“Exactly.”
“And now you’ve become a master in your own right.”
Stuart laughed. “Well, I’m not sure about that. I think I’ll probably always be a pupil of the genre. There’s room to grow for every writer.”
“And modest, too.” She smiled.
“Just calling it like I see it,” he insisted.
The food arrived and they both dug in.
“So what was it like to see two of your books go from print to the big screen?” Madison asked, taking a bite of mashed sweet potatoes. “I’m sure you must have been thrilled.”
“To be honest with you,” Stuart told her, “I didn’t think either movie quite hit the mark of the books.”
She arched a brow. “Really?”
He nodded. “When a 350-page book is turned into an hour-and-a-half movie, the integrity of the story is bound to suffer.” He sliced through the tender filet mignon. “But I understand the nature of the business called Hollywood and, as such, am thankful that someone thought enough of my books to want to make them into movies. My sister certainly loved them.”
Stuart remembered as soon as he mentioned Holly that it was a sore spot with Madison. “I didn’t mean—” he started.
“It’s all right,” Madison broke in. “I’m glad Holly enjoyed the movies.” The last thing she wanted at this point was for him to feel that the subject of his sister—or Anderson, for that matter—was totally off-limits. Especially when they were meeting in a professional capacity and it was she who had brought up the movies.
Stuart felt relieved that this hadn’t put a damper on the interview. “My guess is that she would’ve loved the movies even if they were total crap, because they were based on my novels.”
Madison chuckled. “You’re probably right.” She sliced into her steak thoughtfully. “How long does it take you to write a novel?”
“It depends on how much of a handle I have on the plot and what else is going on at the time,” he explained. “But, in general, I’d say about four months.”
“Wow. That’s a pretty quick turnaround,” Madison said. “No wonder you’re so prolific.”
He shrugged. “I guess it’s easy when you don’t have much of a social life outside of your kids.”
“I’m sure they can be a handful at times, though adorable day in and day out.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Stuart said, dabbing a napkin at the corners of his mouth. “I can’t imagine what I’d ever do without them.”
Though Madison suspected this would be a difficult subject, she felt obligated to bring it up anyway. “I read about your ex-wife abandoning you and your daughters.”
“It’s true.” He knew it had made the local news at the time because of his celebrity. It hadn’t helped that his ex seemed perfectly willing to exploit the situation for financial gain and attention. “She met someone passing through and decided to run off with him and that was that.”
“Ouch!”
“Yeah, I know.” Stuart finished off his filet mignon, frowning. “Never saw it coming till it was too late to do a damned thing about it. But I did file for divorce as soon as possible.”
“I can’t say I blame you. For a woman to do such a thing—especially to her children—is unconscionable.”
“You’re right, it is,” he said. “But we’re managing to get by on our own. Her loss.”
Madison was inclined to agree now that she’d had a chance to talk to him. Still she wondered if his girls were really doing that well without a mother in their lives. Or had he been able to make up for her absence through his own love and devotion?
“It’s quite impressive that you’ve gone it alone these past years raising your daughters, yet you still managed to keep churning out bestsellers,” she said. “How have you done it?”
“You do what you have to do,” Stuart responded candidly. “As a father, I owe it to my daughters to let them know I will always be there for them no matter what. I also know that I have to keep up my career to provide for them and myself. It has been a juggling act at times, but I wouldn’t have it any other way right now.”
Madison took that to mean he wasn’t interested in romance at this point in his life. Or was she simply implanting her own thoughts into his? “Maybe someday you’ll find another woman who can give you that balance in life and who can be a mother figure your daughters look up to.”
“That’s certainly possible,” he allowed. “I’m in no hurry, though. If it happens, it happens. If not, well, I won’t have to worry about yet another disappointment.”
“Good point,” she had to agree. “Even if it’s terrible to have to think in those terms.”
“I wish it weren’t the case,” he said. More than she knew. But the baggage of betrayal and abandonment did that to you, no matter how much you tried to erase it from your mind totally. Stuart regarded Madison, remembering that she could relate in some ways. “Now that we’ve gone through my life and times, I’d like to know more about yours—”
Her eyes widened uncomfortably. “I’m not the one being interviewed.”
“I’m not interviewing you,” he stressed. “I just want to talk about what brought you to this point. Obviously, our lives have intersected in a way that was pretty much beyond either of our control. Seems like a good time to put it on the table.”
As much as she wanted to disagree, Madison could not. He had opened up himself to her, over and beyond what was necessary for the interview. So why not return the favor?
“All right,” she said, meeting his gaze. “I’m sure you know all the dirty details of my ex, Anderson, calling off our engagement, only to wind up marrying your sister.”
“Actually, I don’t know the dirty details of it,” Stuart pointed out. “Just the basic facts. As I understand it, your relationship with Anderson ended well before Holly ever came into the picture.”
“That’s true,” Madison confessed as she took a sip of wine. “I honestly never thought I’d ever see Anderson again until I found out he was dating Holly. Before that, I only had the memories of him backing out of an engagement so he could ‘find himself.’ And then, there he was....”
“It must have really thrown you for a loop.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“And you came here because you couldn’t deal with—”
“No,” Madison cut him off. “I came here because I was offered a good job and a chance to start over. In my heart of hearts, I was over Anderson the moment he walked out on our future. While it may have taken a period of adjustment when he resurfaced, I am over it now. And I don’t blame Holly for any of this.”
“You sure about that?” The one thing he did not want was to see her and his sister at odds for the rest of their lives. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them.
“I’m sure,” she responded. “She was entitled to find love whenever it found her, which happened when Anderson came into her world. Yes, it did mean that our friendship suffered a bit, naturally, but I really want Holly to be happy and her marriage to work.”
“Maybe you should tell her that sometime,” Stuart said.
“I already have,” Madison said. “But I’ll do so again, so that we’re clear on it.”
He nodded, happy to hear her say that. Though he completely understood her position on this whole situation, Stuart also believed Holly missed the connection with her friend and would welcome the opportunity to jump-start things.
Beyond that, he was intrigued by the woman sitting before him now that he had begun to peel away the layers of defenses she had built around herself.
“So when will this feature appear in the magazine?” he asked, getting back to more comfortable territory.
“The May issue,” Madison told him, “which actually comes out next month
. I’ll run it by you before turning in the final draft.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll be sure to post info about it to my fans on Twitter and Facebook. They usually love these kinds of things.”
“I think it’s more like they love their writers and whatever comes with the territory.”
Stuart laughed. “Yeah, that, too.”
Madison chuckled.
She asked a few more pointed questions about his career, developing plot ideas and upcoming books before they ended the interview.
It surprised Madison that she had felt so comfortable talking to Stuart about herself. Was it his ability to draw that out of her? Or was it something else?
Chapter 5
That night, Madison worked on the feature over a glass of wine. She was happy to have gotten so much information from Stuart. Since he hadn’t specifically told her that anything he’d said was off-limits, she assumed she was free to use everything they talked about to show how he’d shaped his career while doing a delicate balancing act as a single and doting father of two little girls.
It was definitely going to be an uplifting, cutting-edge piece. Giselle would hopefully approve and assign her more interviews with high-profile authors in the future.
I’m definitely up for the challenge, she thought.
But back to the interview. She planned to contact Stuart about a photograph to accompany the feature. Since she believed he would most likely appear on the front cover, he would need to have their photographer take his picture.
Something told her this would be no problem. For one, he was drop-dead handsome. And for another, Stuart seemed cool and confident where it came to his looks and would likely want to do his part to enhance the interview.
The following day, Madison went with her friend Jacinta to the Rose City Spa for a full treatment of massage, facial, manicure and pedicure.
“I’m so glad you talked me into this,” Madison told Jacinta. They were both in the middle of an organic facial—including cleansing, toning and exfoliation—with a facial massage and treatment mask.
“I knew you would love it,” she responded. “I try to come here at least once a month to get myself back together.”
“I can see why,” Madison said. She closed her eyes and allowed the experience to soak in. It was her first time at a spa in Portland and definitely wouldn’t be the last.
“Might as well be as beautiful as you can be, girlfriend,” Jacinta said. “Who knows what hot guy might be waiting around the corner to sweep you off your feet? No harm in trying to look tantalizing.”
Madison laughed. “I don’t know about tantalizing a guy, but it sure makes me feel great.”
“You haven’t felt anything yet,” she said. “Just wait till we do the Swedish massage and body sculpting and skin tightening treatments!”
“I can hardly wait,” Madison said truthfully.
“I’d still love to introduce you to one of my single colleagues at the university,” Jacinta said. “I know that any of them would fall head over heels for you.”
“Thanks, but I’d rather stay on my own for now.” Madison wondered if she really believed her words. Hadn’t she let go of the past? If so, maybe it was time to see who might be out there for her.
For whatever reason, Stuart Kendall came to mind. She didn’t put much into the thought, knowing that they were just getting to know one another as friends. Looking beyond that was foolish, especially when Stuart seemed like he was perfectly content with writing and his girls. There didn’t seem to be any room in his life these days for anyone else.
* * *
Stuart sat with the other parents in the auditorium as Carrie and Dottie took part in the school play. They had taken their roles seriously, practicing at home with Grace, who had shown great patience in supporting them.
But he knew that support wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later Grace would move on with her life and he would have to get a new nanny for the girls. Stuart dreaded the thought, as he didn’t feel it was healthy for Dottie and Carrie to go through too many nannies. What they truly needed was a mother in their lives.
But not their real mother—he doubted they would ever see her again. Rather, they needed a replacement mom who could give them everything their own mother never had. Was it wishful thinking on his part, or could it actually happen sooner than later?
Of course for it to be possible at all, he needed to find a special connection with a woman. Though it hadn’t happened since Fawn left, Stuart was an eternal optimist. Why couldn’t he still meet his great love who would respect his children and not be overwhelmed by his career?
Or am I just deluding myself? he wondered, as a slice of pessimism coursed through him.
When he suddenly thought about Madison Wagner, Stuart smiled. He wasn’t sure if it was the thought of her beautiful face and hot figure. Or the fact that they had finally managed to break the ice and it now seemed like they might actually get along.
He wondered what Carrie and Dottie would think of her. Maybe one day he would find out. But only if there was a chance that they could start something that wouldn’t be here one day and gone the next. He would not subject his girls to anything less than a potentially serious relationship with someone. As a father, he had to put their interests over anyone else’s. Including his own.
Stuart heard clapping and realized that the play had just ended. He joined in on the clapping as the young actors held hands and bowed together to the applause. He took pictures with his cell phone of Dottie and Carrie with their colorful costumes and thousand-watt smiles, wanting the memories to last a lifetime.
* * *
That evening, Stuart met with his agent and friend, Lyle Creighton, at a lounge on Hawthorne Boulevard. The two had worked together since Stuart sold his first book after others had turned down the chance to represent him. Though he had since been pursued by agents with powerful agencies, Stuart chose to stand by the agent who had stood by him and helped him become a bestselling author.
He told Lyle about the interview he gave to Rose Petals.
“That’s great,” Lyle said. “After that superb review they did on your latest book, this fits right in for maximizing your exposure in the Portland area, and elsewhere.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Stuart said. It also appeared as though the interview had paid off with Madison, as Stuart had a feeling that they had taken a step forward in getting closer, whatever that meant.
“So how are those little girls of yours doing?” Lyle asked.
“They’re doing well. Both had starring roles in the school play today.”
Lyle chuckled. “Hey, maybe someday they can wind up with roles in one of the movies made from your books.”
“You never know,” Stuart said, though he wasn’t overly enthusiastic about either of his girls going into show business.
* * *
A few days had passed since Madison had interviewed Stuart, yet it somehow seemed longer. She fine-tuned the article and was ready to send it to him for approval, having already gotten the thumbs-up from her boss. It was Madison’s first cover piece since coming to work for the magazine, and she was excited about it. She hoped that the visibility would shine a light on not only Stuart, but herself, as well.
She dialed Stuart’s cell phone number. It rang a few times before a girl picked up, catching Madison off guard.
“Hello,” Madison said, unsure which twin it was. “May I speak to Stuart, please?”
“He’s playing around with my sister,” the girl said. “Just a minute.”
Madison listened as she called out, “Daddy!”
In a moment, Stuart came on the phone. “Hello.”
“Hi, it’s Madison,” she said, almost feeling like they were strangers.
“Hey there.” Stuart�
��s voice rose. “Nice to hear from you.”
Was he merely being polite? Or did he really mean it?
“Hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time,” she said.
“You didn’t,” he replied. “I was just having some fun with the girls.”
“I’ve wrapped up the piece on you and wanted you to take a look at it first to see if I missed anything or there’s something you want removed,” she told him.
“I’ll be happy to look at,” Stuart said in a friendly tone. “I’m sure, though, that you did a good job.”
“That confident, are we?” Madison asked, half jokingly.
“Yeah. I’ve read your material. You’re good.”
“Thank you.” She blushed, hoping he didn’t change his opinion once he read the article. “Anyway, I’d like to email it to you.”
“Good idea.” He gave her his email address.
“Also, since this will be a cover story, we’d like to send over our photographer to take your picture,” Madison told him. “I know you’re a busy man, but it won’t take long.”
“No problem,” he said. “Let’s see...how does two o’clock tomorrow afternoon sound?”
“I’ll check with him, but I’m sure he can accommodate the time that’s best for you.”
“Good,” Stuart said.
Madison switched gears. “So that was your daughter who answered the phone....”
“Yes, Carrie.”
“She has a cute voice.”
“So does her sister, though I can’t always tell the difference,” Stuart said.
“Well let’s hope you do before they turn eighteen,” Madison teased.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Hopefully that time won’t get here too fast.”
“Hopefully not. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to them.”
“Thanks for calling,” Stuart said. “Speak to you soon.”
After she disconnected, Madison found herself hoping that they really would speak again soon. Even so, she tempered her enthusiasm, realizing that both of them would need to open up more if they were to speak more often. Was he up to the task?
Say It with Roses Page 4
