Her breath caught, her shoulders softening.
I turned my water bottle in my hand, the condensation slick against my palm, and before I could overthink it, I said, “Go out with me.”
Her brow lifted, surprised. “What?”
“A date,” I clarified, my voice steadier than I felt. “Tomorrow night, after work. Just the two of us. I will ask Evie to watch Olive. She loves spending time with her.”
Madison’s lips parted, and for a second, I thought she might turn me down. My heart thudded harder than it should have, the silence stretching. Then she smiled, small at first, then brighter, warmer.
“You’re serious?”
“I am.”
She tilted her head, studying me in that way she always did, like she was seeing more than I wanted to reveal. Finally, she nodded. “Okay. A date.”
Relief crashed through me, stronger than I expected. I let out a breath, a faint smile tugging at my mouth. “Good. Then it is settled.”
The porch went quiet again, but it was not heavy. It was filled with something lighter, something that felt like possibility.Madison leaned back on her hands, gazing up at the fireflies dancing in the dark, and I found myself watching her instead.
For years, I had built my life on control, on keeping my walls high and my heart out of reach. But tonight, sitting here with her, knowing she had just said yes, I realized I wanted to let her in.
And for the first time in a long time, I believed I could.
Chapter 39
Madison
The bell over the door at The Beanery chimed as I pushed inside, the familiar aroma of coffee and vanilla already wrapping around me. The morning rush had just tapered off, and sunlight streamed through the tall front windows, painting the wooden floors in warm gold. I had always loved this place, even back in high school, before Evie bought it and turned it into what it was now, cozy, bright, and always buzzing with life.
Evie stood behind the counter with her hair twisted into a loose bun, wiping down the espresso machine with a rag. She looked up when she saw me, her smile widening. “Well, if it isn’t the girl I’ve been dying to see. You’re glowing, Mads. Spill.”
I laughed, pulling my apron from the hook and tying it around my waist. “Good morning to you too.”
“Don’t good morning me. You think I haven’t heard?” She leaned on the counter, eyes sparkling. “Blair texted me last night. Said her brother finally did something right for once.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Blair needs to mind her own business.”
Evie smirked. “Best friends do not mind their business ever. So, it’s true?”
I busied myself at the register, straightening the tip jar. “We kissed. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” she repeated, her voice rising with mock outrage. “Madison Cole, I’ve been waiting years for someone to get past Seth Cunningham’s stone walls, and it’s you! You don’t get to shrug that off like it’s nothing.”
My lips tugged into a reluctant smile. “It wasn’t nothing. It was… more than I expected.”
Evie’s grin softened into something gentler. “Good. You deserve more than you expected.”
Before I could answer, the door opened and a pair of regulars came in, keeping us busy for the next half hour. I lost myself in the rhythm of steaming milk and scribbling orders, but every time the bell over the door chimed, my mind wandered back to last night on the porch. The quiet, the flutter in my stomach, the weight of Seth’s hand against my cheek.
By the time my shift wound down, Olive had colored her way through half a stack of scrap paper at the back table. She bounded up to the counter as I untied my apron. “Mommy, look!I made a garden.” She held up a page filled with purple and yellow flowers, all of them taller than stick-figure versions of us.
Evie leaned over the counter to admire it. “That is beautiful, Olive. You’re quite the artist.”
Olive beamed, then looked up at me with wide eyes. “Do I get to stay here with Miss Evie tonight?”
I brushed her curls back from her face. “If you want to. Uncle Seth asked if he could take me out to dinner after work.”
Her grin widened. “A date?”
