9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
M addie
Voices filter out from an open door and my fingers dig into Baxter’s arm on reflex. He smiles down at me and pats the back of my hand reassuringly.
“Come on, I’ll show you the living room.” He drags me away from the voices to a high-ceilinged room. There’s a floor length window overlooking a garden fresh with greenery.
“It’s so beautiful,” I breathe.
“It is.” He steers me toward a mantle over a fireplace. “These are even more beautiful.”
I lean in and squint at the photos. It’s easy to make out Chance’s teenage face. He hasn’t changed much, scowl and all. There’s just light in his young eyes that I don’t see now.
I back away, uncertain if he’d like me looking at those photos. I’m only his employee and fake girlfriend. By the end of the night, I won’t be one of those anymore.
I shouldn’t get intimate with his life.
Baxter takes me to more parts of the house, showing me dents in the wall he and Chance made when roughhousing.
“There were three of you in the photo?” I prompt.
“Oh, yeah. Our little brother, Landon. He’ll be at dinner tonight. You’ll get to meet him too.”
By the time the downstairs tour is over, I’m feeling less nervous at the prospect of meeting the family. Baxter smiles knowingly. He did the tour to allow me to calm down and prepare myself.
I’m about to say a thank you when Chance comes out of the kitchen carrying a tray. His eyes drift over Baxter and I, then latch onto the place where my hand meets his brother’s arm.
His look darkens and I have the impulse to remove my hand. I resist though, and look at him askance.
“Dinner’s ready,” is all he says and goes ahead into the dining room.
“Shall we?” Baxter inclines his head, his smile still on despite Chance’s attitude.
“Yes.”
“Sure?”
I have the distinct feeling he won’t push it if I need more time to get ready. But I smile. “I’m ready, thank you.”
“It’s no problem at all.” He gestures toward the door. “This way, Miss Lowe.”
We walk through the door and instantly, the chatter ceases.
All gazes focus on Baxter and me. No, not Baxter who’s shadowing me. They’re all looking much lower at me.
I gulp.
Baxter places a supportive hand on my shoulder. “Everyone, meet Miss Maddie Lowe.”
“Just Maddie,” I add.
The girl next to an older lady quirks a smile.
“Meet Just Maddie,” Baxter amends to a few chuckles—none from Chance. “And Maddie, this is my dad, Dan Easton.”
Dan rises and I’m forced to cross the room and take the hand he stretches out.
Dan’s handshake is firm and his smile warm. “Welcome to our home, Maddie.”
“Thank you, sir.” I sound breathless.
“Not sir. Just Dan.”
“Just Dan?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, Just Dan.”
His smile grows and his eyes crinkle. He lets my hand go as Baxter introduces the next people at the table.
“This is our Aunt Felicia. And her daughter, Lucy, our cousin.” He ruffles Lucy’s hair to which she yells and rises to play-punch him.
I greet Aunt Felicia and she smiles.
“Lovely to have you, Maddie. I hope you like a good spicy chicken. I make the best.”
“It’s one of my favorites.”
When Lucy manages to subdue Baxter, she turns to me with a wide grin.
“Welcome to the family!”
Before I can amend that I’m not actually part of the family yet. Or ever will be.
She hugs me. Tight.
“I’m so happy Chance found you.”
I hug her back but look over her shoulder to meet Chance’s eyes. I’d hate to break their hearts, but I don’t fit in their world. They’d soon realize that and want me gone anyway.
It’s best to end things now before I get any closer to them.
“And one more person.” Baxter pulls me away from Lucy’s hug and gives her the stink eye.
She returns it with equal fervency.
I smile, sure I’m going to love her.
“This is Landon. Our baby brother.”
He’s certainly not a baby. Even sitting, he looks as tall as Chance and Baxter but without a similar build.
He’s on his iPad typing furiously and doesn’t look up until Baxter taps his shoulder.
His gaze shoots up and I’m hit with the intensity of it. Clear blue eyes search my face and then he says, “Nice to have you here, Maddie.”
“Nice to be here…” He goes back to his iPad. “...too.”
What was that? I turn to Baxter for an explanation but he only shrugs with a smile.
He leads me on and deposits me in the empty chair next to Chance.
“Your family is very nice,” I tell Chance.
“Yep.” His eyes follow Baxter as he rounds the table to take the spot opposite us next to Lucy.
Baxter meets his older brother’s eyes and winks.
I can’t help my chuckle. For some reason, Baxter enjoys teasing Chance and Chance always falls for it.
I glance sideways at Chance and before everyone else, he starts to dish his meal, his motions stiff.
He’s slapping on mashed potatoes now. I touch his arm and he turns my way.
With a small smile, I take the spoon from him and do it myself. He lets me.
The slight shake in my hand is definitely not because he’s looking at me.
Once everyone’s plates are full, we dig in. It’s delicious and I tell Aunt Felicia.
She beams. “That’s Sunday dinner for you, my dear. Next Sunday I’m trying out these Mexican dishes that are oh so delicious. You won’t believe your tongue when you taste them. I’ve never tried the recipes but on my last vacation to Mexico, the yacht chef made them and I have to try them.”
“Hey, mom.” Lucy drops the wineglass she’s sipping from. “Didn’t you try those recipes you got from the Bahamas that one time and it was a disaster?”
Baxter snickers.
Aunt Felicia throws him a stern look, then directs the same at Lucy. “You both have bad taste.” She turns to Chance. “Tell Maddie how good it was.”
“It was good,” Chance says.
Lucy rolls her eyes. “Chance doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, that’s all. Uncle Dan, wasn’t the food awful?”
Dan shakes his head and points at his mouth signaling he has a mouthful and can’t talk.
Lucy laughs. She faces me. “Uncle Dan doesn’t lie, unlike Chance. So he’d rather say nothing.”
Dan sips from his glass and finally speaks, “It was different.”
“That’s code for bad, but he’s trying to be nice,” Lucy says.
“Fine.” Aunt Felicia rolls her eyes. “That was that recipe but I promise next Sunday’s will be excellent! You’ll be here for that, right?” She looks at me enthusiastically.
“Um…” I glance sideways at Chance.
“Can we eat up this delicious meal first before talking about what will happen next week?” Chance says.
Aunt Felicia smiles. “Of course.”
She’s probably pleased he complimented the meal.
“So, Maddie,” Lucy chirps, “Where are you from?”
“Let Maddie eat, will you?” Chance smiles tightly.
“I didn’t…”
Chance interrupts with work talk directed at Dan, effectively stamping out Lucy’s line of questioning. Maybe he doesn’t want them finding out I’m a nobody. Or he doesn’t want more about me to be said because by dinner’s end, it’ll be over.
Either way, it hurts. I know we shouldn’t dive deeper into each other’s lives. But despite my nerves earlier on, I’m comfortable around the Eastons.
I move around my meal until Dan shifts away the conversation from work. Then I perk up.
“When were you going to bring Maddie for us to meet her?” Dan asks. “If Baxter didn’t say anything, we would have still been in the dark about your girlfriend.”
Chance glances at me. “I was waiting for the right time.”
“Well, better late than never!”
“Yeah sure, dad.” Chance resumes eating.
“I mean, I never thought I’d see you with a woman. You act like you’re married to your work. Working so hard.”
“For the family.” Chance’s voice is cold and detached. “It’s what we have to do, right?”
“Not have to.” Dan leans forward, his eyes glued on Chance even though Chance’s gaze is fixed on his nearly empty plate. “Work is work and there’s life outside of that.”
“I have a life outside of work.”
“Well, thank heavens for Maddie because—”
“Even before Maddie, I did.” Chance’s gaze shoots up to his dad and the table goes quiet.
My gaze shifts between everyone as I try to understand what’s going on. Is this something they’ve spoken about before? It seems there’s an underlying tension and I’m not sure what it is.
“Well, let’s agree to disagree, eh?” Dan smiles and in the moment, he reminds of Baxter. Chance doesn’t reply and he continues, “I’m just so glad you brought Maddie to us today. We are very happy to have her.” He faces me. “And you’re always welcome.”
Crap.
I smile. “Thank you.”
We’re going to break their hearts when we say it’s not real.
I go back to eating, dreading the moment Chance decides to finally speak up. The only thing I’m grateful for is that in two weeks, I’d be out of Magic Island and never have to see these kind people I lied to ever again.
But dinner’s getting to a close and Chance isn’t saying a word.
I’m enjoying my ice cream and cake dessert and giving him the side eye he completely misses.
“Chance?” I say finally, pressing out a smile and moving my eyes in a way that says tell them, I hope.
His eyes dim. He gets it. Good.
I wait, the ice cream on my tongue turning to sawdust. I’m not sure how they’d react but I hope it won’t be yelling-level bad. I look around the table and I’m sure it won’t go that far. They’re nice people.
Chance clears his throat. He looks at me, and then scans the table. From Landon whose face is buried in his iPad, to Lucy who’s chatting with Baxter and Aunt Felicia who’s topping up Dan’s dessert plate.
It’s a struggle for him. He probably didn’t think it’d be hard.
I place my hand on his for support. When his warm fingers cover mine, I almost melt. We sat together all night but barely touched each other.
This feels good. Right.
NO.
It ends now.
Tell them, Chance. I plead with my eyes.
“Dad and… everyone.”
They all turn to him.
I hold my breath and keep my gaze down.
His fingers thread mine. “Maddie and I… we work together.”
Okay…
Say so we cannot date .
“Baxter mentioned it.” Dan’s voice.
So we cannot date!
“Yeah, and it’s been great so far. She’s really competent at her job. In fact, she poked holes in Ramsey’s plans on her first day.”
“He’s always too cocky,” Dan says. “But you know, one in five of his attempts work so he stays on.”
Chance continues. “Of course. His recent campaign covering…”
I look up at Chance, my mouth threatening to hang loose. What the fuck? I thought he was going to say it and now he’s talking about work?
I poke his side with an elbow.
He huffs and looks my way. I eyeball him and he shrugs. Shrugs!
I press my mouth shut and face forward. Baxter’s looking between us, his eyes narrowed but I don’t care.
I’m mad at Chance for not following through and forcing us to continue this charade.
I’m mad I played along in the first place.
And I’m mad at myself for being unable to repress my shiver as he leans in to whisper in my ear.
Whatever he says, I don’t hear it. Too mad and too turned on for my own good.
Damn him.