Maggie Moves On(79)

“What is that?” she called.

“An air compressor,” he said innocently.

Shaking her head, she popped the hatch and started unloading shopping bags. The dog jogged off the porch to investigate. She gave Kevin a smooch on the head and a good scruffing before climbing the porch steps with the first load of bags.

“I know what an air compressor is. What the hell is that?” she asked, pointing at the lump of vinyl slowly taking shape.

Silas rose to greet her, and since her hands were full, he kissed her on the mouth before opening the screen door for her. “That’s an inflatable movie screen.”

Her lips quirked. “Seriously?”

“Darlin’, I’m a man.”

“I’ve been made aware,” she said dryly.

“As a man, it’s my duty to ensure that all entertainment is viewed on the appropriate-size screen.”

“I got a TV. Sixty inches of screen,” she argued. “We just have to hang it before the episode airs tonight.”

“Already hung,” he said, shooing his dog away from the shopping bags. “Got it mounted on the wall, and then we menfolk took a vote. Cody and Dean agreed. If you’re having the crews over for an impromptu viewing, we might as well make it a party.”

“Ugh. Fine. Boys are weird. I need to unload this stuff before Kevin starts snacking.”

“Any more bags in the car?” he called after her.

“A few.”

A few bags turned out to be twelve more canvas totes stuffed to the hilt with not just the burgers and hot dogs Maggie had gone shopping for, but also deli meat, bread, pastas, produce, beef jerky, and four boxes of cereal.

He wasn’t the only one who’d gone overboard. After the groceries were unloaded, she enlisted him to help her lug two shelving units up from the basement to use as a makeshift pantry in the still-empty kitchen.

He’d just stepped outside to set up the food tables when Dean and Cody arrived in Maggie’s truck with a big, manly grill strapped down in the bed. Crammed in with the grill were two oversize armchairs wrapped in plastic. Jim’s van pulled in behind them, hauling a trailer with a matching couch.

Maggie Nichols was nesting.

Silas ambled over, thumbs in his pockets.

“Whenever you’re done flashing that shit-eating grin around, you can help us unload,” Dean joked.

Silas carefully wiped said shit-eating grin from his face. “Looks like you gentlemen have been busy,” he observed.

“Where do we start?” Cody asked, eyeing their haul.

“The grill,” answered the men.

Less than two hours later, the beer was cold, the grill was fired up, and there were theater-like rows of camp chairs in the front yard facing the movie screen. Bluegrass music poured forth from wireless speakers, and nearly two dozen men and women who’d put in a good day’s work ate, drank, and shot the shit with enthusiasm.

“Here you go, Sy,” Cody said, handing him a plate of uncooked burgers and dogs. “They’re starting to slow down on the food.”

Silas fist-bumped the kid and held out the tongs. “You feeling up for some grill mastering?” he asked.

“Me?” Cody looked like he’d just been handed the keys to a Porsche. It made Silas want to make sure this kid got every rite of passage his parents hadn’t been around to give him.

“Yeah, you.” He was explaining the finer points of the grill and meat cooked over a flame when Maggie fluttered by, nervously checking the coolers.

On her third pass of the food table, Silas snagged her and reeled her in. “Take a breath, Mags.”

“Everything’s fine. I don’t need to breathe,” she insisted.

“Everything is not fine,” he countered. “It’s great. Everyone’s having a good time. The food is awesome. And you bought enough beer to last the summer. There’s not a single thing that requires stressing over right this second.”

She didn’t look convinced, so he hauled her into his chest. It took her a beat, but he finally felt the tension drain out of her on a long sigh.

“I’ve never thrown a party like this before,” she confessed.

“What about all those grand reveal parties?” he asked. Every season of her show ended with a big reveal-day party.

“That’s all event planners and caterers. All I have to do is show up with my hair done and say stuff on camera. And after your family thing yesterday—”

“What family thing?”

“The cookout at your mom and Morris’s?”

“What about it?” he asked, baffled.

“I don’t know,” she said, sounding ornery. “It was nice. They were nice. Everything was…nice. I’ve never been to a family thing like that before, and I just want to make sure everyone here has a…nice time.”

Between Cody and Maggie, Silas had his hands and heart full.

“You’re doing great, too,” he told her gruffly. “There’s just one more thing you need to do.”

“Napkins? I knew I should have gone with something more festive.”

He shook his head. “Not napkins, darlin’.” He leaned down and snagged a beer out of the cooler at their feet. “You’re gonna take this, you’re gonna get yourself a plate, and then you’re gonna go sit down with me and talk to people.”