Chapter 11 Part 11
Maggie
On Monday morning, Maggie woke up feeling refreshed and happy, as she gingerly touched her lips. She hadn’t expected Asher to kiss her, but it had been wonderful. It had been tender, but also eager, soft, yet exhilarating. It was everything a first kiss should be.
With her mattress still on the floor, she stretched her arms out over her head. She could hear birds chirping in the trees outside moments before Melody’s babbles reached her ears. She smiled as she got up from her bed and waded barefoot to Melody’s room.
“Well, hello, baby girl. What a glorious day,” she said, with a smile. She was rewarded with a gummy grin from Melody, and picked her up to change her diaper. “Today we need to find Momma a job.”
Melody babbled some more, the sounds making her smile.
“Come on, little lady, let’s get breakfast on the table, and see what’s in store for us,” Maggie said, smiling at Melody. She smiled more when she realized she had called Melody ‘little lady,’ like Asher did.
After breakfast was done, Maggie sat on the floor in the living room with Melody, looking through the classified ads in the newspaper. She circled a few ads that looked promising, then googled the businesses.
The real estate office looked modern and inviting. She could already see herself sitting at a desk, typing up contracts, and answering the phone. She wanted a job, not only so she could feed them and keep a roof over their heads, but also to vindicate herself. She wasn’t useless, not like Sean had always told her she was.
She would get this job, and she knew she could look after herself. She’d give Melody the best life possible, even if it meant she had to make do with less money than what she was used to. Love and happiness counted for a lot. Success wasn’t just riches. Money couldn’t buy everything; it created comfort, yes, but not true happiness.
If she got a job, she’d need to find a daycare for Melody. She felt hope rising in her chest as she took her phone out, and dialed the first company on her list. The second company, a real estate office looking for someone to do their administrative work, asked if she could come in at noon for an interview.
Maggie agreed, and after the phone call, she bit her lip. She couldn’t take Melody with her to an interview; that would just look bad. She dialed Asher’s number and waited as it rang.
“Hello,” a gruff voice answered.
“Uh … hi, this is Maggie—”
“Oh, hello, Maggie. It’s Thomas.”
“Is Asher around? I need to ask him a favor,” Maggie said.
“He’s out with his brothers, bringing the cattle in to be branded. Is there something I can help you with?”
Maggie sighed inaudibly. “I have an interview for a job at noon, and I can’t really take Melody with me. I was hoping he could watch her for an hour.”
“Well, bring the little lady on over. I’ll watch her for you,” Thomas said.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t ask you to do that,” Maggie said.
“Nonsense, it’s the only chance I get to play grandpa around here. It’ll be no trouble,” Thomas said.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have offered otherwise. See you in a bit, Maggie,” Thomas said, ending the call before she could say anything else.
Did he know about her and Asher? Was he testing the waters when he said ‘grandpa?’ Strangely enough, the idea of it didn’t make her want to run for the hills. Thomas was a delightful man; he’d raised six children, and she knew Melody would be in capable hands.
She still had a few hours before the interview, so she decided to make an effort. She bathed Melody, and got her dressed in a thin little sundress with yellow daisies on it. She left the bathroom door open as she showered.
She towel-dried her hair, and then set to the painstaking task of straightening it. She took care with her appearance, making sure her makeup looked natural, and not over the top. She really wanted this job.
Maggie got herself ready for the interview, and packed a bag for Melody. At 11 a.m., she drove away from her house toward the ranch. When she parked her car, the screened door opened, and Thomas appeared on the porch.
“There she is. Hand over the little miss, and get to your interview. I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it,” Thomas said.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” Maggie said.
“Anytime, Maggie, she’s just delightful. We’re going to have plenty of fun ordering the young ones around,” Thomas said, laughing.
“I really appreciate this, Thomas. I can’t tell you how much,” Maggie said.
Thomas smiled as he adjusted his hat. “Don’t you worry, Maggie; go knock their socks off at that interview.”
Maggie handed the diaper bag to Thomas, and five minutes later, she was driving down the dirt road that led back to town. She felt positive, her smile unable to be any brighter. She found a parking spot near the real estate office, and smoothed her hair back. She reapplied her lipstick, smacking her lips together.
‘You can do this, Maggie,’ she said to herself.
Nervous butterflies were wreaking havoc in her stomach, but she swallowed, and smiled at herself in the rearview mirror. She could do this. She would do this. She’d read up on the real estate office, saw what houses were listed for sale, their asking prices, and other properties they’d sold in the last year.
She’d even gone as far as to look up neighboring towns’ real estate prices, and compared the two. She knew she had this; now the owner just had to like her, and hire her. It was all she needed to secure her future and Melody’s future. This job was everything to her.
She was five minutes early, but she opened the door to the office, and stepped inside. It was cool inside, the air conditioning doing its work. One woman sat at a desk in a far corner, and Maggie smiled when she looked up.