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“Thanks.”
Outlaw, hovering behind her, sneaks past. His nails clatter on the wooden stairs behind us as he trots up. I know that within minutes, he’ll be curled up with Mittens.
Maddison steps past me. I close the door.
She heads for the couch. “How did you know Sylvester’s at the Marriott in Hopkins?”
“How did you know Hana brought over wine?”
“I saw her drive up,” she says, as she drops down onto the overstuffed sofa.
I take a seat beside her. “It was an unexpected visit. I didn’t invite her or anything.”
“The girl knows how to go after a guy. That dress…sheesh. I don’t know why she thought she needed my help.”
“What do you mean, your help?”
“She—okay…don’t be mad, please. She asked me to set up a date with you. She said she’d help me with my legal stuff if I did.”
I feel my brow knit. “Wait…That’swhy you keep pushing this thing?”
“At first. But then… it started to make sense. You and her, I mean. What if she’s actually right for you?”
I rub my hand over my forehead. “Maddison, that’s?—”
“I know. It was wrong. But look, I really,reallyneeded her help and couldn’t afford to pay her. And I thought it was harmless. Even… good, like I said. I’m your friend and I want you to be happy.”
“You don’t know what will make me happy.”
When we lock eyes, that familiar surge of energy wriggles into the space between us.
She holds my gaze. “What if—what if neither of us knows what will make us happy? What if we’re both going after the wrong thing?”
“You mean us.”
“I mean us hooking up.” She rests back on the couch and hugs her knees to her chest. “I keep trying to put it out of my mind and move on, but it’s tough.”
I rest back, too. “Yeah. Tell me about it. I had to work all day. Figuring out heparin doses while thinking about that. Not easy.”
She groans. “The diner has security cameras, you should know. Roxie got to do an I-told-you-so dance. She’s been trying to get me and you together since I first got back to town.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that… she’s playing matchmaker.”
“I know. The worst part is, I taught her everything she knows.”
“So is that where you were tonight? The diner?”
“Yeah. I helped Roxie close up and then we hung out for a while. Mostly, she wanted to know about?—”
“Let me guess. She wanted to know about what’s going on with you and Sylvester.”
“I think she’s addicted to drama. That, and sugar. She’s like a hummingbird, the way she sucks down soda. She has problems.”
I drag in a breath. “So whatishappening with you and Sylvester?”
“He came all the way here to try to persuade me to get back together with him. I know it’s only because he wants my movie. It was tough, talking to him. It—it hurt more than I expected. I guess breakups are never easy.”
It sucks, hearing her talk about him.
