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“That’s what the check was for,” she said, sudden realization dawning on her face. “She was really mad about that.”
“I bet.”
Maddie smiled, the expression eventually fading into confusion. “I don’t understand why you had to keep it a secret, though. A lot of people change jobs and move to a new town. Why didn’t you want anyone to know?”
“I wanted a fresh start, an easier life here than I had in Florida. Money had proven to be a major complicating factor in my life, so when I simplified, I decided I didn’t want anyone to know I had much. Even you. Especially you.”
“Because I was a snob,” she said. “And I’d only be interested in you for the money.”
It was a statement, not a question, so Emmett could only nod. “You were so certain that I was just a blue-collar, borderline criminal. I didn’t want you to know the truth. And when things changed between us . . . I wanted you to want me as the broke, low-key bartender I wanted to be, not for what I had or what I could give you.”
“You could’ve told me. It wouldn’t’ve changed how I felt.”
“I didn’t know. There was always that chance that you would expect me to go back to that kind of work, or push me to sell the bar and do something more respectable. It was easier to just keep
lying than to tell the truth and risk it changing things.”
Maddie nodded. “You know, you probably weren’t that far off. The Maddie who got arrested the last time might’ve thought that way. But this Maddie loves you just the way you are. If you want to swim in gold coins like Scrooge McDuck without spending a cent, while working at a bar, then that’s what you want. And that’s okay.”
Emmett broke into a wide grin. “Would you repeat that one part again?”
“The Scrooge McDuck part?”
“No. The part where you said you love me.”
Maddie looked into his eyes. “I love you, Emmett.”
It was music to his ears. “This isn’t how I expected any of this to go,” he said, thumping the metal bars with his knuckles. “I have flowers for you and everything, but they wouldn’t let me bring my bag in here. It’s certainly not where I thought I’d be when I said this, but I love you, Madelyn. I climbed a hundred feet in the air to tell you and the whole town just how much I love you.”
He leaned into the bars, pressing his face against the cold metal to kiss Maddie. His heart was light in his chest as he tasted the lips he thought he might never kiss again. He slipped his arms through the bars to wrap around her waist and pull her close. The metal was a frustration, allowing them to almost touch each other the way they wanted to.
“I wish Sheriff Todd would hurry up. I want to get you out of here so I can give you your flowers and get us back on track to our special moment.”
“This is a special moment,” Maddie said. “So, I’m in jail, it happens. What’s important is that you’re here to get me out. That’s pretty romantic. The only thing that could beat it is you climbing up that water tower just for me.”
“I climbed down it, too,” he added. “Faster than I wanted to, but when I saw you get arrested, I knew I had to hurry.”
“So romantic,” Maddie said, kissing him again.
“Mr. Sawyer!” Sheriff Todd announced as he came back into the holding area with Emmett’s backpack in his hands.
Emmett untangled himself from the bars and turned to look at the older man who had changed all his plans for the day. “Are you done with the paperwork so I can pay Maddie’s bail? I’d really love for us to get out of here.”
“Uh, yeah, here’s the thing . . .” Sheriff Todd said, fumbling for his keys. “You can pay her bail if you’d like, but you’re not going anywhere right now.”
“Why?”
The sheriff unlocked the cell door and gently shoved Emmett inside with Maddie. “It seems as though someone vandalized the water tower today. Not only did you self-incriminate by writing your name, you brought the evidence of your guilt with you into the police station.” He held up the bag and the cans of spray paint inside made a telltale clinking sound as they collided.
Emmett started laughing. The sheriff looked at him like he was crazy, and he just might be, but he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around Maddie and held her tight without any pesky bars between them. “A small price to pay,” he said, pulling her into the kiss he’d wanted to give her since she told him she loved him. Everything around them faded away as he lost himself in the divine pleasure of holding Maddie in his arms.
“I’ll, uh, just leave you two alone while I finish booking you both,” Sheriff Todd said, disappearing down the hall again.
“I don’t care that I’m in jail,” Maddie said. “As long as you’re with me.”
Emmett looked into her eyes and kissed her again. “Let’s not make a habit of this, though. I think Judge Griffin will be none too pleased to see us in his courtroom again. We’ll probably have to paint the water tower again.”
“That’s okay. I’ll take a picture to commemorate the moment. The bigger question is whether you think you can stand to climb back up there again?”
