Ship to Shore Paperback

PROLOGUE
“Yes, Mom, I’ll be there in time.” Maggie stepped out of her warm Toyota and into the brisk November air. She pulled her scarf tighter around her neck and opened the rear door to retrieve a box, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder. “Yes, I will bring a pecan pie. I said I would! And a Dutch apple, of course. I’ll make the cream when I get there.” She nodded and mouthed thank you to the man who held the door open for her. “Yes, Sarah is making two pumpkin pies, from scratch. We’re going to the farmer’s market tomorrow.” After checking the label on her package, she stood at the back of the line in the thankfully warm but stuffy post office.
“Yes... Yes, I’m bringing a dress... I always look nice!” Maggie made an apologetic face to the woman in front of her. “I’m at the post office. I can’t really talk right now.” The line moved forward and she was only two people back now. “People go to the post office! It’s a perfectly normal thing to do... Yes, it is… Because I don’t have a social secretary!” She sighed and dropped her head as her mother continued talking. “No, please don’t invite Brad! We only went on three dates, there was no chemistry… It matters to me!”
“Next!”
“Mom, I gotta go. I’ll call you back.” Maggie quickly hung up the phone and put it in her coat pocket. It began vibrating a minute later, but she ignored it.
“I have a box for the Letters of Love campaign. It’s letters and a few dozen cookies.”
“Want to send it express? It’s eight dollars more.”
“Sure. The cookies will be better fresh.”
The man behind the counter was clearly uninterested in the contents of her box, as long as there were no flammable materials, weapons, or liquids in it. He told her it would be x-rayed before being sent, as part of procedure, and slapped an express label on it.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile. “And happy Thanksgiving!”
He nodded and called for the next customer, and Maggie left the building, happy that her obligations for the day were through. She popped into her favorite Chinese place for takeout and double checked that her sister had remembered to get wine and chocolate. She was nearly home when her phone rang again.
“Hello, Mother,” she said tiredly. “I am happy to hear from you. It’s just been a long day. No, I did not get fired! Why would you think that?” She rolled her eyes and focused on traffic as her mother continued to extol the virtues of the most recent man she’d decided would be her son-in-law. “Mom, I really appreciate that you’re looking out for me, but I am not looking for a husband or a boyfriend right now… Because I’m just not! Why do I need a reason? I’m happy with my life as it is... I’m focusing on my career.” She knew she’d made a mistake as soon as she’d said it. Now she would have to listen to her mother telling her how Sarah has a career. Something that requires a doctorate is a career. Teaching snotty children is not a career.
They’re not that snotty, she thought acerbically.
“Yes, Mother, I know. Sarah is practically perfect in every way.”
Her mother continued on, saying Sarah had just been an example, and there was no need to get nasty. Why was she being so sensitive?
“Mom, traffic’s picking up and I need to focus. I’ll be there Wednesday evening, on time, and I’ll bring the blue dress. I promise... Bye. Love you, too.”
She hung up with another sigh and drove the last five minutes in silence, taking deep breaths and telling herself it was just Thanksgiving. It was only two nights with the whole family. She could handle that.
“Hey, little sister,” Sarah called when Maggie walked into the kitchen and plopped her bag on the counter.
“Hey, big sister.” Maggie began unpacking the food and set plates and cutlery on the counter.
“I’ve got wine and chocolate in the living room, the fire is on, and the TV is ready. What do you want to watch?”
“Something with costumes, please.”
Sarah raised a brow. “Rough day?”
“Actually, no. Great day. But Mom called.”
Sarah winced. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t ask how that went.”
“It was exactly what you think. She wants me to come early and get my hair done by her girl. Apparently, she’s a whiz with difficult hair like mine.” She made a face and Sarah smiled sympathetically. “She’s also inviting Brad Whitaker to dinner, even though I practically begged her not to.”
“Seriously? You guys didn’t even like each other. Zero chemistry.”
“Thank you! That’s what I said! But as per usual, I was overruled.”
Sarah smiled and gave her a hug, squeezing extra tight. “Some things never change!”
“Yeah, at least we have something to rely on.”
Her sister laughed lightly and led the way into the living room where they sank into the sofa and tried to decide what to watch.
“You said your day was great before. Do anything fun?”
“Yes, actually. I got my class and a few others at school to participate in the Letters of Love campaign. The kids traced their hands on construction paper and cut them out to make turkeys, and they wrote something about a soldier on the front. A soldier is kind, a soldier is brave, things like that.”
“I’ll bet some of those were pretty funny.”
“Yeah, my favorite was ‘A soldier has superpowers.’”
Sarah chuckled. “Sounds lovely. Did you get to do the baking project?”
“Yes! I was so relieved. I thought the cafeteria manager was going to be difficult about it, but she let us take over the kitchen for an hour and the kids had a great time. A few moms came to help, and one told me afterward that it was the most fun she’s had at a school event.”
“Wow! That’s some praise.”
“Yeah,” Maggie said softly.
Sarah squeezed her arm. “You’re a great teacher, Mags, don’t let anybody tell you differently. Those little third graders are seriously lucky.”
“Thanks, Sarah.”
“Now let’s watch something with top hats and corsets. I need to unwind,” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Deal.”