Just Me - M J Marlow (reading strategies book .txt) 📗

the meaning of that phrase. Uncle Craig had given me a good life and I had loved him for it. I didn’t want to know why he thought he had to. Someone knocked on the door and I saw George go to answer it. Joseph was standing there. “What do you want, Joseph?” I asked tightly. I didn’t want to deal with him now. “I have the file for Agent Kellogg,” he said simply. I saw the folder in his hand and opened the door for him. “Is he in the office?” I nodded and followed him, wanting to see his face when he realized who Agent Kellogg was. Sure enough he went pale as he saw that the man he had nearly assaulted last night was the FBI agent he was bringing his files to. “Agent Kellogg?” He gulped. “If I’d known, sir…” “You weren’t supposed to know,” James broke in. “That’s what covert means.” He looked over at me. “As far as anyone is to know I am an author here to have a book researched. Is that clear, Sheriff?” “Yes, sir.” Joseph looked at the others. “And these other people?” “Miss Mason is hosting an author’s conference as a favor to Professor Troughton,” Cheryl spoke up. “My mother is trying to get Maggie to agree to hire her excellent skills out to more people and she hopes we can convince her to do so.” I looked at her in shock. “For some reason none of us can understand, Miss Mason seems to think she is nothing special.” “That’s not true!” Joseph exclaimed heatedly. “There is no one more special…” He saw me looking at him in shock and he quieted. “You know it’s true, Maggie,” he said as he looked at me, and only at me. “I would never have looked at you twice if you were as vain and shallow as the rest of the pretty girls in this town.” “I am not…” “None of that, Sweetness!” He put his fingers over my lips as I started to protest. “Don’t you dare say that you are not pretty! I won’t hear you disparage yourself like that any longer.” “Miss Mason?” James cut in. I looked at him and he saw my confusion. I’d actually forgotten they were there he realized and he hid his smile. “Why don’t you go see if Simon needs your help in the kitchen? He’s rather hopeless with mechanical devices.” I nodded numbly. “We need to talk to Sheriff North now.” Robert closed the door behind me and Joseph turned to face James. Dear God, James thought, the pup is in love with her! He was relieved to see that. It meant he didn’t have to be anything more to me than a concerned friend. He had hated playing games with me. He put his mind back to the reason they were all here. “Quit bristling, Sheriff,” James said calmly and indicated a chair. “We have a situation here that we need your help with.” Joseph nodded and sat down. “You like her, don’t you?” “Since the moment I first met her,” Joseph nodded, “but she never noticed.” He blushed. “My sister has been dropping hints, but Maggie won’t believe her.” “We need you to push her then, Sheriff,” James told him bluntly. “When you leave this office, you will ask her out. When she tells you she has to meet with Dr. Coleman, you will insist on driving her. She is not to be alone for a moment from now on, do you understand?” “Maggie’s in real danger, isn’t she?” Joseph asked. James nodded. “Should I know why?” “Would it make a difference?” “Hell, no!” Joseph said fervently. “You want me to stick to her like glue when she’s not in this house or with one of your people, right?” James nodded. “Then I will! No one is getting to her without doing me a great deal of bodily injury.” “Good man,” James was pleased. “And Sheriff?” he said as he got up to his feet and walked around the desk. Joseph nodded and James slammed him into the wall. “If you ever behave like a caveman around that girl again, I will see you up on charges after I’ve beaten you bloody. Do you understand that as well?” “Yes, sir,” Joseph nodded. “I tried to apologize to her but she wouldn’t listen to me.” “Make her listen,” James said as he let the younger man go. “We’re counting on you to keep her safe when we can’t.” He nodded towards the door. “Get going.” “Yes, sir!” Joseph nodded and fled from the office. He found me in the kitchen helping a dark wiry man chop vegetables. “Maggie, we need to talk.” He took the knife out of my hand and I pulled free and went to wash my hands. He took me out on the front porch and I sat down on the swing. He leaned on the railing and watched me swing for a few moments as he struggled for words. “I know you didn’t mean it, Joseph,” I said softly. “You wouldn’t have acted like that if you’d been thinking straight.” I looked at him then. “Why didn’t you tell me you liked me like that?” “I’ve tried, Maggie,” Joseph said as he smiled at me shyly. “You wouldn’t listen. I even had Ruth drop little hints.” I blushed at this. “You can’t seriously tell me you didn’t understand what she meant, Maggie.” “I thought she was joking, Joseph,” I told him honestly. “You could have any girl you want in this town…” “But I don’t want just any girl, Maggie. I want you,” he said as he sat down next to me and raised my eyes to his. “God, Maggie. I’ve wanted you since you were fifteen! One look into those beautiful eyes of yours and I was lost.” I looked up at him and I was afraid to hope. He was playing with me now; that was what I started to think anyway. But I saw the sincerity in his eyes and I knew he was not lying. He honestly had feelings for me; had for several years, and I had not seen it. I felt like a complete idiot. All this time, we could have been together! “But you never said anything,” I said softly, shock plain in my tones. “And you were always with some other girl…” “Those girls were always after me,” Joseph broke in. “I never encouraged any of them, Maggie. Why do you think I spent so much time with you and the brains? I even skipped Prom rather than have to go with anyone but you.” He quieted as I processed this. “Go to lunch with me. We’ll talk about this…” “I can’t, Joseph,” I shook my head. “I have to go see Rocket.” “I’ll go with you then,” Joseph said. He shook his head as I started to argue. “No arguments. We’ll see Rocket and then you and I will go somewhere and talk. Is that clear, Sweetness?” “Yes, sir!” I nodded. I looked at my watch. “We could have lunch before we go see Rocket,” I suggested, wondering how I suddenly had such nerve. “I’m not due there until two and it’s only twelve now.” I got to my feet. “Let me get my coat.” Joseph nodded and I ran in and grabbed my purse and my coat. I didn’t see James’ smile as I hurried away with a happy smile on my face. I joined Joseph at the patrol car and we drove to the diner where we spent the next hour and a half going over all the times he had tried to show me how he felt and I had ignored him or refused to see it. I felt horrible then at how he had suffered because of me. He merely laughed it off and said we’d forget it and go on from today. I nodded my agreement and we headed off to meet Brad at the Science Building. He didn’t seem surprised to see Joseph with me. I handed him the lens case and asked him if he could test the pill for me. “How is it, Sweetness,” Brad smiled as we waited for the results, “that Muscles and I have aged and you haven’t changed one bit since high school?” He looked me over. “You’re looking tired and pale, but you still look like you did the day we met when we were all fifteen.” “You’re a flatterer,” I said to him. “That’s not true and you know it.” “Not true?” Brad replied, looking wounded. “Is she calling me a liar, Muscles?” Joseph smiled and shrugged. So Brad got up and went to his desk. He opened the bottom drawer and took out a framed photograph. “Here,” he said as he held it out to me. I took it and he took me to a mirror. “You at fifteen,” he held the photo up next to my head, “and you at twenty-four.” He looked over at Joseph. “Tell me there’s any change, Muscles.” Joseph looked from the photograph of the four of them at fifteen to my own pale face in the mirror. Brad was right. The only difference was that I was pale and drawn. There was no apparent change in my appearance. He had to admit that Brad had a very good eye, he would never have realized that time had not altered me in the least over the past eight years. “He’s right, Maggie,” Joseph said as he set the photo down. “You are exactly the same as you were.” The alarm went off and we all turned to watch Brad go to the analyzer that was running the test on the pill. “What are we dealing with?” “Arsenic,” he frowned as he saw the results. “A low dose. Where did you get these, Maggie?” “Someone prescribed them for a friend of mine,” I said to him, not wanting him involved. “Why? Is it dangerous?” “Not the one pill,” Brad replied. “But if your ‘friend’ had continued to take these, over time it would have built up in their blood and they would have died. It’s a horrible way to die, Maggie; slow and agonizing. You’d better tell your friend to talk to the police about the man who prescribed these for her.” “I will,” I nodded and got up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Rocket. I was worried about her and now that I know I wasn’t imagining things I’ll do what I can to help her.” “You and the Sheriff?” Brad whispered in my ear. I nodded and he smiled. “You know I’m here for you, Sweetness,” he said as he returned my kiss. “If this goes south...” “You are a dear friend, Bradley Coleman,” I hugged him. I had him print out the test results and slid the printout and the lens case with the tested pill in it into my purse. “Thanks.” “Anytime, kid,” Brad nodded. He saw the possessive way Joseph took my hand. “Keep our girl safe, Muscles.” Joseph nodded and we decided to stroll down by the river and I noticed he was looking very uneasy. He knew as well as I did who had given me those pills and he was punishing himself for letting the man near me. I laid my hand on his arm and he looked down at me, smiled, and put his arms around me. His chin rested on my head as I leaned back, and we stood looking out at the sailboats on the river for a few more minutes. Then he nodded and turned me to face him. He kissed me and I felt something coming to life inside of me. I put my hands to the back of his head as I went up on tiptoe and pushed him closer, deepening the kiss. “Wow!” Joseph smiled, looking as stunned as I felt. He hugged