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Joelle did the same, and they shook pinkies, his daughter’s answering smile a welcome relief. The bond Joelle had made with Madison was proof his daughter could love again. It would seem the real problem lay within him. Trusting in life and love. Again. That was what he needed to move forward. For Joelle’s sake, he would do all those things he’d just promised…and he would do them with his daughter.
“Go back to sleep, sweetheart,” he said, kissing Joelle on the forehead and tucking the blankets all around her.
“Night, Daddy. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Caleb left the door open a little further this time, just in case his daughter had another bad dream. He had a lot to think about, but first, he needed to call Tommy. The two of them had a long talk after his Uncle Bill left the store, and it was then Caleb learned just how much responsibility Tommy could handle. And needed. The kid had been taking care of his family after his father left. The stress of it all had poor Tommy in a chokehold, his fear of doing something wrong and getting fired in overload. Far from it, it was time Tommy had a promotion and started running the store whenever duty called Caleb home.
Like tomorrow. It was time to honor his first promise to Joelle and take her for a ride on Star.
And if Madison didn’t get the job, he’d be right here, waiting to try and win her heart again. He’d been blessed with the love of two magnificent women, and he’d be a fool to let Madison go if there was any chance they could make a relationship work.
Chapter Seventeen
Madison’snerveswereonedge, her stomach tight with trepidation. Today was the day of her interview. The sun shone brightly, but it certainly wasn’t a reflection of her mixed feelings about what the day would bring. The flight to California wouldn’t take long, and her interview was set for four o’clock. It would be a long day, but with any luck, she’d be back in Dover before the end of the day. And if things went as well as she expected, her time back home was nearing an end.
By working as a junior designer, she could afford more necessities, such as a better car. With over two hundred thousand miles, it was time to let Old Nellie go. The thought of leaving Dover was like hitting the repeat button on her life. When she was eighteen, her reasons for moving away had been different. Although perhaps not so different or so it would seem. Both times she went looking for a job to make her happy, and both times Caleb seemed to be in the picture…or more to the point…in it, but not with her.
Her mother stood at her bedroom door. “All packed and ready to go?”
Madison nodded, zipping her small carry-on bag closed. “I am. Just nervous about what the day will bring and contemplating what the change will mean.”
“You’ll be fine, dear. It would be nice to keep you here, but I understand your need to do this, and I’m behind you one hundred percent. And I love the dress you’re wearing. Talk about chic…and it’s your design.” Her mother ran a hand down the sleeve of the emerald silky fabric, holding up the extra folds of light chiffon to look it over. “They won’t want to miss out on your talent. And to think you designed that right here at our kitchen table.”
“Thanks, Mom. You’ve always been my number one fan.”
“Honey, you earned my approval. It didn’t just come because you’re my daughter.” Her mother hugged her.
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” Madison picked up her travel bag and made her way down the hall and out of the house. With her head held high, she slid into her car, ready for the challenge. This was something she deserved after years of hard work and dedication.
Old Nellie started right up, and Madison shifted into reverse to back out of the driveway. She turned on some country music and was soon tapping out the beat on the steering wheel. If she didn’t think about what she would leave behind, there was less chance she would get tripped up by her emotions.Focus on the endgame.
Madison flipped on her blinker and turned onto the entrance ramp to the interstate. After doing a head check for traffic, she accelerated to get up to speed and merge onto the highway. Nellie sputtered and surged forward, but then sputtered again. She checked her fuel level. All good. No engine lights. Nothing wrong that she could tell.Not again. “Not now, old girl. We’ve got places to go. People to meet.” Madison tried to speed up again, but this time the car shut off, much like before. “You’ve got to be kidding me?” What was the point in paying to have the car fixed if it didn’t get fixed?
A car blew past and blasted its horn.
“It’s not like I chose to stall out in the right lane, mister,” she said, her frustration mounting. Madison flipped on the flashers as she tried to figure out what to do. There was no way she could push the car off the road. And unlike last time, she wasn’t sitting at an intersection close to home.
She tried to start the car one more time, hoping whatever was wrong would clear itself up. Nothing. Madison tried to remember the rules about situations like this. After checking for traffic, she exited the car, raised the hood, and moved to the side of the road for safety.
Pulling up the map on her phone, she searched for the towing companies near her. She called the one closest to her location, which turned out to be the small town of Norwich. After a short discussion with the mechanic, she was relieved they had agreed to transport Nellie back to Dover. It would cost extra, but the alternative was just as problematic.
The only problem was that they required her to be there to sign for the release, and she was on a tight schedule to get to the airport. The guy promised her he would be there within fifteen minutes and it would still work if she called for a shared ride driver to pick her up. Barely.
Madison sat down in the grass to wait. A few people slowed or stopped to ask if she needed help, but eventually continued their way once she let them know everything was under control. Fifteen minutes came and went. And by the time fifteen minutes had turned into thirty, Madison was worried. She would never make the flight at this rate, considering she still needed a ride to the airport.
Suddenly she felt an odd wet sensation beneath her. Jumping to her feet, Madison realized the ground was still damp from the recent rain and now it had soaked through her designer dress. She twisted the material around to the front and checked the damage. A dirty wet stain added insult to the problem she was already dealing with. “Why me, Lord?” Madison asked, with a shake of her head.
Decision made, Madison fired off an email to the human resources manager at Sun Glow Fashions, letting them know she would miss her flight and was forced to cancel the interview. She fully expected they would move on and find someone else, but it couldn’t be helped. At least this way if they wanted to reschedule…they could.
Chapter Eighteen
Caleblookedupfromthe register when the overhead bell jingled, and a customer walked in. He moved to greet the older woman since Tommy was on a lunch break. “Good morning, Mrs. Stanton. Nice to see you again.”
The older woman shook her head. “Normally you wouldn’t see me on back-to-back days, but I forgot the wax I needed for my project. There’s always something I’m forgetting, or so it seems.” The tone of her voice conveyed a deep concern for the issue, but as people got older, it happened far more than they liked.
He smiled, trying to lighten her bad mood. “That just means I get to see you more. At least you don’t live far from here.”
