Home Free - Fern Michaels [21]
“That’s it? You’ve only seen him three times? Charles drummed into our heads from day one that there is no such thing as a coincidence. You do know that, right?” Nikki said.
“No, no. We’ve had a few quick lunches, two other dinners. We text usually once a day, or he calls. I never call him. Well, I do and I don’t know about coincidences. If you recall, I did not sit in on your . . . ah . . . your meetings with Charles. Usually, I meet him wherever it is we’re going to eat. I was actually thinking of bringing him to Annie’s for Thanksgiving, but now I don’t think that’s a good idea. Lizzie cut me a look that clearly said, ‘Don’t go there.’
“I like him more and more with each meeting. He’s going to be alone for Thanksgiving, and that bothers me. He told me he used to spend holidays with his in-laws, but this year they’re going on a cruise. I know he’s waiting for me to . . . I don’t know what he’s waiting for me to do,” Maggie finished lamely.
Nikki and Alexis both went silent as the waitress appeared with their food.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
The moment the waitress left, Nikki said, “Have you given any thought to possibly . . . and I say possibly . . . this man sought you out knowing you know Annie and Myra? Meaning, of course, they have money and might want to invest with him? I’m not saying that’s the case, but you should think about it.”
“That’s the first thing I thought of,” Maggie said as she sprinkled salt and pepper on her food. “But then again, considering who we are, I think it’s natural to think along those lines, don’t you, Nikki?”
“I do.” Fork poised in midair, Nikki looked across the table. “Maggie?”
Maggie felt her shoulders slump. She placed the fork on her plate, looked across the table at Nikki and Alexis, her eyes miserable. “Are you saying my meeting up with Jason Parker wasn’t a chance meeting at all, and that he’s using me?”
Nikki looked down at her plate. Alexis averted her gaze.
“Well, that damn well sucks,” Maggie said as she picked up her fork and proceeded to shovel food into her mouth. “Not only does it suck, but it sucks big-time.”
Nikki was determined to have the last word. “There is no such thing as a coincidence.”
Chapter 6
Maggie’s secretary appeared out of the blue just as the strawberry-mango pie arrived. She was as windblown as everyone else who was coming into the restaurant. Her face was rosy red, and there was such excitement in her eyes, the girls waited to start their pie.
“Maggie, your phone is off,” she chastised.
“I know. I forgot to charge the battery. How did you know where to find me?” Maggie said peevishly.
“I called Miss Quinn’s office, and they told me. I wouldn’t have come all the way over here if it wasn’t important. This had to be done in person,” Sally, the secretary, whispered.
Maggie jabbed her fork into the pie. “I’m never going to know unless you tell me, so tell me.”
“The White House called for you!”
Three jaws dropped.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, Maggie. The president said she wanted to talk to you. I had to tell her I didn’t know where you were. Do you have any idea how stupid I felt saying that? Anyway, she wants you to call her back, like as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t some kind of prank call? Ted would get off doing something like that just to tick me off.”
“Maggie, it really was the White House, and, yes, it was definitely the president. I see and hear her on television all the time, so I recognized her voice. Well, aren’t you going to call her?”
Maggie looked at Nikki and Alexis. “My phone is out of juice. I’ll call when I get back to the paper.”
“She said ASAP, Maggie.”
“Yeah, well, I’m eating lunch. She probably wants us to write some stuff about the White House. It can wait.”
“If that were the case, as you well know, she would have called the newsroom or had her press secretary make the call. This was the president herself.”
“She has a point,” Nikki said. “Here, use my phone.”
Maggie’s eyes almost popped out of her head. “You can’t be serious. You want me to call the president