It was blessedly empty. Maggie stepped inside one of the stalls and locked the door. She leaned her forehead against the cold steel door and wondered how long she would have to stay in here. She felt like a desperate escapee trapped in here, but at least she was safe.
Safe?
“For goodness’ sake, lighten up,” she scolded herself aloud. Those silly women out there couldn’t hurt her.
But they could hurt her, that was the problem. And she knew they would be more than happy to attack her again, only this time they would have an audience. Namely, Connor.
“They can only hurt you if you let them,” she whispered. That was what the clinic counselor had told her a few years ago. Maggie knew those words were true, but knowing the truth hadn’t made it any easier to ignore the taunts.
Maggie pounded her fist against the stall door. Damn it, wasn’t ten years enough time to suffer for the presumed sins she’d committed against her high school boyfriend? Couldn’t they behave like adults?
Even as she thought it, she had to laugh, since hiding in the bathroom wasn’t exactly a grown-up move. She had to face this. Port Cairn was her home again and she couldn’t spend all of her time running from people she’d once been friends with. Maggie had to find a way to convince Sarah to call a truce.
She would get to work on that right away, she thought with a soft laugh, as soon as she stopped shivering like a scared pup in this cold tiled bathroom. She wasn’t exactly dealing from a place of strength at the moment.
She hated this feeling of shame. After three years of hard work and trial and error, she had accomplished so much and built an excellent reputation for herself. She should’ve been able to face her detractors with poise and confidence. But none of her achievements meant anything, as long as she was hiding in a bathroom stall like a sniveling coward.
“Not a pretty picture,” she muttered, and with a defiant shake of her head, she straightened her shoulders. All it took was a little guts and determination to walk out of here with her head held high. And she would. Any minute now. It wasn’t as if she was procrastinating or anything. But with the restroom still empty, this would be the perfect time to call and check in with her grandfather.
Pulling her phone out, she pushed Speed Dial and seconds later, Grandpa answered.
“Hi, Grandpa, it’s Maggie.”
“There’s my sweet lass,” he said, his Scottish brogue sounding stronger than she remembered. “Are ye having a bang-up time of it?”
“Best time ever,” she lied. “Connor knows so many people and I’ve already made a lot of new contacts. Everyone is so nice and there’s so much to see and do.”
“Ah, that’s lovely to hear, now.”
“I miss you, Grandpa.”
“Now, there’s no need,” he said. “I’m right here as always, tending to me darlings.”
“Have you seen Deidre?” Maggie asked, anxious to make sure that Connor’s mom had been stopping by.
“She interrupts me on an hourly basis,” he grumbled.
“Good,” Maggie said firmly. “I’m glad she’s taking care of you.”
“She’s a good cook,” he muttered. “I’ll give her that much.”