~~~~~*~~~~~

After being told for the third time to wake up and get her head out of the clouds, Maggie realised that she'd better pull herself together and focus before her dad pulled her aside and asked her some difficult questions.

So far she'd kept her date with Justin–in fact, every interaction she'd had with Justin–a secret, and that was the way she wanted it to stay. She knew the frenzy she'd create if she mentioned anything about a handsome stranger she'd met at the bakery, let alone having been on a date with one. For now Maggie was content to relive the memory over and over in her mind until she could barely focus on what she should be be doing–making brownies.

“Maggie, are you even listening?”

Maggie glanced up suddenly to find her father's head peering around the doorframe, one eyebrow raised in a question as he watched her with an amused expression on his face. She could tell that he'd been standing there awhile, no doubt waiting for an answer to a question she hadn't heard.

e’He

“Mags?” Greg asked again, entering the kitchen and peering at her more closely. “What's going on?”

Maggie could feel her cheeks blushing even though she was trying her best to keep her face composed. Greg Little was the quietest most thoughtful member of his family, which was why he was usually the first to know when something was wrong with either of his daughters. While his wife rushed in and asked a million questions to get to the bottom of things, Greg took a far gentler approach.

He crossed the room and stood before his daughter, fixing her with a kind yet firm stare. “Are you okay?”

“I'm fine,” Maggie said, a little too quickly and a little too shrill. She turned her back on her dad and resumed stirring the half-mixed brownie batter with a new fervour. Now she'd snapped out of her trance she realised how far behind on the orders she'd become, and she wondered why it'd taken her dad so long to call her up on it. She really needed to pull herself together.

“Mags, come on,” Greg said, reaching past his daughter's shoulder to place his hand on hers. Maggie stopped stirring at once and glanced sheepishly at him as he removed the spoon from her hand. “I know when something's up with you,” he said gently. “You know you can always come to me if something's bothering you.”

“Nothing's bothering me,” Maggie said. “Honestly, I'm fine. I just... didn't sleep that well last night.” Which is true, she thought. I'm not lying. I didn't sleep a wink.

“If you're struggling to keep up with the orders...” Greg said, his voice trailing off as he glanced around the kitchen, mentally totting up how far behind Maggie had fallen. Just like the day before they had a long list of orders to complete by the end of the day, and the front of the shop had maintained a steady stream of customers since opening time.

“I'm...” Maggie said before following her father's gaze and trailing off. She couldn't deny that she really wasn't being that helpful. The kitchen was a mess, and even though the oven had been lit for hours nothing had been cooking inside it for a while. The sink was piled high with unwashed pots and cooking utensils, and the floor was covered with a light powdering of flour and confectioners sugar.Much like Maggie was. It broke the first rule Maggie had learned on her first day at catering school–always keep your work area tidy.

“Dad, I'm really sorry...” she said, feeling bad for allowing herself to become so distracted. It really wasn't fair when they were all under such pressure. She was supposed to be a help not a hindrance.

“Mags, it's okay,” Greg said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You've had a lot on your plate lately. When you haven't been working here you've been taking care of Max and Austin. It's no wonder you're feeling the pressure.”

“But...”

“Maggie, there's no point you being here if you can't work. I suggest you take the afternoon off—“

“No!” Maggie objected, but Greg ignored her.

“I insist. Have the afternoon off and take some time for yourself. You'll feel better tomorrow, and we can catch up on the orders then.”

“But—“

“Maggie, I'm still the boss here. And as your boss I'm telling you I'm dismissing you for the day. Now off you go. No more arguments.”

~~~~~*~~~~~

It'd been months since Maggie'd had the afternoon off, and she couldn't ignore the slight thrill she felt as she gathered her coat and scarf, gave her father a brief wave and left the shop while the sun was still shining. However, unlike previous occasions when she hadn't known what to do with herself, this time she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

Maggie made the short walk across the street to the diner and settled into her usual seat before pulling her cell phone out of the back pocket of her jeans. Justin had been adamant he should be the one to enter his private cell number into her phone as he hadn't wanted anything to prevent her from callling him. But he hadn't left it at that, either. They'd made plans for him to pick her up from the bakery after work–quite a while after work so he wouldn't bump into her dad–so that they could have dinner together again, but since Maggie'd finished work much earlier than expected, she saw no reason not to call Justin and update him on her change of plans.

Justin took ages to answer her call, which unsettled Maggie a little. She considered pressing the end call button several times before it connected, but she was too indecisive and he answered before she had the chance.

“Hello, Maggie Little,” he said, sounding very surprised to hear from her, and for the first time Maggie considered that he might feel as unsure of her as she was of him. It helped boost her confidence a little.

“Hey, look, I know we were gonna meet later, but...”

“Had a change of heart?” Justin asked, sounding distracted by something going on around him.

“No!” Maggie said, grasping the phone a little tighter in her hand. It surprised her the panic she felt at his suggestion that she wouldn't want to spend time with him. She hadn't realised till that moment how attached she'd already become to him. She didn't know where the spark between them would lead. but she certainly didn't want it to be over before it'd begun. “No, not at all. I just—“

“Can you hang on a sec, Maggie? It's kinda loud out here and I can't really hear you. Just give me a minute.”

Maggie chewed down on her bottom lip and waited as her heart pounded away in her chest. She shouldn't have called him, she told herself. He was obviously busy doing something else and wouldn't have time to hang out with her anyway. It was stupid to think that he'd just drop everything to spend time with her. He had better things to do. Of course he did, he was on vacation.

“'Kay, sorry about that. I can hear you better now.”

“No, it's fine,” Maggie mumbled, keeping her voice bright as she fought the urge to end the call. She should just cut her losses and make up some excuse for calling that didn't make her sound like an idiot, she thought. She could suggest meeting earlier? Or change the location of their dinner? Neither of those would raise his suspicions that she was eager to spend time with him when he clearly wasn't as eager to spend time with her. “I...”

“I'm glad you called,” Justin said, no longer sounding distracted. “I've been thinking about you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, course. And I'm hoping the fact you've called suggests you've been thinking about me, too?”

“Yes,” Maggie admitted shyly. “I have. I did actually have a reason for calling...”

“Other than to save me from an endlessly boring shopping trip with my friends?” Justin teased. “Remind me to thank you for that later.”

“Oh,” Maggie said, sounding disappointed. So he was busy. “You're not having a good time?”

“I am now,” Justin said, and she heard him mutter something to someone in the background. Explain why you're calling, Maggie's brain screamed at her and she cleared her throat in preparation to speak.

“I've got the afternoon off work,” she said abruptly, cringing at the not-so-subtle implication in her words. She really hoped he wouldn't think that she was being clingy or needy by calling him and telling him this. “I was wondering—“

“Thank God,” Justin said and Maggie could practically hear the smile in his voice. “Do you want me to pick you up?”

“I...er...” Until that moment Maggie hadn't actually expected that Justin would want to–or be able to–drop everything to spend time with her, and now it'd happened she didn't really know what to say. She hadn't a plan she just knew she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before... well, she wouldn't dwell on that. She knew he'd be leaving in a few days–he'd told her as much himself. He always spent Christmas at his grandparent's place in Tennessee, and the only reason he was in Colorado was to catch up with some old friends he hadn't seen for a while. He'd been touring a lot and it'd been difficult for him to make time for socialising.

“I'm shopping in the old town,” Justin said. “I can swing by and pick you up if you tell me where you are. I'm sure my friends won't mind me bailing.” Maggie heard the sound of muffled movement though the receiver and when Justin next spoke he was almost whispering. “Honestly, I'm so glad you've called. I've had enough shopping for one lifetime, and that's saying a lot coming from me.”

“Haven't found any sneakers you want to buy?” Maggie teased, remembering back to the night before when he'd told her all about his impressive collection. It was his main weakness, he'd said. He couldn't resist them even though he was at the point now where he was running out of space to keep them. Two houses and it still wasn't enough storage. Maggie had thrown her head back and laughed at him right there in the restaurant. He'd looked so shamefaced as though he'd been admitting to a horrible crime.

“No,” Justin said, chuckling good-naturedly. “Not yet anyway.”

“I'm in the diner opposite the bakery,” Maggie said as she glanced at the empty counter at the back of the diner. There were a few customers sitting in a group near to the doorway that lead to the kitchen, the round table between them cluttered with cups of steaming hot chocolate or coffee as they chatted quietly. An elderly man was hunched over his table behind Maggie, his attention fully consumed by the local paper he was reading; his cup of tea cooling unnoticed by his elbow. Maggie turned her head back around and glanced out the window once again. “It's pretty quiet here so you shouldn't have any trouble finding me.”

“Okay, great. I'll see you in a bit then. Hey, do me a favour and order me a drink, will you? I'm freezing.”

“Okay,” Maggie giggled. “See you soon.”

~~~~~*~~~~~~

“I swear I don't know how you handle this cold,” Justin said as he slumped down into the chair opposite Maggie and untangled his scarf from around his face and neck. Maggie'd not been consciously looking out for him, but her stomach had done a little flip when a familiar car had passed by the window making careful progress along the snowy street.

She'd dipped her eyes and pretended to be occupied with something interesting on her cell-phone when he'd entered the diner, but she'd been all too aware of his presence to be fully focused on anything but him. She still couldn't quite believe this handsome stranger had wandered into her life without warning, or that out of all people he wanted to spend time with her.

“I'm used to it, I guess,” Maggie said, offering him a smile and a casual shrug.

As Justin removed the many layers he'd put on to protect him from the elements, Maggie didn't know where to look. Or rather, she knew where she shouldn't be looking but she couldn't seem to avert her eyes from his face. Or his body. Feeling that at any moment she might be caught staring, Maggie lifted her steaming cup of coffee to her lips to hide her uncontrollable smile. She felt like a little girl with a crush, which, let's face it, wasn't that far from the truth.

“So you've got the afternoon off work?” Justin said as he heaved a sigh and reached for the cup of coffee Maggie'd ordered for him–a foamy latte with one sachet of brown sugar mixed in. It'd felt surreal ordering a drink for him, especially when the waitress had asked if she wanted sugar and she'd known the answer was yes. She felt giddy knowing how Justin liked his coffee, and that this occasion might be the first of many. “Thanks for this, by the way,” he said, tilting the cup in her direction before taking a sip. His eyes closed as he swallowed the hot liquid and it began to warm him from the inside. He smacked his lips and lowered the cup so he could smile at her, his eyes crinkling at the edges.

Maggie didn't realise she was holding her breath until she tried to speak. “I guess I was a little... distracted,” she said, meeting his eyes and giggling. Her mouth pulled up into an apologetic smirk. “I feel bad now, of course.” And it was true, she did. But after years of dedicated, honest work with no complaint she realised she shouldn't feel that bad. In the grand scheme of things she was probably well due an afternoon off.

“Whoops, didn't mean to get you in trouble at work,” Justin said, taking another sip of his drink and noticing for the first time that Maggie had asked the waitress to make a 'J' shape in cocoa powder on the top of the foam. His eyes flicked up to meet hers, an amused smirk lifting his features. He clearly found her attention to detail amusing. You can take the girl out of the bakery...

“Who said it had anything to do with you?” Maggie teased, chuckling as his eyebrows rose and his smirk grew until it was almost symmetrical.

“Wow,” he remarked, “feisty Maggie Little.”

“Why do you do that?” Maggie asked, tilting her head to the side to regard him carefully. She wasn't annoyed, rather intrigued that he seemed to like the sound of her name so much. He was the only one, Maggie thought glumly; other than her mother, who'd had the pleasure of naming her. She'd been named for her maternal grandmother, and Maggie had always resented her older sister for having been given an original, interesting name. However, Gem hadn't had all the luck–she'd had to get through high school with the nickname 'lettuce' haunting her every move.

“Do what?” Justin asked, placing his cup on the table and folding his arms across his chest before resting his elbows on the table. He leaned towards her and smiled encouragingly.

“Call me Maggie Little,” she said. “You never seem to just call me Maggie, it's always Maggie Little.”

“That's your name, isn't it?” Justin said, his eyes sparkling at her. “You call me Justin and I don't object.”

“Yes. But I don't call you Justin Timberlake all the time,” Maggie reasoned.

“You could,” Justin said, sheepishly glancing around in case anyone had reacted to his name being said aloud. Fortunately, no one had. “You can call me what you like.”

“Anything?” Maggie said, smirking.

“Okay, maybe not anything.”

“You said anything,” she teased.

“What do your friends call you?” Justin asked, leaning forward and smiling fondly at her. He'd find it hard not to think of her as his Maggie Little, but he'd do whatever it took to make her happy. It was worth it just to see her glorious smile once again. And it was true, he would pretty much answer to anything she wanted to call him. But he wasn't going to let her know that just yet. He didn't want to show his cards too early, although deep down he suspected it was already too late for that. The fact he'd dropped his friends without a moment's thought suggested that his cards were well and truly plastered to his forehead for all to see.

It was because things were different with Maggie. They were easy. He wasn't playing a game, and it seemed she wasn't either. For once in his life he realised he had the chance to have a normal, adult relationship without having to worry about any concealed motives. Maggie Little, he realised, was the real deal.

“They call me Maggie,” she said, “or Mags, which I actually hate. Dusty, Sugar...”

“Dusty?” Justin asked, surprised. It wasn't what he'd been expecting. Sugar, yes. In fact, he'd been prepared to suggest that one himself.

“Yes,” Maggie said, blushing slightly. “I guess it's cause I'm always covered in flour.” She shrugged bashfully and offered him a small grin. “It fits, I guess.”

“I'm not gonna call you that,” Justin said, reaching for his cup and taking another sip. His eyes travelled to the window, and he stared out at the icy, grey road for a few moments as he contemplated.

He'd never normally dwell on this. He'd have chosen a standard nickname–one of his trusty regulars–and would've left it at that. But that wouldn't do for Maggie. She wasn't a Daisy or a Lily, a Pearl or a Belle. He didn't want to call her something everyone else did. He wanted to be different.

It came to him in a flash, and Justin almost laughed aloud at the realisation that it was absolutely perfect for her. It was so perfect he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before.

“I've got it,” he said confidently, turning back around to face her. Maggie stared at him patiently, one eyebrow raised as she waited.

“Well?” she said eventually when his smug silence had become too much for her.

“Ginger!”

“Ginger?” Maggie repeated, not sounding quite as confident as Justin had. It was different–that was for sure. And she certainly hadn't been called it before. But was she really a Ginger? There were certain connotations the name implied that she wasn't sure she could live up to. Did she have a feisty temperament? No, not really. Was she bold and confident? No, not at all. Was she warm and comforting? Well... maybe a little. Was she really a Ginger? “Are you sure? I'm not quite...”

“It's perfect,” Justin said, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. It was the first contact he'd made since he'd entered the diner, and Maggie found herself smiling down at their conjoined hands as she mulled the idea over in her mind. She opened her palm and allowed Justin to spread his fingers through hers, just as he'd done the night before when they'd walked from the restaurant through the icy blue snow to Justin's car.

It'd felt so natural to Maggie. So much so that her hand had felt bereft when they'd finally had to break contact, and she'd been missing the feel of his touch ever since. Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and she instinctively leaned forward, craving the need to be closer to him. Sitting across the table felt too far away.

“So whaddya say, Ginger?” Justin asked as he squeezed her hand, his eyes warm but gently teasing. The crooked smile put a dimple in his cheek, and Maggie felt the giddy feeling return to her stomach. It really wasn't fair that he could turn her to jelly with just a smile. Especially as she had no confidence in her ability to do the same.

“What do I get to call you in return?” she asked, not willing to give in one-hundred percent to her hormones just yet. She was in a public place after all, and although the diner was practically empty, if she wanted to keep Justin a secret from her family she'd better not push her luck. There were several nosey residents of Silverwood–mostly her mother's friends–who'd be happy to snitch on her if she was caught smooching in the town diner.

Justin snorted a laugh but Maggie kept her face poker-straight. She was serious, or at least she was pretending to be. Tit for tat, or something like that... If he was going to insist on calling her Ginger, which now she'd thought about it she really didn't mind, she'd have to have something in return. It was only fair.

“Call me J,” Justin said, taking another sip of his drink and peering at her over the rim of the cup. It was another thing he normally didn't do. Only his closest friends and family were ever given the opportunity to call him that, and he simply ignored anyone else who tried. There had to be some boundaries between him and the fans, and for him it didn't come any more personal than his name. Maggie didn't know it yet, but she'd been offered a rare opportunity.

“J,” Maggie repeated, meeting his eyes and smiling. She liked it. A lot.

Maggie gave Justin's hand a squeeze, and flashed him the shy smile he'd begun to fear he was starting to see the end of. Her blushes and bashful smile were two of the things that'd first caught his eye, and he felt strangely sad to think that as she lost her inhibitions around him he would have to say goodbye to two of her most charming features.

“So, J...” Maggie said, finishing the last of her coffee, which was little more than lukewarm now. She'd been so wrapped up in the conversation she'd forgotten all about it.

“Yes, Ginger?” Justin replied, flashing her a kilowatt smile and raising a challenging eyebrow. If she didn't object to her new nickname now then it'd be set for life. And to Maggie's surprise, she didn't.

“Where are you planning on taking me this afternoon?”

~~~~~*~~~~~