It’s a good start to what I thought was going to be an awful fucking day. If we get this done before lunchtime, there might even be some coffee left for us.
Chapter Twenty-Four
KENZIE
It wasa surprise when Maggie called me and asked to spend the day together, but I had no plans. I get being lonely, especially with Oakley gone so much for school.
She's a teenage girl, and while she's plenty popular, it's still good for her to have older role models around. She hasn't wanted to hang out as much as she got older, but I remember when she was younger and would hang off Oakley and I like she worshiped us.
So I accepted the invitation for a girl’s day without a second thought.
And it's really nice.
She's a bratty little shit, through and through, but she’s still the same sweet kid I remember. We banter and tease each other as we shop and get our hair trimmed and our nails done. It's been forever since I had a manicure, but Maggie seems so excited that I can't say no.
It's not until the day is wrapping up that I notice a shift in her demeanor.
We're all freshly decked out in pretty new dresses and perfectly painted nails, but she's being oddly quiet. I let her sit with whatever’s on her mind for a little while as I grab us each a cup of coffee from the little place at the entrance of the mall. She's still staring aimlessly at the table when I return, and she hardly flinches when I slide her coffee over to her.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I ask lightly. “You seem down.”
She startles, looking up from the table with wide eyes and a forced laugh. I just wait patiently, sipping at my latte.
“I'm not… I'm not upset or anything,” she says quietly. “I guess I'm just a little lonely. It sounds silly, I know.”
She laughs and shakes her head before taking a sip of her own sugary concoction, but I don't say anything. There's clearly something on her mind, and if I can help, I want to.
“It's just that Oakley and Bo both found, y'know, their person,” she continues. “You all met in high school, and it’s cute, but I just feel like I'mbehind. I haven't met anyone I care about like that, and I feel like I'm going to miss out if I don’t find someone soon.”
I bite back my laughter because I know she won't understand. Sometimes I forget how young Maggie is, but she’s hardly past seventeen, and she's a romantic at heart.
She always used to say she was waiting for her own happy ending.
“You'll find your guy,” I promise, casual but not careless. “It's not about how soon you find him, it's about knowing what's right for you. If you look for someone to fill that gap right now, you'll just wind up compromising on important things. But if you wait for the right guy, for the righttime, it'll all click into place. I promise, Maggie, you've got nothing to worry about.”
Doubt flickers in her eyes for a second, but she shakes it off quickly enough. I don't push her to talk about it more when shedowns her coffee and starts babbling about something else, but the soft edge of my smile doesn't go anywhere.
It's good knowing that she trusts me like that.
She slowly ramps back up to her usual whirlwind self, snagging some of the bags as we make our way back out to the car. It's been ages since I went shopping just for the fun of it, and I think I had just as much as Maggie did today.
We sing along to the current top ten as we drive back to the farm, joking easily and teasing each other lightheartedly. It feels a lot like being a kid again.
My brows furrow in confusion when we pull up to the farm to find two extra cars in the driveway. A sleek little convertible I don't recognize is parked next to Jamie's beat up old truck, and Maggie snickers to herself as I park.
“Something I should know?” I ask jokingly.
My curiosity is burning, but Maggie has a playful light in her eyes that tells me there's a surprise coming somewhere.
“Nothing crazy,” she says with a shrug, already climbing out of the car. “Oakley and Jamie are back for the weekend, and your mom flew in for a few days too. Bo wanted to have a party.”
My heart warms at the thought of Bo putting something together for everyone. After all this mess, we deserve to let loose. And I haven't seen my mom inages. She'll be so thrilled to see me and Bo together at long last.
I follow along as Maggie confidently leads me through the house and toward the back porch. We set our bags down on the kitchen table before making our way outside.
My jaw drops in shock at the sight I'm greeted with.
I've never seen the farm this spruced up. The back porch is decked out in twinkling string lights, coolers of beer and soda placed on one of the tables. The pathway back toward the pastures is for once clear of both dirt and cow shit.
