Seaglass

by Bridges, Chris

  Madeline checked her watch. It was after 1:00 pm now so the Open House was well underway. The butterflies in her stomach beat wildly. Would she actually sell this condo for enough profit to be able to afford to buy a bigger and better flip? She was putting a lot at risk. If the condo didn’t sell, the carrying costs would eat away at her profit margin. She had just about every cent invested and the thought of failing made her palms sweaty. Suddenly the idea of spending ten dollars for lunch at the café didn’t seem like the best idea. She could hold out until 4:00 pm when the Open House ended and then go home and eat.

  For the time being, the library seemed like a good place to spend a few hours, but Madeline was dismayed to see that it was closed on Sundays. She trotted down the brick steps of the old stately building with absolutely no idea where to go or what to do. She checked her watch again. 1:30. Well, there was always the old movie theater on Broad Street. They showed classic black and white movies in the afternoon for $2.00. Madeline laughed at herself and decided that she could handle the two dollar price tag and might even spring for some popcorn.

  Sinking into the slightly tattered red velvet seat, she felt herself relax. The opening notes of music began to soar from the crackling speakers as she settled in for a showing of It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable. She’d seen the movie before, but today the irony seemed fitting. Ellie, played by the alluring Claudette Colbert, was a spoiled heiress running away from her family.

  Madeline thought about the similarities in her own life. Was she running away? It didn’t feel like running, but starting over. She wasn’t an heiress by any stretch of the imagination, but she’d left a powerful and successful family. While she’d agreed to live by their rules, she’d had material things. A nice home, a nice car, money in her bank account. And of course she’d had the strings that were attached to everything.

  Now, in the darkened theater, she finally let the tears come. She’d learned that her subservience was required in order to keep her lifestyle and that realization had shocked her like cold water to the face. She wasn’t for sale. She didn’t need things to be happy. She’d had things, and she definitely hadn’t been happy.

  Gambling almost all the money she had to her name was terrifying, but, she reminded herself, if she failed, she was still employable. Granted, she still didn’t have a college education, but she could get by. Now wasn’t the time to think about that, though. Her neglected, sad condo was now modern and bright. She’d done her very best and she needed to be positive in her beliefs that Kayla could sell it.

  Madeline walked out of the darkened movie theater into the bright sunlight feeling more optimistic. After all, if Ellie could make a new life for herself, then she certainly could too. Of course it would be helpful if Clark Gable fell into her lap, but that was fantasy. This was reality. She looked down to fish her cell phone out of her purse and almost plowed directly into Knox Barrows.

  “Oh. I’m sorry! I wasn’t looking.”

  He put out his hands and held her by the shoulders. For a moment, she wished she’d ditched the thin cardigan so that she could feel the texture of his hands against her skin. Once she’d steadied herself, he released her immediately.

  She squinted against the bright sunlight into his tanned face. She saw him pull his mouth into a sort of grimace. “I’m sorry.” She mumbled again, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.

  “No problem.”

  “Um, I’d better…” she trailed off and pointed in the direction she was heading.

  “I think Kayla’s looking for you, you know.”

  “What?”

  “I stopped by the Open House. I couldn’t resist checking out the finished arch.” He ducked his head shyly and she felt her heart speed up.

  “Anyway, Kayla said something about you not answering your cell. Now, I know why.” He gestured to the movie marquee.

  “Is everything okay?” Madeline asked.

  “Knox laughed. “Yeah, I think so. Kay was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement, so I assume it’s good news.”

  “Oh.” Madeline answered, flustered. “I’d better go.”

  Knox looked up and down the street behind her. “Where’s your truck?”

  “I walked.”

  “It’s a long walk back.”

  She laughed. “I know. I was just wandering around trying to kill time. I ended up here.”

  Now he smiled. “I’ve done that a time or two, myself.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure. They don’t make movies like this anymore.” He pointed to the black and white movie poster hanging in front of the theater.

  “Wow. I thought guys only liked CGI movies.”

  “I don’t think you’ve met the right guys.” He replied and immediately regretted it. What was he doing? Was he flirting with her? He needed to shut this down immediately, but as soon as the thought came to him, he dismissed it. The truth was, he like her, damn it. He liked talking to her and watching the way the blush crept up her neck. She looked as pretty as a picture today too. Her sable colored hair was pulled back into a smooth ponytail and he found himself fighting the urge to reach out and touch the silky strands.

  Madeline didn’t respond. If he was going to ask her to see a movie with him sometime, she’d say yes, but he’d definitely have to do the asking. She already felt out of his league and the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass herself by inviting him to the movies and then enduring a rejection. She smiled. No, she was still much too fragile for that. For now, she’d just admire from afar the sometimes broody, always handsome carpenter that filled her dreams almost every night.

  “I’d better get going.” She said as she began to walk away.

  “Yeah. Good luck.” He said as he turned and watched her retreating form. He’d almost offered her a ride. Thank god he’d had the presence of mind to remember he didn’t drive anymore before he humiliated himself. No, he didn’t think he could take that conversation right now.

  Knox berated himself as he continued down Broad Street in the opposite direction. He knew he was being ridiculous. She’d find out about him sooner or later. Most everyone knew. It wasn’t a big deal, right? So what, if he didn’t see so well anymore? It’s not like he was totally blind. Knox could feel the beads of sweat forming on his brow. He’d said it. The “b” word. He’d actively avoided speaking it or even thinking about it for months and now it’d popped right into his consciousness. Damn it! The urge to run was overpowering, but he reminded himself that there was no running from this. He couldn’t stop whatever was coming.

  xXx

  “Cheers!” Kayla announced as she clinked her champagne flute to Madeline’s.

  “You did an amazing job.” Madeline offered.

  “Are you kidding? You made the sale a piece of cake. Most clients don’t prep homes the way you do. Despite what buyers say, most everyone wants turn-key. I almost feel guilty taking a commission.” She laughed. “Almost.”

  Now Madeline laughed as she sat back with her new friend in Kayla’s artfully decorated family room. The antique pine flooring gave the room a warm glow set against the white wainscoted walls and chocolate colored sectional sofa. Madeline had been a little tentative when Kayla invited her over to her home to go over the prospective offers, but she assured her that her husband was out with the kids and they’d have the place to themselves for a few hours.

  “Your home is lovely. You have a good eye for decorating.” Madeline commented as she looked around the large, country style home.

  “Thanks.”

  Madeline stood up and wondered over the mantle and began looking at the plethora of photos gathered. “Your kids are so adorable.”

  “I think so, but then again, I’m their mother.” She laughed. “It’s sweet of you to say, though.”

  Madeline moved down the line and came to a stop in front of a picture of younger Knox in an Army uniform. “I did
n’t know your brother was in the Army.”

  Kayla watched her new friend as she held the framed photo of her brother in his Army greens fresh out of boot camp. She could tell this woman liked her brother, but was it for the best? Lord knew Knox had plenty of landmines buried around him, and something told her that Madeline did too.

  “Right out of college.”

  “Was he in the war?”

  Yes, after basic. He was in Iraq for almost three years.”

  “Wow. That must’ve been terrifying. I’m glad he made it home in one piece.”

  Kayla turned sharply to look out the window to hide the swell of emotion. “He didn’t.” She said.

  Madeline turned away from the photo. “What?”

  “He has some brain damage…and some vision loss.” She said softly.

  “Oh.” Madeline responded as she replaced the photo. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “I feel like I’m betraying him by talking to you about this.”

  “You don’t have to—“

  “No, I think…” she took a breath, “I think it’s okay that you know.” She said and watched the blush creep up her friend’s neck.

  “He’s lost a lot of vision in his left eye and the right is…iffy.”

  “Iffy?”

  “I don’t know what the doctors tell him. He doesn’t talk about it, but there is a possibility it could get worse.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Yeah. It’s not an easy thing to live with.”

  Madeline sat down in the matching plaid slipper chair and finished off her champagne. “How does he handle it?”

  “You’ve seen him. That’s about it. He doesn’t talk about it. I don’t think he even thinks about it. He works in his shop and takes it day by day.”

  “But what if—“

  “We don’t go there. He won’t, so we don’t.”

  “Wow.”

  “Listen, I don’t want to bring drama to your big day.” She said as she pulled Madeline up by the wrist and brought her back to the kitchen. “You have three wonderful offers here, so the next part should be easy.”

  Madeline smiled and let Kayla prattle on about the positives and negatives of each offer. Truthfully, she was only half listening as she thought about Knox and what his sister had told her.

  xXx

  The waiting was the hardest part. Her money was still tied up in the condo, but thankfully Kayla had helped her choose a buyer carefully and she chose someone that was willing to pay in cash and close quickly. Now, it was only another week before she could begin seriously looking for new properties to challenge her.

  Madeline drove her old pick-up truck out of town and did a little recon checking out a few prospects that she might consider for her next flip. The profit on the condo was enough to allow her to graduate to the “single family home” category, but still the home had to be affordable with the potential for a bigger resale.

  After scouting out five different locations, she felt fairly certain about an old craftsman style bungalow. It was in a neighborhood of well-tended homes and Madeline could see from the outside alone that this home had gone into disrepair. She made a mental note to speak to Kayla about it. For now, she’d have to bide her time and hope no one else scooped it up in the next week. The house had already been on the market for almost four months, so the odds were in her favor.

  Madeline pulled her rumbling pick-up truck, affectionately nicknamed Rusty by Kayla, in front of the town pharmacy where she’d been renting a studio apartment for the past week. She’d lived in the condo during the renovations, but she’d needed to vacate and decided that maintaining a residence off-site was probably a lot more practical. The little apartment was an expense, but not a big one. She locked up Rusty and headed up the narrow stairwell to the third floor apartment.

  She hadn’t seen Knox since their run-in outside of the movie theater, but she’d thought about him—a lot. The magnitude of the news Kayla had shared with her had scared her at first and she was a little afraid that if she’d seen him soon after, she’d have blurted out something lame or pitying. That was the absolute last thing she wanted. She was attracted to him. That was the simple truth of it. Knowing what she did about his vision problems didn’t change that.

  She opened the fridge to discover she had practically no food unless you counted the jar of mayonnaise and bread that was well on its way to becoming penicillin. She was bone tired and decided instead of heading to the grocery store, she’d treat herself to dinner at the café.

  Madeline tossed the moldy bread into the trash as she grabbed her keys and wallet and headed back downstairs. It was her favorite time of night; day sliding into evening. The deep blue and pink of the sky brought a slightly cool breeze that stirred the stifling humidity. She crossed over Main Street and trotted the few steps to the café.

  Madeline pulled open the door and was dismayed to see the café practically at maximum capacity. She waited for a harried waitress to seat her.

  “It’s just me.” She offered apologetically.

  “There’s space at the counter?” The waitress tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

  “That’s fine.” Madeline smiled as she walked to the counter and sat down in the last seat available.

  “What can I get you, honey?”

  “Oh, um…turkey club and a Dr. Pepper, please.” Madeline answered without opening the menu. She watched the waitress’s pencil stop suddenly.

  “Are you picking up an order?”

  “What? No.” Madeline answered, confused.

  The waitress turned around and grabbed a Styrofoam container off the counter. “I just prepped the same exact order for pick up.” She exclaimed as she laughed to herself. “I’ll get your drink and be right back.”

  Madeline frowned. A turkey club can’t be that uncommon. She swiveled slightly on her barstool as a shadow fell over her. She turned quickly and sucked in a hard breath when she saw Knox Barrows standing behind her.

  “Knox.” She said, embarrassed to hear the breathless quality of her voice.

  “Maddie.” He said as he looked down.

  She felt herself involuntarily smile at his casual use of her new nickname.

  “Are you…do you…” She stammered as she tried to order her thoughts.

  Knox, picking up on her train of thought, quickly said, “I’m just picking up a sandwich. I gotta get back.” He gestured to the door.

  “Oh. This must be yours.” She realized the mystery owner of her exact order was Knox. “Turkey club and Dr. Pepper, right?”

  She watched his lips twitch as he fought a grin. “How’d you guess?”

  “Knox!” The waitress hollered from across the counter. “There’s your sandwich. I’ll be right there with your soda.”

  Knox nodded to the woman and shoved his hands in his pockets.

  “Apparently we ordered the same thing.” Madeline offered, trying desperately to say something.

  “Is that so?”

  She watched as Knox’s mouth pulled up into a rare grin.

  The waitress came rushing back over with two drinks in her hands; one of which was in a to-go container. “Here you go, Knox. Dr. Pepper. And one for you too, young lady.”

  Madeline laughed. “Thanks.”

  “What are the odds, right? Two people ordering the exact same thing. Knox, it’s on your tab.” She said as she rushed back into the kitchen with a backwards wave.

  “Thanks Olive.” He called out as he reached for the bag.

  “I guess you’re a regular around here.”

  Knox laughed. “You might say that.”

  Madeline nodded. “Well, enjoy.” She gestured to his sandwich.

  “Same to you.” He smiled and then turned and left.

  It was only once outside in the cooling air, did he allow himself to fully exhale. He hadn’t even seen her as h
e approached the counter, but that had nothing to do with his eyesight, he told himself. Her back was to him. But then again, once she’d turned, he’d recognized that sable hair, which she currently had tied up in some kind of a bun on top of her head.

  His body had jerked when she’d landed those seaglass eyes of hers on him. He felt—exposed by her. Like she could see inside of him and everything he’d been so carefully trying to hide. Now, as he strode purposefully down Main Street and back to the safety of his home, he wondered how he’d let himself get so jumbled up by a woman. He tripped on the sidewalk as he rounded the corner and almost plowed into his neighbor.

  “Sorry, Mrs. Grandon.”

  “That’s okay, honey. Are you alright?” She asked as she reached out for his arm. “Do you need help?”

  Knox recognized the pitying tone immediately. She was really saying, ‘Are you sure you should be wandering around out here all by yourself?’

  “No, I’m fine, thanks. I’d better go.”

  “Knox, I can help—“

  “It’s okay. Gotta run.” He hurried past her practically jogged the last five hundred feet to the safety of his home. By the time he’d sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen, he’d lost his appetite. Knox flicked on the little TV on the countertop and tried to focus on the Rockies game, but his mind kept wandering. First to Maddie, sitting there on the end of the counter waiting for her food, and then to Mrs. Grandon and her misplaced concern for him. He tripped on the sidewalk. People did it every damn day.

  He tried to eat a bit of the sandwich. He remembered how hungry he’d been as he walked to the café. After a few more bites, he gave up the pretense and snapped off the TV. He pushed back from the bar and went to the one and only place that seemed to comfort him; his woodshop.

  Chapter 3

  It was all hers. And it was totally disgusting. Madeline turned around a full three hundred and sixty degrees and smiled hugely at the grimy wallpaper, broken railing spindles and water-stained ceiling. Of course those weren’t the main source of happiness, no; the reason for her extreme joy was the beautiful, but severely neglected built-in hutch in the dining room. Gorgeous wood lay under many layers of paint and above them were three breathtaking stained glass windows. Or at least, there would be. Currently, there was one original, but broken window, and two plain glass replacements. The craftsman style was one of her favorites and in her mind’s eye; she could picture it in all its glory.