Free Morning Glory Circle by Pamela Grandstaff

disappointed, he was sincere in his intention that they not let a few dates make things weird between them. This was something people often say before they find out how hard it is to do, but Drew had so far been true to his word. Maggie believed any residual awkwardness between them would soon resolve itself. Now that she thought about it, Caroline and Drew would make a really good match. She would have to put Hannah on that project; she was the amateur matchmaker in town.
    Neither noticed Maggie, so intent were they on what they were discussing, so she retraced her steps and went to the grocery store across the street to look for something she could feed her vegan friend. Delvecchio’s IGA yielded very few organic choices, plenty of vegetables, but no hummus or pita. Owner Matt Delvecchio was helpful, but although he was used to stocking Italian, Polish, Kosher, and German specialty foods, and every kind of junk food a college student could crave, he did not cater to organic vegans.
    “Some of those Amish farms in Garrett County might be organic,” Matt said, “and I’ll ask the folks out at Pumpkin Ridge Farm if they know where we can get the stuff. They raise free range chickens and feed their dairy cows organic grain. They probably have a source.”
    “She’ll probably be a good customer for you,” Maggie urged him, “so it would be worth it to try.”
    He said if Caroline would stop by he’d see what he could order for her.
    Maggie went down to the bakery to get some whole grain bran muffins. Her mother was busy working the counter, so she asked her Aunt Alice if she knew how to make pita. Alice said she didn’t, but said she thought Mrs. Haddad made her own pita bread, and that she would give her a call.
    Next Maggie went to Machalvie’s Pharmacy and found some organic, natural toiletries for Caroline. She was shocked by the high prices. Meg Kelly rang up her purchases and told her the tourists and college students bought the majority of the expensive natural products.
    “But I like the beeswax lip balm, myself,” she said.
    Maggie decided to get one to try out.
    “Hey,” Maggie said, remembering she had promised to ask around. “You haven’t seen Margie lately, have you?”
    Meg frowned.
    “I’ve been trying really hard not to speak ill of others,” Meg said. “Father Stephen says we should not judge lest we be judged.”
    “Come on,” Maggie encouraged her. “I won’t tell Father Stephen.”
    “He says God sees everything we do,” Meg said. “He says you can’t hide anything from God.”
    “Maybe God would want you to help keep Margie from hurting other people,” Maggie said. “Maybe telling me what you know will help someone else.”
    “That Margie is just awful,” Meg said, now that she believed she had God’s permission to gossip.
    “What’d she do?”
    “You know her mother has rheumatoid arthritis,” Meg said. “Doc Machalvie prescribed her a new anti-inflammatory pain medication that is supposed to be great for that. Well, Margie came in to pick it up, and when she saw how much the co-pay was, she refused to pay it. Delores was the pharmacist on duty that day, and she told Margie she was going to report her for elder abuse. Margie bought the medicine, but when Delores left that night her tires had been slashed.”
    “Did she tell Scott about that?”
    “No,” Meg said. “She didn’t have any proof it was Margie who did it.”
    “I have just recently begun to find out how vindictive that woman can be.”
    “Ask around,” Meg said. “Almost everyone I know has a Margie story. She got mad at me because she wasn’t invited to my wedding shower, so my wedding invitations somehow went missing for a few weeks after I mailed them. Some people never received theirs.”
    “Did you report her?”
    “If you can’t prove it what’s the point? She’s wicked but she’s clever.”
    As she was leaving Machalvie’s, Maggie ran into her brother Patrick, who was crossing the