beautiful line of her neck. She laughed at something Regina whispered to her and more threading ensued.
We entered the kitchen and found Conall standing over the grill. He saw me and a smile formed on his face. “Karl, you finally came to help us.” He pulled me in for a hug.
“Thanks for reminding me how I’ve lacked in helping out here,” I laughed.
He looked down at me and smiled. “You’re here more than Auntie Brecken. She’s been too busy with Blake to come here the last few weeks.”
I looked back to Maggie. “Maggie, this is Conall. He’s Brecken’s nephew.”
“Oh, I met your aunt last week. She’s awesome,” she smiled up at him. “But, she is definitely lacking the gene that made you so tall.”
I laughed.
“Yeah, Conall takes after his dad and grandpa. I’ve missed you man, you’ll have to come out to my place again soon.”
“I agree. Jess and I were thinking about coming in a couple weeks to help you with things,” Conall said.
“That’d be great.”
“Potatoes!” Regina yelled from the other side of the serving line, to remind us what we needed to do.
__________
After we did our job in the kitchen, we took our places at the table to eat. Maggie took the time to say hello to everyone she passed. She took the seat across from me and gave me the same smile she had shared with each of those here.
“You know, being here reminds me of some of the things I dreamed of doing as a kid. I would talk to my grandma about helping people. I told her that’s what I wanted to do and I didn’t care how much I made, I wanted to just live and make other people happy. This is great to be back here. I wasn’t always so occupied with my personal space,” she said with a smile and pointed expression.
“I could tell you weren’t,” I said, taking a bite of potatoes.
“How could you tell?” she asked.
“Because it isn’t forced. You just do it. You love people.”
She nodded as she smiled at the girl who sat next to her. She was a younger woman, with buzzed black hair. They started a conversation as Jackson took a seat next to me.
“Karl, this is it, man. I can feel it,” Jackson said.
I gave him a questioning look, and he nodded at Maggie with a wink.
I shook my head and focused on my food. I couldn’t imagine this was it, but I also couldn’t help but find myself agreeing with him.
__________
“That was a fantastic time,” Maggie said as we walked to my car. “Now what?”
“Now, I have something cool to show you,” I said.
I opened the door for her and she climbed in, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. “I can’t believe how cold it is already. Is it going to be okay to camp tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Yes, we’ll be fine.” I laughed to myself because I knew what she was imagining my place to look like. A rugged tent made from tarps. Cans hanging across the way as a warning. I couldn’t wait until she saw it.
I turned down the last street to get to Blake’s parent’s business. They owned the entire building and Blake lived above it. There was a dance studio and I had cleared it for use for the evening. Andrew, Blake’s dad told me it wasn’t a problem and the woman who rented it wanted it used as much as possible.
I parked on the street outside the building and Maggie looked at the sign, then back at me. “A dance studio?”
I nodded as I turned my car off. We both climbed from the car and I used Andrew’s key to get into the building.
She walked into the center of the room. I turned the lights on and a smile formed on her face as she looked in the large mirror covering the wall. She glowed in here. Her demeanor changed and she had a freedom in her step as she turned back to walk to me.
“You know, you’re the one person I’d try this in front of,” she said. “But it will take me a few minutes to get up the nerve. You get to pick the song though.”
“Yes, I do know.” I did, and I understood why.
“Okay, to distract me as I
We entered the kitchen and found Conall standing over the grill. He saw me and a smile formed on his face. “Karl, you finally came to help us.” He pulled me in for a hug.
“Thanks for reminding me how I’ve lacked in helping out here,” I laughed.
He looked down at me and smiled. “You’re here more than Auntie Brecken. She’s been too busy with Blake to come here the last few weeks.”
I looked back to Maggie. “Maggie, this is Conall. He’s Brecken’s nephew.”
“Oh, I met your aunt last week. She’s awesome,” she smiled up at him. “But, she is definitely lacking the gene that made you so tall.”
I laughed.
“Yeah, Conall takes after his dad and grandpa. I’ve missed you man, you’ll have to come out to my place again soon.”
“I agree. Jess and I were thinking about coming in a couple weeks to help you with things,” Conall said.
“That’d be great.”
“Potatoes!” Regina yelled from the other side of the serving line, to remind us what we needed to do.
__________
After we did our job in the kitchen, we took our places at the table to eat. Maggie took the time to say hello to everyone she passed. She took the seat across from me and gave me the same smile she had shared with each of those here.
“You know, being here reminds me of some of the things I dreamed of doing as a kid. I would talk to my grandma about helping people. I told her that’s what I wanted to do and I didn’t care how much I made, I wanted to just live and make other people happy. This is great to be back here. I wasn’t always so occupied with my personal space,” she said with a smile and pointed expression.
“I could tell you weren’t,” I said, taking a bite of potatoes.
“How could you tell?” she asked.
“Because it isn’t forced. You just do it. You love people.”
She nodded as she smiled at the girl who sat next to her. She was a younger woman, with buzzed black hair. They started a conversation as Jackson took a seat next to me.
“Karl, this is it, man. I can feel it,” Jackson said.
I gave him a questioning look, and he nodded at Maggie with a wink.
I shook my head and focused on my food. I couldn’t imagine this was it, but I also couldn’t help but find myself agreeing with him.
__________
“That was a fantastic time,” Maggie said as we walked to my car. “Now what?”
“Now, I have something cool to show you,” I said.
I opened the door for her and she climbed in, rubbing her hands together to keep warm. “I can’t believe how cold it is already. Is it going to be okay to camp tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Yes, we’ll be fine.” I laughed to myself because I knew what she was imagining my place to look like. A rugged tent made from tarps. Cans hanging across the way as a warning. I couldn’t wait until she saw it.
I turned down the last street to get to Blake’s parent’s business. They owned the entire building and Blake lived above it. There was a dance studio and I had cleared it for use for the evening. Andrew, Blake’s dad told me it wasn’t a problem and the woman who rented it wanted it used as much as possible.
I parked on the street outside the building and Maggie looked at the sign, then back at me. “A dance studio?”
I nodded as I turned my car off. We both climbed from the car and I used Andrew’s key to get into the building.
She walked into the center of the room. I turned the lights on and a smile formed on her face as she looked in the large mirror covering the wall. She glowed in here. Her demeanor changed and she had a freedom in her step as she turned back to walk to me.
“You know, you’re the one person I’d try this in front of,” she said. “But it will take me a few minutes to get up the nerve. You get to pick the song though.”
“Yes, I do know.” I did, and I understood why.
“Okay, to distract me as I
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