CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE TRILOGY

by Patrice Wilton

  He fussed with the knot of his tie. “Hardly, Maddi. And besides, what’s a few years? I’m twenty-five, and I prefer mature women to silly school girls.”

  It was flattering to be desired by such a good-looking guy, and hell, if David could do it, why shouldn’t she? Because, she’d feel foolish, that’s why.

  Besides, Autumn and Nicole were flying in for the weekend and wanted to see her, which was great news. She’d been worried that after David left they’d feel differently about her, and she’d never see them again. But it hadn’t been so. They called every week to check up on her, and this was their first visit home since the split. They wanted to stay with her, not in a two-bedroom apartment with Tami and their dad.

  An idea occurred to her. The girls would be starving after their flight, they could stop at a restaurant, Brian could meet them, the girls would see him, tell their father, and he’d know she wasn’t sitting around pining for him.

  “Look, I’m picking up my girls from La Guardia around four. Then we might grab a bite to eat in town before heading home. No sense in fighting rush hour traffic.” At his dejected look, she quickly added, “You could meet us if you like.”

  “I’d like that very much. Have you got a place in mind?” When she shook her head no, he made a suggestion. “I know a place in the Village that has great food, reasonable prices, and the girls will love it.”

  “It’s difficult to say when we could get there.” She grabbed a pen out of her bag. “Give me your cell phone number. I’ll let you know when we’re leaving the airport, and you can give me directions.”

  “Great. Super.” He actually blushed, and backed away. “I’ll get a table early because the place is hopping.”

  “Gotta run, Bri. Talk later.” She tossed her towel in a bin and hurried up the stairs to the ladies locker room.

  ***

  The flights, of course, were not on time. Maddi ran back and forth between the two luggage carousals, unsure which flight would arrive ahead of the other.

  Autumn saw her first. She waved, weaving through the crowds, who parted as if to let a goddess through. She was a tall, striking girl, with shoulder-length auburn hair that was a perfect frame for her pale complexion and exquisite face. She’d been turning heads since she was old enough to smile, and accepted it as her natural due.

  Maddi opened her arms and received the long-awaited hug. Then Nicole flew into her arms, and all three of them were laughing and embracing. Nikki was a raven-haired beauty with the face of an angel. Both were beautiful, but as unlike in appearance as in personalities.

  A year earlier, Autumn had decided she wasn’t going to be a rock star after all and opted for a career in the media. She dreamed of having her own radio show or a spot on TV. She had the savvy, the looks, and the intelligence to go places big, but unfortunately she wasn’t quite prepared to pay her dues.

  Nicole was the sleeping beauty of the family. Totally laidback, she seemed to simply expect good things to happen, and for her they usually did.

  Arm in arm they walked, wheeling their bags behind them to the parking level where she’d left her car. It took them an hour to get across town and find a convenient parking spot. When they waltzed into Angelo’s Bar and Grill, heads turned, and men eyed the three women.

  Except for Brian. He sat at the bar staring at Autumn, his jaw slightly unhinged. He looked punch-drunk, as though he’d been hit too many times right between the eyes.

  Maddi walked over to Brian, and she touched his shoulder. He didn’t respond or remove his eyes from Autumn. “Hi!” She said brightly. “Hope we didn’t keep you waiting long.”

  “No. Not long at all.” His eyes flickered to hers then returned to Autumn. “Hi. My name’s Brian Hamel and you are--

  Maddi answered for her. “This is my step-daughter, Autumn.” She watched with both amusement and annoyance as he took her hand and continued to hold it. “And this is Nicole.”

  He tore his eyes away from Autumn long enough to acknowledge her sister. “Hi. It’s a pleasure to meet you. To meet both of you.” Then he seemed to remember Maddi. “I mean all of you.” Blushing furiously, he said, “Thanks for coming. Was the traffic bad?”

  Maddi hadn’t wanted his attention, but now she felt a tiny disappointment. One look at a beautiful young girl, and his infatuation was over.

  She swallowed her ill feelings. After all, she loved Autumn and he was exactly the right age for her. “Traffic’s always hideous,” she answered, “especially at this hour. Do we have a table?” She put her arm around the girl’s waists. “I’m sure they’re starved. The service on board is nonexistent these days. Lucky if you get pretzels.”

  Brian left to check on the table, and the girls started in with the questions. “He’s gorgeous. How did you meet him?” they asked in unison.

  “At school. He’s an assistant professor.” She put a finger to her lips. “Here he comes.”

  The girls were animated around Brian, the conversation lively. So if Maddi was quieter than usual throughout the meal, nobody noticed. The three more than made up for her lack of banter, chatting happily for hours.

  ***

  Later that night, the sisters sat up in bed, munching on a bag of Orville Redenbacher microwave popcorn, and talking.

  “Come on, be honest,” Nicole said. “Brian was there to see Maddi. He was interested in her until you came along. She must feel like an idiot.”

  “No, don’t be ridiculous. She wouldn’t look at a man his age, and you darn well know it.” Autumn sat up straighter in bed and glared at her younger sister, hoping to shut her up.

  “I think they had something going on, and you spoiled it.” Nicole stuck her chin out. “Why not? Dad’s dating a woman half his age, why shouldn’t Maddi date someone ten years younger?”

  “I don’t know, I just don’t think she would.” Autumn said softly. “She’d be afraid to date someone younger in case he left her too.”

  “You’re wrong. I saw her expression when he came onto you.”

  “No way. If she liked him, wouldn’t she have said something?”

  “No. She’s too classy for that.”

  Autumn gnawed on her bottom lip. “I would feel terrible if you’re right. But what was I to do? He made it clear that he liked me.”

  “I know, but how do you think that made her feel?”

  “Oh, Nic. I’m such a jerk!” She put a pillow over her face, and mumbled, “What can I do? I accepted a date with him.”

  “That’s okay. She wouldn’t go out with him now in any case.” Nicole flicked a popcorn at her sister. “And Brian is so besotted with you, it’s all over with Maddi.”

  “Oh, thanks. Now I feel really crummy.” Autumn groaned.

  Nicole grinned. “It’s okay, sis. You can’t help being beautiful and having men drool over you. I’m used to it, and so is Maddi.”

  “She probably hates me.”

  “No, she doesn’t. She loves us both.” Nicole shook her sister’s arm. “Come on, don’t feel bad. Let’s figure out how we can make things right. What can we do to make her happy?”

  “I don’t know. I wish I’d never said yes to Brian.”

  “Brian wasn’t right for Maddi, but she needs to date. Trouble is, after thirteen years being married to Dad, she wouldn’t know the first thing about how to meet available men. We’ve got to come to the rescue.”

  “Okay, dope. How do we go about it? Put her face on a roadside billboard? ‘Attractive single woman seeks romance.’ Or place an ad on Facebook?”

  They looked at each other wide-eyed, then high-fived.

  Autumn spoke up, “A dating service.” Her toes curled with pleasure as she thought of all the positive responses. “Men will line up for her. She’ll have to fight them off with a stick.”

  Nicole jumped in. “We’ll get one of her best pictures and scan it onto the net with a great little bio. Then we sit back and wait for the replies.” She glanced worriedly at her sister. “We’ll have to monitor this,
you know. We don’t want Maddi to get hurt again.”

  “Right.” Autumn sighed. “She’s gone through hell.” She twiddled a lock of hair as she considered the alternatives. “How are we going to do this?”

  “We can pretend to be her, and use our email addresses. I’ll do one site, you do another. We’ll check out the men’s photos, chat back and forth a little, and screen their replies.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Autumn felt slightly better for stealing Brian. “We’ll just pick out the best of the best. It’ll work, I know it will.”

  Nicole popped a small handful of popcorn in her mouth and mumbled, “She’s not going to meet anyone at school, that’s for sure. And she won’t go to a bar by herself. It’s our only hope.”

  “You’re right. We need to help Maddi find a guy.” Autumn grinned. “We’ll be on assignment. Let’s call it ‘Operation Maddi.’”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Maddi was quick to forgive Brian for his fickleness, since it was painfully obvious that he’d fallen head-over-heels with her step-daughter. So, a few weeks later when he asked if she’d accompany him to the mall and help him choose a Christmas gift for Autumn, she’d readily agreed.

  When they arrived at the Short Hills Mall, they agreed to go their separate ways, and to meet back in an hour and compare ideas. He arranged the meeting place, the entrance next to Saks, in the center of the mall. The hour passed quickly as Maddi dashed in and out of the busy stores, and then, to her annoyance, he didn’t show up.

  She checked her watch, tapping her toe. Glancing around, she caught a man’s eye. He smiled and gave her a friendly wave, then headed right for her.

  “Hi. You must be Maddi.” He held out his hand. “I’m George.”

  Startled, she answered politely, “I’m sorry, but how did you know my name?” She took a step backward, hit the wall, and felt as cornered as a rabbit in a trap.

  “You’re the only one standing here.” George said enthusiastically. He sang the line, “It had to be you.”

  “I had to be me? What are you talking about?” What a strange man, she thought, as she slid around him and away from the wall.

  “Would you like to get something to eat or drink? There’s an entire food pavilion right here, or we could find a restaurant.” George smiled hopefully, and because they were staring her in the face she noticed he had good teeth. He was of medium height and weight, and had a pleasant looking face. Not someone who’d turn heads or break hearts, but kind of sweet looking.

  “Well, that’s nice of you, but I’m actually waiting on a friend.” A friend, she thought, that she might very well murder, if and when he showed up.

  George piped up, “I’m that friend. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.”

  She shook her head and gave a puzzled smile. The guy seemed harmless enough, but he was beginning to be a pest. And looks could be deceiving. “I’m sorry. But you are certainly not Brian.”

  “No, I’m George. Who’s Brian? Don’t tell me you lined up two men to meet. That’s just plain rude.” He rocked back and forth on his heels, and he was no longer smiling.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “The romance.com page. Come on, Maddi, you couldn’t possibly forget that. It was you who arranged this.” He had a petulant scowl on his face, and his neck had turned an ugly red.

  She took a step back, and looked around for Brian. “What in the world are you talking about? I’m not on a dating site, and we’ve never exchanged emails.”

  “You set this date up, and let me tell you something, I don’t like your attitude. You can buy your own Coke or coffee or whatever.” Huffing like the Little Engine that Could, he turned and walked away.

  Brian appeared a minute later, clearly trying not to laugh. “That appeared to go well.”

  “What was that about?” she demanded. “You know, don’t you? You set it up? Why?” She was angry, until she saw the look of apology on his face. “Were you trying to match me up with one of your friends? If so, I’m sorry if I offended him.”

  Brian shook his head. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I shouldn’t have had any part of this, but I’m afraid the girls can be very persuasive. I let them talk me into this.”

  Maddi’s eyes narrowed. “Into what?”

  “They want you to be happy, you know that. They think it’s time you met someone nice. They’ve found a few men that they hope will interest you.” He scratched his chin, unable to meet her eyes. “They made up a list.”

  “A list? No kidding. From the internet?”

  He had the good grace to blush. “They placed an ad for you, and have been communicating with a few guys, pretending to be you.”

  She laughed. “Darn girls. If I could I’d ground them for life.”

  “Oh, oh. Don’t look now, but your friend is back.” Brian gazed past her shoulder. “Pretend to smile. Here he comes.”

  George marched up to her and thrust a hot dog in her hands. “I bought this for you as a peace offering.” His pale eyes flickered over Brian. “Thought we could give it another try and salvage the possibility of being friends. But now I see why I got the brush-off. You had another man waiting in the wings.” He glared at Brian, measuring the younger, handsome man. “That really sucks.”

  ***

  Maddi waited until she got home to have a good laugh. Autumn and Nicole never should have put her in such an embarrassing situation, but it was sweet the way they worried about her.

  True, she hadn’t had a date in the eight months since her marriage broke up. But it took time to get over something like that, and even longer to imagine herself physically with someone new.

  She’d never enjoyed dating, and that was part of the reason she’d hooked up with David, and married early. He represented safety, security, all the things she’d never known growing up in a dysfunctional family.

  Her father, drunk half the time, disappeared when she was nine. When he didn’t show up that day or the next, or at all, her mother simply said, “Good riddance to bad rubbish.” That was the most vivid memory of her dad. That he was bad rubbish.

  David was handsome, successful, and had easily swept her off her feet. She had enjoyed being married, and didn’t want to spend her life alone. Perhaps the girls were right. She needed to be proactive, and find someone to love.

  The rest of her life was up to her. She could sit home alone, or she could get off her ass and make something happen.

  Why the girls had selected George was beyond her, but from now on, she would take over the decision making.

  ***

  Nicole was stretched out on the top of her bed. Actually, her head rested on a bunch of clothes that were heaped where her pillow should be, and her feet were elevated on another pile.

  When her cell phone rang she had to shuffle through the sweaters and jeans to find it.

  “Yo! Oh, hi, Maddi. What’s up?”

  “Yo, yourself young lady. How’s the weather in Denver?”

  “It snowed three inches today. I got my old boots out of the closet and discovered, after I trounced around all day, that they had a big hole in them. So now I have a big hole in my trouser socks, and cold, wet feet.” Nicole regarded her feet. “I’m warming them under a bunch of sweatshirts.”

  “Sweatshirts? Why not under the blanket, or wrap them in towels?” Maddi asked, imagining the state of her room.

  “Trust me, this is easier.”

  Maddi dropped the questions, and got down to the reason for the call. “So darling, I see you and your sister have been quite busy.”

  “Well, yeah. Like always, but I’ve been meaning to call.” Nicole stretched her arms overhead, and her entire body uncoiled with catlike grace as she lazily kicked some clothes aside.

  “That’s not what I meant. I’m referring to the “date list” you’ve compiled.” Maddi sniffed. “I’m surprised at the two of you being so sneaky. You set me up to meet someone without prior warning. How could you girls?”


  “Hey!” Nicole’s voice bubbled with excitement. “How did it go? Did you like George? Tell me all about it.”

  “It didn’t go. He was a funny little man, and I guess I insulted him.” Maddi recounted the story, ending with the hotdog. “I made Brian stay and explain, while I dashed off and did a little more shopping, but George was clearly not happy.”

  “Oh, shucks. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” Maddi said. “At first I was slightly horrified by what you girls did, but then I got to thinking. It is time for me to get out and meet some new people.”

  “Great! Have you talked to Autumn yet? No? Oh boy, will she be surprised. We both thought you’d have a fit.”

  “But you went ahead and did it anyway.” She laughed. “And of course, Autumn coerced poor Brian into it. He would do anything for her.”

  “True, he’s totally pussy-whipped.”

  “Nicole,” Maddi admonished. “That’s not a nice thing to say. Besides, he’s not. Or,” she added fairly, “just a little.”

  “See, even you know it.” Happily, she added, “So now that you’re in agreement with our little plan, I’ll give you the details. Hold on while I go get the list.”

  ***

  Autumn was working on a speech for her public forum class, practicing in front of a mirror. She hadn’t finished when the phone rang. “This better not be a nuisance call.”

  “It’s not. It’s me,” said Brian. “How’re you doing, sweetheart? Scaring off the weaker sex?”

  “You’d better believe it. So tell me, how’d it go with Maddi and her date?”

  “Not good. I expect you’ll be hearing from her soon.” Brian sighed. “I told you I didn’t want any part of it.”

  “Hold on a sec, Brian, my other line is beeping.” Autumn hit the flash button and switched over. “Maddi? Brian’s on the other line. I’ll get rid of him and be back to you.” She flicked over to Brian. “It’s her. Thanks for warning me. She’s really upset, is she?”

  “You’ll find out for yourself, sweetheart. Good luck.”

  “Autumn?” Maddi spoke in her sternest voice, one not used very often. “I need to have a word with you, young lady.”