The Man for Maggie

“Don’t be silly. That conditioner you gave me the other day is incredible. My hair has never felt softer.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” Why was everyone always so amazed that natural products were, well, more natural?

Natural or not, Allison looked fabulous. How the woman did it, Maggie would never know. She took care of that big house, her husband and two kids and she always looked liked a cover model. Never a hair out of place. Beautiful clothes. Make that beautiful, expensive clothes.

Maggie would always remember her mother’s reaction when she’d admired a dress in the window of an exclusive shop on the Upper East Side. “Designer clothes will make anyone look good, Maggie, but they don’t change how a person feels about herself. That’s something that comes from the heart.”

She fingered the string of pearls around her neck. Her mother was a wise woman. “Come on into the kitchen,” she said to Allison. “I’m dying to have you try my new mask. It’s pure heaven.”

She seated Allison at the kitchen table and draped a plastic cape over her shoulders. It was one thing to spill this stuff on herself, but ruining Allison’s silk shirt would not be good. “So,” she said, trying to sound casual, “Nick Durrance is a friend of yours?”

“Not anymore. We dated in high school. Of course, at the time I was convinced he was ‘the one.’ I did my best to help him get his life on track but some men just can’t be changed.”

“Hmm. There’s no doubt he’d make an interesting project,” Maggie said, as much to herself as to Allison. She brushed Allison’s hair away from her face and clipped it in place.

“Trust me. Nick is way beyond help. His mother and his sister—even his grandmother—have all tried. God knows, I did. He breaks the heart of every woman who tries to reform him.”

Silly women, Maggie thought. That wasn’t the kind of project she had in mind. “Are you wearing makeup?” she asked.

Allison shook her head. “On the phone you said you wanted to try out a mask, so I thought I should take it off. I can’t imagine what Nick must have thought, seeing me like this.”

That you look as beautiful as ever? “So, tell me about you and Nick,” she said instead.

“There’s nothing to tell,” Allison said a little too quickly.

“Does John know you dated him?”

“Of course. We all went to high school together.”

“I see.” What would Nick have been like back then?

Oh!

Aunt Margaret had a whole collection of Collingwood High School yearbooks upstairs. “When did you graduate?” she asked casually, applying an even layer of the strawberry mask to Allison’s forehead.

“It seems like so long ago. We just had our ten-year reunion. Of course, Nick didn’t bother to show up.”

Interesting. That meant he was about four years older than she was. She smoothed the mask over the rest of Allison’s face.

“What’s this stuff made of?” Allison asked. “It smells good enough to eat.”

“Well, it is edible. I really believe that what we put on our bodies is as important as what we put in them.”

Maggie set the container in the sink and filled it with water. To be totally effective, the mask should stay on for fifteen minutes. She set the timer for ten. She could hardly wait to get Allison out of here so she could go upstairs to find that yearbook.

“Are you comfortable?” she asked.

“I’m fine.”

“These kitchen chairs are pretty unforgiving. I’ll have one of those nice adjustable, reclining chairs in the spa.”

Allison smiled. “How did you come up with this idea?”

“I’m not sure, exactly.” She climbed onto a stool and hooked her heels on the top rung. “I’ve wanted to do this for as long as I can remember but I couldn’t afford to rent a shop in New York.”

“Did you live there all your life?”

Maggie nodded. “Yes, my whole life. My mother lives in the Village. My father was a musician and she is a…” How would Allison react to the truth? Only one way to find out. “She does readings.”

“Oh. You mean, she’s a writer? A poet?” Allison actually sounded interested.

Maggie shook her head. “She’s a clairvoyant.”

Silence. “I see,” she said finally.

Maggie very much doubted she did, since she couldn’t imagine Allison ever consulting one. “She’s very good. She even helped the N.Y.P.D. solve a missing persons case.”

Allison perked up a little. “Oh, now that is amazing. I’ve heard about people who can do that. I’d love to meet her sometime.”

“Oh, I’m sure you will. Gabriella hates leaving the city but now that I’m living here, she’s bound to visit once in a while.” But try as she might, she couldn’t imagine her outlandish mother and her straitlaced neighbor having anything in common. “Tell me more about you and Nick…and John, of course…when you were in high school.”

But apparently Allison didn’t want to reminisce. “Are you really going to hire him to renovate this place?” she asked.

“Would it cause problems for you and John if he’s working here?”

“Not at all. Don’t be silly.”

But Maggie saw the color creep up Allison’s neck. “I like Nick,” she said. “He seems to know a lot about renovating old houses, but he wants to give me an estimate before I make a decision.”

Allison’s eyes widened. “I should hope so. Don’t let him take advantage of you.”

What a strange thing for her to say. “I’m a very good judge of character and I can’t see him doing that.”

Pencil-thin eyebrows arched beneath the pink mask.

“It’s true,” Maggie said. “I can tell he’s honest, but for some reason he’s not happy.” And although he was about as good-looking as a guy could be, he didn’t seem to have a lot of confidence when it came to women. In spite of her track record with men, she’d like to think she could fix that. “You know, I envy you.”

“Me? Why?” But Allison did not sound surprised.

“You’ve been in love twice. Well, twice that I know of.”

“Are you saying you’re interested in Nick?”

“No! I just met him. All I’m saying that being in love twice, first with Nick and then with John…do you know how lucky that is?”

Allison suddenly seemed preoccupied with the cuticle of one perfectly manicured nail. “Are you saying you’ve never fallen in love?”

“Oh, yes, I’ve fallen in love, but I’ve never been in love with anyone.”