“Nope.”
“You’re living my life and I hate you for it. There. I said it. Are you happy now?”
“I … .” Maddie broke off, Marla’s words taking her by surprise. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” Marla shot back. “You’re living my life. That’s why I hate you.”
“How am I living your life?”
“I was the most popular girl in high school and Nick was the most popular boy,” Marla replied, not missing a beat. “We should’ve been together. We never got the chance because of you.”
Maddie was absolutely flabbergasted. She knew Marla felt that way. She couldn’t believe the woman had the guts to admit it, though. “I didn’t steal your life. I lived my life. I never told Nick what to do. If he’d been interested in you while we were in high school then he would’ve asked you out. Lord knows you threw yourself at him enough times that he could hardly have been oblivious to your intentions.”
“Oh, puh-leez,” Marla scoffed, tapping her manicured fingernails against the table. The clicking sound was enough to drive Maddie mad. “We both know you told him to stay away from me. Because he didn’t want to hurt your feelings, he agreed. You’re the reason I’m not with Nick.”
Maddie’s temper ratcheted up a notch. “Are you really that delusional?”
“I’m not delusional. I’m right. You know it and I know it. I was supposed to be with Nick. You left town and abandoned him and that was supposed to be our shot, but he was so broken-hearted over you, he refused to even look at another woman for two years. Then he started dating, but he did it on a schedule. He never messed with the schedule. You ruined his life.”
Maddie opened her mouth, her jaw working but no sound coming out. Outside the tent, out of her line of sight, Nick ran his fingers over the tent flap and debated going inside to handle the situation. He decided to stop by her tent while running alibis – an extra candy cane hot chocolate in his free hand to bribe her for kisses – but when he heard Marla inside he decided to eavesdrop a bit. Now he felt guilty … and caught.
“As usual, you don’t know what you’re talking about, Marla,” Maddie said, extending the cards. “Cut the deck.”
Marla did as instructed, her eyes never leaving Maddie’s face. “Don’t you want to know what question I want answered?”
“Don’t you want to know if you’re going to end up with Nick?”
Marla shook her head. “I know Nick is long out of my reach. Why do you think I’m focusing on John?”
Maddie knew exactly why Marla was fixating on John. “Because you think if you keep close you’ll be able to find a way to worm yourself into Nick’s life.” Maddie’s voice was matter-of-fact as she regarded Marla. “That’s not going to happen and it has nothing to do with me.”
“It has everything to do with you,” Marla spat. “You were Nick’s best friend all throughout elementary, middle, and high school – although who knows why – and he only cared what you thought. You told him to hate me.”
“I didn’t have to tell Nick anything” Maddie countered. “He’s a smart man. He was a smart boy back then, too. He saw you for what you were.”
“And what was that?”
“Someone he didn’t want to waste his time on,” Maddie replied, annoyed. “Good grief, Marla. You have to let this go. I didn’t steal Nick from you. I almost stole him from myself because I was an idiot, but you were never a consideration.
“The truth is that Nick and I were always going to end up together,” she continued. “I made some horrible mistakes and I will always regret them. I didn’t keep Nick from you, though. I kept myself from him.”
“Oh, that’s such a load of crap,” Marla complained. “If you’d stayed out of town a little bit longer, if you’d kept away from him for another year, he would’ve been mine. He was so close to breaking up with Cassidy when you came back to town. I was next on his list. I know it! You ruined that because you confused him with your return.”
“How did I confuse him?”
“He thought what he felt for you as a child was real, and when you came back as an adult he couldn’t separate his feelings and thought that was real. That’s the only reason you’re together.”
“We’re together because our hearts connected a really long time ago,” Maddie argued, her voice dropping. “I’ve loved Nick for as long as I’ve known him. I didn’t always understand what I was feeling. I certainly didn’t understand the ramifications of what I was doing after high school. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love him … even as I was making poor choices that ended up hurting us both.”
“Well, of course you love him,” Marla snorted. “He’s supposed to love me, though.”
“He can’t love you.”
“He can.”
Maddie firmly shook her head. “He can’t love you,” she repeated. “He loves me. We were always meant to be together. Even if I wasn’t in the picture, though, he wouldn’t love you.”
“And why is that, wise one?” Marla’s tone was snotty.
“Because you play games and Nick likes straightforward people,” Maddie replied, seeing no reason to lie. Marla clearly needed a hard dose of reality. “Nick wants people to tell him the truth. He likes it when they mean what they say and say what they mean. You never do that.
“I mean, think about it, Marla,” she continued. “You purposely befriended Cassidy when she started dating Nick just because you wanted to be close to him. You knew he wasn’t going to stay with her. You were well aware of his schedule and that he dated women for six months and then dumped them like clockwork. You knew all of that and yet you encouraged her.”
Marla made a derisive sound in the back of her throat. “Are you seriously blaming me for what happened with Cassidy? You and Nick did that. You crushed that woman.”
“If you think I don’t blame myself for that, you’re very wrong,” Maddie said, remaining calm as she rested her hands on the cards she’d just dealt. “We didn’t handle that situation well and Cassidy got caught in the crossfire. That’s on us. It’s not fair or right, but there it is. We can’t go back in time and fix it.”
“And you can’t go back in time and fix this,” Marla said, gesturing around the tent. “You took Nick from me. Admit it.”
“No. I took Nick for myself. You were never even part of the discussion.”
Something about the way Maddie discarded her, as if she didn’t even matter, set Marla’s teeth on edge and she jumped to her feet. Maddie remained seated, her eyes flat. That only made matters worse.
“I was part of the discussion,” Marla spat. “You kept him away from me.”
On the other side of the tent flaps, Nick squared his shoulders before slipping through the opening. Marla’s face registered shock at his appearance, but Maddie never moved from her spot.
“Maddie didn’t keep me away from you,” Nick said evenly. “Maddie and I were always a unit. Whether we handled things well as kids is really no one’s concern but our own. Even though we hurt each other, I wouldn’t take back our time apart. It was painful, but it made us who we are. And who we are now is happy people.”
“Oh, well, I should’ve known you would take her side,” Marla snapped, wrinkling her nose. “You always take her side.”
“That’s because you always pick the wrong side,” Nick said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ve seriously had enough of the sniping. Maddie doesn’t deserve it and when she fights back she feels guilty for being mean to you. She doesn’t deserve that.”
“Yes, because it’s all about Maddie,” Marla seethed.
“For me it is all about Maddie,” Nick confirmed. “Marla, even if Maddie never existed – I don’t just mean didn’t return home or anything, but never was born – I wouldn’t have liked you. You’re a terrible person and I find no redeeming qualities to admire whenever you open your mouth.
“Even now you’re just going after my brother to keep your foot in our lives,” he cont
inued. “You don’t know John. You don’t even like John. You’re going after him because he’s my brother and you want to compete with Christy.”
“I don’t care about competing with Christy!”
Nick didn’t bother to hide his disbelief. “You care more about the competition than you do the men. That’s your biggest problem. You want to win. Because of that, you don’t realize you’ve already lost.”
“I can take your brother any time I want,” Marla intoned, puffing out her chest.
“No, you can’t,” Nick countered. “He’s not an idiot. He might like playing a few games here and there, but he’s not an outright idiot. He doesn’t want you. You can’t win him. You can’t win me either. Maddie beat you a long time ago.”
“Yes, Maddie is so flipping perfect I can’t stand it.” Strangely enough, Marla looked to be on the verge of tears even though her words were tipped with venom. Maddie didn’t know what to make of the phenomenon.
“Maddie isn’t perfect,” Nick said.
“Hey!”
Nick smirked when he saw Maddie’s feigned outrage. “You’re not perfect, love. You’re perfect for me, though. You’ve always been perfect for me. We fit together.” Nick shifted his eyes back to Marla. “You and I, on the other hand, are the human equivalent of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. We don’t fit. We never will.”
“We could,” Marla sniffed. “You just prefer Maddie because she’s boring and does what you want.”
“Well, you’re half right there,” Nick conceded. “I prefer Maddie. She’s not boring, though. She only does what I want part of the time. That’s really not pertinent to this argument, though. I love Maddie. I will never love you. Those are the things you need to remember … and then maybe you could spend a little time growing up because this high school routine you insist on living is getting very old.”
Marla narrowed her eyes to dangerous slits. “I don’t have to take this.”
“Then go.”
Marla opened her mouth to argue – Maddie was sure something truly hateful was on the tip of her tongue – but instead she turned on her heel and stormed out the door. The action caught Maddie by surprise and she was on her feet before she realized it.
“What about your reading?”
Nick’s eyes lit with amusement as they locked with Maddie’s. “I don’t think she wanted a reading. She was here looking for a fight. She thought she could win and lost again. That’s not on you.”
“But she paid me fifty bucks and got nothing out of it.”
“That’s on her,” Nick said, smiling. “I’m proud of you, Mad. You handled her really well. You didn’t start screeching or crying. You were calm and thoughtful without giving in to the emotions I know you must’ve been feeling. You did a good job.”
“How long were you listening?”
“Since almost the beginning.”
Maddie widened her eyes. “She still hates me.”
“She’s always going to hate you because she wants what you have but can’t get it,” Nick said, tucking a strand of Maddie’s hair behind her ear. “She’s an unhappy person. She’s going to stay that way until she gets her head out of her behind.”
“I still feel bad for her,” Maddie admitted. “She’s so … bitter.”
“You can’t fix everything, Maddie. She’s been nothing but horrible to you.”
“I know. I just … .” Maddie broke off as she stared at the cards she dealt to Marla a few moments before, tipping her head to the side as studied the layout.
Nick, oblivious to the change in Maddie’s mood, moved closer to the heater. “I think we should take a few moments to reflect on what just happened,” he suggested. “I’m pretty sure the best way for us to do that is if you sit on my lap right over here.” Nick settled in the chair and patted his denim-covered legs, frowning when he saw Maddie’s focus was elsewhere. “What do you see, Mad?”
“These cards,” Maddie replied, tapping her bottom lip. “Marla cut the deck and I automatically dealt them while we were arguing. I didn’t look at them because we started fighting, though.”
“Okay.”
Maddie tapped on three cards in quick succession. “This isn’t a good spread for her. In fact … this is a terrible spread.”
“Terrible as in she’s going to make a scene at the festival tonight, or terrible she’s going to be hit by a bus tomorrow?” Nick was legitimately curious.
“Like terrible she’s got a killer on her heels,” Maddie murmured, tracing the tower card with her fingertip. “I think she’s going to be the next victim, Nicky.”
Nick’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “The next victim? There’s going to be another victim?”
Maddie nodded. “I think so.”
“Well, that’s not good. We need to find her.”
“And there’s something I bet you thought you’d never say,” Maddie teased, heading for the tent opening.
“You have no idea,” Nick said, pressing his hand to the small of Maddie’s back to usher her outside. “She totally ruined my cuddling plan, by the way. I’m giving her another earful when we find her.”
“Let’s just hope we find her. If we don’t … .”
Nick grabbed Maddie’s hand and gave it a good squeeze. “We’ll find her. We won’t stop until we do.”
18
Eighteen
“Where do you think she went?”
“I’m not sure,” Nick replied, scanning the festival grounds. “She couldn’t have gone far.”
“We should probably split up.”
Nick immediately started shaking his head. “No.”
“It’s daylight,” Maddie reminded him. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. We don’t even know if Marla is in immediate danger. It’s not as if the cards come with a schedule.”
“I don’t want you away from me for two reasons,” Nick said, keeping his voice even as he shifted his eyes to her. “The danger is only one of them. Even if you want to ignore it, though, the danger is real. Two people have died. You think Marla could be the third. You’re not chasing after her on your own.”
Maddie made an exaggerated face. “What’s the other reason?”
“Huh?”
“You said there were two reasons,” Maddie reminded him. “What’s the second reason?”
“Oh, well, Marla is mean and I love you and I won’t sit around and let her verbally abuse you,” Nick said. “Plus, well, you’re cute in your little outfit. I like to look at you. Sue me.”
Maddie didn’t want to encourage him, but she couldn’t help but smile. “You say things like that so it makes it impossible for me to call you a sexist pig. I’m on to you.”
“How am I sexist?”
“You think you’re the big, strong man and that you need to protect me.”
“Are you saying I’m not a big, strong man?”
“I’m saying … that I love you.” Maddie collected herself, reined in her temper, and flashed a genuine smile. “You’re really bossy sometimes, though.”
“That’s what happens when people die and your girlfriend has a tendency to wander around without looking over her shoulder to see if a killer is watching,” Nick said, gripping her hand. “So we’re agreed you’ll stick close to me while we look?”
Maddie nodded. “And you’ll agree to let me boss you around later when we’re alone?”
Nick’s grin was sly. “Oh, that was almost flirty there, Miss Maddie.”
Maddie realized what she said when it was too late to take it back. “I just meant that you’d help me with kitchen stuff for our Christmas Eve dinner,” she protested. “I didn’t mean … the other stuff.”
“Oh, it’s too late to take it back,” Nick chided, squeezing her hand. “I know exactly what you were talking about. You can boss me around to your heart’s content later.”
“That is not what I meant,” Maddie complained.
“And yet that’s what I heard.”
TH
IRTY MINUTES later Maddie and Nick were no closer to finding Marla, and Maddie was still stuck on what Nick thought she meant when she made the “bossy” remark.
“I want to make sugar cookies and get the ingredients for the stuffing ready,” Maddie lamented. “I want to make sure I have everything to make the pies and that the turkey is completely thawed.”
“If that’s your story,” Nick teased, grinning as he led her through the crowd. “Mad, you need to let it go. You’re fixating on the food and flirting when we need to be focused on … wait, there’s Cassidy.”
Maddie lifted her eyes and focused on the strawberry blonde across the way. She stood next to the hot cider stand, her hands moving a mile a minute as she talked to the woman behind the counter, and she seemed distracted. She wasn’t nearly as calm as when Maddie saw her hours before.
“Maybe she’s seen Marla,” Maddie suggested.
“That’s the only reason I’m risking going over there,” Nick said, changing directions and moving toward his ex-girlfriend. “Try not to smack her in the face if she says something stupid.”
Maddie was appalled. “I would never!”
Nick grinned. “I don’t know. You do want to boss people around today … and you’ve been nothing but feisty all week. Personally, I’m looking forward to being your slave later.”
“I said nothing about making you my slave,” Maddie sniffed.
“And yet that’s what I heard and pictured in my head,” Nick mused, his smile impish. “What do you think that says about me?”
“That you’re a complete and total pervert.”
“I can live with that. Hey, Cassidy.”
Cassidy jerked her head in the couple’s direction, the smile genuine on her face when she saw Nick. The expression slipped a bit when she realized he was dragging Maddie behind him. “Hello, Nick. Maddie, how are you?”
“We’re fine,” Nick answered, nodding his head to the middle-aged woman behind the counter. “How are you, Sheila? Are you keeping warm in this cold?”
“The cold doesn’t bother me,” Sheila replied, smiling. “I add a little bourbon to my cider and don’t notice the chill at all. I’m actually sad because we have no snow.”
Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9) Page 15
