“Well, now I’m really done.”
Vinny sighed. “Let me be straight with you. I can’t trust just anyone with this shipment. I don’t have many guys in that area, and you’re one of the best anywhere. What will it take to talk you into it? A raise? Every job from here on out will be last night’s rate. You’re worth it.”
“I thought you said I was your only guy out here.”
“Depends on how you define area, really.”
Nate drew in a deep breath. He could get back on his feet without the help of his parents with the kind of money Vinny was offering. It wouldn’t take him long to earn enough for his own place. On the other hand, it would only be a matter of time before he got caught—he’d already nearly gotten himself arrested back in New Mexico.
“What about Al?” Nate asked. “He’s got family out this way, right? He could do it.”
There was a beat of silence on the other end before Vinny spoke. “He’s out of commission.”
“Let me guess. Jail.”
“A temporary setback.”
Nate shook his head. “Vinny, I’m done. You need to lose my number.”
“Al’s stupid, man. You’re not going to get caught.”
“That’s right,” Nate snapped. “Because I’m not delivering anymore packages. I’m serious about losing my number.”
“You’re going to come crawling back. Just you wait. No way you’re going to turn down the new rate. I’m not keeping that offer open forever. You’ll be back.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” Nate ended the call and stared at his screen. He held his finger over the screen for a full minute before blocking Vinny’s number. Nate breathed a sigh of relief and then blocked a few other guys Vinny would send his way. If it weren’t for the fact that he’d given his number to Madisyn, he’d have dropped the phone into the bay. Though he could just write her number down and then dump the phone. No, he wasn’t ready to let it go just yet.
Nate kicked off the blankets and climbed out of bed. Once he had everything he needed, it would be time to eat a big piece of humble pie and head back home.
Nine
Madisyn sat on her bed then kicked her feet up while holding onto the phone and listening to Nate. His voice was soothing—she could listen to him read the phone book and be entranced. But he was talking about the upcoming dance. They’d spoken every day for the last week, and each day, the conversation grew longer than the last.
At first, the gala had been nothing other than one of Mom’s ubiquitous charity events that Madisyn would have to endure, but now she really looked forward to it. With every conversation she had with Nate, she learned more about him. He was far from just a handsome almost-pirate—he was intellectual, kind-hearted, and had a great sense of humor. She couldn’t wait to be in his arms at the dance. To spin around the floor with him, to hear more of his stories. For a change, she would actually enjoy the gala. Despite having grown up going to one formal event after another, she’d always preferred a quiet cafe with friends. Or more accurately for the last few years, to be alone in her room studying.
She laughed at the punchline of Nate’s story. “You really had a pie thrown in your face?”
“You bet. It took me a few days to get all the cream filling out of my ears, but it was worth it to see the kids getting a kick out of it.”
Her heart warmed. How many guys would take a pie in the face just to see some hospitalized kids giggle?
Knock, knock.
The door opened before Madisyn could respond and her mom walked in.
“Can I call you back, Nate?”
“Sure. In a few hours? I have an appointment.”
“Sounds good. Bye.”
“Catch you later.”
Madisyn ended the call and turned to her mom. She hated to end the call so abruptly—she wanted to tell him how much she’d enjoyed the conversation—but she couldn’t say that in front of her mom.
“Still planning on going to the ball with Nate?” Her tone was flat.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Madisyn gave her an inquisitive expression, fighting to keep her annoyance at bay.
Her mom sighed and sat on the bed next to her. “Your dad’s really upset you aren’t going with Reese.”
“You don’t have to keep telling me. I’m well aware. But I’m still going with Nate.”
“Do you see a future with him?” Mom arched a brow.
“Do I need to? Like I told you, I’m not looking for a relationship.” Or was she now? Madisyn shoved that thought aside and waited for her mom’s response.
She and her mom stared each other down. Madisyn wasn’t going to back down. She would do a lot for her parents, but dating someone she didn’t like wasn’t on the list.
“You know, if you marry Reese, you won’t have to work a day in your life. He’ll make sure of that. You won’t have to worry about anything.”
Anger churned in Madisyn’s gut. “Why did I go to college, then? What was the point? To catch a guy? That’s pretty wasteful, especially given how hard I’ve worked the last five years.”
“So you can have the degree and be proud of your accomplishment.”
“I have two degrees, and I didn’t get them to brag. My plan has always been to use them.”
Mom frowned. “What’s wrong with Reese?”
Other than being completely full of himself? “Nothing. I’m sure he’ll make someone very happy.”
“But not you.”
“I just graduated, Mom. I don’t want to think about getting married. I want to enjoy myself and find a job I like, or at least try to do all that.”
“Are you even looking for work?” Mom’s pinched expression showed how much saying the words hurt.
Madisyn nodded. “I’ve been online all week and I’ve even contacted a couple designers Freya told me about. Several leads look promising. I’ve even had a few phone interviews. They’ve all gone well. The options are there, but these things take time.”
Mom didn’t say anything. She just sat there, growing stiffer by the moment. “Dad’s putting a lot of pressure on me about this.”
“Doesn’t the fact that I’m looking for a job make you guys happy? You two were so worried I was going to laze around doing nothing—even though I just finished five years of college. But I haven’t taken any time off, even though I don’t think a week’s vacation is unreasonable. Finals were brutal, and you saw how busy graduation activities kept me. I’m still exhausted from all that, but that hasn’t stopped me from going out with you guys every night after spending every day looking for work.”
“Dad thinks you’re trying to humiliate us—to tarnish the family name.”
Madisyn smacked her forehead. “Seriously? And what do you think?”
“It doesn’t matter. Madisyn, if you marry Reese, you can relax all you want. Think about it. As long as you look pretty and stand by his side in public, he probably won’t care what you do with yourself all day.”
“Stand there and look pretty?” It took all of her self-control not to raise her voice. “You think that’s what I want? To stand at Reese’s side and be his trophy? That hardly sounds fulfilling. What I want is to work! I want a career, Mom. That’s why I went to school.”
“He would be more than happy to pay off your student loans so you can keep busy with social events.”
“Like you.” Madisyn’s pulse drummed in her ears. She was going to have to find a place to live faster than she’d originally thought. Getting away from her parents was growing more critical by the day. That meant she needed to get a job and save up enough to move out as soon as possible. She’d gladly take a tiny apartment with messy roommates over all the drama in the Steele household.
They stared each other down again. It was a battle of the wills, and when it came to this topic, Madisyn refused to give in. She would go to formal events every day of the week if she had to, but there was no way she would entertain the idea of even one date with Reese Rutherford. “I’m sorry
Dad’s pressuring you, but I’m really excited about going with Nate.”
Mom finally rose and straightened her pantsuit. “Your dress just arrived. Come to the fitting room and try it on. We only have a week to get it tailored if it needs any adjustments.”
“Okay. Just give me a minute.”
“Sally is getting everything ready. Hurry up.” She left, leaving the door wide open.
Madisyn gritted her teeth. She’d thought her dad was annoying and pushy when she was growing up, but this was even worse. She was an adult, and yet he thought they could decide who she was going to marry!
Given all the heartache and grief Madisyn had dealt with the last five years, she wasn’t going to add a miserable marriage to that. If any good was to come out of the tragedy, maybe this was it. She would stand up to them about this one point, and she would hold her ground. Nothing might come from her time with Nate, but at least she enjoyed herself when they were together. She would be miserable spending even one evening with Reese and his overinflated ego.
She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the ordeal of trying on the dress she would wear on her date with Nate. It would’ve been nice if she’d had any say in it, but she needed to pick her battles. At least she was going to the gala with who she wanted. She’d be wearing it for him and not Reese.
“Madisyn!” Her mother’s voice drifted down the hall.
She sighed, hating that she constantly felt like a preteen again since coming back home. “Coming!”
Lilly whined and sat next to her.
Madisyn patted her head. “At least I have you. You understand me.”
How sad was it that the only one in the house who got her was the dog? Layne would have, though, if she was there and not in Dallas with her husband. She’d married before Dad could set her up with either of the Rutherford sons. If she could get out of it, so could Madisyn.
Lilly licked her hand, and together they walked to the fitting room. The dress was displayed on a mannequin in the middle of the room. The midnight blue dress with black sequins had a lace scoop neck with matching straps, and the skirt stopped above the knees in front and flowed to the floor in the back.
It was so gorgeous, it took Madisyn’s breath away. Hopefully it would have the same effect on Nate when he saw her in it.
Mom’s expression softened, and she almost smiled. “At least you like it. Now undress so we can see how it fits.”
All of her frustration melted away as she imagined herself in it, dancing the night away with the gorgeous almost-pirate.
Ten
Nate ran his fingers over his now-short hair and studied his reflection in the barber shop’s mirror. It was strange to see his face framed with such a short style. He kind of liked it, though it would definitely take some getting used to.
“It looks really good.” The lady barber smiled, whirled the chair around, and dusted some hair off the cape before reaching around to remove it. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect,” he agreed. Hopefully Madisyn would like it. That was all that mattered.
He followed the barber to the register and paid in cash before heading to the new-to-him silver sedan that he’d bought from a little old lady who couldn’t drive anymore. It was ten years old, but in mint condition—it had probably spent much of its existence in her garage.
Nate opened the trunk and double-checked that he’d packed everything he’d needed. Not that he owned much—there was still plenty of empty space around his belongings. He took a deep breath. There wasn’t anything else left to do before heading back to his parents’ house.
He still hadn’t called to give them a heads-up about his return. Nate wanted to see their faces when he walked through the door. He climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled down the visor to check the mirror. Part of him wanted to go back into the barber shop and take back his hair and somehow reattach it, but he knew that in order to stand a chance at impressing Madisyn’s parents, he needed to be as clean-cut as possible. Not only that, but a shorter cut would help him avoid being asked a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer.
Nate turned up the music and pulled out of the lot, ready to face his parents. Whether they would be happy to see him was yet to be seen. They had every right to be furious with him. Either way, he was ready to apologize and do what it would take to make things right. He couldn’t undo any of his previous choices, but he could at least work to change the future.
He ran into traffic, giving him extra time to think about what he would say. It also gave him more time for his nerves to get the best of him. By the time he entered his old neighborhood, his stomach was a mess of knots and his pulse hammered through his body.
Nate’s knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. The little house he grew up in came into view. Now it was barn-red instead of the pale yellow he was used to. The grass was slightly too-long rather than cut short with pride.
What else had changed so drastically?
His mouth went dry as he pulled into the driveway. Dad’s white Camry was in its usual spot with a few more dings than Nate remembered. Mom’s blue Ford Escort had been upgraded to a faded-gray Subaru.
Nate sucked in some air and held it for a moment. Time to face the music. He’d broken his mom’s heart, and now it was time to make amends, or at least to try. Worst case, he’d grab his old clothes and maybe a few other belongings and leave, never to return.
He climbed out and set the alarm out of habit—he certainly didn’t need to. Nobody would bother anything in Enchantment Bay.
He fumbled with his keys and found the one for the house. But he didn’t need it—the door was unlocked. It squeaked in protest as it opened, and the aromas of spaghetti sauce and garlic greeted him. His mouth watered at the memory of Mom’s cooking.
“Who’s there?” Dad’s voice was gruff.
A wave of nostalgia ran through Nate. He swallowed a lump starting to form in his throat. “It’s me—Nate.”
His mom poked her head out of the kitchen, her eyes wide. Dad spun around in his easy chair, his mouth gaping. They had both gained wrinkles and weight, but aside from that, they looked exactly the same as they had years earlier. Heaviness pressed on Nate’s chest as he realized how much he’d missed in the last eight years.
He hurried over to his dad and embraced him, squeezing tightly. Mom ran over and wrapped her arms around both of them. “You’re still alive!”
Guilt stung at him. Had they really thought he might have been killed? “I’m fine, Mom. I’m sorry I haven’t called or visited.”
Her tears dampened his neck. After a few minutes, they both stepped back and looked him over.
“Where have you been?” Mom wiped her eyes, smearing makeup on the back of her hand.
“You had your mother worried sick.” Dad frowned, his brows furrowing.
Nate looked down at his ratty shoes. “I know. I’m sorry.”
“Where have you been?” Mom repeated.
He looked up at her. “New Mexico, mostly.”
“New Mexico?” Dad exclaimed.
“Doing what?” Mom asked.
Nate hesitated, sure that she didn’t want to know. “This and that.”
She sniffled. “Well, wash up. Dinner’s almost ready. I hope I made enough.”
“You always make enough for four,” Dad said. “Even though it’s always just the two of us.”
“And it finally paid off, didn’t it?” She reached over and gave Nate’s arm a gentle squeeze before heading into the kitchen.
Nate turned to his dad. “I need to tell you—”
He folded his arms. “You heard your mother. Wash up.”
Dinner went by in a blur. Nate scarfed down enough food for two people while Mom asked him a million questions that he answered as truthfully as he could without admitting to being a knowing participant in criminal activity. Even though he’d been on his own for so long, he still wanted their approval.
After the meal,
she got teary again, so Nate offered to clean up the kitchen. His parents whispered to each other in the next room, about him no doubt. Once Nate had the kitchen sparkling, he found them both settled in separate recliners, watching a detective show.
“I’m going outside for air.” He kissed his mom on the cheek before going out. Dad’s stare bore into Nate’s back as he made his way to the front porch. He sat on the swing and studied some colorful flowers along the side of the house.
Though it was beyond strange being back home, the whole ordeal had gone much better than he’d feared. Mom had kept herself composed, and Dad hadn’t raised his voice.
A train whistle sounded in the distance. Nate relaxed a little, feeling at home for the first time in years.
Eleven
Nate closed his eyes as he swung on the porch and listened to frogs singing in the distance. The detective show sounded quietly through an open window off to the side. His mind wandered to the upcoming dance. He hadn’t dared to ask if his parents had saved his stuff, so he had no idea if his suit actually still hung in the closet of his old bedroom. If they’d gotten rid of everything, at least he had a week to figure out what to do. Worst case scenario, he could borrow one. From who, though? That was a good question. Hopefully he hadn’t burned too many bridges by staying away from town all those years.
“Nate?” came a familiar feminine voice from the street.
He opened an eye. Madisyn stood at the edge of the driveway wearing yellow floral shorts and a white lace top. He scrambled to sit up. What was she doing in his neighborhood? “Madisyn, hi.”
She strolled up to the porch. “I didn’t know if you were staying with your parents or on the boat, but I hoped I might see you.”
“It’s nice to see you. I’m actually just visiting.”
“So, you’re staying on the boat?” She smiled sweetly. “Mind if I sit?”
“Or we could go for a walk. I wouldn’t mind stretching my legs.” No sense in having his parents overhear their conversation.
Bayside Opposites Page 4
