Page 10 of Maggie

“Why is that?” Claudia asked.

“Because Uncle Wylder is the bravest person I know, so it’ll be funny to see him as the lion.”

“Awww, really?” Wylder’s heart melted. Did she really feel that way about him? The answer was completely unexpected. He dropped his fork and pulled Kelsey into a hug. “You’re the best, Kelsey. I couldn’t ask for a better niece.”

“Eww. Cooties! Let me go!” She tried to squirm from Wylder’s grip.

Wylder grinned evilly. “I’m the Cootie Monster!”

He turned the hug into a tickle attack and Kelsey howled with laughter. She begged him to stop.

“Take back the ‘old’ comment. And the cooties comment,” he said as he continued to tickle her.

“Okaaaaaay okaaaay, you’re not old! You’re not old! And you don’t have cooties! I’m sorry!” she screeched.

Wylder stopped tickling her and let her go. “Thank you. I’m glad you realize the error of your ways,” he said with a grin.

She glared at him.

Having been through similar treatment after growing up with Wylder, Aubrey took no pity on her daughter. “Kelsey, eat your vegetables.”

Kelsey sighed and picked up her fork to spear a piece of broccoli. She made a disgusted face.

“I have to go into the office early tomorrow. Ugh,” Aubrey complained. “I love numbers, but I hate the accounting firm I work at. My boss is such a jerk.”

“You can always come work for me. I need a bookkeeper at the shop,” Wylder said. “Right now, there’s only me. I’m okay, but I’m not an expert at it.” He shoved a bite of potatoes into his mouth with his fork.

“Really?”

He nodded. “Really.”

“Hell, I might. I’m so frustrated by office politics.”

“If you want a new job, I’ll give you a job. I’ll even give you a raise and weekends off.”

She gaped at him. “You don’t know what I’m paid now.”

A smile touched the corner of his mouth. “The shop makes enough to cover it. If you want, let me know when you want to start.”

Her cheeks flushed with excitement. “I’m quitting tomorrow. I’ll be on your doorstep the next day. Thanks!”

Wylder grinned. In his most professional voice, he said, “I look forward to working with you, ma’am.”

Aubrey scoffed and threw a napkin across the table at him. He caught it and laughed.

Everyone settled into the meal and chatted for a while.

Wylder’s cousin, Joe — a 16-year-old who looked like a stereotypical surfer — asked, “Wylder, now that Morissa is out of the picture, do you have any new prospects?”

“Nah, man.” Wylder shook his head no. “I want to find the right person. Someone I click with. I’m getting older,” he pretend-glared at Kelsey, “and it’s time to find the right person to share my life with. I’m going to quit dating for a while and see what happens.”

Memories of Maggie’s laughing face surrounded by her purple tresses flashed before his eyes, but he shook his head. That relationship would never happen. He doubted he would ever see her again. “What about you? Who’s the latest girlfriend?”

He listened to Joe talk about his teenage woes and made sympathetic noises or offered advice at appropriate places. It didn’t seem like that long ago that he’d been in Joe’s shoes, with class worries and girl troubles. It struck him how the things he’d found important in high school seemed trivial now. A few years had passed and, without realizing it, Wyder had somehow become an entirely new person with new priorities.

His family continued to laugh and chatter throughout dinner. Wylder loved it. His life consisted of his family and tattooing. He couldn’t imagine living without either. He needed to be with someone who wanted to build a life with him and be part of both his family and his art.

Chapter 5

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