Maggie Moves On(121)

Maggie peered out the octagonal window. Kinship was framed in it. Like a treasure map marking the spot. Only this town wasn’t sitting on top of a stash of gold. It was the gold. The Campbells had made their place here. They hadn’t waited for an invitation or tried to conform to an existing aesthetic. They built a wild and wonderful home and life on top of the bluff without apology or acquiescence. Ava wanted to write but had no luck being taken seriously as a woman author. So her husband gave her his name, his power.

He didn’t want her to change, to conform to his or anyone else’s standards. He supported her like a partner.

Maybe that was the sign she’d asked for. Though, in Maggie’s opinion, it could have been a bit more in her face. If the universe dealt only in subtleties, it was no wonder so many took wrong turns on their maps.

There were a few minutes before the chaos began, before the crews and their families arrived. Before he arrived. Just the thought of Silas had her nerves reappearing. This time she didn’t bother pushing them aside or burying them under a to-do list. She let them exist and realized maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in the world to feel.

There was one last thing she wanted to do before opening the front door. She gave the room a final look, making sure everything was in order, and then returned to her bedroom to retrieve her own personal good luck charm.

She could hear voices and vehicles outside by the time she ducked into the first-floor study. Dean was out there instructing everyone to not look at the “damn camera, people.”

“There,” she said, placing the photo of her mom grinning in the direction of Kinship’s lake on the mantel exactly above the gold coin, which had been temporarily tucked back into its hiding place. “Now you have a front-row seat to everything, Mom. I hope you’re proud. I really want you to be proud.”

She heard the celebratory pop of a champagne cork and then another coming from the kitchen.

“Maggie?” Cody was standing in the doorway, looking impossibly dapper in a shirt and tie.

“Hey,” she said with a smile at the rush of pride she felt for him.

“They’re ready for you out front,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“You look great,” she said.

He beamed down at her. “Thanks,” he said, smoothing a hand over the tie. “Think Jun will like it?”

“She’ll love it,” she predicted.

“Maggie!” Dean yelled from outside. “Get your ass out here!”

“Guess we should go,” Cody said.

“One second. I’m really proud of you, Cody. And I guess I just want you to know that. Whatever you decide to do with your life, I know it’s going to be great, and I want you to know I have your back.”

He cleared his throat and seemed keenly interested in the tips of his loafers. “Thanks, Maggie.”

A chant had started outside. “Maggie! Maggie! Maggie!”

“One other thing. I hope this isn’t weird, but I love you.” She said the words in a rush. “Okay. Let’s get out there.”

“Wait. I, uh, guess I kind of love you, too,” he confessed.

She gave him a brisk nod and tried not to blink. “Cool.”

“Yeah. Cool.”

Some joker rang the doorbell, and the gothic organ music made them both laugh. He held out his hand, and she accepted it. “Let’s go.”

Things were going to change when she stepped out on that porch, and she was suddenly ready to take the plunge. With a fond backward glance at the photo on the mantel, Maggie stepped into her future.

Dean met her on the porch. A bow-tied Kevin sat at his feet, basking in the attention.

The cheer that went up from the men and women assembled in front of the house was deafening. Dean had hired a local film crew to help, since it was a big shoot with so many moving parts. Two camera people buzzed around, shooting different angles.

“You ready?” Dean asked her.

“Yeah. I am.”

The waitstaff marched out, trays of champagne held aloft. Maggie accepted a glass and only then did she let her gaze roam the crowd.

She found Silas immediately. She always would. Because there was something that connected her to the tall, handsome landscaper staring at her. And she just had to accept it. She felt the buzz between them. The frustration. The need. The hurt. The way he looked like he was ready to devour her. The way she felt ready to be devoured.

“That’s everyone,” the head server whispered to Maggie as they headed back into the house with empty trays.

She smiled and took a breath. “This is the first community celebration in this house in decades,” she began. “It’s not going to be the last. And that’s because of each and every one of you. Thank you for every hour, every drop of sweat, every effort you gave to uncover this hidden gem. You took rubble and ruin and made it into treasure.”

Several someones in the crowd whooped.

“We’re awesome!”

She laughed and raised her glass. “To the Old Campbell Place. May its future be even more storied than its past.”

The men and women assembled—the painters and plaster workers, the landscapers and plumbers—raised their glasses. But she only saw Silas, that dangerous half-smile playing on his lips.

“Cheers!” the crowd roared.