“Right back ‘atcha, Boudreaux.”
And that’s how we would be. Forever.
THE END
If you’ve enjoyed Vivi & Nash’s story Dear Reader, then check out Maddie & Zeke’s romance in Accidentally Wed!
Accidentally Wed
Maddie
“I seriously can’t believe you wanted to come here of all places.”
Being inside Zeke’s bar was the last place I wanted to be, but with great reluctance, I slid into the cozy booth. I had nothing against the bar and restaurant, the food was good, but I didn’t want to waste another minute on Zeke Riley.
“Why not? Zeke’s got a new chef and a brand new menu,” Vivi insisted with a smug grin that said she knew exactly what she was doing. “Besides, we’re doing our part and supporting a local business.”
Vivi was a close friend, and I loved her dearly even though we’d lost touch for a few years, but she wasn’t nearly as slick as she thought she was.
“Bullshit, Vivi.” She blinked innocently, but I wasn’t buying it, mostly because she’d spent the past few months trying to not-so-secretly force Zeke and I to talk. “I know what you’re doing and I’m asking, no, I’m telling you to stop it. If you don’t, I swear I’ll find a way to get back at you.”
“I just want you to talk to him, Maddie. Is that so wrong?”
I nodded and took a long gulp of icy water as soon as the perky waitress set it down. She took our orders—a bacon cheeseburger for Vivi, and a grilled chicken salad for the single mom with too many curves—and as soon as she was gone I turned back to my friend.
“Yes. It’s wrong when I tell you I have nothing to say to him. Nothing, Vivi.”
It was bad enough I was here now, eating and spending my hard-earned money in the exact place of my public humiliation. Six months ago, I came in here thinking I would surprise Zeke with a little office picnic and maybe more. But I was the one who got a big surprise in the form of a busty woman leaning over the bar with all of her goods on display, for Zeke’s visual pleasure. Even worse, he’d been enjoying the hell out of it. Which stung, but I still wasn’t ready to give up on him.
Until she leaned in for a kiss—on the mouth—and he didn’t’ step back, didn’t do one damn thing to dissuade her. He took it. An intimate kiss on the mouth inside the busiest place in town. He didn’t do jack shit, the same as my piece of crap baby daddy.
“But you won’t even let him explain,” she insisted for the thousandth time.
“Because I don’t need to, Vivi. I have eyes, and I know what it looks like when a man kisses another woman, in front of at least half the town. I don’t need an explanation, his actions spoke loud enough, believe me.” And there was no explanation on earth that would satisfy me. “You’re meddling Vivi and I’m asking you to stop.”
“But, Maddie…” she pleaded.
“No, Vivi. Stop. There won’t be a happy ending for us. Not together anyway. Get used to it.” Her insistence was the main reason that I’d turned down at least half a dozen invites from Vivi and Nash over the past few months to spend time at their place. Of course, Zeke was always there too, with his charming smile, and his stupid handsome face. But I could handle ignoring Zeke. What I refused to handle was the constant pressure to let him explain the unexplainable. “Moving on. Tell me about what you’re working on.”
“The book is on hold while I make a few adjustments to the script. Which should be easy, but this monster baby inside my belly won’t stop practicing for the World Cup, so it makes it hard to do much of anything but laze around.” Even as she complained, Vivi was filled with more happiness than she had been when she first returned to Belle Musique. I couldn’t help but be pleased that she found her happy ending. “You haven’t been around a lot, otherwise you would’ve known.”
“I’ve been busy, same as you.”
Vivi shook her head, ready to call me out, but the waitress returned with our food. She dug in to her burger with the gusto of a pregnant woman and I ate my salad hesitantly, waiting for her to start in again.
“Busy with what?”
“The shop.” I’d been working on a few things that I wanted to keep to myself for just a little bit longer, and since Vivi had been less of a friend lately and more of a Zeke-advocate, I felt alright about it.
“Sounds cryptic,” she said with a pout, and I just shrugged and chewed my salad with minimal dressing in hopes that some of these extra ‘curves’ would go the hell away.
“Not really, just work stuff.” When the time was right, I’d reveal everything. To everyone.
“Don’t be mad at me Maddie, I can’t stand it that you’re upset.”
A heavy sigh escaped as I worked to keep my temper in check. “Then maybe you should stop trying to force your will on me.”
“I’m not,” she insisted.
“Really? Then why did you choose this place for lunch when you knew I didn’t want to come here?” It was the same with invitations for dinner. I’d show up, and Zeke would be there already, kicking back and relaxing like he was part of the family. After a while I just made excuses for why I couldn’t come over, or why I couldn’t stay when I dropped my son Max off to visit with Norah.
“Ladies, so happy you chose Zeke’s Joint for your lunch hour.” The man himself stopped at our table, but I refused to look up or acknowledge him, instead turning to look out the window at tall grass swaying close to the shore of the river. The day was gray, but a perfect eighty-five degrees.
“Hey Zeke,” Vivi shot back, a smile in her voice. “This burger is amazing!”
“Thanks Vivi, I’ll be sure to pass your words onto the chef. Hey Maddie.” His voice pitched low, in that deeply sensual tone that used to do things to my body. Now that I knew that tone for the lie it was, I didn’t feel as impacted. “Still mad?”
Of course, that’s what he would think. The truth was I refused to hate Zeke, because that would gave him too much importance in my life. He wasn’t so special, just another lesson learned, so I turned to tell him as much. “Not mad, I’m happy to go back to how things were before I got to know you.”
“You’ve always known me.”
I barked out a laugh. “No, I knew who you were, but not you. Now that I do, I think we should go back to being acquaintances. No need for niceties and the like.” Without another word, I went back to my salad, until my body could feel that he was no longer close enough to affect me.
“Damn Maddie, that was cold.” Vivi frowned at me like I was the bad guy, and after this waste of a lunch, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
“You wanted to come here, not me.” I pulled a few bills from my purse and laid them on the table. “I need to get back to my store. I’ll see you around Vivi.”
“But you won’t, will you?” Her voice was an accusation. “You’ll just decline my invitations because of him?”
“No Vivi, not because of him. Because of you. Stop pushing, and stop trying to get me to do what I told you I don’t want to do. It’s a pretty simple concept for most people.” I walked away, feeling bad I’d left my pregnant friend looking sad and a bit like a kicked puppy. But I needed to get out of there.
I took the short walk from Zeke’s Joint back to my boutique, High St. Fashions, trying to think about the line of formal dresses I’d been working on for the past year, and not the man who’d made a fool of me. Well the second man to do such a thing.
No, my focus wasn’t on finding my own happy ending. I had a vibrator for those rare instances when the mood struck, and that was enough. Between a precocious seven year old and running my own business, I had enough on my plate and I’d worked too hard to rebuild my confidence to let someone else come in and decimate it.
My little Max was the only man who’d never let me down anyway.
Zeke
“It won’t take more than a week or two if the weather cooperates, and you’ll have a spacious beer garden.”
Greer was the contractor who’d headed up my expansio
n of Zeke’s Joint, and though the beer garden wasn’t a big job, he’d jumped at the opportunity.
“After the good work you did inside this place, I’m okay with waiting a week or two, Greer.” It had taken more than a year to add booth seating, more tables, and even a stage for the next phase of my business plan in a few years. But Greer’s men did a great job, and the town had turned out for me in a big way. Hell, even folks from some of the surrounding towns had come in, happy to find someplace to get craft beers and good food. “Now go on home to that pretty wife of yours and enjoy your weekend.”
“Yeah, I’m going as soon as I get a few more measurements. Don’t be too surprised to see us up here. Suzie is eager to try the new menu items folks have been writing up on the Facebook page.”
I blinked because that was news to me. “People are talking about my menu on Facebook?” That was the first I’d heard of it.
Greer nodded with a wide, amused grin. “Yep. Vivi said your bacon cheeseburger was orgasmic, and the Mayor said it was the best meatloaf he’d ever had.”
“No shit.” I knew my place was the most popular place in town, and now that we served food, profits continued to climb. But I didn’t think the bar had an online presence. It was always packed though, and people kept coming back from more.
Most people, I amended silently, because everyone but Maddie made regular visits during the week. She only came when Vivi forced the issue, like she’d done a few days ago. Clearly Maddie was quite content to never set eyes on me again, and I couldn’t really blame her. Maybe a little, but most of it was on me.
“You okay, Zeke?”
I blinked at Greer, who was looking at me like I’d lost my mind. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about a million different things that need to be done.” There was always something to attend to, but I had competent, reliable employees. “See you later,” I told him and left. The lunch rush was over so the place would be quiet until the after-work crowd began to filter in, but my manager could handle it. That’s why I hired him.
“You leavin’, Boss?” Nate stood near the bar looking over the schedule.
“Yep. You have it all under control, but call if you need help.”
“Will do, but maybe you should turn off the phone and have some fun. All work and no play, as they say…”
I rolled my eyes at the familiar refrain I’d heard too many times to count over the past few months since Maddie had kicked me to the curb. “Right.” I jumped on my motorcycle and made my way to my best friend’s house, certain I wouldn’t interrupt a visit with Maddie who was likely at her shop this time of day.
Things had been a little tricky since things between us went sideways. So, I was happy when I showed up and found Nash in the backyard watching Norah and her friends, which included Max.
“Hey man, what’s up?”
Nash looked up at me with the same casual smile that hadn’t faded since he’d hooked up with Vivi. “Well if it’s not the most successful restauranteur in Belle Musique.”
“Pretty sure I need more than one restaurant to qualify as a restauranteur. What’s going on here?”
“Norah and some of her cast are going over some scene changes.” He said it so easily, as though it was totally normal for kids that age to put on full play productions. “What brings you by?”
I shrugged and took the seat beside him. “Figured this was the best time to catch you free. Guess I was wrong again.”
“Still avoiding Maddie, huh?”
“Yep. It’s for the best, I suppose.” I didn’t really believe that, but what could I really do about it?
“Bullshit. Don’t be a dumbass, Zeke. Anyone with two working eyeballs can tell that you actually care about Maddie. Hell you’re the saddest bastard in town these days.” He shook his head like he was disappointed in me, which was a first, because Nash had the dad thing down pat, even with me. Always encouraging and understanding. “You want her so do something about it and put all of us out of our misery.”
“Oh, I’m sorry that my disastrous love life is inconveniencing you.”
“You should be. Vivi came back from lunch with Maddie in a terrible mood. Said Maddie’s pissed at her for butting in between the two of you. You know, she hasn’t been to the house in months other than to drop off Max.” Nash sighed and sat up, looking me right in the eyes. “Viv’s done everything she could to convince Maddie to talk to you, and it’s only made her angry and withdrawn. She’s Vivi’s best friend, Zeke.”
I got his implication loud and clear. “I never asked Vivi to do anything on my behalf, and maybe if she’d let it go, Maddie might come around more often.” I wasn’t foolish enough to believe that wasn’t at least half true, because I’d seen the way she stormed off after I left their table. “Look Nash, I’m not the bad guy, and I’m of being treated like I am. I never made Maddie any promises, and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
He laughed sarcastically at that. If he were anyone else, it would have earned him a bloody nose. “It’s your fault, because you’re the one who got scared of your feelings and ran like a little girl, hurting my wife’s best friend in the process. That’s just a guess, though. I could be wrong.” His tone said he didn’t think he was, and dammit, he was probably right.
I had hurt Maddie, yes, but it was unintentional. Shayla was an aggressive divorcee who didn’t like to hear the word ‘no’. And she rarely did from me, until that day at the bar. “Maybe I did, but maybe Maddie saw what she wanted, giving her the perfect excuse to end things. Didn’t think of that, did you?”
“I didn’t,” he admitted honestly. “And I’m sorry, but according to Vivi you didn’t try all that hard to resist the woman’s advances.”
That much was true, but I had my reasons, not that anyone would believe them. “I didn’t want to embarrass Shayla. She’s a nice woman, and we had some good times together. I wanted to be respectful.”
“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard, man. That’s like worrying about your mistress’ feelings above your wife, stupid and wrong. Not that I’d recommend having a mistress either.” Nash’s laughter pissed me off again, but he was right. “So tell me again, how you’re not the bad guy here, kissing another woman in front of at least half the town.”
That’s exactly how Maddie had seen it too, and why she refused to talk to me at all. “So there’s no excuse?”
“Absolutely none. Groveling is your only option if you want another chance.”
I did, but it was too late, and I was determined to accept that, no matter how hard it was. I was lost, deep in thought when I heard my name being called. “Zeke! Zeke! You’re here.” Max darted across the yard, swiftly dodging a soccer ball and what looked like a few props as he made his way over, slamming into me. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”
I laughed at his exaggerated words, but I couldn’t deny how good it felt that someone actually wanted me around. “You just saw me last week, man.”
Max pulled back and shoved his glasses back up on his nose with a wide grin. “Yeah but you were doing grownup stuff with Uncle Nash. Can we hang out, or are you still too busy?”
Damn this kid could cut you down to the quick with his big blue eyes, hidden behind long blond curls. “Too busy?”
He nodded. “Mama said you’ve been really busy, and that’s why you haven’t been around in a long time. A long, long time,” he added for emphasis.
I didn’t know whether to hug Maggie for that, or shake her silly. “Next time Nash gets hungry, tell him to bring you in so you can see my new restaurant.”
Big blue eyes cut to Nash filled with hope. “Can we?”
Nash laughed, but he shot me a glare over the kid’s head. “If your mama says it’s all right, then we’ll do it.”
“All right!” Max flung himself at me one last time, squeezing hard. “I missed you, Zeke.”
And that just split me wide open, there in Nash and Vivi’s backyard. “I missed you too, kid.” In that moment I fully realized
the implications of what I’d done, and why Maddie had been so reluctant to start up anything with me in the first place.
“Not open yet!” I called out as the bell Nate had insisted I put above the door chimed, signaling that someone had come inside. I should have locked the door to prevent that from happening, but I just signed for the last two deliveries and my hands were literally full.
“It’s okay, I know the owner.” I knew that voice anywhere, it belonged to the quirkiest character in a town of quirky characters. Belle Musique wasn’t short on oddballs but Mae was my favorite.
After putting the boxes in the kitchen for the prep cooks, I returned to find Mae looking as vibrant as ever in a hot pink caftan trimmed with leopard print, and about a thousand bracelets clanking around her slender arms. A matching pink and leopard print headband tamed her reddish-blond curls that held almost no hints of her fifty plus years of living. As happy as I always was to see the crazy old woman, I was also wary.
“What brings you by Mae?”
She eyed me skeptically, arms crossed, but somehow the bracelets continued to jingle. “I came to see your handsome face, of course.”
I’m sure that was partially true, because I have a great face, or so I’ve been told. “We’re closed right now, but if you have some time, you can give me feedback on new menu items Mick’s working on today.” I bit back a smile when she leaned forward and pinched my cheek.
“Gotta love a man who feeds me. I don’t want to interrupt your work day, but I’m happy to lend my palette to your fine establishment. It’s all anyone can talk about, the fancy beer and the food.” Her gaze slid to the half finished beer garden and she nodded in that direction. “A week from tomorrow we’ll do a cleanse and protection spell for your new space.”
“Oh, Mae that’s sweet but-,”
“No buts, Zeke. You run a place where people drink more than they should, and this town needs your business to thrive.”
Accidentally On Purpose: An Accidental Marriage Boxset Page 19
