Coming Home

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

One day, on a trip to another business, Maggie got to know Mr. Ware Yanosky.

She instantly felt bothered by his over excitement of meeting her, but dismissed it a moment later when she saw Luke treat him with the same respect he had for everyone.

Mr. Yanosky showed them around his fabric store, proudly displaying and showing off all that he had been entrusted with. He also worked under Uncle Earl and the business really belonged to Earl, yet he portrayed it all as if he had worked hard to earn it. Maggie tried to like the man, but was having a hard time as they discussed how things were going and that Maggie was soon going to take over Earl's place.

Soon Mr. Yanosky bid them to follow him inside his small office. As Luke and Maggie were about to trail behind him, someone called Luke's name. The trio stopped walking and turned to see who it was.

"Hey Jason! What are you doing here?" Luke asked surprised as the other tall, dark- haired boy strode towards them.

"I just saw you guys enter the store and thought I'd pop in to see how you are." The grinning Jason replied.

"I've heard so much about this certain young lady and you have purposefully been ignoring my calls." Jason waggled his eyebrows suggestively and smirked at the protesting Luke.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, leave your lies for somebody who will believe them." Jason gave Luke a smug look, before he introduced himself to Maggie.

He took her right hand into his, gave it a gentle kiss, and bowed smartly.

"My lady, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jason Deron. May I have this dance with your royal highness?" his playful question made Maggie blush and giggle, when she heard a quiet growl come out from Luke. He was glowering dangerously at Jason.

"Fiiiiiine." Jason pouted. "Maybe next time then?" He quirked an eyebrow at Maggie before he quickly dodged the heated Luke.

The two young friends excused themselves and wandered a few steps away to discuss some things more privately. While Luke had his back turned around, Mr. Yanosky suddenly stood too close for Maggie's comfort. She squirmed slightly and tried to back away without making a big deal out of it, but his whisper stopped her in her tracks.

"Don't bother learning the rules and ropes of Earl's business. You won't ever need it anyways."

Before Maggie could reply to the sneer on Mr. Yanoksy's face, Jason waved a final good-bye and left the store. By the time Maggie was about to reply, a smiling Luke was back beside her.

"Everything okay?" he asked, slightly concerned at her blank look.

Maggie glanced quickly at Mr. Yanosky, who only stared back evenly. She brightly smiled at Luke and swiftly nodded. They then again proceeded to follow the man inside his office to discuss their business.

***

Later that evening, after Maggie, Uncle Earl and Luke had dined together, Uncle Earl excitedly announced,

"It's time for the world to meet our Maggie! I have been thinking about throwing a dance ball, in your honor of course, and we will introduce you to everyone." Before Maggie could even try to get in a word of protest, the old man continued on.

"You have met a lot of business women and men already, but not everyone in Shadowly knows who you are. And it's about time that they do!"

She groaned silently, knowing that there was hardly any use in protesting, but she tried anyways.

"Do we really have to throw a ball? Can't we just....oh I don't know... arrange meetings to meet the others? Or perhaps invite only a few families to dine with us? I mean the table is big enough to seat a few more people..." Maggie slowly trailed off at the affectionate look on Uncle Earl's face and the slight smirk she saw coming from Luke.

"Now, now my dear. Don't fret about anything. It will all be arranged and you don't need to worry about anything. I insist that everyone know who you are!"

"Alright, alright. I give up." Maggie threw up her hands and sighed. "Can I at least invite Kristine, my best friend? I'd feel way more comfortable having her here with me."

"Why, of course you may!" Earl proclaimed. "Invite anyone you'd like to have with you. Don't be shy. We have enough space in our ball room for everybody."

Defeated once again, Maggie nodded with dread, yet affection, at the old man. "I just want Kristine to be here. That's all."

"Very well. She shall be invited! Now Luke, lets discuss how we want this to go..."

The two men started talking and planning out the ball, but Maggie's thoughts traveled far away as she stared at them. Mr. Yanosky had given her quite a scare and she was still bothered by his whisper. She hadn't said anything to anyone, but privately she worried that it had been a threat towards her. A shiver ran down her back in dread.