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“I suppose it might,” I say neutrally.
“It’s fine if it doesn’t,” she replies. “I didn’t mean to push.”
We sit in silence for a while. I watch the city drift by, and then I ask a question I probably shouldn’t, but I have to be sure, especially after Maddie told me she’s a virgin.
“Will Maddie’s boyfriend mind her hanging out with me during the investigation?”
“Boyfriend,” Veronica repeats, shaking her head. “No, Maddie doesn’t reallydoboyfriends. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s my fault.”
She shuts her mouth quickly after saying this as if she thinks she’s gone too far. It’s the fear I must instill within her, just by being me, absentminded and cold.
“Your fault?” I prompt.
“This isn’t work-related at all.”
“Still, I’m interested.”
“Her father left before she was born. I’ve often told Maddie not to trust men, but I wonder if I’ve beentooforceful and scared her away from the idea of romance. But lately…”
She risks a look at me, a smile flitting across her lips.
“Lately, I’m wondering if I had it all wrong. If I was branding all men the same becauseoneman hurt me so badly.”
Uh, oh. She’s looking at me like she’s implyingI’mthe man who’s brought on this change of mind, which is the last thing I want, obviously.
“Have you told her this?” I ask.
“No, but I will. I don’t want her to be alone forever.”
“She’s young. I’m sure there’s no reason to worry.”
“I want her to find a nice boy, somebody who’d never hurt her, who won’t run out. I want her to be happy.”
Anice boy… That implies, well, anybody but me. In no terms could I be described as a boy.
“I’m sure she’ll find someone,” I say quietly.
“I know she will. She just needs to be more confident. She’s got so much to offer. She’s smart, funny, ambitious, andbrave. She’s the best daughter I could’ve ever asked for.”
Veronica looks at me intently again.
“I just wish I had some help, you know, taking care of her…”
It’s like she’s implyingIwould help, as if Veronica and I are going to get together and support Madison. The thought guides my gaze back to the street.
Madison is mine, despite the age gap, despite this new complication with her mom. She only belongs to me, not somenice boy, nobody else. Onlyme, forever.
“I’ve been thinking about myself, too,” Veronica says. “About all the years I wasted hating all men. I’m done with that. I can’t let the past rule me.”
“That’s smart,” I tell her, a pit opening in my stomach. Is this another hint?
“I’d date if I had anything decent to wear.”
She laughs shakily. I stare stubbornly outside the window.
A few minutes later, my phone vibrates. It’s the editor who buried the dog-theft story, a woman by the name of Clarissa Garcia. She doesn’t want to meet in private, apparently. She wants to meet in public.
“If we have to do this, I don’t want anything underhanded about it. It’s public or nothing.”
