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“You’re like being hit by a fucking tornado.”
“Do you want this or not? Because this is just the start. I’ll have a long list for us to work on. I’ll get started on it tonight, and we can get working on it immediately. No use in wasting time.”
“I want it.” Mostly I want her, but I didn’t realize exactly how much torture I was signing up for to get the chance. One that seems increasingly slim given the icy reception.
“Okay good. We should probably find you someone to date then too.”
“What?” I nearly choke on the sip of the drink I just took.
“It doesn’t have to be serious. But if you’re deep into thatwhole bachelor thing… it’s not going to work here like it did before. People here want their franchise quarterback. Someone invested in the community and the team. Better if he has a wife who can help run the charities and kids in the local school district.”
“You remember I’m a quarterback and not trying to be a senator, right? I know you got Xander and me confused there for a while.”
“There’s no confusing the two of you.” She levels me with a look that’s devoid of all humor.
“Sorry. I forgot he’s a sensitive subject for you right now. In mourning and all.”
She ignores me and charges on.
“Speaking of sensitive subjects. Any women likely to show up with stories to tell or surprise sons you don’t know about?”
I cough again. “Are you serious?”
“I need to know where all the skeletons are buried if we’re going to do this right. Surprises won’t help either of us. If I know, we can plan for it.”
“I thought we were going out to dinner to catch up.”
“Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“I don’t recall asking you about skeletons buried in your closet and secret children.”
“Easy. I have neither. You did ask me if I was getting married to my boyfriend, which isn’t a very nice thing to ask a woman about to hit thirty. Our mothers ask that enough.”
“I didn’t mean it like that… I just meant, your brothers getting married before you is not what I pictured.”
The look she gives me next lets me know I’m jumping from one icy puddle into another. Possibly a lake this time.
“You’re bad at this. I see why you’re single now. We’ll have to work on that.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I thought you’d get married a lot younger. Have kids.”
It was definitely a lake, with a hole underneath it. One I was digging fast.
“Yes well, as we’ve already established, Xander didn’t come through like I hoped, and I have terrible taste in men outside of that.” She stabs a cherry tomato on her salad, and it might as well be my heart with the way it feels to hear her say it. But then I perk up. Because if you’re in a happy relationship you don’t normally describe your taste in men as terrible.
“Minus A.J.?”
I see the slightest flutter of her lashes.
“Yes, of course. Minus him. He’s amazing, and I adore him.”
And that’s a lie. Because I know what Madison sounds like when she’s in love, and that’s not it.
“Well… I’m glad to hear it. Hopefully, he’s not too hurt by you being so sad over Xander. I hope he’s not the rebound.”
“He is not the rebound.”
He’s definitely the rebound. At best. At worst, he’s a toy she’s playing with because she’s twenty-nine, and I’d guess her parents are hearing that clock tick louder than ever now that Tobias is doing the unthinkable. Probably already lining up prospects and shoving them her way in hopes her father can get half a football team’s worth of grandchildren out of his kids. Secure his legacy for the entire century. It was all he really cared about at the end of the day.
