Chapter 33 #2
Waking up knowing that Gran was safely back in her own bed recovering had eased so much of the stress they’d been carrying the past couple of days.
Instead, they now carried the resolve to check in on her meds schedule more actively and try to avoid more hospital visits.
But they also had the more sobering confirmation that they had to make every moment with Gran count because, on any given day, another hospital visit could happen, and that one might not go so smoothly.
Relief and gratitude were on a seesaw opposite wariness and anxiety.
They’d needed a walk through the fresh morning air to help process all of that, and they’d only just stopped for a breather and to enjoy one of their favorite views when Denise had appeared.
She’d looked stunning in the morning light and with the wind playing with her hair.
She wore it lower today than she did on business days, and it was gathered loosely in a clip.
But more than her superficial appearance, she looked so at ease.
Content, even. Watching her approach was the best thing Maddox had seen that morning, maybe any morning, really.
And the two of them were talking with ease again.
That had started two days before when Denise had stepped in to help with the hospital crisis, but Maddox hadn’t had time to dwell on it because of everything else going on.
Now they could enjoy it, though. The warmth and sincerity Maddox had appreciated in the past was back, and they were so glad.
They hadn’t expected it. Just as they hadn’t expected Denise to address their night together ever again, let alone call it beautiful or Maddox special.
Maddox had never been one to dream of flying or levitating, even as a kid, but in that moment, they almost could have floated away.
They didn’t float, though. That would have meant breaking away from Denise’s soft and searching hazel eyes, which seemed to look right into Maddox instead of at them.
But even though Denise’s feelings about that night mirrored Maddox’s own so much more than they would have imagined, it didn’t change the fact that it was in the past nor that both of them had jobs to do now.
That night could never be repeated, and there was no version of reality where Maddox would get to explore the unsettling mix of feelings that stirred inside their chest every time they so much as thought about Denise.
Accepting all these facts on top of the ones they were already wrestling with where Gran was concerned was a lot to manage in one day. But they knew running away wasn’t going to help matters. They’d tried that by avoiding Denise, and it hadn’t worked.
“Denise,” Maddox spoke up after an extended silence, during which they’d started walking back along the trail they’d both come from.
“Before we move on from this, I just want to say that you don’t deserve all the blame for how awkward things have been since you’ve been back here.
I didn’t know what to do with the situation either, and I purposefully stayed away from you.
I’m sorry. I get the feeling there were a couple of times you wanted to talk before now, and I didn’t make it easy for you. ”
She rested her hand on Maddox’s arm. It seemed like such a natural gesture when she did it.
Maybe one of these days, Maddox would learn to appreciate the comfort and warmth of it, and the tingling excitement would fade into the background.
“Thank you for saying that, Maddox. I’m so glad we could clear the air. ”
“I am too. No matter what happens with your dad’s company and Oliver.”
They continued to walk for a few minutes before Denise spoke again. “So Oliver hasn’t told you whether he plans to take our offer?”
“No. We haven’t discussed it really, but it doesn’t surprise me that he’s taking his time. He likes to look at things from every angle.”
Maddox kicked a rock in their path. “What happens if he says no?”
They were half dreading Denise’s response, but they couldn’t say why.
Maybe they were nervous to witness her reaction to the business plans being frustrated.
Nervous that the tentative peace between them would shatter and that this warm, caring version of Denise that Maddox was almost certain was the real one would disappear yet again, this time replaced by a cold, calculating businesswoman.
Denise slowed her pace to a stop, and Maddox’s stomach clenched. They forced themself to look at her. But she wasn’t looking at them at all. Instead, she seemed to be focused on a poplar tree beside the path. The corners of her eyes crinkled in delight.
“Oh, look, it’s cute,” Denise murmured.
Puzzled, Maddox looked closer until they spotted the vibrant black and white wings and bright red cap of a woodpecker as it tapped away at the poplar’s trunk, no doubt in search of a tasty insect morsel.
Maddox chuckled in surprise. “Aww, he is a handsome boy.”
“How do you know it’s a male?”
“I think the males have more of that red color on the head than the females,” they answered absently.
She raised a teasing eyebrow at them. “So, do you birdwatch in all your free time?”
“No,” Maddox said with a shrug and another chuckle. “But I like to get to know the neighbors.”
Denise laughed, genuine and full, and the sound poured through Maddox’s insides like warm apple cider.
When her laughter subsided, she frowned.
“Oh! I’m sorry. You asked me a question.
It’s so nice here. It’s easy to get distracted.
So, if Oliver turns down the offer, Dad will probably just have to go with his second or third location choices for his expansion.
Neither of those had existing businesses on the land to deal with, so it makes more sense to me to go with one of them, anyway. ”
Hmm, she didn’t really seem all that invested in this expansion after all. “And will you be the one to handle the purchase if that happens?”
“Oh, I doubt it. I’m not concerned with either of those locations like—” She paused and bit her lip, unhelpfully drawing Maddox’s attention to her mouth instead of her eyes. “What I mean is, Dad should be up to handling that himself by then, or someone else can do it.”
“I see,” Maddox answered. Truthfully, there were some things they still didn’t see about the way Denise’s temperature toward her family’s business seemed to run from cold to hot to cold again, but then again, things always got more complicated when family was involved.
Whatever the case, Maddox no longer suspected Denise was being deliberately deceptive about her feelings toward the company.
In some ways, they were embarrassed about that now. Maybe they owed her some openness too.
Once they’d resumed walking, Maddox quietly said, “I kind of hope Oliver takes your offer.”
They could feel Denise’s stare before they even looked at her. “You do? I thought that was the last thing you wanted.”
“I was wrong before,” Maddox admitted with a shake of their head. “I mean, I was jaded. I saw firsthand how corporate greed wrecked my dad’s life when I was a kid, and I think I let it color my views of what Farrington might do here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Denise said gently.
Maddox shook their head. “It’s not your fault. And that’s the point. This situation is completely different. I can see how having a big park here, a tourist destination, could transform this area. Give it a future no one even imagined.”
“It really could,” Denise agreed. “But I’m sure the changes would also take a lot of getting used to.”
“Right. And that’s the thing: if Oliver truly believes the benefits to his staff and the community will outweigh the costs, he’ll be onboard.”
Denise kept walking in loaded silence for a minute until she finally let out an angry scoff. “God, I think I’m the one who’s jaded.”
“What do you mean?”
Denise ran agitated fingers through her hair. “The offer Jeremy and I worked on for Oliver was everything any business owner in his position could hope for… if he only cared about himself. But that’s not who Oliver is. That’s not…”
She looked at Maddox. “That’s not who any of you are.”
Some combination of the observation—which Maddox took as a compliment to their community—and Denise’s direct gaze sent a tingle through their chest.
She took a step closer, her eyes gleaming with delectable energy. “I went about this all wrong, but now I think I know what to do. If you’re really serious about wanting this project to happen, will you help me?”