Purgatory Masters(31)

Before she could type out a response, her phone beeped.

My driver will pick you up at seven. Expect a package this afternoon. Follow all of the instructions. ALL of them.

This time her stomach flipped and tumbled. She read his words on her phone, but had heard the command in her head. Almost felt his breath at her ear.

“Whatcha doing?” Nina dropped into the seat across from Maggie and craned her head to get a look at Maggie’s phone.

A hot flush rushed up Maggie’s head and neck. Busted. “Nothing.” She closed her phone and prayed she hadn’t done something to embarrass herself.

“If that’s nothing, can I have some? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone glow from nothing.”

Good lord. She looked down at the table and hoped for some giant mysterious sinkhole to open and swallow her now before Nina grilled her to death. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

Her friend snorted. “We may not have seen each other in a bazillion years but I can still tell when you’re lying. I can tell when anyone is. It’s a gift, you know.”

Perhaps Maggie didn’t know for certain how to handle what happened between her and Tucker or what her future might hold, but the minute she and Nina had reconnected they might as well have been teenagers again. It had happened so quickly and naturally she didn’t understand how they’d managed to avoid each other through most of high school.

“And you’re too nosy for your own good.” She closed her laptop and packed it away in her carrying case. “I need to head home.”

“Why’s that? Got a hot date?”

Maggie gaped at Nina.

Nina stared at her for a beat before she broke out into hysterical laughter. “Oh my God. Why couldn’t I have captured that face with my cell camera? So priceless.” She laughed harder until she grabbed her stomach and tears came to her eyes.

“I’m not even going to pretend I know what you find so funny. You’ve gotten really weird in your old age.”

“If you didn’t look like I’d just caught you stealing or something it probably wouldn’t be so funny. I take it you finally heard from my wayward brother.”

She nodded.

“What did he have to say for himself?”

Maggie squirmed in her seat. The last thing she wanted to do right now was go over this with Nina.

Nina compressed her lips and curled them in, making it obvious she was trying to hide a smile.

Maggie leaned in. “You know, one of these days someone is going to come along and wipe that smug smile off your face. They are going to twist you up inside and make you want to do things you’ve never considered. Then I’ll be the one across the table laughing.” She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder as she stood to leave.

“Aww, don’t go away mad.” Her friend smiled as the words left her mouth.

Maggie smiled back at her. “You’re a brat.”

Nina stood and walked her to the door. “It’s that very brattiness that keeps my friends coming back for me. You’re all gluttons for punishment.”

“If you say so.” Maggie opened the door and strode through it. Before it closed behind her she heard parting words from Tucker’s sister.

“See you tomorrow. Same bat time. Same bat channel.”

She laughed out loud as she made her way to her car. It truly was impossible not to leave Nina with a smile on her face. The woman had a knack for turning any bad mood around by reminding people to enjoy the little things. A hot cup of coffee, a cupcake, and most importantly, a laugh.

*

Not ten minutes after Maggie walked through her front door. The doorbell rang. She hustled to answer it, excitement buzzing through her blood. She couldn’t wait to see what Tucker had sent.

As soon as she opened the door, the delivery guy shoved a huge white box into her arms.

“I need you to sign here.” He produced a clipboard and a pen from under his arm and shoved it in her face.

Too excited to think, Maggie grabbed the board, scribbled her name and thrust it back to the man. She was dying to open the box. With a quick kick of her leg, she closed the door and rushed to her bedroom. There might not be anyone else staying in the house with her, but she needed the privacy of her own room before she opened her present.

In her head, she knew she should savor this moment by slowly unwrapping the package one layer at a time. In reality, she tore into the box and accompanying white tissue like a little kid who stayed awake all night waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.

Inside, she found luxurious silk pooled seductively among the wrappings. She gingerly lifted the garment from its container and admired the gorgeous dress Tucker had sent. The shimmering gold color of the fabric reminded her of champagne and the crystals sewn in to the bodice of the halter even resembled the bubbles. She rubbed the luxurious material against her cheek and sighed. It didn’t take much to imagine how the fabric would cup her breasts and the delicate pleats at the waist would drape the skirt perfectly across her curves. The decadence of it overwhelmed her.