Chapter 25 #WildGeese
#WILDGEESE
ADRIAN
I returned from helping Marty Kovach untangle his basement plumbing nightmare to find Maya standing behind the register, looking like someone had just told her Santa wasn’t real.
“Where’s Maddox?” I asked, glancing around the store. The rush had died down, leaving a young mother browsing the seasonal clearance section with a baby strapped to her chest and an older guy debating the merits of different snow shovels with Bonnie. “Did he call in the lunch order?”
Maya looked at me in confusion. “No. I don’t know where he went. He just… left? He looked spooked.”
As she handed my phone back, I noticed new messages from Vic marked as read. The blood drained from my face as I scrolled through them.
Vic
Stop fucking ignoring me!
Do not turn down the offer of a lifetime because of your dick.
Another offer like Solenne will not come around if word gets out you declined it.
“Fuck,” I breathed. “He saw texts from my business manager about my job offer.”
Maya’s eyes widened. “What job offer?”
“Global brand ambassador for the Solenne Collection. Travel the world, live in luxury resorts, basically everything I’ve worked toward for the past five years.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth. “Everything that would take me as far away from Legacy as possible.”
“Oh my god,” she breathed. “You’re actually leaving?”
“No!” The answer exploded out of me. “I told Vic no yesterday. But I don’t know if Maddox scrolled up far enough to see that.”
Maya’s face crumpled. “So he thinks you’re leaving?”
“How could he?” I sank onto the stool behind the counter.
“If he honestly thinks, after everything we’ve talked about, that I’d just leave without so much as discussing it with him…
he must still think the worst of me. That I’m a fancy city boy with a temporary life, always moving on to the next perfect thing. ”
“He doesn’t,” Maya said firmly. “I’m positive Maddox doesn’t think that about you anymore.”
“How do you know?” I demanded. “He’s spent weeks reminding me—and you—that this was temporary. That I’d leave eventually.”
Maya bit her lip like she wanted to argue but couldn’t.
“Even if he thought I wanted the job, why the fuck would he just leave? Was this his way of protecting himself?” I tried calling Maddox’s number, but it went straight to voicemail.
In deference to Maya, I tried to keep from biting out a curse.
“That… jerk. Why couldn’t he have at least talked to me? ”
Maya grabbed my wrist. “Adrian, stop. You don’t know what he’s thinking. Maybe something came up—”
“And he couldn’t throw an explanation over his shoulder on the way out?” I laughed, but it came out hollow. “Classic Maddox Sullivan. The moment things get complicated, he freaks out and starts building his walls as high and as thick as he can.”
Maya’s face dropped because she knew I was right.
I tried texting him.
We need to talk. The job offer isn’t what you think.
Please call me back.
Maddox. Please. Just give me five minutes.
After a minute, I finally got a response.
Maddox
Meet me at the Starlight Spectacular tonight at 7pm.
I stared at the phone, trying to decide if I felt relief or dread.
Are you mad at me?
Maddox
Furious. And annoyed. Disappointed. And hurt.
My hands shook as I started to type another message, but I couldn’t go through with it. I was too scared to push him over text and risk him changing his mind about meeting me.
I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t tell you. I said no. I hope you saw that. You don’t need to respond. Just… I’ll see you tonight.
When I looked up, Maya was still looking at me with a pitiful expression on her face. I pulled her into a side hug.
“He’s going to meet me at the ski thing tonight.”
Her face softened in relief. “Good. Then you can clear the air.”
I didn’t mention that if he’d truly wanted to talk things through, he would have chosen a less public venue. It was never a good sign when a man you were dating wanted to have The Talk in a public place.
I kept that thought to myself.
“I should go find him,” I said instead. “It’s silly to wait until tonight if he’s out there right now, hurt and thinking the worst. Right?”
Before Maya could respond, the bell jingled, and Mrs. Hoffman bustled in, shaking snow from her coat. Her usually bright demeanor seemed forced, almost frantic.
“Adrian! Just the man I came to see! I need a huge favor.”
I blinked at her. “What kind of favor?”
“Emergency, ah… catering situation. The Hendersons were supposed to provide desserts for the rec center’s holiday potluck tonight, but their oven just died.
” Mrs. Hoffman clasped her hands together in supplication.
“I know it’s last minute, but could you help me run some supplies over to Avery?
She’s agreed to whip something up at her place, but I need someone with a car to transport everything since she said the baby is down for a nap and her wife is caught up on a work call. ”
“Actually, I’m a little busy. I was going to—” I began.
“Please?” Mrs. Hoffman begged.
I sighed. “I… sure, I guess.” It was probably good to give Maddox a chance to cool off before we talked. “What do you need me to do?”
“Just drive me to pick up ingredients, then help carry everything to Hazel and Avery’s place. Should only take an hour.” She and Maya exchanged a look. “Or possibly two. Depending.”
Maya nodded encouragingly. “Go ahead. I’ll find Maddox and see where his head is.”
The next few hours passed in a blur of grocery runs and kitchen prep. Halfway through our first grocery shop, Mrs. Hoffman remembered an important appointment of her own, so she left me with an extensive list.
And when I got to Avery and Hazel’s place, it wasn’t the quick drop-off I’d been promised.
They drew me into the kitchen, sat me down with a cup of coffee, and chatted about their baby’s first Christmas and various bits of town gossip for another hour.
It felt rude to leave when Hazel kept getting work calls and Avery needed someone to keep an eye on the oven timer while she checked on the baby.
Every few minutes, I’d pull out my phone to see if there were any messages from Maddox or Maya.
Nothing.
“You’re going to join us at the lodge for Christmas, right?” Hazel smiled as I eventually helped her arrange cookies on decorative platters. “Tommy said he passed along the invitation, and we’d love to have you.”
“I, ah…” I tried to figure out how to tell her I wasn’t sure of much of anything right now, especially how long I would be staying in Legacy. “I’d like to, but I don’t know.”
Hazel’s smile dimmed. “This have something to do with your grumpy videographer?”
Before I could answer, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at it, then suddenly straightened.
“Oh! Dang. I just remembered Avery and I promised to help Rosie with something at the ranch. Right this very minute. No time to lose. Adrian, is there any chance you can deliver the cookies to the rec center for us? I can text the Hendersons to meet you there.”
“Oh. Well, I—”
Avery looked at her wife like she’d grown a second head. “But Hazel, we—”
“Thanks so much!” Hazel was already grabbing her coat and Avery’s and shoving a blanket over the baby on Avery’s shoulder. “You’re a lifesaver!”
And then they were gone, leaving me alone with three dozen sugar cookies and a growing sense that something weird was happening.
My phone rang, making me jump. But it wasn’t Maddox—it was Alex from Timber.
I needed another meddling Marian like a hole in the head.
“Adrian!” Alex said before I could express that. “Thank god you answered. I need backup. Legacy’s asshole fire chief just called in another ‘random inspection,’ and I’m about to lose my fucking mind. Can you come keep me company while he’s here and help me not commit homicide?”
“Alex, I really can’t. I’m kind of in the middle of—”
“Please? I’ll owe you forever. Plus, we have a pizza special today that’ll make you forget I owe you one. Pretty please?”
I groaned. “Fine. Give me twenty minutes to deliver these cookies to the rec center, wherever that is.”
By the time I’d finished making small talk with the Hendersons and got to Timber, the sun was starting to set. The bar was packed with tourists and locals clearly enjoying the blazing fire and the festive Friday night mood.
“Adrian!” Alex greeted with a bright smile as I slid onto an empty stool. “You made it!”
“I did.” I glanced around the bar. “Where’s the fire chief?”
“Oh. Right. It was a, um… false alarm,” Alex replied, looking sheepish. “Oops. We got our wires crossed.”
I raised an eyebrow. “And you didn’t think to call back and tell me?”
“Well, I figured if you were already on your way, you might as well stay for some whiskey.” He handed me a spiked hot cocoa. “Drink up.”
As I sat at the bar sipping my drink, I found myself venting about the morning’s events. Alex listened with the patience of a professional bartender, occasionally making sympathetic noises or refilling my mug.
“He said he’s furious and disappointed and hurt,” I said in a small voice. Just thinking about it made my stomach hurt. “But then he ran off like he immediately assumed the worst, and he hasn’t texted me all afternoon.”
“So let me get this straight,” Alex said when I’d finished. “You turned down your dream job to stay here with Maddox.”
“Correct.” I took another sip of cocoa.
“But you didn’t tell Maddox about the offer or turning it down, so he was blindsided when he saw your phone.”
“I… I suppose that’s one interpretation,” I admitted reluctantly.
To be fair, I was kind of building up to such a big discussion.
Maddox was a little bit like a small animal on the side of the road.
One false move and he’d either dart under the tires or disappear into the woods. Either way, I’d lose him.
“And now you’re assuming the worst of him—that he’s given up on you without giving you a chance to explain.”