Whispered Secrets by Elizabeth Lennox

Chapter 4

Maggie hefted the casserole dish, careful to keep the hot pads underneath to protect her hands. 

Opening the door to her apartment, she propped it open before walking down the concrete sidewalk to Mick’s apartment.  When she stood in front of it, she adjusted the casserole in her hands, then knocked using her elbow. 

A moment later, Mick opened the door and she smiled.  “Hey!  I just fixed up your favorite.”

Mick’s eyes brightened as he took in the potato chip covered meal.  “Macaroni and cheese?” he whispered reverently.

“Exactly!” Maggie replied, laughing softly at his excitement. 

“What’s the occasion?” he asked, carefully taking the casserole dish from her.  “And are you going to come in and have some with me?”

Maggie peered inside the apartment, spotting Jimmy and Eddie on the sofa.  They were watching sports, each with a beer in hand, except for Jimmy, who had a glass of iced tea.  “Nope.  I made two so I have more in my kitchen waiting for me.”

Mick nodded his head.  “What’s the occasion?” he asked.

Maggie shrugged.  “I saw you walking home from work earlier today.  You looked a bit sad.”

He laughed.  “Eh, a customer stole his car back from me.”

“Without paying?” she asked, already knowing the answer. 

Mick shifted the warm casserole in his hands slightly, shrugging his skinny shoulders.  “Yeah.  I kinda saw it coming.  I shoulda taken his car keys home with me.”

Maggie put a comforting hand on his arm, shaking her head.  “You should call the police, Mick.  That’s not right.”

“I know.  And maybe I will, tomorrow. But it’s Debbie’s uncle’s car.  And you know how she’s been struggling lately.”

Maggie knew.  Twelve year old Debbie had learning disabilities and the other kids in her class teased her cruelly.  Molly had found a special tutor to help Debbie, but it was slow progress at the moment.  Debbie’s uncle was…well, he wasn’t the worst, but that wasn’t saying much.

“Yeah, I understand.”  If Mick called the police, they’d arrest the uncle.  And the man might be slime, but he brought home a few dollars to help keep food on the table and pay the rent.  Without the uncle’s contribution, the family might be in serious trouble.  “It’s not right, but I understand why you’re not going to involve the police.”  She smiled and waved to the men, then stepped back.  “Well, I just…enjoy the mac and cheese, guys.”

With that, she turned on her heel and hurried back to her apartment. 

Oliver lingered by the corner of the building, not sure he had heard correctly.  Maggie had made the guy dinner just because he’d had a hard day?  The boxes of ceramic tiles in his arms were heavy, but Oliver continued to stand there, watching Maggie hurry back to her apartment, her hips swaying slightly with each step.  He was mesmerized and painfully turned on.  Not just by her walk, but by the kind gesture.  She’d made dinner for a guy who’d had a bad day.  Just because he’d had a bad day!  She hadn’t even known that he’d been robbed!  She’d cooked the guy his favorite meal out of the goodness of her heart.

That was so far outside of his realm of understanding that he had trouble grasping the concept.  Yeah, he donated enormous sums of money to charities every year.  But he barely even acknowledged the donations.  It didn’t take more effort on his part other than sending a message to his accountant to make the donation happen. 

“Maggie makes the best macaroni and cheese,” Louise gushed.

Oliver jumped so hard he nearly dropped the boxes of tiles.  “What?”

Louise nodded in the direction of Maggie’s apartment door.  “Maggie.  She makes this mac and cheese concoction that is so gooey and cheesy.”

“And she crumbles potato chips on top!” another voice chimed in.

Turning, he found Nora on his other side.  He should have anticipated that.  Where Louise was, so was Nora.  The ladies might be of different ethnicities, but they were sisters in the most fundamental sort of way.  It was very sweet, the way their friendship had persevered through the decades. 

“And she just…made it for Mick?”

Nora nodded.  “Yeah.  You should have seen him this afternoon.  He was pretty upset.  That’s why Eddie and Jimmy are with him now.”

He glanced at the plate in Louise’s hands.  “Are those your butterscotch cookies?” he whispered, awe in his voice as his mouth started watering.

Nora chuckled.  “Nah.  Mick’s favorite cookie is oatmeal with chocolate chips.” 

Oliver might have groaned at the idea of freshly baked cookies.  But his attention turned back to look in Maggie’s direction.  “So, what do I have to do to get a taste of her mac and cheese?” he asked, a bit desperate at the idea.  Of course, he wanted a taste of more than just the casserole! 

Louise patted his arm, shaking her head.  “You’ll figure it out, honey,” she said and the ladies walked down the concrete, pausing at Mick’s door.  They had a brief conversation with the man, handing over the precious cookies, then moved on down to their own apartments. 

Oliver waited, his arms about to fall off, but he wanted to make sure that they reached their apartment safely.  This apartment complex might be an oasis, but it was surrounded by some pretty rough elements.

When both ladies waved to him, letting him know that they realized what he was doing, then entered their apartments, only then did Oliver move on down to the dilapidated apartment that Maggie had allowed him to rent. There was no doubt about it.  Maggie was the one who “allowed” people to reside here. 

Of course, she hadn’t required him to even sign a lease. Which meant that she hadn’t done a background or credit check on him.  Interesting, he thought as he moved towards the bathroom. 

He’d already knocked out the old pink tiles from the back of the shower area and replaced the cement board.  Next, he planned to glue the tiles to the board tonight.  Tomorrow, once the glue had cured, he’d grout the tiles into place. 

For the next several hours, he worked steadily, fixing the tiles with the pins to ensure that they were straight, all the while, wondering about Maggie.  Was she seeing someone?  He doubted it.  He didn’t think that she’d react to him the way she had last weekend if she was committed to someone else. 

And what about her history?  Why was she driving such an old car when she should be able to afford something newer?  Why was her apartment almost completely empty?  The furniture was older than she was, so was it all just hand-me-downs from relatives?  If so, where were those relatives now? 

It was a fascinating mystery that drew him in.