." He set the rag by the sink and

moved closer to Maggie. "I had a wonderful time today.

Thank you for everything."

She smiled as he reached to push a stray strand of hair

from her cheek. Then his hand lingered on her shoulder, his

fingers gently kneading, sending little electrical currents

down her arm and up her neck.

"It's like Michael said," she said quietly, "we are like a

family..."

His face moved close to hers. "A very happy family," he

whispered. Then his lips brushed hers, first lightly, then

developing into a full kiss that left her heart fluttering and

her legs as limp as spaghetti.

"I found it!" called Leah as she burst into the kitchen,

holding a rumpled photo in her hand. But she stopped in her 72Melody Carlson

tracks when she saw them together, and then her eyes grew

dark and stony. "Sorry. I didn't know you-"

"It's okay," said Maggie, quickly pulling herself from

Jed's embrace, her cheeks flushed with embarra.s.sment.

"What do you have there?"

"Nothing!" snapped Leah as she turned and left the

kitchen, loudly thumping back up the stairs.

"Oh, dear," moaned Maggie. "And just when I thought

things were getting so much better."

Except for a trace of sadness, Jed's face was unreadable

now. "It's all my fault," he said finally. "I hate hurting her

like this. But I don't know what to do about-" He stopped

himself and looked down at Maggie. "This is so frustrating.

I just need to take some time to figure everything Out. It's not

fair to anyone."

She didn't know what to say. On one hand, she wanted

to say, "Forget about Leah, and kiss me again!" but that

would be immature and selfish on her part. And on the other

hand, she hated seeing Leah hurt and longed for their rela-

tions.h.i.+p to return to normal-and she'd felt so hopeful only

minutes ago.

"It's getting late," he said. "I'm sorry about all this,

Maggie. It's certainly not what I'd planned..."

"It's okay. It's not your fault," she said automatically. But

she wondered which part he was sorry about. Was it the

interruption or the kiss?

aggie did a double take when she saw Clyde

~f// seated all by himself at the back of the church. He

wore an old suit jacket that looked like it might

have survived the Great Depression, and in his lap his old

fingers nervously rotated a black felt hat. Maggie had never

seen Clyde in church before, and she smiled warmly as she

slipped into the pew next to him, followed by her mother

and then Spencer dumping in awkwardly with his crutches

rattling against the bench. Meanwhile Leah went off,

Maggie felt sure, to search for Jed.