Page 121 of The Thorne at My Side
“You have to realize I’ve never been around normal people.”
“This is true, it’s a wonder you turned out as okay as you did.”
“I’m more than okay and you know it.”
“I know it!” Felix chimes in and Maggie yelps before slamming the bathroom door shut.
“Dude, boundaries!” I yell before ushering him downstairs to the kitchen. “Don’t make me change the door code again.”
“You wouldn’t,” he says, astonished. “That was the worst three days of my life.”
“And it should have taught you a lesson not to walk in on my wife in her towel.”
“Not yet,”he wags a finger at me.
“Close enough.”
That’s right, I’ll be proposing to Maggie this weekend. We’re headed up to Lakeville for the town pontoon parade and summer festival. Float Fest they call it. And when Maggie told them we were coming up over Facetime a few weeks ago her sister started gyrating her hips, her mom clapped at a furious pace and her eyes doubled in size. Her sister’s husband nodded and her dad tipped his beer in my direction.
I snuck her dad’s number out of her phone and called him on my own the next day. I told him that I wanted to make Maggie my wife and was hoping to have his family involved in the proposal.
As much as she gives her family grief, there’s a deep affection there.
Felix helped me pick out the ring. Well, actually all he did was look over my shoulder and make unhelpful comments as I inspected each one. The ring box has been burning a hole at the back of my sock drawer for a week and anytime Maggie calls to me from the bedroom I break out in a cold sweat.
“Are you all packed?” I ask Felix because once he heard Maggie describe Float Fest he said he wanted in. She can’t say no to him so he’ll be riding up with us today.
“Yeah boy, I’m so excited. Upstate New York is so close to home, I wish my parents were still there, I’d swing by.” He pops some grapes from the counter into his mouth. “Are you going to pay Greg time and a half?”
“Greg isn’t driving us,” Maggie says and we both spin towards her as she walks down the stairs.
“What do you mean Greg isn’t driving us?” I ask as she rolls her suitcase into the foyer.
“I mean, I talked to him about it and said we’d get ourselves there.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever actually driven the Tesla,” I say as Irack my brain, I didn’t even drive it when I bought it, just picked up the keys and tossed them to Greg.
“Oh, we’re not taking the Tesla.” Maggie laughs. “No way. The good people of Lakeville would have a field day with that car. No Foxy, we need a normal car.”
I’m confused but I still smile inside at the use of her nickname for me.
“I’ve got a normal car!” Felix chimes in. “I’ve got four normal cars. Well, I guess we won’t all fit in the Ferrari so that one is ruled out.”
“No,” Maggie shakes her head. “Your cars are too flashy and far from normal for the good folk of Lakeville.”
“What about the Rivian? That’s a pick up truck!” Felix pleads. “It’s a car of the people.”
“It’s an electric pickup. Doesn’t count.” Maggie says as she pulls a drink out of the fridge. “Guys, I got it. Stick with me.”
As if on cue the doorbell rings and Maggie smiles. She walks to the front door and opens it up to a kid who doesn’t look old enough to drive wearing a car rental polo and khakis standing at our door.
“Ugh, hello, I’ve, umm, got a car here for Maggie Collins.” He rushes through the sentence.
“Yes, thank you,” Maggie smiles at him. Felix grabs his duffel and steps into the foyer behind her. I grab both our bags and join them.
“Wait, you’re Felix Fornier,” the kid says.
“Hi, nice to meet you.”
