by Celya Bowers
Keisha rushed to Madisyn’s desk and plucked the card from the bouquet. If the size of Keisha’s eyes was any indication of what was on the card, Madisyn didn’t want to know what Darnell had written on it. “It’s not from Darnell,” she accused. She thrust the card at Madisyn. “It’s from Aidan Coles. Just what kind of service are you rendering him?”
Madisyn read the card. Surely, Aidan hadn’t sent her flowers at work. How did he know where she worked? “It was nothing, Keisha. I just had a conversation with the man, not sex.”
“You’re telling me this man sent you,” she paused to take inventory of the bouquet, “three dozen yellow roses just for a conversation.”
“Yellow means friendship, not a hot time in bed. Friends. Get it, Keisha? You can be friends with a man without having sex with him.”
Keisha shrugged. “But where’s the fun in that?”
Madisyn picked up the vase, not expecting it to be so heavy. “What’s this thing made of?” She asked no one in particular. “It feels heavy. This must be some really thick glass.”
“That’s not plain glass, Ms. O’Riley,” Mr. Bridges announced as he walked toward his office. “They arrived right after you left for lunch. The vase is Waterford crystal.”
She quickly set the vase back on the desk, knowing exactly how much the famous Irish crystal cost. What was Aidan thinking? The vase had cost more than the flowers.
“Sounds like he’s taking that friend thing seriously,” Keisha said sarcastically. “Next thing I know, you’re going to be hanging at the club, acting just like me.” She walked down the hall before Madisyn could respond.
“Who are the flowers from?” her boss asked. “It’s not that man I threw out of the office the other day?”
Madisyn shook her head. “No, it was…Aidan Coles,” Madisyn said. “I volunteer at his charity, Mature Alliance.”
He nodded his head. “I wasn’t aware you were dating a professional football player.”
“I’m not dating him.” Madisyn knew men like Aidan had his pick of women and they didn’t include a chunky 35-year-old woman. Their taste ran more to the likes of Keisha. “I’m like an employee to him.”
Her boss studied the flowers carefully. “I’ve never bought any employee flowers, and especially not roses.” He walked down the hall.
Madisyn was getting a little sick and tired of everyone walking away before she could answer them. She looked in her purse for Aidan’s home number and dialed. After listening to the phone ring at least five times she hung up, promising herself to call him later. She put the information back in her purse and started opening her boss’s afternoon mail.
* * *
“I can’t believe you let me spend over three thousand bucks for kitchen junk,” Aidan complained as he packed the Escalade. “And then you tell me that we’re not done.” He finished loading the SUV.
His mother just looked at him as if he’d grown another head. “No, we’re not done. Those were high-quality pots, pans, mixers and other appliances every home needs. They’ll last you a lifetime. Now we’re heading for the mall.” She opened the passenger door and slid into the seat.
Aidan sighed. This was why he hated shopping. His mother was the shopping champion. He hoped he would still have some money left over when they finished this marathon. He opened the driver’s side door and slid behind the wheel. “Okay, North Park Mall, here we come.”
Anna laughed. “You are your father’s son. He hated spending money, too. How do you expect to get a woman if you’re holding onto every penny you ever made?”
“I don’t mind spending money. It’s the shopping I hate. I do most of my shopping online.” He didn’t mention the amount of money he’d spent on Madisyn’s flowers. He would have loved to see her face when they arrived at her office. He also hoped he hadn’t spooked her by sending them to her job, since she’d never told him where she actually worked.
“So how much did those flowers cost?”
He looked sideways at his mother, not believing for one second that she knew. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Then you shouldn’t talk so loud on the phone. She’s going to think you’re stalking her.”
“I thought women like romance.”
“Romance, yes, stalking, no. I know you have contacts all over the place, but baby, let her tell you where she works, where she lives and what she likes. Half the fun is getting to know each other and you can’t do that through other people doing the legwork for you.”
He knew he’d acted too fast and probably spent way too much on the flowers. “I don’t want to scare her off, but I want to stake my claim.”
“Aidan, she’s not a piece of gold. Just ask her out.”
His mother made it sound so simple. Normally, he never had trouble asking someone out on a date, but this seemed different. He had to do it in such a way that Madisyn wouldn’t feel threatened or think of it as a pity date. “Any suggestions?”
“Yes, since she’s going to teach you to cook. You could offer to teach her something,” his mother said. “Find out what she likes.”
“I could ask her friends,” Aidan said.
“Wrong.”
“Wrong?”
“Wrong. Never ask her friends unless you know her closest friend. Just because she says someone is her friend, doesn’t mean she’s a good friend. There’re a lot of scheming women out there.”
He knew that already. He didn’t think Madisyn was one of them, but you never knew. A man had to be prepared for the unexpected. “All right, Mom, I’ll find out on my own. Who knows, it might be fun.”
* * *
That evening, Madisyn walked inside her house and let out a sigh of relief. The flowers had caused more problems than she would have ever imagined. Her mouth was tired from explaining why Aidan Coles, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, was sending her flowers. She placed the arrangement on the coffee table.
She instantly thought of calling Aidan. She fished his number out of her purse again and dialed. To her surprise, a woman answered the phone. Madisyn was just about to mumble an apology for dialing the wrong number, when the woman stopped her. “Is this Madisyn? Aidan is taking a nap, but I’ll wake him.”
Again, Madisyn didn’t have time to ask her not to wake him, she was already gone. One day, she was going to have time to say her piece. Before she knew it, a sleepy Aidan was speaking into the phone. “Hey, Madisyn.”
“I’m sorry to wake you,” Madisyn said. “You’re not sick, are you?”
He laughed. “No, my mom just wore me out shopping today. I think we must have gone to almost every store in the mall and she still wasn’t satisfied. We ended up going to Grapevine Outlet Mall, too. I’m wiped out.”
“I just wanted to thank you for the roses. They were beautiful and caused quite a stir.”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to wait until this evening to give them to you. I really appreciate your help with my mom.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let you get back to your nap,” Madisyn said slowly.
“Hey, slow your roll, Madisyn. I wanted to talk to you.”
“Oh?” That didn’t sound good. He probably just wanted to make sure she understood her place on the food chain. She wasn’t quite ready to hear the “just friends” speech so she switched gears. “Is it about the center? I thought we could discuss it over your cooking lesson.”
“No, Madisyn, I want to talk to you about you.”
“What about me?” Madisyn’s heart started to race with anticipation. What could he want to know? Maybe he needed to run a background check on her before she started buying stuff for the Alliance.
“What are your plans after our cooking lesson?”
Madisyn was floored. “Depending on what time we finish, I was thinking about going to the bookstore afterwards.”
He cleared his throat. “How about catching a movie with me? There’s a theatre near my house.”
Should she bring it up or not? �
�And where exactly is that?”
“Oh, yeah, you don’t know where I live.” He named the subdivision and Madisyn recognized it immediately. It was an upscale part of Dallas, heavy on the up part.
“Wow, I bet living there is awesome. I hear they have their own theatre, a gourmet grocery store, and mini-mart.”
“I got a good deal on the house. I think I’m the only single man in the neighborhood. It’s gated, so I’ll give you the access code. And I’ll leave your name at the gate with Harry, just in case.”
“Harry?”
“He works the gate on the weekends. So what’s your answer?”
Madisyn hesitated. She didn’t want to sound like a wimp who was too afraid to be left alone with a sexy football player, so she answered in the affirmative. “I can’t wait.”
“Good, I’ll see you about ten.”
“Ten?” Madisyn was hoping she would still get to hang out with the girls before giving Aidan his first cooking lesson. She really needed that bonding time with them before facing him.
“Yeah, the movie starts at two. I figure that will give us plenty of time for the lesson.” He paused. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”
“Such as?”
Aidan cleared his throat. “Such as the reason that ten is too early is because your boyfriend or husband likes to have his breakfast at that time.”
Was he really concerned that she might have a man in her bed? He probably just wanted to protect himself from jealous husbands and boyfriends, she reasoned. “No, none of the above. Just got rid of one.”
“Husband?”
“Boyfriend,” Madisyn clarified. “I guess I shouldn’t say boyfriend, maybe acquaintance, because I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. And since I caught him cheating on me, he’s an ex.”
There was no mistaking the sound of relief in Aidan’s deep voice. “Good! I’m not seeing anyone right now either. Too much going on in my life to include a female.”
Madisyn wondered what man didn’t have time for a little amor? It seemed men always had time for love or sex, no matter how tight their work schedule was. “Oh, come on, I know you have time for a woman.”
“No, at this point I’m just trying to get the Mature Alliance up and running without problems. The rest will take care of itself.”
Madisyn nodded. “Very true. Could you tell my dad your theory? It would really help me out.”
“Don’t tell me he’s fixing you up on dates,” Aidan chuckled.
“Yes. It would be okay if these guys were my type, but they’re usually not even close to what I like,” Madisyn complained.
“So what kind of men do you like?”
Madisyn thought carefully about her answer. “I want someone who isn’t a player. I’m not into games and I want someone sincere, with a kind heart, and who’s sensitive to what I want out of life. I want a man who knows God, likes kids, but doesn’t have his own Brady Brunch and he must have a job and his own place. That goes without saying.”
“Sounds like a tall order. They still make guys like that?”
Madisyn laughed. “I sure hope so.”
CHAPTER 6
Madisyn awoke early Saturday morning, ready for the day to get started. First she had to tell the girls she wouldn’t be able to make their traditional girly day, something she hadn’t done since they started over six years ago. It was more than a day of pampering, it was a day of sisterhood.
Chayla was the most sensible choice to break the news to. Keisha would ask too many questions and somehow get more information out of Madisyn than she was ready to share.
She dialed Chayla’s number and listened as the phone rang. Jared, Chayla’s childhood sweetheart and husband, answered the phone. “Hello.”
Madisyn could hear Chayla and Jared’s three boys in the background arguing over the remnants of breakfast and who had to clean up the kitchen. It sounded like total chaos. When she heard the loud voices finally quiet down, she said, “Hi, Jared. It’s Maddie. Can I speak to Chayla?”
“Sure thing, Maddie. Excuse all the noise from the boys. We’re supposed to be going to the Ranger game later,” he said in a loud voice, “but I don’t know if we’re going with the kitchen in such a mess. You know anybody that would like some seats to the Ranger game right behind first base?”
“Dad, not our tickets. We’re cleaning, promise. You can’t give away our seats.”
She heard Jared snicker into the phone. “That’s better. Now hurry up.” To Madisyn he said, “Just a minute, I think she was on the computer earlier.”
“I don’t know how you guys do it with three boys,” Madisyn said.
“Me either, but somehow we keep it together. JJ is almost thirteen. Makes me feel old sometimes,” Jared said.
“Makes me feel even older,” Madisyn admitted. “I’m his godmother.”
“Here she is,” Jared said to Madisyn. “Baby, it’s Maddie.”
The next voice she heard was Chayla’s soft voice whispering to her husband, then coming on the line, “Hey, girl. What’s up?”
Of her friends, Chayla was the one Madisyn trusted the most and whose advice she’d seek. “I can’t make it to girly day.”
“Is everything all right?” Chayla’s voice was etched with concern. “Your parents okay? Do you need me to come with you?”
Madisyn laughed. “You know you’ve always had my back since we were kids. No, nothing like that, girl. Err, I have an appointment I have to keep.”
“Okay, Maddie, this is me, Chay. Out with it. I’m not that gold-digging floozy who claims to be your friend. I honestly don’t know why we still let Keisha hang around with us. It’s just like it was in high school. She was always running behind us, like some little lost puppy. Some things never change.”
“You know, I forgot about that. Yeah, that’s why I didn’t call her. I’m actually giving a cooking lesson today. That’s why I can’t make it.”
“It wouldn’t be with that handsome Aidan Coles, would it?”
“How on earth could you know his name?” Madisyn had hoped she could fool her best friend, but knew she didn’t.
“I can guess that because Keisha blew up my phone Monday when he sent you those flowers. She was so upset. You’d think he was dating her or something. I told her if she quit looking in a man’s wallet, she might get some flowers too.”
“He was just saying thank you.”
“Maddie, wake up and smell the roses. That man sent you three dozen roses in a very expensive vase. He ain’t looking for no friend. He’s putting down a claim on you.”
Chayla was a hopeless romantic, Madisyn knew. So of course she’d think Aidan was interested in her, which was highly unlikely. “Chayla, I know you’d like to think all men are as romantic as Jared, but they’re not. They’re playas like Darnell, trying to have their cake and eat it too.”
“Okay, Maddie, I’ll drop it for now. What are you teaching him? Or the better question is, where are you teaching him these lessons?”
“Gourmet cooking lessons at his house.”
Chayla shrieked. “Are you kidding me? Do you know how many women have tried to find out where he lives? That’s like the best-kept secret in Dallas. Even my sister who works in sports doesn’t know where he lives. He really values his privacy.”
“Yes, he does. Do you want to know what dish we’re going to start with today?”
Chayla chuckled. “I think I’d much rather know what he’s going to teach you.”
“That makes two of us,” Madisyn said. “Talk to you later.”
“You know I’m going to need a full report.”
Madisyn shook her head. “Some things never change.”
* * *
Aidan was nervous.
He was actually nervous about a woman coming to his home. His mother had just left two days before, and she’d cleaned his house from top to bottom before she went back to Chicago.
Madisyn wasn’t due for at least two hours. He had to calm
down or he was going to be exhausted by the time she got there. He picked up the cordless phone and called one of his best friends, Alex Herring. After a few minutes of chitchat with Alex’s wife Krista, Aidan connected with his buddy. “Hey, man.”
“So what’s up? Isn’t this cooking lesson day?” Alex chuckled.
“Yeah,” Aidan said. “I’ve just got some nervous energy and Madisyn’s not due here for two hours.”
“I still can’t believe you gave her your actual address. Most of the time you use your condo when you have a woman over,” Alex reminded his friend. “This girl must be special.”
Aidan wanted to refute his friend’s words. “You’d better be glad you live on the other side of Dallas and it would take me too long to come over there and kick your ass.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Alex said, dismissing his remarks. “You know, you’ve jumped some pretty high hurdles for a man who hasn’t even had a kiss yet, and we won’t even discuss getting any. Is she some kind of supermodel or something?”
“No. But you’re right, she’s special. Thanks, Alex.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You got me to realize that she is special, and I’m damn proud to have her in my house. Later.” He ended the call, relaxed and ready to face Madisyn.
Or at least he thought he was a few hours later, when Harry informed him Madisyn was on her way. He opened the front door and watched her drive up in her blue Chevy Trailblazer. He rushed outside to open her door for her. He wasn’t expecting such a different-looking Madisyn. Her shoulder-length hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a V-neck tank top, blue jean capris and low-heeled sandals. He helped her out of the SUV. “You look nice, Madisyn.” Was that his voice sounding as highpitched as an adolescent?
She looked him up and down, taking in his short-sleeved shirt, Bermuda shorts and sandals. “You as well, Aidan. Are you ready for your cooking lesson?”
“Sure. Thought of nothing else,” he teased. “I dreamed of scallops all night.” He noticed several canvas grocery bags in the backseat of her SUV. “I hope you didn’t buy all this for the lesson?”
