Million Reasons

Chapter Twenty Four: The Other Woman

It's gotta get easier and easier somehow
But not today

Imagine Dragons - Not Today

Antonio's previous home was a brownstone house in one of the nicer parts of town. There was a small patch of garden at the front that had seen better days but otherwise it looked the same as it had when she had been here years before. Maggie could feel her heart thudding against her ribs as she undid her seat belt and waited patiently for Diego to undo his own. The resemblance he had to his father was startling. Those dark eyes and the thick hair, that fell into his eyes...

He had been courteous and polite at Atwater's place, helping Vanessa, Kevin's younger sister with her geometry homework. There had been a few times when he had startled easy due to loud noises in the neighbourhood but Maggie knew to be wary of that. What had happened to him over a year ago, was still ingrained in his psyche. She hadn't made a big deal about it, just placed her hand on his small shoulder reassuringly until he had relaxed. He knew what Kim and herself did for a living and he knew there wasn't a chance in hell that they would let anything happen to him or any of the other kids.

The light was on in the porch and for a moment Maggie really did toy with the idea of letting Diego step outside of the car while she watched him walk up to the house alone. She didn't know if she had the mental fortitude to face Laura. Until the divorce paperwork came back, she was technically sleeping with this woman's husband. Things weren't as black and white as Maggie would have liked it. She'd spent most of her life attempting to dispel any possibility of being deemed the 'other woman' however it did appear that she shared some common ground with her father and she hated it. At least she faced up to the consequences, her father just let the barn burn around him and be damned what anyone else thought.

"Come on kid." Maggie prompted Diego gently, opening her car door and stepping out into the street. She walked around the front of the black SUV and opened Diego's door. He slung his red backpack over his right shoulder as Maggie closed it behind him. She tread up the path alongside Diego, taking each step with apprehension. The dread was growing with every step that Maggie took. She could already see Laura's familiar shape in the glass before the door opened, letting out a ray of light onto the porch.

"Hello Maggie." Laura greeted her, the expression on her face stoic as she reviewed the other woman wearily. Maggie's chestnut hair was pulled back into a messy bun, a battered leather jacket hung over her grey Rolling Stones shirt.

Diego smiled sweetly at his mother, bidding Maggie goodnight before disappearing into the house and leaving the two women standing on the porch.

"Hi Laura." Maggie returned politely, her dainty hands clasped in front of her as she nodded her head in greeting.

"Antonio mentioned you were back when I picked up Eva the other day." Laura said arching an eyebrow as she scanned Maggie from head to toe, taking in ever aspect of the other woman's presence. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you any time soon, never-less bringing our son back home."

Maggie pursed her lips together as she considered her next steps. Laura had every right to be angry but Maggie couldn't read anger in her features. In fact she thought the other woman looked tired or rather worn out. It couldn't be easy running a restaurant and being a single parent. She had needed help today and Antonio hadn't been there to give it.

"I don't think Antonio's been getting our texts." Maggie explained, gesturing between the two of them. "He's on a case and I guess you have been busy since you didn't pick up the phone either."

Laura sighed putting her hand to her forehead and massaging her temples with her thumb and middle finger. She was under a lot of stress, Maggie didn't have to be a genius to see it. The pressure was weighing down on the other woman, crushing her. Maggie knew a thing or two about that weight bear down on you.

"I've been doing the accounts for the restaurant." Laura responded wearily. "They're a bit of a mess. I feel like I've barely got anything done since I dropped Diego off."

There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Laura ducked her head, clamping her lips together before exhaling deeply through her nose.

"I wasn't meant to tell you that." she said finally, shaking her head with a wry chuckle. "There's something about you that makes me want to spill my guts."

"It's my super power." Maggie said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. "Look Laura, I don't know what Antonio told you about what I've been doing undercover but accounts were my bread and butter." Maggie paused and reconsidered her words. "What I am trying to say is I can take a look at yours if you want, see if we can sort them out?"

They stared at each other for a moment, the ex-wife and the other woman. In a normal circumstance they could have been friends, hell as Laura considered the offer she thought that that still maybe a possibility. Her marriage had been failing for a long time and as easy as it was to blame Maggie, it wouldn't be the truth. They had been struggling for a long time before she had come along and they'd fought even harder once the other woman had left Antonio's life. Her absence had impacted him in a way that frightened Laura. She had offered him a way out, asked him to move to Crystal Lake and leave the job. She knew he would say no, their bags had already packed before she had issued him the ultimatum, he had just given her that final nudge.

"Why don't you come in?" Laura said finally making her decision. She opened the door even wider to allow the other woman access. "I've just put on a pot of coffee."