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“Good.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “Are Tess and Nate home?”
“No. Nate hasn’t finished work yet, and Tess just left with her mother.”
“She did? Why?”
I explained the day’s excitement.
“It was a good decision to send Tess away,” Max said. “We can’t let anything happen to her.”
“I know, and Maddy was good about it.” I hesitated, then added, “Actually, it was a bit strange, considering Tess made it sound as though she was quite upset about things.”
He hummed in thought. “Good for her. I think she’s matured a lot since meeting Steve. Either that or….” He trailed off.
“Or what?” I asked when he didn’t finish the sentence.
“No, it’s nothing.” He sounded distracted. “Forget I said anything.”
I frowned. “Or what, Max? I need to know what you meant.”
He sighed, and I could picture him rubbing his temples in frustration. “Look, it was a stupid thought. I just, for a few seconds, wondered if Maddy could be the one behind your recent problems. I know she used to be jealous of you. Maybe she blames you for her failed marriage.”
I laughed in disbelief. “Maddy, jealous of me? Why would she be? She was the one Nate married.”
“Maybe so, but you didn’t see him after you left. He wasn’t the same. He lost his spark. I think she saw that and resented it.”
“Really?” Oddly, I felt sorry for her. I’d always envied her for having what I wanted, but seeing it from her perspective of being with a man who depended emotionally on another woman must have been a challenge. I wouldn’t have handled it well myself, and Maddy had always been more volatile than I was. More like Nate.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t believe it’s Maddy. She’s happy with Steve. Why would she come after me now?”
“I don’t know. Psychology isn’t my forte. Just think on it, okay?”
“I will, but I really think she’s got nothing to do with it.” Maddy might be manipulative and snarky at times, but she wasn’t the type to take such a cold-blooded approach to revenge, was she?
50
NATE
As I was leaving work,frustrated by our lack of success in locating Darrel Weich, my phone rang. I checked the screen and saw it was Max, so I answered.
“Hey, any news?”
“Not exactly.” There was something off in Max’s tone, but I couldn’t quite pick what. “Just a thought I had.”
When he didn’t elaborate, I prompted, “Well? Go on.”
“I talked to Grace—”
“Is she okay?” I interrupted, suddenly worried this call might be more serious than I’d thought.
“Yes, Nate, she’s fine.” He was placating me. “Or at least, as fine as she can be. But she told me about an interesting conversation she had with Maddy when she came to pick up Tess.”
I frowned, unsure of what he was getting at. “Did Maddy upset her?”
“No, the opposite, actually. Well, for the most part.”
A little of the tension in my shoulders eased. “That’s good.” After her comments the other day, I hadn’t been sure how Maddy would react when I called her earlier.
“Yeah,” Max agreed. “But it got me thinking. Maddy is someone who doesn’t tend to let things go, and I think she blames Grace for the breakup of your marriage—at least in part.”
