by Jewel Allen
She ensconced herself, pressing her cheek against his chest. Then he realized she was crying.
“I dreamed about Frank Dell,” she said. “I was at a lake in Sunnyridge. Old Man Keller’s, remember?”
“Yes.” He remembered it as a popular swimming hole. They’d gone there a few times. They swam, hauled themselves out and he and she would kiss…
“He tried to choke me,” she said, “so I ran. I climbed in a boat and paddled out to the middle of the lake. My boat wouldn’t move.” Her voice rose, anguished. “So I turned and was getting ready to hit him. But he grabbed the paddle from me.”
A sob racked her body.
Gently, he brushed the hair away from her face, stroking her cheek and the smooth column of her throat. As tears fell on his shirt, he raised his thumb to wipe away them away from her cheek.
Another time and place returned to his memory. Of them standing on her front porch after their first date. And then a few weeks later, him, comforting her over her dad dying soon of cancer. Her, lifting her face to his.
Just as she was doing so now.
Except she must have just remembered who he was and why they couldn’t be together.
She unlinked her hands and sat back, just as her door opened. Sally and Thelma stood in the doorway.
“What happened?” Sally said.
“Madison had a bad dream,” Luke explained.
Sally’s face fell. “Oh, hon, I’m sorry.” She rushed over and hugged Madison. Luke moved away, stuffing his hands in his pockets. He balled his fists, wishing he could be the one holding Madison.
“You know what this calls for?” Sally said.
“What?” Madison’s voice cracked.
“Some R&R. You know, touring, sightseeing. Just some plain fun.”
“I really don’t want to, Sally. I just want to stay here. There’s a pool and tennis court.”
“For two weeks?”
“Well…”
“Come on, hon, you need to keep your mind off things. Didn’t you say you wanted to do more in Nashville this time around? Luke will be with us, so you won’t have anything to worry about. You’ll make sure she’s safe, won’t you, Luke?”
“You bet,” he said.
“See?”
Madison glanced at him and away. “Okay.”
“I’ll have Thelma look up some tour companies…”
“Ooh, I’d be happy to,” Thelma said.
“If I may,” Luke interjected. “I have a friend who specializes in tours in the area. He’s really good at arranging things at short notice.”
Sally lit up. “That would be great.” She turned to Madison. “That okay, hon?”
Reluctantly, Madison nodded.
CHAPTER NINE
“Madison Kay, I presume?” An Asian man in a pinstriped polo shirt and tan chinos glided towards her on the outdoor patio, taking both her hands in his.
“Yes,” she said, glancing at Luke.
“This is Chan,” Luke said. “Chan, Madison.”
“So pretty in person,” Chan said. “Welcome to Nashville, Madison.” He turned to Luke and shook his hand. “What are you up to, man?”
Madison smiled. She liked Chan already. He had a talent for putting people at ease. Soon, Sally and he were talking like old friends about mutual acquaintances. He also had Thelma talking fashion.
A few minutes later, Thelma brought out tamales, delicious with sour cream. Joe could have cooked for them, but Thelma insisted on cooking when she could.
“Wow,” Luke said, “these are terrific.”
Chan agreed. “I want your recipe, lady.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin. “So Madison, Luke tells me that you want to see a little bit of Nashville.”
“Well, Sally wants me to,” Madison said.
“Sally is a smart lady. What a great idea.” He pulled a notebook out of his shirt pocket. “Tell me a bit of what you like to do. Do you like to hike?”
“Sure.”
“Good. Lots of great trails around. There’s even one that ends at a waterfall. Are you an early riser?”
“If I get a good night’s sleep, yes.”
“How does sunrise on a pedestrian bridge sound?”
Madison smiled. “Fun.”
“Great! Do you like heights?”
“As in standing on the ledge of something?” Madison winced. “Not really…”
“Well, how about a hot air balloon ride?”
Madison beamed, caught up in Chan’s excitement. “That sounds terrific.”
“Maybe some tickets to the Grand Ole Opry?” Sally suggested.
Chan slapped his forehead. “Of course. How could I leave that out? They will be absolutely disappointed if you don’t stop in.”
Madison took a refreshing sip of her lemonade and set it back down, her fingers sliding on the condensation. She hesitated. It would be such a public place. Was she the only one that worried about this?
“I guess,” she said.
“My dear, why wouldn’t you want to?” Chan asked, mystified.
For a moment, Madison wanted to tell him the real reason she didn’t want to go out much. Instead, she said, “I…I don’t want to distract from the other performers.”
“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind,” Chan leaned forward, “but I think they would appreciate a little advanced notice. They like to roll out the red carpet for country stars.”
“Okay,” Madison said quietly. She felt Luke’s eyes on her.
“You can’t forget Monell’s,” Sally said.
“Gotcha,” Chan agreed.
“It’s a great family-style restaurant,” Sally explained. “Southern food and hospitality.”
“Yeah, it sounds fun,” Madison said, suddenly overwhelmed by all their attempts to have her go out in public. Vulnerable to stalkers.
“That’s probably enough,” Luke said.
Madison raised grateful eyes to his. Their glances collided and skittered away.
“Oh,” Chan said, his face falling. “I’ve been helping with this charity event for a while. But if you’d rather I didn’t tell you about it…”
“It’s okay,” Madison said. “Go for it.”
“Do not feel obligated to attend,” Chan said, “but there’s a benefit for young cancer patients this Saturday at the governor’s mansion.”
“I would love to come,” Madison said in a heartbeat.
“You would?” Chan grinned.
“Madison’s dad died of cancer,” Sally confided.
“Oh.” Chan’s expression turned solemn. “I am so sorry.”
Madison nodded, a lump forming in her throat. She and Luke exchanged glances, then she looked away.
Chan settled back in his seat and studied his notebook. “Our list is looking good. What else should I add?”
A smile hovered over Madison’s lips. “Well, I’d love to ride a horse.”
“Perfect.” Chan winked. “I think I can arrange that around here. How about caves?”
“Yeah, that would be great.”
“There’s one by Gatlinburg,” Chan said, looking at Luke. “Just a few minutes from your place. Forbidden Caverns.”
“If we have time,” Luke said.
Chan nodded thoughtfully. “Right. The challenge is squeezing it all into a week. Is that right?”
“Give or take ten days,” Sally said. “There will be rehearsals to work around.”
“Duly noted.” Chan clicked his pen and stuffed it in his pocket. “If you think of anything else, let Sally know.”
“Yes, thank you,” Madison said.
“Sometimes, I’ll be at your tour, sometimes I won’t be. Just depends on the manpower at the activity. Could you please send me your rehearsal schedule, Sally?”
“Of course.”
Chan stood up. “I will book everything and email Sally the itinerary. You won’t have to worry about a thing, Madison.” He turned to Luke. “Nice to see you, man. Hope business is going well.”
Y
ou won’t have to worry about a thing.
Chan’s words reverberated in her head as Luke escorted Chan out to the other side of the house. Luke strode casually, his hand in his jeans pocket. Every inch a gentleman.
So why was Madison so worried about sightseeing with him for two weeks?
CHAPTER TEN
A candy apple red Corvette stopped with a quiet whoosh at the curb where Madison stood. Luke got out, wearing a snug golf shirt and jeans he filled very nicely (not that she was staring), opened the door for her, then slid back into the driver’s seat.
“Nice car,” Madison said.
“Compliments of Chan,” Luke said.
Madison raised an eyebrow. “It helps to have friends in high places.”
“Actually, it’s mine.”
“But you said…”
“Chan had it fetched for me from Gatlinburg.”
“Oh.”
His glance flickered at her dress and lingered on her face. “You look very pretty, by the way.”
It had taken her several minutes of changing before she settled on her dress, a pale yellow sport dress with tiny white polka dots. At his compliment, her cheeks warmed. “Thanks.”
He cleared his throat. “And away we go.” He circled the driveway, then waited for the gate to open.
She smiled to herself.
“What?” he said, driving the Corvette out of the compound.
“I was just remembering your Toyota,” she said.
He cringed. “This is a bit of a step up, wouldn’t you say?”
“Uh-huh.” Madison nodded.
“It died and went to hubcap heaven.” He chuckled.
“None of its hubcaps would stay on, if I remember correctly.”
“Well, yeah. They were reunited in heaven.”
She laughed. “I was always afraid of putting my foot down too hard. It was like my foot was going to bust right through that rusted floor. You kept it alive far too long than was kind to that beast.”
“It got us around, okay?”
At the mention of us, the air got thick with memories.
“Actually, I have a fond memory of it,” she said. “I borrowed that thing once, remember? My car had broken down so you loaned it to me. You had an ROTC camp so you were gone for the weekend. It would only go into first or third gear.”
“Really? You didn’t tell me that.”
“I didn’t want you to think I was whining. I was just happy to have a car to use.”
“First or third?” He scrunched his nose. “I thought the second worked.”
“I had to pull up my seat so that I could reach the pedals, so that kind of took the second gear out of commission.”
“Slow or fast, and no in-between.” He tapped on the steering wheel.
“Precisely. And it was winter. Going down the hill in third gear was scary. Actually, going fast in third down the hill was fun. It was the stopping that was the problem.” She watched him shift into third gear, easing them into a smooth ride onto the highway. “Crashing into a snow bank wasn’t a great way to stop, but it worked.”
“What?” he raised an eyebrow. “No wonder my bumper was all bent out of shape.”
“It already was,” she reminded him.
This was like the old days, bantering and trash talking, and then usually ending at the park overlooking the town. One kiss would lead to another kiss…
Their gazes met and held. She bit her lip and watched the road instead, but she was suddenly aware of his bulk filling his side of the car, the confident way he steered, how his hand shifted gears rhythmically. Always moving.
He taught her how to use that stick shift. It was, thinking back, pretty suicidal. He sat her on his lap in the driver’s seat, covered her hand in his and drove down a county road. Between the natural inclination of stick shift to die between gear changes and him distracting her, they went off the road a few times.
She wished they could return to that easy camaraderie. But it would never be.
The landscape was simple yet breathtaking, the green meadows leading the eye to the expanse of blue skies. Occasionally, an intriguing barn and a dilapidated shed flashed past and she’d look back at them.
“That is so cool,” she murmured.
“Wanna stop?” he asked.
“What, here?” she looked around. They were in the middle of nowhere, with just large trees along the highway, green grass and nothing else.
“I can double back so you can check out that house.” He was already making a U-turn. Signaling with his blinker, he pulled over to the shoulder.
“I’m game if you are,” she said.
An abandoned house was set back a ways from the highway. It was a small, white structure with one gable and what looked like extra rooms added on over the years. A No Trespassing sign hung on the wall.
“Should we even be here?” she wondered aloud.
But Luke was already poking around in the entry where a door used to be.
***
Luke stepped over the threshold, his shoes crunching on the pieces of wood and other junk that had rotted and blown in over the years. There were signs of termites, with crossbeams sloped unevenly, and rain damage from holes in the roof.
The gaping windows framed a perfect day. Sunbeams glistened on the wildflowers and tall grasses surrounding the property. From behind one clump, a bunny popped up, then bounced into the trees.
He heard Madison follow behind him. She stood to his right, looking out the window, too.
“Let’s buy this and fix it up,” she said.
“We’ll call it The Mansion. Oh, wait. We can call it the Madison Mansion.”
She giggled.
“It has everything I could ever want in a house,” he said. “I’ll add it to my collection.”
He could sense her studying his profile. “Where are you based nowadays?” she asked.
“Dallas. New York. L.A. A few more places.”
“You’ve really done well, haven’t you?”
“I’m as surprised as you.”
“I’m not really surprised. You always came across as hungry.”
“Yeah,” he frowned. “I was hungry alright.”
She smiled. “I mean that you wanted to succeed.”
“I just wanted to get out of that miserable trailer. I wanted what you had.”
Sadness washed over her features. “My dad dying and my mom remarrying someone else?”
“Not so much the other stuff…but your folks were great. Your house, your life. Heck, even the fake cookies your mom set in that jar.”
Madison laughed. “Serves you right, snitching from the cookie jar.”
“How was I supposed to know that they weren’t real? I swear, I almost needed a dentist.”
“But anyway, you deserve every success. You ever get lonely?”
He slowly turned to her. Her question sounded innocent enough, but he felt a flash of irritation. “All the time,” he admitted. “Did you expect anything else?”
She swallowed, then looked away.
“Well?” he asked.
“You really want me to answer that?”
“You brought it up, so yes.”
Her eyes flashed. “Why are you shouting at me?”
“I am not!” His voice softened. “I am not. Sorry.”
She crossed her arms. “Fine, you asked, so I’ll answer. I was sure you’d be married by now and have kids.”
“Why? I know marriage sucks.” His hand gripped the weathered window sill.
“I’m sure you had girls checking you out, especially in uniform.”
“Yeah, I guess. So?”
“So you could have picked any of them for a wife.”
“I didn’t want any of them for my wife. The only one I ever wanted…bailed on me.”
She flinched.
He felt a stab of guilt. He wasn’t really being fair. All this personal talk, and there wasn’t anything either of them could do about. “Anyway,” he said, l
eaning over the sill and hinting at the end of the discussion. “How about you?”
“I’ve gotten used to going solo. I actually like the quiet. It’s good for my creativity. I can knock out several songs in one afternoon. So that makes for a lot of songs in a week.”
“What happens to all of the songs?”
“Some of them, I just keep. And then one or two will float to the top and it’d be right for my next album lineup.”
He stared at her. “You’re amazing. I mean, you just write songs. They come to you? Heck, I can’t even rhyme verses.”
“You rhymed earlier. Madison Mansion, remember?”
“I think that’s a stretch.”
“I guess.” She laughed. “Sometimes I don’t rhyme. It’s enough that I get the general idea out. It’s just a draft anyway. Later, I can edit the general idea, if I have time.”
“Speaking of time.” Luke glanced at his phone. “We should probably head out, or we’re gonna be late for the hot air balloon ride.”
Her eyes lit up. Madison followed him across the rotting floorboards. He heard her quick intake of breath and turned to see her flail an arm out. He caught her around the waist and held her against his chest for several moments. Her arms went ‘round his neck, bringing her face was so close to his, he could feel her warm breath on his face. His throat went dry as she moistened her lips.
No, he was a pro.
With dogged determination, he straightened, bringing her upright with him.
She gestured towards the floor. “I lost my shoe back there.”
He blinked. What shoe?
“Um, Luke?” she said. “Help me get my shoe?”
“Of course.” He walked over to where her shoe got caught on a board, placing it on the floor beside her. She put out a hand to steady herself and he resisted the urge to hold it.
He was just hired help. The sooner he got that through his thick skull, the better off he would be.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Madison followed Luke to the car, bewildered. For a moment there, suspended in his arms, Madison nearly broke her resolve to keep their relationship professional. But then he helped her up and would have left her there had she not asked for his help with her shoe. Now he simply marched beside her unsmiling like some robot bodyguard behind those dark shades. He was obviously no longer attracted to her.
