Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“ I seriously hate that woman,” Madison huffed, dropping her bag onto her desk with a thud.
Cami, already reclined in the plush recliner James had delivered to their office earlier in the week, lifted an unimpressed brow. “Who do we hate?”
Madison flopped down in her chair, scowling. “Thatlady at the daycare. Cheryl, or whatever her name is. She made another comment when I dropped off Jax this morning.”
Cami nibbled gingerly at the saltine in her hand. “What kind of comment?”
“‘Oh, it must be so hard leaving him every day. But I suppose the time away is worth it to be famous.’” Madison mimicked. “With the most passive-aggressive smile I’ve ever seen.”
Cami nearly choked on her cracker. “Are you serious? Wait. Are we famous now?”
Madison scowled. “She does it all the time. And yeah, I’ve been late a couple of times at pickup, and Jax gets a lot of bad colds because of his lung issues… the way she acts… It’s like I’m letting him lick the floor in public restrooms.”
“What a bitch,” Cami offered with a grin and then winced, inhaling slowly through her nose.
Madison winced. “Still bad?”
“I can’t find a single position that doesn’t make me want to hurl.” She pointed a finger at Madison. “Morning sickness is a lie , by the way. It’s an all-day sickness. James bought me this chair to make me ‘more comfortable’ at work, but unless it comes with an IV drip of ginger ale and anti-nausea meds, it’s useless .”
Madison snorted. “I mean, it is a really nice chair.”
Cami glared at her. “You just wait ‘til you get knocked up.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who got pregnant with twins,” she joked. “It’s your own fault you’re getting a double dose of progesterone.”
Cami flicked the saltine at her, but Madison caught it midair, with a grin. “Nice try.”
Her best friend rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. “Okay, enough pregnancy woes. Let’s talk interviews.”
Madison made a face. “I’m assuming you’re referring to the ‘you need more local color’ comments from the production company.”
Cami nodded, pulling her computer onto her lap while she bit off the corner of another cracker. “We’re going to need to make at least one trip to North Carolina. Personally, I think we’ve done a good job describing the area, but…”
“I know.” Madison sighed. “We don’t have the final say anymore.”
“Sold our souls for the lure of corporate podcasting.” Cami snorted. “Who knew trading the stress of finding our own advertisers would be so quickly replaced with bossy producers?”
Madison nodded. “I’ll go. If I’m there in person, I might have a better shot at getting some of the more hesitant people to talk.”
“Maybe, but I don’t like the idea of you going alone.” Cami frowned. “Local law enforcement isn’t exactly happy with all the attention they’re getting.”
“I’ll be fine,” Madison reassured her. “If nothing else I’ll get some good video we can use for promo. Besides, you know you can’t go. Even if you weren’t puking all the time, James will literally tie you to your bed if you even try it.”
“I wish he’d tie me to the bed,” Cami muttered. “He acts like if I sneeze too hard something is going to happen to me and the babies. I never should have told him how sick I feel. The man is ridiculous.”
“Ridiculously in love with you, you mean.”
“Yeah, well, if the books are correct, I should feel way better by the second trimester, and apparently all that extra blood I’m making has some enjoyable side effects.” She waggled her brows and Madison laughed. “Then he better watch out.”
“Something tells me he won’t be complaining.”
They laughed for a moment before Cami’s expression turned serious. “What about Jax? I guess you could take him with you…”
A knot formed in Madison’s stomach. Could she ask Alex to stay with him? They’d never really discussed what that kind of responsibility would look like. He’d never done bedtime, or changed a diaper…
“I don’t think Alex is ready to be left alone with a one-year-old,” she admitted. “I mean, he’s great with Jax, sweet even. But…”
Cami’s lips curled into a knowing smirk.
Madison frowned. “What?”
“You like him.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “I should hope so. We’re married.”
Cami shook her head, still grinning. “It’s more than that. Your face goes all soft when you talk about him.”
Madison sighed. Denying it to Cami was pointless. “I do like him. More than I expected to. He’s…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “Challenging. He’s not like anyone I’ve ever met, but we get along really well. We have… an understanding, I guess. We’re friends.”
Cami raised a brow. “Friends?”
“You don’t think I should be friends with my husband?”
“It’s not what I expected.” Cami tilted her head, considering. “I didn’t think Alex Kovalyov would be open enough to have friends.”
“He’s friends with your brother-in-law.”
“True,” Cami mused. “Then again, Declan doesn’t really have friends either.”
Madison tapped her nails against the desk, eager to change the subject. “I can go on one of Felix’s weekends.” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Cami frowned. “Are you sure?”
“No. And I hate the idea of being far away when Jax is with him.” Her anxiety spiked at the thought, but she exhaled slowly. “At least Alex will be here in case something happens.” That thought, at least, was comforting.
“How’s the custody case going?”
Madison rubbed her temples. “The new lawyer is really good. I mean, scary good. But unless Felix screws up, I could still lose primary custody.”
“Madison—”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Madison cut her off before she could say anything else. “If I do, I’ll cry, and I can’t deal with that today.”
Cami nodded in understanding. “Then let’s focus on something else. Let’s go over the rest of the taped interviews and pull out the soundbites we want to use.”
Madison flipped open her laptop. “I’ll take notes. I’d hate to get between you and your beloved saltines.”