No Place Too Far Read online

  “No, but Joe’s a clown. So you’ll need to get used to that. And sometimes he’s a scatterbrain. Like most of the male species, he’s got a few character flaws. I have to constantly remind him to stay on time with his appointments. He can’t understand that if he gives Rover and his overdramatic mom an extra fifteen minutes, then Mittens the cat more time than allotted, the day just keeps getting behind, and we all end up locking up late.”

  “Sounds like he really cares about his patients,” Maggie said. “That’s a good character flaw, if you ask me.”

  Juniper shook her head. “Okay, Mother Teresa. I can see you’ll be no help in the let’s-keep-it-moving department.”

  Maggie loved how easy it was to banter back and forth with Juniper. She needed that. Easy relationships were hard to come by. Quinn would always be her best friend, and Maggie would do anything for her, but sometimes she was just too serious, always trying to please everyone at every turn. Knowing someone who didn’t seem to care what others thought was a rare and welcome relief.

  “So what’s your story?” Juniper asked.

  Maggie took a sip of her wine, then leaned her head back against the worn couch that had come with the apartment. It smelled like cats.

  “I don’t have much of a story,” she finally said, breaking eye contact to hide the truth. “But I’ll fill you in on the basics if you don’t think that’ll put you to sleep.”

  “If it does, I’ll just blame it on the wine.” Juniper chuckled while leaning in closer to listen. “Refill my glass and lay it on me, why don’t ya?”

  Chapter Four

  It was late and Maggie was tired, but it had been a long time since she’d enjoyed having company so much, and she didn’t want Juniper to leave. So she started talking. However, she was careful as to what bits she shared about her life. It was a fine line to straddle, being friendly yet being careful about revealing too much. Over the past year she’d learned to be guarded about the details. One never knew when someone posing as a new friend could be storing facts to use against you later.

  To stay safe, she told Juniper about growing up with brothers and how they made sure she learned how to do things for herself. At school she was all girl, but at home she’d pull her hair back and fall in right alongside her brothers mowing grass, trimming trees, or learning what each car part does under the hood and how to fix the easy stuff.

  “You’re lucky. I only have one sister, and she’s six years younger. I spent every summer babysitting her, and I had to hear constantly how I needed to set a good example for her. It would’ve been cool to have a brother. I don’t even know where to find my dipstick.”

  Maggie laughed. “It’s not always easy to have a pack of boys around you. I didn’t have my first kiss until I was seventeen, and then he was so worried my brothers would find out that I had to initiate it. But yeah, they did teach me a lot of good things. Made me independent. And competitive. Which is why I can change a tire faster than any of them.”

  “So what you’re saying is that if I’d have met you a month ago, I could’ve saved a couple hundred bucks by letting you install my new brake pads?” Juniper said.

  Maggie laughed. “Yep. I can be quite the grease monkey when the need arises.”

  Juniper eyed her suspiciously, her eyes taking in Maggie’s long hair and slim legs, as well as the last remains of her makeup from earlier that day. “I can’t see it,” she said. “But what about Charlie’s dad? You haven’t mentioned him.”

  Maggie adjusted herself on the couch, suddenly uncomfortable.

  “Ohhh . . . ,” said Juniper, noticing the overabundance of fidgeting. “Sore subject?”

  “No, not really,” said Maggie. “He still lives on the mainland. We aren’t together anymore.” Don’t give city and state of hometowns until you are sure you can trust, Maggie remembered.

  Juniper looked disappointed. “No chance of reconciliation? You don’t think he’ll fly over and try to make amends?”

  Maggie had to give it to her, Juniper said whatever popped into her head. No reservations about boundaries.

  “No, he won’t. There’s nothing to reconcile and no amends to be made. I realized early in that he really didn’t want to be saddled with a family, so I decided to make it easy for him. I agreed to let him co-parent as much as he can, but not have to be too involved.”

  “You made the decision for him?” Juniper asked, her eyebrows climbing.

  “Yes, I did,” Maggie defended herself. “If I hadn’t, he would’ve grown to resent Charlie, and I didn’t want that. This isn’t the Dark Ages where a woman must have a man to take care of her. I can take care of myself and my son.”

  “Point taken,” Juniper said.

  “But he wouldn’t come here anyway. He’s afraid of flying, and there are no charter boats going from the East Coast to Maui that I know of.” She cringed, realizing she’d just narrowed down which side of the mainland her family lived on. She was getting lazy. Must be the wine.

  “He can’t be that afraid,” Juniper said. “Afraid enough that he won’t even visit his son?”

  “Yes, he’s that afraid,” Maggie said. “He was in a small aircraft crash on his way to a fishing trip as a gift for his graduation. His best friend and the pilot were killed. Colby walked away, At least physically, but he still has a hard time with survivor guilt. He swore he’d never fly again.”

  “Jeez, that’s jacked up,” Juniper said. “How will Charlie get to see him? Or is he the kind of dad a boy shouldn’t see?”

  “No, it’s not that. He’s a good dad. He just needs to grow up some. But we’ll go back a few times a year so Charlie can see his dad, and I can check on my mom. It’s not the best scenario, but we’ll make it work.”

  “That’s going to be expensive.”

  “Not so much if I plan far enough ahead and get the cheap seats. I’ll also have my tax refund to use, and anyway, I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

  Juniper looked bothered about the situation with Colby. Some people didn’t understand that a single mom could fill in for a father just fine. She’d just have to show her.

  “What about you?” Maggie asked, eager to get the limelight off her own details.

  “Not much to tell,” Juniper said. “Clean record, I don’t do drugs, and I haven’t made any babies yet. Despite how I look, I’m basically your boring next-door neighbor who likes a few glasses of wine every once in a while.”

  Somehow, Maggie doubted she was boring. Maybe anything but that. “Boyfriend?” she asked.

  “I date. No one serious. I like to keep my options open. I’m not yet the person I plan to be, so how would I know what kind of man I should saddle myself with?”

  “So you haven’t found your soul mate yet then?”

  Juniper looked playfully offended. “Hell no. I’d be happy to find someone I don’t want to beat the hell out of every day, then go from there.”

  “Good point,” Maggie said, laughing at the ridiculous thought of the tiny woman beating anyone. “Do you have family here?”

  “Nope. I left home when I was eighteen. My parents called it a temper tantrum and accused me of refusing to conform to society’s expectations. They were right on the second part, but I also like to think of it as my pursuit of freedom. I’d saved enough for a one-way trip to Maui and just knew that something amazing awaited me. What I found was that if you don’t have money or contacts here, you might as well be just another beach bum.”

  “You lived on the beach?” Maggie asked.

  Juniper nodded. “I lived out of a tent and a backpack for about a year. Then I got tired of feeling unwashed and hungry, and I decided to set some goals. I got a job, saved some money, then lucked out and got a better job. After six months, I finally had enough for an apartment, making me a reputable citizen like my mother so wanted.”

  “Do you stay in contact with them?”

  “No. They weren’t willing to get to know the real me when I was under their roof, so I block them
from knowing me now. The last thing my mom told me was that I’d amount to nothing. My dad stood there, silent, afraid to go against her when she was raging.”

  “Wow—that’s tough,” Maggie said, thinking of her own mother who was loving and supportive.

  Juniper shrugged. “I actually appreciate that those were our last words. If she hadn’t said them, I probably would’ve amounted to nothing. But now I’m driven to prove her wrong. After I got my apartment, I started going to the library. One day there was a woman recruiting for college.”

  “She got you to sign up.”

  “Not exactly,” Juniper said. “I was too embarrassed in my cheap clothes and messy hair to approach her. But seeing her there got me thinking, and I did some research into how someone like me could get an education. Eventually I applied for scholarships, and wouldn’t you know it, I qualified for a few. The rest you can probably figure out. I got the job with Dr. Starr, and I’m doing school on the side. I take care of myself without asking for handouts from anyone.”

  Maggie smiled at her. “You sound like a warrior. Nothing can stop you.”

  “I don’t know about that. But one day when I get my degree, I’ll fly home. I’ll walk through my mom’s door and hand that piece of paper to her. And I’ll still probably have blue hair and this nose ring that set her off before I left.”

  They both laughed. Maggie would love to be a fly on the wall of that reunion.

  “So what are you majoring in? Animal science?”

  “Actually, no. My goal is to earn a degree in information technology. I used to spend so much time at the library that when a computer started acting wonky, the staff would ask me to get it back on track. Turns out I’m a natural computer geek. One that loves animals too.”

  Maggie instantly thought about her email issue. Quinn had texted that her computer guy was on a hiatus for the rest of the week. She hesitated, though. How much would she need to tell Juniper to get to the bottom of her hacker scare?

  “What?” Juniper said. “You look like you want to ask me something.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing. Just a problem with my email. I don’t want to bother you. I’m sure everyone you know asks you to look at their computer.”

  “I really don’t mind, though I can’t promise I can help. Some issues need equipment to fix. Bad hard drives and such. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing like that,” Maggie said. “Someone hacked into my email account and changed the password so I can’t get back in. They sent out messages to my contacts too.”

  “Well, that’s Hacking 101. Kiddie stuff. Any idiot can figure out how to do that.”

  Maggie shot her an exasperated look.

  “Oh, sorry. Not just any idiot,” Juniper said. “What kind of messages?”

  “One of those I’m stranded overseas, please send money kinds.”

  “Did anyone bite?” Juniper asked, looking suddenly much more interested.

  “Yeah, my uncle fell for it immediately. His wallet took a hit.”

  “Yikes. That sucks. Want me to take a look to see if I can get you in?”

  Maggie hesitated. She didn’t actually have to tell Juniper more of the story or her suspicions about who her hacker was. And if Juniper could get her back into her email, it would save her having to bother Quinn’s guy. The less people she let into her online world, the better.

  “Okay.” She went to the bedroom, tiptoeing so she didn’t wake up Charlie. She grabbed her laptop from the bottom of the nightstand and returned to the living room.

  “Oh, you reminded me,” Juniper said. “I need a photo of you to add to the website for the clinic. There’s a “Meet the Team” page. Obviously, I’m keeper of the website. Dr. Starr can’t even figure out how to open his phone some days.”

  Maggie stood there for a second, trying to think fast.

  “I’d rather not be on the website, if you don’t mind,” she said finally.

  Juniper stared at her, then nodded slowly. “Um . . . okay. I won’t ask.”

  That relieved Maggie because she was so tired she couldn’t think up a single reason that sounded plausible. She handed Juniper her computer.

  “My password to get into the laptop is CharlieWoodrow1980.”

  “You’re shitting me.”

  “I know, I know. I should have a more complicated password. I’ve been meaning to do that.”

  “You think?” Juniper said. “I could take one look at your social network and figure that one out.” She typed in the password, and all of Maggie’s icons popped up on the screen.

  “I’m not on social networks.”

  That earned her another deadpan look.

  “That’s odd,” Juniper said. “I thought all young, hot moms were on every platform posting pictures of the one moment their kids were smiling sweetly during the day, which off-screen then led to the fifteenth major meltdown of the week. What’s your email provider?”

  Maggie laughed. “Yahoo. And nope. I’m not on Facebook recommending recipes I’ve never cooked up either. Or crafts I’ll never try.” No wonder, considering the deranged felt fox she’d made earlier that night. “I’m about as far from a Pinterest mom as you can get. But hand me a slow cooker and a can of cream of mushroom soup, and I’ll make you wish I gave all my secrets away online.” She didn’t state the real reason she avoided social networks, other than the fact that one positive about her exit from social media was that it was nice to not have to compete with the photographs of strangers.

  “Email address?”

  Maggie told her, then poured the last bit of wine into her own glass. She couldn’t believe they’d drunk the entire bottle. She usually limited herself to one glass a night.

  Juniper tapped some more and then looked up briefly. “And never give someone your login to get on the computer unless you know 100 percent they aren’t going to try to use it in the future. You just met me. I could be some blue-haired, nose-ring-wearing hippie who will sell off all your information for twenty bucks.” She went back to work.

  “Well, you are two out of the three,” Maggie said, hiding her smile. She was willing to bet that Juniper was safe. Some things you could just feel.

  “Have you tried the lost password option?” Juniper asked.

  For the next fifteen minutes, Maggie watched as Juniper took on a serious persona, barely looking up as she asked the occasional question, until finally she turned the laptop around.

  “You’re in. Change your password immediately. Use twelve digits and make it something hard to guess this time. Then we’ll check and make sure someone didn’t change your alternate email or the phone number attached to the account.”

  Maggie sighed. “I hate computer stuff.”

  “That has to change. Computers rule our lives, and you need to become aware of how someone can use it against you. Once we’ve done these steps, you then need to send a message out to your contacts that you were hacked, and tell them not to send money. Unless . . .” She looked up at Maggie. “We can change the flow to us and split it? I need to buy books next week.”

  For a second Maggie couldn’t tell if she was kidding, but then Juniper gave her a naughty grin.

  Maggie laughed nervously. “You don’t know my mother. She’s probably already called and warned everyone who I’ve known since the first grade. But yeah, I’ll need to email the rest. Can I do that tomorrow?”

  Juniper shook her head.

  “I’d advise you to get it done tonight before your hacker discovers you in here and locks you out again.”

  Maggie let out a long sigh of exhaustion but took the laptop that Juniper was holding out to her.

  “Tell you what,” Juniper said, standing and stretching. “Didn’t you say you bought two bottles of wine? That gives me just the ammunition I need to stay and keep you company.”

  She headed to the refrigerator without waiting for an answer.

  Maggie was tired, but she didn’t regret the long evening. She had a neighbor she could trust now. And
best of all, she had a new friend. Seeing how she’d had to disconnect from most everyone in her life recently, she’d call that a win.

  Chapter Five

  Quinn listened to Liam quietly strum the ukulele and tried to allow the soothing tunes and the gorgeous view of the ocean to calm her mind. Saturday nights usually ended with her feeling nervous about the next day’s scheduled events. Since she’d discovered her biological parents and siblings, Sundays were reserved for her family to get together, and Quinn was expected—and so far hadn’t let them down—to be present for lunch.

  Liam finished the soft song. “You look lost. What are you thinking about?”

  It was after dark. They’d met on the terrace to enjoy the sunset and a few moments of peace. Liam was a little disappointed earlier that day when she turned down his offer of a dinner date at Mama’s Ribs in Napili. He’d taken her before, and she’d loved the restaurant’s spin on southern food—the chicken and ribs were to die for—but it was located near Lahaina, which was on the west side of Maui and would’ve taken far too long to go there and back. She had so much to do these days that dinners out were few and far between. Hana was just too remote from the happening spots on Maui.

  She was just glad to finally sit back and take a deep breath. The evening check-ins were done, and she’d also completed her lengthy daily checklist. She’d calmed down the hysterical woman in room two and single-handedly caught the offender, a three-inch gecko, and relocated him to a place far from their room.

  She was getting to be quite the wrangler as well as part-time therapist as she explained that Maui was a tropical place, and with that came tropical insects and other slimy creatures.

  To finish off her day, she’d done the dreaded firing of the afternoon housekeeper who had only lasted two days.

  It wasn’t easy. Rosa was a sweet young woman. She just wasn’t cut out for housekeeping. People tended to think that cleaning the rooms was a stress-free position, but that was far from the truth. The housekeepers had to be organized and efficient, turning the rooms over in the small pocket of time between checkout and the new guests checking in. Rosa couldn’t keep up, despite the multiple chances Quinn had given her.