The Contest

by Dawn L. Chiletz

  He finished eating and decided he needed a hot shower. He turned off the lights, grabbed Madi’s note and walked to his room. There was no sound coming from Madi’s door so she had probably gone to bed. He stood there for a minute and ran his hands through his hair. He wished he could ask her how her first day had gone, aside from her boss being his typical selfish shit. Ang was driving her tomorrow? He wasn’t sure he wanted that but it was too late to call Ang and tell her to forget it. He would just have to wait and see her tomorrow. Murphy followed him into the room and he closed his door, watching Madi’s until he could no longer see it. He wasn’t sure why, but he wished she would have come out. He felt himself starting to miss her.

  Chapter 21

  Madi

  Madi had set her alarm for 6 a.m. Ang had said she would be there to get her at 7:30. Yesterday had been an interesting day, although quite overwhelming. Ang had been a wonderful and patient teacher. The whole day, Madi had thought about what she would say to Jake when she saw him. She’d tried to apologize at lunch but he wanted nothing to do with her. She really had made a mess of things. After eating her lunch, she pulled out the contact list and decided to call Gina.

  She explained to her what had happened and Gina thought it was hilarious. Madi apologized for being so rude and explained that she had no right to act the way she did. Gina was very understanding and told her that her brother could be pig headed at times. They really hit it off. Madi couldn’t believe that Gina seemed to be as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. She kind of reminded her of Kendra. When Madi offered to take her to lunch sometime, Gina jumped all over it. She said she was excited to have a new friend.

  The rest of the day went by quickly as long as Madi was working and not thinking. After Jake had called Ang, Ang knew something was up. She had said, “What happened between you two? He’s been moping the whole day and you haven’t been your usual bright and cheery self. At first I chalked it up to way too much info on the first day, but after he avoided you at lunch and said he didn’t want to take you home, I figured something was up.”

  “He doesn’t want to take me home?” Madi asked sadly.

  “Er, well that’s not exactly what he said. He said he was going to be here for a while and asked if I could drive you.”

  Madi put her head down and sighed heavily. Ang stared at her for a moment, told her to grab her purse, and said they’d talk in the car. They’d left right away after walking Murphy. In the car, Madi spilled the whole awkward situation to Ang. Ang was laughing the entire time and Madi’s mood brightened. Madi started to find herself laughing about it too. Ang had told her not to worry. She’d said that she had noticed a change in Jake since he had met her. It made Madi smile but she was determined to keep her relationship with Jake completely professional from then on out. Madi had asked Ang if she knew if there was a grocery store within walking distance of Jake’s building. When Madi explained that Jake’s fridge was barren and that she thought she’d get him some groceries, Ang had thought it was a fantastic idea. Madi and Ang had a blast walking through the store, planning meals, and talking. Ang told Madi all of Jake’s favorite foods along with a few frightening stories about the things she had found growing in his fridge.

  Ang had helped Madi bring everything in before she hugged her and told her to keep her chin up. She told Madi that sulking and over-apologizing wouldn’t win her any points. “Just say you’re sorry and move forward.”

  After Ang left, Madi considered everything and took it to heart. She didn’t think Jake had eaten more than a sandwich; she’d been watching him the whole day. Madi decided to make him dinner. Her mom had taught her how to make a few dishes and Madi loved to cook. Jake’s kitchen was a dream. After she ate her own meal and cleaned up, she wrote him a note.

  Madi had gone to her room and closed her door when she felt her emotions kicking in, so she called Kendra. She was extremely happy to hear Kendra’s voice, but she didn’t unload on her. She didn’t want Kendra to worry. She made everything seem like it was going well and Kendra was having such a good time in Mexico that she bought the whole thing. Madi had heard Jake come in. She ended her call with Kendra and switched off the light. In her heart, she missed him, but she fought the urge to run out and talk to him. She remembered what Ang had said and she planned on acting like nothing had happened the next day. She closed her eyes and only let one tear escape before she closed the door on the day.

  Madi had spent yesterday almost entirely behind a desk and Ang had said it would be more of the same for the next couple of days, so Madi decided to dress up a bit. She wore a navy blue skirt that went to her calves and had a long slit up the side. She paired it with a navy blue silk blouse with tiny white polka dots and navy blue pumps. Instead of straightening her hair, she curled it in ringlets and wore her glasses instead of contacts. It was a new day and Madi was determined to start over.

  Madi was extremely quiet when she left Jake’s place. She knew he was exhausted and she didn’t want to wake him or Murphy. When she got in the car Ang whistled at her. “I approve, Madi, I approve.” Then she laughed. “I know it’s not the goal, but I can tell you from experience that Jake’s head is going to turn.”

  Madi laughed, “It is definitely not the goal. From now on, everything I do, I do for myself.”

  “That’s right, lady. We girls have to stick together. I love Jake like a son, but I have two more of those already. You, my dear, are the daughter I never had and I have your back. Don’t tell Jake, though.”

  Madi and Ang laughed and high-fived.

  Jake

  Jake woke up at 10 a.m. to the smell of coffee and thought maybe Madi had stayed behind. Instead, he found the coffee pot on a timer and felt a hint of disappointment.

  He showered and dressed quickly, sporting a five o’clock shadow that was starting to look more like a beard. He put in his contacts, noting his eyes might have been too tired for them. Murphy stayed home for the day and Jake made the quiet drive to the arena alone.

  He walked in the building and had to force himself not to look in Madi’s direction. He didn’t want to seem too eager. He saw Caleb and checked in with him first before taking the walk to say good afternoon to Madi and Ang.

  Jake was walking toward them when he saw a couple of the stage guys looking in Madi’s direction and pointing. Jake followed their line of vision toward Madi and stopped in his tracks. He could see a long, shapely leg, which progressed to a bare thigh revealed by a slit in her skirt. The light reflected off her blouse and Jake recognized it as silk. But was that her? He didn’t recognize the hair at all. Jake slowly inched his way closer. Madi bounded out of her seat and almost ran into him. He had to grab her to keep her from falling. Her hair was curled and she was wearing glasses that made her look sexy and smart.

  “Oops, I’m so sorry. Good morning!”

  “Don’t you mean afternoon?” he asked.

  “Is it afternoon already? Oh shoot! Ang, I’ll be right back okay?”

  Ang nodded and waved in her direction. “Be right back.” She smiled and tapped Jake on the shoulder before hurrying away. Jake watched her and noted the way the skirt accentuated her curves and behind. He didn’t realize he was staring until Ang cleared her throat.

  “She looks nice today, huh?”

  “I didn’t know she wore glasses.”

  “Something tells me there are a lot of things you don’t know about her.”

  “Where is she going in such a hurry?” he asked.

  “She promised Curtis from engineering she’d help him write a letter to his insurance company before the mail came.”

  “Why would he ask Madi for help with that?”

  “She does have a way with words and I think Curtis likes her a little bit.”

  Jake shifted slightly to see if he could see Madi and Curtis, but they were out of his line of sight. “Isn’t he a little old for her?”

  “Curtis is twenty-six, Jake. He’s not too old at all. Women are naturally
more mature than men so we usually have to go older just so we can have a conversation.”

  “Does Madi like him?” Jake sounded concerned. His hands found his pockets and he looked like a school boy.

  Ang grinned then started to laugh. “Oh Jake, what am I going to do with you?”

  “I’m serious. I can’t have Madi distracted by some romance with Curtis.”

  “But it’s okay if she distracted by you?”

  “Is she distracted by me?” he asked curiously.

  Ang sighed and shook her head.

  “Just tell me if Madi feels the same way that he does,” he said in an agitated, flustered voice.

  “I honestly don’t think so,” she said. “I don’t think he’s her type.”

  Jake nodded and scratched the hair on his face. “All right well, do you need anything from me? What’s on the schedule?”

  “We’re good. Tomorrow afternoon, Played Magazine is coming by to interview you about the tour. That’s at 2 p.m. Other than that, you’re good to go. I’m still training Madi but I think it would be good for her to watch the interview process and help me with the setup. Do you agree?”

  “Yep, it would be good experience for her. How does she seem today?”

  “She’s Madi: bright, funny, and positive. Did I ever thank you for her?”

  “You’re welcome,” he said with a smile as he walked away. Curtis… He wasn’t her type at all. She could do so much better, he thought. He tried to put Madi’s sexy librarian look out of his mind as he trudged up to stage. Within a few minutes, he was fully immersed and everything was forgotten.

  *****

  Jake was sitting in an arena chair with a pencil in his mouth, flipping through a stack of papers. He was very focused when Madi approached him.

  “Jake, I’m so sorry to bother you, but by any chance are you expecting someone from Oak Street Construction?”

  Jake glanced up and felt happy to see her. “Yes, actually I am. Thank you.” He stood and made the long walk back up with her.

  “You look nice today. I like the glasses,” he said as he motioned toward her face.

  “Thank you. I was going for different.”

  “You nailed it,” he laughed. “I almost didn’t recognize you.”

  Madi smiled as she adjusted the glasses on her face.

  Jake stopped and grabbed her elbow. “I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate all the shopping you did. Please tell me what I owe you.”

  “No, I wanted to do it. It was fun.”

  “You think grocery shopping is fun?”

  Madi nodded and smiled.

  “I’m still paying you back.”

  “Whatever, like I said, it was really no big deal.”

  Madi started to walk again when Jake grabbed her arm a second time. “I also wanted to say thank you for dinner. It was fantastic.”

  Madi put her hand to heart. “I’m glad you liked it.” She started to walk again when Jake stopped her a third time.

  “Where in the hell are you going in such a hurry?”

  Madi looked over her shoulder and over his shoulders both ways. Jake mimicked her actions not knowing what they were looking for. She leaned in toward him and whispered, “You see, I’ve got this boss and he’s a real slave driver and I’m afraid I’ll get fired if he sees me slacking off.”

  Jake huffed and lightly chuckled. She winked and walked away.

  Jake watched her walk up to Dave from security. She put her hand on his arm and he smiled at her. Then they both turned as Madi pointed toward Jake. She said something to Dave that made him laugh and then Dave disappeared until he came back with the owner of the construction company. Jake tried to focus on Alex walking toward him but he could still smell the lingering scent of Madi. “This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.”

  Chapter 22

  Madi

  At seven o’clock, Madi found herself yawning. She hadn’t been up at six in the morning in a while and was starting to get tired. Once Madi started yawning, Ang did too.

  After a few minutes Ang told her they should just call it a day. Ang made her way toward Jake. He was sitting on the edge of the stage with a clipboard in his hand and pointing to various places as a group of people listened and watched. They all had their own clipboards too. Madi had to force herself to look away from him. He had a way about him. He commanded every room he was in. It was extremely appealing. His facial hair had grown out a bit and Madi had to shake her head to stop from thinking about how attractive it made him look. Nope, I’m not going to do it, she thought.

  As Ang approached Jake, he stopped and smiled at her. God, he had an amazing smile. Stop, Madi… stop! Madi was starting to see a correlation between being tired and her inability to not think of Jake in a sexual way. She needed to go to bed early and get plenty of sleep. Jake nodded to Ang, glanced over to Madi and peered at his watch. He said something else to Ang and she shrugged. As she started walking back, Madi noticed Jake made a sweeping motion with his hand. Everyone started walking away from him. Jake turned to Caleb and they appeared to have an immediate deep conversation.

  “What’s going on, Ang?” Madi asked.

  “Jake decided to call it a day.”

  “I see. Hey, would you like to grab some dinner with me?”

  “Oh sorry, sweetie. I promised my sister we’d veg in front of the TV tonight and catch up on our soaps. Besides, Jake told me he wanted to take you home tonight,” she grinned.

  “He did? Why?”

  “I’m not sure. You should ask him. Goodnight, see you tomorrow around eight, okay? Remember Jake has an interview. Remind him he should be here no later than noon.”

  Madi nodded, “Thanks, Ang.”

  Madi sat back down at the desk and started to put her folders together. Her feet were beginning to ache so she slipped off her pumps and let out a big yawn.

  “Tired?” Jake asked as he walked toward her. “That damn boss of yours is tough, huh?”

  “Naw… he’s okay I guess.” Madi smiled as she continued making piles and organizing.

  Jake pointed his pencil toward her shoes, “Feet hurt?”

  “A bit. Yes, actually a lot!”

  Jake bent down and picked them up. “Come on, let’s go home.”

  Madi felt her heart flutter at the word “home” and she mentally slapped the voice inside her head that started to cheer. Madi lumbered barefoot to the car. Jake strutted around to her side and held the door for her, placing her shoes on the floor next to her seat. Madi climbed in and got a whiff of him as he stood up. Again, she mentally slapped herself for the way it made her feel. Why did the way he smelled make her feel so damn weak?

  Jake buckled himself in and started to pull away. “Music?”

  “Yes, please,” Madi said. “How about one of yours?”

  “No! I don’t like to listen to my own stuff.” He pointed to his radio, “There’s a bunch of music programmed in. Just scroll through and pick something.”

  “You’re trusting me to pick music? I feel so honored.”

  “Just play something.” Jake sighed at Madi’s obvious sarcasm.

  Madi scrolled through his music until something caught her eye. She played Radiohead’s ‘Street Spirit’.

  “You like this song?” Jake asked, surprised.