Maggie Moves On(13)

They would move to a bigger place, maybe even a house. They’d have all the steak and hamburgers they could eat. They’d take a vacation every summer. Somewhere different every time, her mom had promised.

But then all those hopes and dreams that had finally been within her grasp were shredded and tattered, unrecognizable. And the fallout from it—well, it would have been better to not have had the hope in the first place.

It had scared Maggie, seeing her mom’s brave face crumble. Realizing that it could.

Now a worldly adult, she understood viscerally that, just because checks were rolling in now, it was no guarantee that they would continue. A bigger team meant more people she’d be responsible for. More people to provide for.

If she were being honest, it scared the shit out of her. There were ways they could do more without adding more people. There had to be. Best to keep things within her control. Dean would just have to deal with it, she decided.

Her phone vibrated again, and she frowned at the text.

Dayana: How’s Idaho? What’s the new place like? Weirdest thing you found so far?

It was ironic, hearing from Dayana just when Maggie had been lost in memories of her mom.

She decided to sit on the text for tonight. Sit on all of it and focus on the job at hand.

Maggie managed another few minutes of work before the spurs jangled again. A group of teens strutted inside. Troublemakers was the label she guessed they’d want. Piercings, too much eyeliner, ripped-up jeans, and the sulky slump of teenage shoulders. They were too loud and drew too much attention.

A couple of the other patrons shot them dirty looks before going back to their coffees and their chats.

One of the boys, taller than the rest, with freckled skin and a head of thick blond hair, stuffed his hands in his pockets and stood back while his friends ordered at the counter. She saw him surreptitiously eye the community bulletin board, and when he was sure none of his friends were watching, he tore off a phone number from a flyer.

“Yo, Cody. You want something?” Jun called, unflappable in the face of her rebel classmates.

“Nah, I’m good,” he responded.

She watched as they took their drinks and snacks and boisterously made their way to the door.

They seemed to take the energy with them, and she decided to pack it up for the night. She had the entire weekend to get shit done. And hopefully by Monday, she’d have a nice stack of job quotes and she could start hiring, start the real work.

She packed up her devices, carried her dishes to the designated bins, and headed for the door.

Pausing at the bulletin board, she noted the flyer that had caught Cody’s eye. Warehouse work. Nights and weekends. She frowned and wondered what would have a kid who surely was still in high school looking for night shift work.

Giving Jun a wave, she pushed through the door and out into the chilly night. Tomorrow it would be sunny and sixty-five degrees. She’d open the windows—at least the ones that weren’t painted or nailed shut—and breathe some new life into the Old Campbell Place.



Vegan4Life22: Maggie, what’s Idaho like? Are you missing the beach? When will the first episode air? I NEED TO KNOW!

HandyHarryGuy: Sound advice on the plumbing in this episode. It’s great to see a real pro online! Keep up the good work!

DonnaMeagleIsMyHero: Maggie fans, rumor has it she and Dean are in Kinship, Idaho! That’s only an hour from my house! Hmmm, roadtrip?





5



Toby Keith crooned about Solo cups from the speakers on the outdoor patio at Dive Bar. The night was a little cool, but Kinship residents were the hearty, outdoorsy type and didn’t mind layering up in sweatshirts and circling their chairs around the gas heaters near the outdoor bar.

“So, you and Michelle get back together yet?” Michael, Silas’s stepbrother, asked over the rim of his snooty Shiraz.

Silas snorted. “I told you, man. We’re done. Stick a fork in it. Call time of death. D-O-N-E. Done.”

Michael shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

On the surface, they couldn’t have been more opposite, and not just because Michael was Black and Silas was white. Michael was shorter, quieter, and always dressed like it was Sunday brunch. If he had to spend the day outside, he’d prefer it to be under an umbrella at a wine bar. Silas was bigger, taller, louder. He’d loved sports all through school and preferred his pastimes to involve some level of physicality.

“I’ll believe it when I see it. You’ve been on-again, off-again for a hundred years.”

“Five,” Silas corrected him. “And it was mostly off. And it’s been a month since we called it quits.”

“I thought you two were going to end up married by default,” Michael said.

Silas sighed. Dating Michelle had been easy. But a relationship based on convenience wasn’t much of a relationship at all, they’d finally come to realize. Knowing all the same people for the same amount of time wasn’t exactly a reason to march down the aisle.

“Not happening. She’s a great girl. But she’s not my girl. It’s time we stopped wasting each other’s time.”

“Five bucks says you two are back to kayak picnics in a week.”

“I’ll take that bet,” Silas said, raising his pilsner. “And you know why?”