Maggie's Meraki

By Melissa Gayle

Starting over is often scary. Learning to open your heart to love again can be terrifying.

Maggie Langston was rebuilding her life from the ground up. The last thing she needed was another disappointment for her and her family.

Jaime Winthrop had been burned, but he couldn't deny what was happening between him

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melissa Gayle
• Release date: May 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9780578961606

Melissa Gayle

Melissa Gayle is a single mom of 3 girls, 6 dogs, and 3 cats. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, a wide variety of music, fiber arts, and all things esoteric.

Book preview

Maggie’s

Meraki

MELISSA GAYLE

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Copyright © 2021 by Melissa Gayle

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Cover Art by SelfPubBookCovers.com/ DesignzbyDanielle

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All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and/or publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 978-0-578-96159-0

This book is dedicated to everyone who believed in me and encouraged me to find my meraki.

Preface

When I initially sat down to write Maggie and Jaime’s story, it was just this idea bouncing around in my mind, keeping me up at night.  That turned into several nights of pounding on my laptop keyboard until the sun came up.

I didn’t really share what I was doing with anybody, aside from my own kids and a couple of very close friends.  I didn’t know if I’d even actually finish the story entirely, or just reach a certain point and set it aside, as I have in the past with other stories.

Though the story is a work of fiction, I found myself relating to Maggie more and more as I wrote.  Hopefully you can relate to her on some level and fall in love with her character and story as well.

So why the title?  Well, I finished writing, proofreading, editing, and started hunting for the perfect cover, but a title wouldn’t come to me.  I had a hard copy printed and stuck it in a binder for easy reading, thinking it might inspire a name for the book.  Some months passed and still, nothing was coming to mind.

Finally, I pulled out on of my favorite tarot card decks and asked, What should be my next step to titling my book?  Weird?  Maybe, but that’s when it finally clicked.

The first cards out represented me trying to intuit this answer.  The following cards literally summarized my story.  The final group of cards that came out confused me, though.  I dug out the book that accompanies the deck and flipped through to skim the keywords for each card.  Once I landed on meraki, I knew that was it.

Meraki, according to all of my online searching, is a Greek word.  It is said to not translate to English very well, but the most common translation is the love/creativity/soul that you put into your work, like a piece of yourself that you’ve put into it.

So this book is my meraki, and tells the story of Maggie’s.  I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love writing it

*****

That should be the last box, Maggie said, pulling the trailer door shut on the moving truck. Now all we have to do is drive.

Heather shook her head and smiled. You’re an asshole for leaving, but I still love you. She laughed and pulled Maggie into a bear hug.

Maggie chuckled. I’d be a bigger fool to stay. The divorce is finally final. I’m free. I can finally go home now.

Maggie and Heather smiled sadly, but they both knew this was the end goal. Maggie had endured her marriage for far too long and finally had the opportunity to leave. Hell, the only reason she had even moved to Texas was to get married in the first place.

Mom! Did you grab all the dogs’ leashes? Maggie’s eldest daughter, Kelsie, yelled out from the garage.

Yeah, everything is in the bag in the front of the truck. Is everyone ready to go? If we leave now, we can drive through most of the night and make good time before rush hour traffic hits in the morning.

Kelsie rolled her eyes. I’ll go check. I think Annie was putting on eyelashes and Bridgette was taking selfies.

It was Maggie’s turn to roll her eyes now. Somehow, her eldest was the only daughter who hadn’t turned into a social media fashionista.

She turned back to Heather. Did your sister say if the fence was finished at the house? I really need it done as soon as possible, or God only knows what shenanigans the dogs will pull.

Heather nodded, Yeah, she said it was just about finished this morning. I think they’ve just got a few more planks to put up, and she said something about laying those mini cinder blocks along the bottom to keep the dogs from digging. You know, you could plant something in those, maybe like a little fence line succulent garden?

That would be cute, Maggie agreed. Damn. That’s actually a really good idea. As long as the twins don’t go outside and eat them!

The women laughed and shook their heads. Maggie had six dogs, all either rescues or foster fails. The twins were a brother/sister pair who were notorious for ridiculous antics.

Ok Mom! Let’s do this shit! Bridgette and Annie bounced out of the house, arms linked and giggling.

Heather groaned and elbowed Maggie. Lord, this is gonna be an adventure for you.

You ain’t lyin! Maggie laughed. Alright, well, we’d better head out. I’ll check in when we stop, if it’s not a weird hour. Otherwise, I’ll call as soon as we get to the house. Can you let Hannah know we’re on our way? She’s supposed to be holding the house keys until we get there.

I’ll call as soon as y’all head out, and then I’ll send each of you the other’s number so if anything else comes up, you can reach each other. She’s super excited to have you guys living next door, although I’m sure part of that is because you’re bringing potential babysitters, Heather laughed. I’m not sure when the last time was that she had a date night with Dale, especially now that Toby is running around.

Hey, she can borrow the girls all she wants. I’ll be able to get my workshop set up and re-open the online shop and keep the ball rolling.

Maggie sold hand-dyed yarns and spinning fibers, as well as other handmade items. It was a slowly grown business, but after much nurturing and refiguring, it finally took off enough to be a reliable source of income. Maggie Made had grown enough to generate a down payment on a house, which was great because that meant Maggie would have a big enough space for her kids, her dogs, and her business. She would finally have a place to call her own, and this time nobody could take it away from her.

After all was checked and rechecked, Maggie turned to give Heather one final hug. Heather stood back and firmly grasped each of Maggie’s shoulders, staring her straight in the face.

You’ve got this, babe. You can do this. I’ve watched you start and stop, rise and fall, and keep trying. You are now self-made, and ready to live your life. I’m so proud of you, and I know your girls are proud of you, too. Now go home, kick some ass, and you still owe me a handmade sweater!

Maggie felt the sting of tears and the tightening in her throat. It really had been a rough ride, a total shit show at times, but Heather was right. She had busted her ass to get her life back on track, and it was finally show time.

Everyone shared one last embrace, then hopped into their assigned vehicles. The race was finally on, a small caravan back across the country, back home.

1

We’re here! Maggie announced, waking Kelsie from her nap. I swear, twenty-one and you still get car butt.

Kelsie sat up straight and took in the scenery. Oh, Mom, it’s even better in person! Look at the trees, the size of the yard! Dude…do we finally have a basement again? Can I convert part of it into a small studio since you have a whole workshop for the business?

Maggie laughed, Let’s get everything in order first and then we’ll work it all out.

Bridgette and Annie hopped out of their truck and raced toward their new home.

Oh my gosh, how cute is this fence?

Look at the little garden space! And the trees! I want a hammock!

Ooooh, we can take selfies over here during golden hour!

Maggie and Kelsie rolled their eyes and laughed.

Girls….we have to unload and unpack first. I need to turn the moving truck in as soon as possible so we don’t get charged for an extra day.  Is the front door unlocked?

Awwww, alright. But did you call Grandma and Papa yet? I’m gonna call them and tell them we’re here. I can’t wait to see them again!

Spirits were flying high as Maggie and her girls unloaded the trucks. The dogs were excited to get out and explore their new space. Maggie made a mental note to visit Hannah to grab the house keys and thank everybody who had helped fence in the yard ahead of their arrival.

The house was larger than what they had moved from, but not overly huge. There was a bedroom for each person, as well as a small office, and a room in the attic, which Annie claimed as her painting studio. The basement was partially finished, but wouldn’t take too much work to complete, which made Kelsie happy.

The country style kitchen was perfect. Large enough for everyone to be in there at the same time without tripping over each other. Large enough for a proper dinner table, too. Off of the kitchen was a small laundry room – no hauling baskets up and down from the basement! Sometimes, it’s the little things.

Maggie went to investigate the workshop space. She discovered it was actually a two and a half car garage, split in half. It worked. She didn’t need a huge workshop, just a dedicated space for dyeing fibers and securing her supplies and inventory. She took some pictures with her phone and made some small notes.

***

Later that evening, after the moving truck had been emptied and returned and everyone was fed, Maggie decided it was time to go meet Hannah. Hannah was Heather’s twin sister, and she had assisted with finding a suitable home for Maggie and her family. It was a crazy coincidence that the house next door went on the market when it did and happened to have everything on the list of needs, and the price wasn’t too bad. The budget would be tight for a bit, just while things were being put back in order. Once things were up and running efficiently, though, Maggie had no doubts that she could make this work.

As she approached the front steps to Hannah’s house, Maggie felt the sensation one gets when they’re being watched. She looked around but didn’t see anybody. Probably just tired, she thought, and rang the doorbell.

The door opened and Maggie had to do a double take. Hannah laughed and said, You must be Maggie. I’m Hannah, come on in. Didn’t Heather tell you we’re not identical?

Maggie chuckled. I never thought to ask. She said twin, I figured twin twin.

She followed Hannah into the kitchen, stepping over the telltale signs of a toddler on the loose. Those days were past, as her kids were pretty much grown, but she missed it sometimes.

This is my husband, Dale. Dale, this is Maggie, Heather’s bestie.

Maggie reached out to shake Dale’s hand, Thank you both for everything, for all the help. Me and the girls really appreciate it…and the dogs!

Dale shrugged. No biggie. I mean, you’re practically family, right? My brother and a few of our buddies actually made good time on the fence, especially considering the size. We reinforced it as much as possible. If you want, we can walk the fence line tomorrow and I can show you what all we did.

Honey, you’ve got that meeting tomorrow, Hannah reminded him. But maybe Jaime could show her, if he’s going to be around?

Who’s Jaime? Maggie asked.

My younger brother, answered Dale. I figured he’d be around this evening, but I guess not. I’m not sure what he’s up to, but yeah, he should probably be around tomorrow. Just let Hannah know when it’s cool for him to come over and then he can show you everything.

Maggie laughed. Any time after my first cup of coffee is fine. If the dogs are out, you’ll know we’re up. I apologize in advance though. They’re rather obnoxious until they get to know you, but then they’ll be your best friends.

The group chuckled and chatted a bit longer. Hannah produced a set of keys for Maggie and each of her girls.  Thanking Hannah and Dale once more, Maggie excused herself. She was pretty exhausted, between the drive and the unloading. Tomorrow would be another long day, filled with unpacking and sorting everything. Thankfully, they had come in on a Friday morning, so they would have the entire weekend to put the house in order.

***

Maggie woke to the sound of her dogs barking. Time to get moving.

She threw herself together as quickly as possible, thankful that she showered before bed last night. Heading down the hall, she could smell the aroma of fresh coffee and… something. Maybe pancakes?

Good morning!

All three girls were up, dressed, and happily munching on pancakes. It appeared that they hadn’t actually unpacked, really, but dug out the supplies needed to make breakfast. And coffee.

Good morning, ducklings. Did you guys sleep ok? I wasn’t sure if y’all got your beds set up completely or if you made blanket pallets.

We made pallets, Bridgette replied. We’re going to help each other do one room at a time, to try and get it done faster.

Maggie nodded. Sounds good. I hear the dogs outside. Did they behave this morning?

Annie rolled her eyes. Do they ever really behave though?

Maggie laughed. The kid had a point.

Breakfast continued with happy chatter, then the girls dispersed after cleaning up the dishes. Maggie sat, sipping her coffee and pondering where to begin, when she heard the most sinful voice call out from the front door.

Anyone home?

She hopped up and hurried to the door. Hey…can I help you? Good Lord, is it even legal to look and sound like that??

I’m Jaime, Dale’s brother. He said I was supposed to come show you…everything, he said with a lopsided grin.

Maggie swallowed hard and tried to gather her senses. The man was like a walking fantasy. Dark brown hair, just past his collar, with waves that made her want to run her fingers through it. Deep chocolate eyes, slightly hooded – bedroom eyes, isn’t that what they’re called? His mouth…skip that. His voice. His voice sounded like what it would probably feel like to have warm honey poured all over your body.

Oh...um, yeah. The fence and stuff, right? Christ in a hand basket, get it together Mags. Lemme just bring the dogs in and then I’ll meet you by the gate. Jaime nodded and headed towards the gate.

Dude, calm down. He’s going to show you a fence, for fuck sake.

Maggie rounded up the dogs and walked outside to meet Jaime, who just happened to be just as pleasant to look at from the rear. Knock it off already.

He turned and gave her another grin. Shall we begin the tour?

Maggie nodded. Indeed, we shall.

The walked the fence line, Jaime pointing out little details they had added for aesthetics, as well as the reinforcements they had added to help keep the dogs in. They discussed additional security options, which Maggie hadn’t even thought of until Jaime mentioned them. She tried to make mental notes as they spoke, although she was sure she would end up forgetting them later on.

So, Jaime said as they returned to the gate, I think that’s about everything, but if you need help with anything else, I’m down to help.

I appreciate that, Maggie said. You guys have all already helped so much, and I thank you for that.

Jaime grinned and shrugged. It’s no problem, really. So what brought you guys up this way?

Unprepared for the question, Maggie looked away and shrugged. Well, we’ve been wanting to move back home for a while, but things were…complicated. I had to get some stuff resolved, and then build up the funds to move back. Heather and Hannah were amazing, what with all the help locating and coordinating things for the move. I’m just glad to be back.

Sore subject, eh? I get it. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Jaime shrugged and started towards the walkway. Anyway, that’s what we did, and you know where to find us if you need anything else.

Maggie watched him saunter off, suspecting that she had offended him