Page 43 of Next in Line
She purses her lips together and shrugs. “I guess I’m currently a drifter until things change.”
My brows lift knowingly “You mean until you marry an NFL quarterback.”
“I’m not marrying him for his money,” she snaps and flicks a bit of water at my chest while mumbling under her breath, “Technically, I’m not marrying him at all at this point.”
“But that’s the end goal, right?” I ask, tilting my head to watch her reaction carefully. “That’s what you’re working so hard for?”
She shrugs and nods, seemingly ashamed by her response.
I turn and prop my elbow on the rock so I can face her, then ask her the question that’s been niggling at me for a while now. “What’s the appeal of your ex anyway? Tell me about him.”
Maggie slips down into the water farther, sipping her wine and resting her head back on a rock. She takes a deep breath before replying. “Well, he’s tall, dark, and handsome…that doesn’t hurt. He’s talented and extremely passionate about what he does.”
“Which is football?”
“Yes, football,” she replies with an annoyed frown. “Aren’t you passionate about what you do?”
“Am I passionate about tires?” I respond with a laugh. “No, Maggie. I’m not passionate about tires.”
“Well, then what are you passionate about?” she asks, taking another sip of wine.
“People,” I reply simply, the answer rolling off my tongue like a reflex. “I care about the people in my life…my family, my friends, my employees…especially my employees. I mean, I genuinely like knowing what’s going on with their families. I want them to know that their home lives are bigger than the bottom line and being their boss isn’t about making more money than them. It’s about being the support system they need to not only survive but to also be happy. That’s what I’m passionate about. Tires are just what brings it all together.”
Maggie stares back at me, clearly startled by my long-winded answer, but her brows furrow as she churns something over in her mind.
“Why do you have that look on your face?” I ask, staring at her curiously.
Maggie gazes back at me with wide, wondering eyes. Her voice is quiet in the dark as she responds. “You’re passionate about people but not long-term relationships?”
My head pulls back, this question catching me completely off guard. “What makes you say I’m not passionate about relationships?”
“Kate,” Maggie answers with a small shrug of her shoulders.
I inhale and exhale slowly, feeling annoyed that things are being said to Maggie about me behind my back. Not that I blame Kate—she’s only relaying the truth—but I guess I’d rather Maggie hear it from me.
“Look, I don’t begrudge you for going after your relationship or for chasing after what you think is your happy ending. I respect it and am fucking impressed by it enough to help you out. I just know that it’s not what I want for my life. I didn’t grow up with a perfect family like you and Miles. Mine is far from perfect. And I know myself well enough to know that I’m better off making Tire Depot my passion…not some girl.”
“Some girl,” Maggie repeats with a laugh, circling her hand on the surface of the water slowly. “It’s not some girl, Sam. It’sthegirl. If you metthegirl, you would be singing a very different tune.”
I shake my head. “So you’re saying you are one hundred percent certain that your football player istheguy?”
Maggie stops waving her hands around the water, and her brows knit together deep in thought. Her hesitation has me shocked. I would have thought she’d blurt out a resounding yes, but she’s actually thinking it over, which seems…mature. “I’m not one hundred percent certain, no. But I’m certain I want to try to win him back so I can find out.”
“No matter what it takes.”
“No matter what it takes,” she confirms and then squints her eyes shut. “Crap…I forgot my phone.”
“Have someone you need to call right now?”
“No…I just…need a picture of me in this hot spring to send to Sterling.”
I have to fight back the urge to roll my eyes. Maggie has moments of maturity, moments when she’s wise beyond her years, but then she slips right back into that twenty-two-year-old college grad who has no clue what to do without a plan in front of her.
“Maggie,” I state, my voice deep in warning. “Stop worrying about Sterling and live in this moment. We are in the middle of a hot spring, surrounded by rocks and mountains and snow and nature and…life.Your ex should be the last thing on your mind. You should be taking this all in.”
“I am taking it all in,” she snaps back defensively.
“But are you? Are you really?” I stare deep into her eyes, not in judgment but in understanding. “I know you have a plan, but sometimes plans need to be forgotten so you don’t miss out on life.”
