15. Maddie
15
MADDIE
Stop thinking about him.
All day long, Maddie had caught herself listening to Brooks’s music. And now that four o’clock was rapidly approaching, it was all she could do to keep herself from racing out the door.
Brooks Kent was becoming a problem.
She hadn’t intended to have fun playing house with him and his niece.
But it was.
And he’d been so normal. Practically domestic as he grilled hot dogs for Audrey and made mac and cheese on the stove. Put her to bed.
And then he’d opened a window into his dark past, one that made so much sense. Tragically so.
Uncomfortable as she’d been with blackmailing him, it was easier when she’d thought he was just an asshole who jerked people around. Yet the Brooks she’d gotten to know the past couple of days seemed to have an actual heartbeat under that arrogant exterior.
So she’d fled his house, feeling guilty about the fact that he was a person and she’d been a jerk to him. A person who’d wanted to know more about her.
Now, here she was, thinking about him nonstop, doing what she did every time she had a crush.
God, I’m pathetic. Lindsay and Naomi were right. She did catch feelings too easily.
Actually, Maddie had avoided Naomi all day since Naomi had a way of zeroing in on whatever Maddie was feeling.
Maddie pulled her ear pods out and tucked them away, then left her back office to make a round in the Depot before she left.
Mid-afternoon in the Depot was always one of the slowest times, especially on a weekday. Now that school had started again, they didn’t have the throng of customers from the summer, which made the place feel dead. Things picked up on the weekends, and they’d have a few more heavy trafficked days in the fall, especially near the fair and during the holidays.
Yet every September, the pressure of living in a town that depended on tourism for a bulk of its commerce weighed heavily on Maddie. Pops had done a lot with his businesses to bring fresh faces in during the year, but he couldn’t even stop the slowdown.
And now they had an ugly, gaping hole where one of their main storefront windows used to be.
She stared at it, her guilt clawing its way through her. She didn’t have to close her eyes to imagine Brooks’s car sitting there, surrounded by the wreckage.
The man she’d been casually flirting with.
Naomi had done her best to fix the surrounding space, but it was still killing the aesthetic appeal in that section of the store—and, worse still, looked awful from the street.
“I don’t know why Pops won’t let me call someone else to see if they can repair it sooner,” Naomi said from behind her. She stood beside Maddie. “It looks so hideous. Have the police made any progress on figuring out who was behind it? It’s so hard to believe that the security footage didn’t get a license plate.”
“No, they haven’t.” Maddie bit her lip. The lie was the worst part of it. Would it really be that bad if she told Naomi the truth? They’d been through this sort of thing before—when Lindsay and Travis had been sneaking around, afraid to tell everyone they were dating. And Maddie remembered how hurt they’d all been about Lindsay’s lies.
But this . . . this felt more insidious. Maddie could understand why Lindsay had lied—she’d been terrified about the family finding out she was dating one of the Wagners. The Yardleys had been in a decades-long feud with them.
On the other hand, Maddie was lying just because Brooks had asked her to.
Because, despite what he says, he fears looking worse to the public. He cares about his reputation on some level, even if he tries to pretend he doesn’t.
Yet he’d let a huge thing like the accusations Paulette had made go. Why this? Why was he choosing this as the thing he didn’t want to get out?
“Maybe I should ask to see if the Stricklands have better footage. They might have gotten something on their cameras across the street.”
“No!” Maddie took an involuntary step forward, her hand shooting out toward Naomi.
Why didn’t I think of that?
Naomi’s eyes widened with bewilderment. “Why?”
“I-I just . . .” Maddie scrambled, her palms feeling sweaty. “You know. Josh is so close with the Stricklands now, and they’ve hated us since they felt like their ice cream business was threatened by us selling gelato, and I . . . just don’t want to owe them any favors. Please?”
“All right, all right, I won’t ask them. Calm down.” Naomi scanned her face, doubt clear in her expression. “Is there something I need to know?”
Tell her, tell her, tell her.
“No, nope. Everything’s good.” Maddie glanced down at her watch. Crap. If she didn’t leave right now, she was going to be late for Brooks. “I’m taking off, though. So we can talk about it more later.”
Naomi followed her as she made her way through the store to the back. “Wait, where are you going?”
“Uh, you know, the band thing from yesterday. Still working on it.”
“Again?”
Maddie pushed the door open to the back, wrinkling her nose at the faint smell of stinkbug. They were swarming near the windows and doors, trying to get inside the buildings for winter. She pulled her keys out. “Yeah. It will probably take me about ten hours—the whole process of getting things nailed down isn’t so straightforward.”
She stopped beside her car and opened the door, then glanced back at Naomi. Her sister’s expression was less than thrilled. “I’m sorry if I’m leaving you to do too much around here.”
Naomi shook her head. “You’re acting really weird.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are. You’re being super weird.”
“I’m really not.”
“Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” Naomi leaned closer to her car. “And why do you have a car seat in the back of your car?”
Shiiiiiit.
Tell her, tell her, tell her.
Maddie grimaced, then closed the door, drawing in a breath. “All right, fine.” She covered her face. “I’ll tell you. But you have to swear you will not tell a soul.”
Naomi crossed her arms. “How can I swear when I don’t know what I’m promising?”
“Just do it.” Maddie gave her a hard look.
“Fine. I swear.”
“Okay.” Maddie drew a deep breath, then looked around. She wasn’t taking any chances. “Get in the car. We’ll talk in there.”
She got into the driver’s seat, then turned on the car.
Another voice, different from the one urging her to spill, went through her brain as she stared at the car seat Brooks had installed the evening before.
Don’t do it, Maddie.
Naomi opened the passenger side and climbed in. “What in the hell is going on?”
She had to tell her. Eventually, it was going to come out. Maddie wasn’t capable of keeping this sort of thing from Naomi.
“You know Brooks Kent?”
Naomi looked bewildered. “As in the rock star?”
“Yeah.” She drew a deep breath, her fingertips shaking. “He’s the one who crashed into our place.”
“What?” Naomi’s voice reverberated in the closed quarters.
“On Sunday morning. He was coming down Main Street, swerved to avoid hitting a deer, and crashed into the store.”
“You’re joking.”
Maddie shook her head, not really feeling as good about telling the truth as she’d hoped she would. “I wish I was.”
“I don’t understand.” Naomi blinked at the dash, her face drained of color.
“So he crashed into the Depot, then begged me not to call the police but promised to pay for the damages, and I made a deal with him that I wouldn’t . . . and now he’s going to play in the fair for us. Ta-da.” Her weak attempt to end on the good news clearly didn’t land as Naomi lifted confused eyes at her.
“I—” She tilted her head. “What?”
“He’s in town. Or, really, at the lake. Cormac Doyle invited him to hang out here for the week.”
“Wait, isn’t he in jail?” Naomi took out her phone, googling his name. “Yeah. Nice try, Maddie. Brooks Kent was arrested on Saturday night near Baltimore.”
Maddie closed her eyes. This wasn’t going to go well, she was sure of it. Better than if she’d waited, maybe, but not well. “Yeah, I know,” she breathed. “That’s why he didn’t want me calling the police. He got out on bail and then drove here. If you don’t believe that he’s here, ask Logan. Cormac invited us over to the house where they’re staying on Sunday night.”
Naomi’s face flushed with hurt. “Are you telling me that Logan knows about all this?”
“No!” Oh God. The last thing she wanted was to throw Logan under the bus, especially when he had done nothing wrong. “No. I mean, Logan knows Brooks is in town but not about the wreck.”
“Brooks?” Naomi quirked a finely chiseled brow. “You’re on a first-name basis with that creep now?”
The defensiveness that flared in her stole her breath. “He’s not a creep.”
Naomi lifted her phone. “He was arrested for assault , Maddie.”
“I know, I know. It’s complicated, though.”
Naomi’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.” Her fingertips rose to her lips. “Tell me you’re not sleeping with him, Maddie.”
Now it was Maddie’s turn to feel hurt. She gaped at Naomi. “Are you serious?”
“Why else would you defend him like this? Make a deal? Hell, lie to me.” Naomi glanced back at the car seat. “Is that his? Does he have a kid or something? Wait, is that where you’ve been going? To spend time with him?”
“No! Well, yes, but not because I want to spend time with him. He forced me to. Okay, no, so what I mean is . . .” Maddie ran her fingers through her hair. “Okay, so I made a deal with him that I’d give him ten hours of my time if he played at the concert, no questions asked, and . . .”
The look on Naomi’s face was clear: telling her had been a huge mistake.
“It sounds worse than it is.”
Naomi blinked. “I don’t think that’s possible. I thought he was a creep . . . turns out he’s a psycho. Maddie! What the hell? Ten hours of your time, no questions asked?”
“He’s not a psycho.” She rubbed her temples, trying to think. How had this conversation gotten away from her so quickly? “His car is in the shop, and he’s watching his four-year-old niece for the week, so he’s needed some favors. Nothing crude or weird.”
“What shop?” Naomi’s keen gaze nearly eviscerated her.
Shit.
“Uh . . . Travis’s.”
Naomi was silent for a few moments.
“I’m assuming Travis knows whose car is in his shop.”
Maddie nodded slowly. “I made him promise not to tell anyone. Including Lindsay.”
Naomi’s nostrils flared. “Who else?”
“Who else what?”
“Who else is in on this secret ?”
She cringed. “Garrett Doyle and Dan Klein.”
Naomi nodded slowly. Reaching up, she pulled down the seat belt and buckled it in. “Let’s go.”
Huh?
“Where?” Please don’t say to see Brooks.
“To the pub. To tell Lindsay why you’re making her boyfriend lie to her.”
“No, I can’t tell anyone else. I told you. You can’t tell anyone else.”
“That was before I found out my little sister is being controlled by a man with the money and means to manipulate her. And that you’ve lost your mind. Now drive.”
“But the store?—”
“The store will be fine. Lars is there, and Missy has the register and can serve gelato if necessary.”
That was true. Also the nice thing about having employees.
Maybe it was that Naomi was her big sister or that she felt bad for lying and knew how bad it sounded, but Maddie put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking spot. “I can’t tell Lindsay. That’s too many people. If too many people find out, Brooks won’t play a concert for us. Who knows, he might not even play. I’m technically in breach of contract, having told you.”
Naomi whirled toward her and gripped her forearm. “Tell me you didn’t sign anything.”
“I did . . . but I wrote up the contract.”
The distress on Naomi’s face wasn’t entirely surprising. Maybe more than Maddie had expected, but still . . .
A strange, sad feeling came over her. With a start like this, the chance of Naomi forgiving or liking Brooks was slim. She’d never get the chance to know that he had a totally different side. Naomi would just see him as the jerk who had taken advantage of her sister.
“He’s not a bad person, Naomi,” she said in a shaky voice. “A little rough around the edges, but he’s got a really sweet side. He’s just been through a lot.”
“Yeah, it must be really miserable being a rich, spoiled rock star.” Naomi shook her head. “What is with you? I know Josh really messed you up, Maddie, but this isn’t like you. You’re clearly already emotionally attached to this guy, and you just met him three days ago.”
Maddie laughed. “Nothing is going on between Brooks and me. I would barely even call us friends.”
Yet that felt like a lie, too.
Brooks had shared some incredibly personal things with her.
And when she’d hugged him . . .
She sighed, hating herself for getting so close to him.
Naomi was right. Not about Brooks—but about the fact that Maddie was getting emotionally attached.
Dammit.
How?
How had she let Brooks in so easily? She’d barely even liked him, and now she was here defending him to the person she was closest to in the world.
He was attractive, of course. More than that. He’s downright sexy.
Nothing wrong with admitting she was attracted to him. At least to herself. Telling Naomi would be a disaster right now.
But that didn’t mean anything. Admitting that Brooks was hot was like admitting that the sky was blue.
Facts.
She said nothing as she drove down Main. They could have walked to the pub from the Depot, so the trip only took a couple of minutes. Maddie parallel parked on the street, then turned toward Naomi, the engine idling. “I know you’re mad, but?—”
“Mad doesn’t begin to cover it. Disappointed? Concerned? All that and more.”
“You’ve always trusted my judgment.”
“Maddie, you lied to me. And to Pops. For what . . . some good-looking rock star you don’t even know? This is Pops’s business—not yours and mine. His. You had no right to make such an important decision without asking us.”
“But he’s going to play at the fair?—”
“Whoopie,” Naomi spat sarcastically. “That’s supposed to make me feel better about all this? I’d rather have Phil down the street with a banjo than this disaster you’ve created.”
Maddie drew a shaky breath. “I’m sorry.”
Naomi’s gaze softened. “You know I’ll forgive you. I love you. But I am really, really worried about what you’ve gotten yourself into. I think you should tell Lindsay and Pops, at the very least. I may not know Brooks Kent, but he sounds deceitful. Just . . . be careful. You have a good heart, and I worry that he’ll stomp all over it and not look back.”
A lump formed in Maddie’s throat, and she nodded. “I understand.” She glanced at the time again. Crap. I’m going to be so late to get to Brooks.
Then she breathed out slowly.
Brooks could wait. Because what Naomi said was right. “This is Pops’s business—not yours and mine. His. You had no right to make such an important decision without asking us.”
Time to be wiser, Maddie.
Brooks might require ten hours of her time, but he could no longer be the only priority in her life.