The Unforgiven Read Online Free

a crush on him, Maggie thought. Great. Well, he is good-looking. Immediately she stopped the thought. That was absolutely the last thing she wanted.
    Despite all her planning, it had gone awry. She had wanted to slip in, unobtrusively, like a diver slipping into a lake, with the surface closing up tranquilly around her, leaving no ripple where she had entered. Instead, she had drawn unwanted attention to herself.
    Maggie looked out toward the dock. A few lights winked on around it in the gathering dusk, but otherwise it was deserted. She wondered where the boys were who had played their vicious game there this afternoon. Home eating cookies, no doubt, their wind-burned faces angelic in the fluorescent glow of television cartoons. The thought of them made Maggie shudder.
    The waitress returned and put Maggie’s order down in front of her. Maggie stared at the plate with no appetite.
    Maybe you should get out now, she thought. Run, before things get any more complicated. The realization stabbed through her that she had nowhere else to go. This was her only option, and she had come this far. She had to face the fact that she was bound to feel ill at ease around normal people. She would have tolearn to adjust. Anywhere you go, she scolded herself, there are going to be some problems. “You have to try,” Maggie said aloud, then looked around, embarrassed. This was not the kind of place where you could talk out loud to yourself and not be noticed. This was not prison.
    Maggie closed her eyes and rested her face in her hands. Wearily she massaged her temples with her fingertips. They had all looked at her so suspiciously. As if they could sense something wrong about her.
    “Pardon me.”
    Maggie bolted upright.
    Evy, the pale girl from the office, stood beside the table, holding a bundle of books and papers. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “You didn’t,” Maggie lied.
    “Figured you’d be over here. It’s really the only hotel in town that’s open, now that the season’s over.”
    “Do you want to sit down?” Maggie asked.
    “Can’t,” said Evy.
    Maggie could not imagine what the girl wanted with her, but her stare made Maggie feel awkward. She wished the girl would go away.
    “Jess sent me over,” explained Evy, as if in answer to Maggie’s unspoken question.
    Maggie picked up her knife and began buttering her muffin. “Oh?”
    “He thought you might want to look at these. Some back issues, books about the island and stuff.”
    “Thank you. That’s very nice,” said Maggie, reachingfor the papers and placing them on the chair beside her. “I’ll enjoy looking at them.” Maggie cringed inwardly at the hollowness with which the words came out.
    “You’re welcome.” Maggie looked up at Evy to see if she could read any sarcasm in the girl’s face, but Evy had delivered her message expressionlessly.
    “I hope it won’t be a problem, my being there, at the paper,” Maggie stammered on, in the face of the girl’s silence.
    “No,” said Evy surprised. “Why should it?”
    Maggie forced a smile. “I got the feeling that Grace wasn’t too happy to see me.”
    A ghost of a smile hovered on Evy’s lips and deep in her eyes. “Oh. Grace. She can be a drag sometimes.”
    For a moment Maggie felt absurdly grateful to the girl for her remark. “Why don’t you have some tea?” she asked.
    Evy hesitated, as if considering the invitation. Then she shook her head. “No. I have to go back.” Still, she did not move. Maggie looked in confusion at the pale, oval face.
    “What’s wrong?” said Evy.
    “Nothing,” said Maggie, looking away. “Thank you for the books. I appreciate your bringing them to me.”
    The girl fixed Maggie with her curious, appraising gaze and then, quite unexpectedly, she smiled. “I thought you would.”
    Maggie drew back, surprised by the smile. But as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone.

2
    Bells tinkled faintly as Maggie opened the door of the real estate