Meeting Mrs Garret

by Raquel De Leon

  “What’s this called, anyway?”

  It took Maddie a few seconds to respond. She’d forgotten how much she loved to waltz, and Natalie was an excellent partner. “Tales From the Vienna Woods,” she finally said, “by Johann Strauss.”

  Natalie nodded and smiled, seeming content to let the music fill the room.

  Maddie closed her eyes and tried to harder to remember the last time she’d danced this way. Try as she might, only vague physical memories flickered and faded. She knew the shape of Adam, how much further she had to reach up to grasp his shoulder. She could recall the soft wafts of his soap, different from the faintly sweet scent to Natalie. Natalie’s hands were smaller and softer than Adam’s, though just as sure.

  A ghost of fabric flowed around her legs. She’d been in a dress, then, unlike now. With a pang, she wished she wasn’t in jeans. The music and everything else was so perfect…

  “The song is over, Maddie,” came Natalie’s gentle voice an indeterminate amount of time later.

  Maddie opened her eyes. There was a tautness in her chest as her eyes connected with Natalie’s. She forced a smile on her face and dropped her hands. “So it has. I should probably get back to cleaning.”

  Natalie stared a beat longer. “Then, for a change let me make lunch.”

  “Already feeling confident with my lessons, are we?” Maddie said as she turned to find her duster, tucking some loose hair behind an ear.

  “I’m a quick study.”

  I can’t argue with that, Maddie thought.

  “Besides,” Natalie continued, “I’m just doing sandwiches. I could handle those before.”

  Duster in hand, Maddie twisted to shoot her a smile. “I like—”

  “I know what you like, Maddie.”

  Maddie gripped the duster tighter. “Is that so?”

  Natalie shrugged. “I’ve known you a while now. I pay attention.”

  “Alright,” Maddie said in lieu of something better to say. “Let me know when it’s ready.” As Maddie was about to resume her cleaning she added, “and please make something for Brittney, too.”

  “On it,” Natalie said with a wink. She continued on in the direction of the kitchen without further delay.

  Maddie shook herself and got back to work. It had been a while since she’d eaten, which explained her dreamy lack of focus.

  *****

  Safely in the kitchen, Natalie sat down at the table and covered her face with both hands. Maddie was—dancing with Maddie was the most wonderful, terrible thing she’d ever done.

  Maddie’s smile had been constant, and the graceful way she’d moved along to the music had kept Natalie spellbound.

  Really, it had been Natalie’s fault from the beginning. She’d allowed herself to be caught staring.

  “Should have said no,” she mumbled to herself without meaning it. There’s no way she could have resisted Maddie when Maddie had so very clearly wanted to dance. Maddie was simply too beguiling, even in jeans and a simple fitted button-up.

  A few locks of hair had fallen forward to partially cover Maddie’s face partway through the song. It had taken every ounce of Natalie’s willpower not to push it back.

  Boundaries, she’d reminded herself. Her saving grace had been the measured gap between their bodies, though that had been distracting in its own way, too.

  She allowed herself another minute of freaking out before standing back up. Lunch, she’d told Maddie. It had been as good of an excuse as any.

  Her face heated when she remembered what else she’d said. It was getting worse, her inability to keep herself from saying suggestive things.

  Maddie was just so beautiful. And sweet. And kind. And funny…

  Natalie pinched herself. Lunch. It was time to make lunch, not dwell on her own stupidity.

  She really did need to rein in her comments, however. The last thing she wanted or needed was to make Maddie uncomfortable. Maybe she should find a date when she was back home. Her break had gone on long enough, if her inability to control herself was anything to go by.

  For the next several minutes she distracted herself with gathering the sandwich ingredients, then assembling three and depositing them onto plates.

  As she set them down at the kitchen table, she sighed. Dating for the sake of dating wouldn’t work, not with the way she was wired. She’d fallen into the relationships she’d had by accident, using her natural charm after feelings had already developed.

  Her attraction to Maddie was becoming dangerous. The least she could do was take it easy with her Sage Falls visits. No more waltzing.

  With a final sigh, she left to collect Brittney and Maddie for lunch. If Brittney argued, Natalie would use every trick she could think of. Being alone with Maddie again wasn’t a good idea, not for a while.

  “If ever,” she muttered.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After a full night of snow the house, garage, and surrounding area were almost completely unrecognizable. As the sun rose, the temperature had been constant enough to keep the soft powder from melting or becoming dangerous ice. Luckily, Sage Falls was no stranger to snow and set aside plenty of funds to keep the roads clear.

  Maddie waved at the departing sheriff, quickly curling her hand back around her mug of coffee and its warmth. Grady had wanted to make sure the snow plow had gotten out to the Garret abode, and Maddie had refilled his travel thermos with fresh coffee in appreciation.

  He smiled at her through the windshield of his car, one hand rising in a final wave.

  Though he and Adam didn’t see eye to eye, Maddie had nothing but good memories of her longtime friend. The couple of years they’d dated had been nice, but hadn’t survived her relocation to attend college. There were no hard feelings on either side and for that, she was grateful.

  Despite the white puffs of air that accompanied every exhale, she lingered. She’d borrowed one of Adam’s heavy, long coats to protect her body from the chill.

  The first several months after buying the majority share of the clinic, Maddie had often felt lonely. Now and then the feeling still hit; though, for the most part, she’d learned to be alone.

  On another day, Adam’s familiar scent might have sent her into maudlin thoughts. Instead, she smiled at the snow-covered lumps of both her and Brittney’s cars. Natalie had tentatively asked if she could store her El Camino in the garage when they’d caught word of the impending snow, and Maddie had been happy to oblige.

  Though she was hardly an expert, she understood the need for a certain level of delicacy with the older vehicle. The smile Natalie had given her had been worth the concession alone, she silently admitted to herself.

  Natalie had been an excellent house guest, volunteering to look at small annoyances around the house that Adam never seemed to have time to get around to anymore.

  Her smile dimmed when she thought of her husband again. He’d only been home for a single day in the last week, and his absence was beginning to worry her more than she’d admit out loud.

  Adam had always been a workaholic, but his new schedule had left Maddie feeling like just another stop on his trips. She’d wanted to talk about it to him in person, but the one day he’d been home she hadn’t had the heart to interrupt his time with Brittney.

  The days without him home had continued to slip away. She’d done enough waiting, and she refused to hash things out during Christmas. There was no way she’d disrupt the holiday for Brittney. It was Natalie’s last day in town and Adam would be back the following day for Christmas Eve.

  In a few moments, she would call Adam. She closed her eyes and let the stillness and silence of morning sooth her. She had time, having arranged with Sharad to go into the clinic a little later.

  She set her mug down on one of the side tables and reached out to check one of the wicker chairs. It felt dry, and she was glad that Natalie had reminded her to bring the cushions in before bad weather hit.

  The chairs were comfortable even without the extra paddi
ng, and so she sat down to fumble around in the over-large pockets. She mentally calculated the time difference where Adam was staying and nodded to herself. He should be on or near his lunch break.

  The phone was warm against her chilled cheek, she noted absently as she waited for the call to connect.

  “Maddie, hey,” Adam said as soon as he answered the call.

  She breathed a happy sigh, glad to have reached him on the first attempt. “Hey, honey. Is it a good time to talk?”

  “Your timing is perfect since we decided to cut out a bit early today.” There was a false cheerfulness to his voice that made her frown.

  “Does that mean you’ll be able to fly back sooner?”

  There was a silence that seemed to last an eternity, making her stomach sink. “Adam, what’s going on?”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “It looks like I’m going to be stuck here until after Christmas.”

  “What?! You can’t miss Christmas, we never miss Christmas, Adam. We both agreed on that when we had Brittney.”

  “I know, I’m so sorry, Maddie.” Adam sounded exhausted, and Maddie focused on evening out her breathing to calm down. He didn’t sound happy about it, and yelling at him would do no good.

  “Adam, this is exactly what I was going to call about. What’s going on with you? You’re hardly ever home. Missing Christmas is big.” Maddie was careful to keep her tone neutral, though a trickle of her frustration leaked through.

  “It’s-I,” Adam began, only to fall silent. “I’m scared.”

  Maddie shut her eyes and shook her head. “What are you scared of?” she quietly asked.

  “Maddie, you know the only thing we seem to be able to hold a conversation about anymore is Brittney? With Brittney out of the house, the place is just too damn quiet. We don’t,” he paused and his voice thickened. “It seems like there’s nothing left of us except Brittney. That terrifies me. I’ve been with you so long that I don’t know how to be without you.”

  Her lips parted in surprise, emotion catching in her throat. “Adam, honey, leaving doesn’t fix that. It makes it worse.”

  “I don’t think so,” he insisted in a hoarse voice. “At least when I’m out here I can pretend like everything’s alright.”

  She leaned back in her chair and stared at the grey sky, contemplating Adam’s words. “Well honey, we can’t figure out a way to fix things if you’re always gone.”

  “I know,” he admitted grudgingly, “but what if we can’t fix it?”

  “Then we still share a daughter that we both love more than anything. We still love each other too, and I know that’s a fact. We’ll figure something out.” Maddie meant every word. Adam was her rock, and she was his.

  Again there was a lull in the conversation, but she could almost feel Adam’s relief emanating down the line.

  “I really am sorry about Christmas. I never wanted to miss it, but this project has been hit with so many delays. I’m so glad you called, Maddie.”

  The worry that had been on the edge of her mind for weeks eased—until she remembered one important thing. “You have to tell Brittney, honey.”

  Adam’s laugh sounded uncomfortable. “I know. I’ll give her a call in another hour. I’m sure she’s still sleeping.”

  “She is.” Maddie wondered if he could hear her smile. “I’ll let you get back to worrying about your project. I love you, honey.”

  “I love you, Maddie. I’ll call tomorrow and Christmas day, alright?”

  “Alright. Talk to you then.”

  He agreed and the call ended, but it took her a minute to recognize that, again, all was still and silent. She pulled the darkened phone away from her face and tucked it back into a pocket.

  Unbidden, her eyes began to sting. It was just like Adam to struggle on his own with such a large concern. She’d tried to break him of the habit over the years, but a stern Texan father had ingrained the thought that ‘real men’ sorted out their own issues.

  Yet again she regretted not getting to meet the man before his untimely demise. Over the years, she’d often had the urge to give him a piece of her mind.

  She had to bite her lip to keep her emotions in check. It hurt her to think of her husband struggling for who knew how long. When the first tear escaped, she hurriedly wiped it away.

  *****

  Natalie stretched and yawned, twisting her head and groaning when something popped into place. She didn’t enjoy waking up early when she really didn’t have to, but she was hoping to get a little more work in on the G-47s before having to leave Sage Falls.

  The time with Maddie and Brittney had been idyllic—but especially with Maddie. Maybe it was for the best that it was Natalie’s last day with the Garrets. With a grunt, she forced herself up and into action.

  Ten minutes later she’d gone through her morning routine and pulled her hair back into a fresh, neat tail. Another yawn escaped her as she stepped out of the bathroom, almost immediately distracted by the smell of coffee lingering in the air. The gentle twinkling of the tasteful white Christmas lights adorning the hallway made her smile widen; someone was awake.

  Considering that Brittney had been sleeping in until ten every day, Natalie already knew who that someone was. She made a beeline for the kitchen, intent on a cup of coffee and secretly hoping to find Maddie reading in the breakfast nook.

  Mild disappointment hit her when she discovered the kitchen empty, but she shrugged and moved about to prepare her morning dose of caffeine.

  Maddie might have been called in to work despite the fact she wasn’t due in until later, or perhaps she was enjoying her cup out on the porch. Natalie would know soon enough.

  She hummed to herself as she sipped her coffee and wandered toward the front door. The house was completely quiet, so she doubted Maddie was still indoors. A quick stop had her coat on, and then her hand was on the knob.

  The door opened with barely a sound, and still, Maddie turned to it in surprise. Natalie immediately frowned. It looked like Maddie had been crying, her eyes red-rimmed and slightly swollen. Her normally pale cheeks were also flushed from the cold.

  “Hey,” Natalie said softly, concern marring her features. “Is everything alright?”

  Maddie put on a smile, but Natalie could tell it was forced. She wouldn’t look Natalie in the eye.

  “Everything’s fine,” Maddie said, the second word coming out breathy and soft.

  Natalie didn’t hesitate to take a seat on the edge of Maddie’s chaise lounge. She set her cup of coffee down next to Maddie’s. One of her hands found Maddie’s arm, delicately gripping the crook of her elbow and rubbing lightly with her thumb.

  The gesture probably couldn’t be felt through the thick coat, but she hoped it still provided a modicum of comfort. She watched Maddie’s face carefully.

  “You can tell me, Maddie,” she gently insisted as she watched Maddie’s face.

  Maddie slowly inhaled. “Adam won’t be home for Christmas,” she admitted in a husky voice. “I’m just upset for Brittney.”

  The concern on Natalie’s face shifted into a frown, her head angling as she studied Maddie. There was more to it, but she wouldn’t press the issue. “Do you want me to tell Brittney?”

  Maddie finally focused on Natalie, a small, trembling smile blossoming on her face. “No, that’s alright. Adam is going to call her himself in a while.” She sighed and looked away again. “It’s the least he could do.”

  Natalie shifted back and pulled her arm onto her lap, staring down at her own nervously fidgeting hands. She cleared her throat after a moment. “I know it won’t make up for anything, but…” her voice trailed off, and she pursed her lips. She took a deep breath and looked into Maddie’s eyes. “You and Brittney are more than welcome to join me and my family for Christmas.”

  Maddie’s surprise was evident in her slightly widened eyes and raised eyebrows. Then her wistful smile returned. “That’s very sweet of you honey, but we couldn’t possibly impose.”

&nbs
p; “It’s no imposition. If I didn’t want you guys there, I wouldn’t have offered.” Natalie paused and made a show of looking thoughtful. “Besides, didn’t you tell me you wanted to meet my family?”

  “You can ask Brittney after Adam’s spoken to her.” Maddie angled her head, her loose hair swaying with the movement. For a long heartbeat, her eyes searched Natalie’s. “Thank you, Natalie.”

  Something coiled tightly in Natalie’s chest at that look, prompting her to stand. She tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “No problem. Well, I’m going to go work on the G-47s for a bit. I’ll be back for lunch in a while and I’ll ask Brittney then.”

  “Of course.” Maddie rolled her lips together. “I’m making grilled cheese and tomato soup today.”

  Natalie tugged at the hem of her coat and directed a smile at Maddie. “Perfect.” She internally shook herself and offered the seated woman a quick wave, then retreating in the direction of the garage.

  Maddie silently watched her go, reaching for her cup of coffee and sipping from it. She blinked and glanced down.

  She could swear she’d added a dash of cream—oh. She’d picked up Natalie’s cup by accident. The mugs were identical, it was a simple mistake. Absently, she ran a fingertip around the smooth lip. She shook her head and gathered both cups, stopping briefly by the garage to give Natalie her black coffee before returning inside.

  *****

  Natalie internally chastised herself for the first thirty minutes as she got back to work. She’d been doing so well at keeping a tight rein on her feelings around Maddie. The attraction was manageable. Okay, mostly. Right?

  But that moment on the front porch with Maddie had felt a lot more dangerous than just a mild crush or an uncontrollable attraction. She hadn’t seen Maddie that vulnerable before, and everything in Natalie’s being was screaming at her to go sweep Maddie up into a hug and not let go.

  She loved the way Maddie’s eyes crinkled when she was about to say something clever, and the way her lips twitched and pursed when she was trying not to laugh at something.

  She loved that Maddie could sit dry-eyed through any number of award-winning dramas, yet couldn’t hold back tears during Disney movies when there was a touching family moment.