Page 202 of No Headlines Please

He'd just told me we'd be picking up two people along the way. It couldn't be Tessa and Ryder, because I could still see them standing outside the restaurant we'd just left.

Lunch had been absolutely delicious, but something in Maddox's expression made my stomach give a tiny little lurch.

He shook his head. "It's not them. But you're gonna need to trust me for a few minutes, alright?"

As the carriage continued to roll along Main Street, I gave a silent nod.

I did trust him. And yet, that crazy encounter from yesterday had left its mark. From what I could tell, just about everyone hated him – or at least, everyone with an opinion.

It's not like I cared what people thought, but it did make me wonder if I wasn't seeing things quite clearly. Back in college, Maisie had been the same way about Devon. All of her friends had hated him. And me? I'd hated him most of all.

But Maisie? She hadn't seen how rotten he was – in spite of some glaring red flags.

Was I doing the same thing with Maddox?

I didn't think so. Over the past few days, Tessa had warmed up to him considerably. And Maisie had liked him from the start.

But what did that mean?

That three of us were right, and the rest of the world was wrong?

Could I even count Tessa? She still only liked him halfway.

Mostly, she was still concerned about the thing with Sloane. Just last night, when the two of us had been alone on the front porch, she'd asked a pretty disturbing question.

If I fell off the ferry dock, would Maddox jump straight into the arms of another girl?

It was ridiculous, really, because the comparison was a huge stretch. By now, Maddox and Sloane had been broken up for ages. And Sloane had spent most of that time skewering him in the media.

Her disappearance was beyond tragic. But was Maddox truly a monster for not sobbing into his pillow?

Again, I thought of that girl from yesterday, the one who'd wanted to tell me off.

Was I heartless for letting Maddox off the hook?

Yesterday, the girl's comments had been easy to laugh off. And yet, her words had been haunting my thoughts ever since.

This was why Tessa and I had been talking alone on the porch. Without mentioning that couple, I'd asked Tessa what she thought of the situation with Sloane. In return, she'd asked me that odd question of her own – as if I made a habit of falling off ferry docks.

Still, I'd answered the question honestly. From what I'd seen of Maddox, he'd jump into the water to save me, just like I'd jump to save him.

The Maddox I knew was no monster.

Like, even today, the carriage ride had been such a lovely surprise. The horse-drawn carriage had been right there waiting for us the moment we'd left the restaurant, like Maddox had arranged it from the start.

But now, belatedly, it hit me. Of course he had.

Otherwise, why would he mention that we were picking up two more people?

Unable to stop myself, I asked, "The people we're picking up – are they anyone I know?"

He paused for way too long before replying, "Yes and no." He turned sideways in the seat to face me. "Look, I would've told you in advance, but I didn't want you to worry."

A knot of dread formed in my stomach. "Okaaaaay…now I am worried."

He let out a quiet curse. "Then it's my fault, not yours." He gave me a reassuring smile. "Just relax and enjoy the scenery, okay? When it's over, you'll be glad you did. I promise."

I tried. Really, I did.