7. Maddie
7
MADDIE
“If you keep cooking us meals like this, I’m going to be less motivated to find a place for Grant and me to move into,” I teased Sloan as I loaded the last plate into the dishwasher, still stuffed from the garlic butter chicken, roasted vegetables, and rosemary potatoes she had made for Grant and me.
“It’s all part of my evil plan.” Sloan grinned as she pulled a fruit tray from the fridge to carry into the backyard where her friends would all be gathering in a few minutes. “After years of only cooking for myself, it’s been nice having you two around. You’re the perfect taste-testers for my new recipes.”
“Well, if you keep this up, we may never move out.” I chuckled as I closed the dishwasher.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She winked. Then after glancing at the clock on the stove, she asked, “Hey, everyone should be here soon. Would you mind pulling the charcuterie board out of the fridge and carrying it out to the backyard?”
“Sure.” I nodded, opening the fridge and spotting the tray of meats and cheeses neatly arranged on a wooden board. “I’ll bring it right out.”
The evening air was warm when I stepped outside a moment later, but thankfully, not too humid. Sloan’s backyard was cute—a cozy patio with a built-in fire pit, outdoor string lights glowing softly overhead, and a patch of grass where Grant and I had kicked around a soccer ball a few times this past week.
As I set the charcuterie board on the table, I glanced up to see Grant walking toward me from the side of the house, holding the stick he’d been carving.
“Hey, Grant,” I called over to him, knowing he sometimes needed a heads up before transitioning into a new activity. “Aunt Sloan’s friends will be here soon, so you’ve only got a few more minutes to play outside before we need to keep out of the backyard.”
“Okay,” he said, not looking up from his stick. And I couldn’t help but smile at my cute little boy, his hair messy with a few leaves stuck in it like he’d climbed a tree to retrieve the stick he was carving.
I’d just gotten a call this afternoon from the summer program we’d applied for and heard that he had gotten in, which was such a relief.
I had worried about making him start over with new friends at a new school in a brand-new town, but hopefully, with the summer program having a lot of kids in it from the elementary school he’d be attending this fall, he’d be able to make friends before too long.
“Two more minutes, okay?” I called to Grant, just to remind him before heading back in.
He didn’t respond, but that was typical—eight-year-old boy selective hearing and all.
I was about to head back inside when Sloan appeared in the backyard, leading three people behind her. There was a woman with dark red hair, another with a short blonde bob, and a man with curly auburn hair and glasses.
Sloan waved them over to me. “Maddie, these are my friends Rosalyn, Jennifer, and Freddy,” she said, pointing to each of them in turn. Then gesturing to me, she said, “And this is my niece Maddie who just moved to town.”
“Nice to meet you, Maddie,” Rosalyn said with a warm smile.
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, bobbing my head and smiling at each of them.
“Anything we can help with?” Freddy asked, glancing around the backyard.
Sloan shook her head as she looked over the setup. “I think we’re good. I just need to grab the wine from the fridge.”
“I can grab that for you,” I offered quickly. No need to make her run back inside when I was already halfway there.
“Thanks, Maddie,” Sloan said gratefully. “There should be three bottles on the bottom shelf.”
I headed back inside toward the kitchen, but just as I was about to walk in, the doorbell rang. Sloan probably couldn’t hear it from outside, so I went to get the door. When I pulled it open, I found myself looking up at a handsome man who was probably close to thirty with chestnut-brown hair and green eyes. He stood there, holding a bowl of what looked like cheese dip in one hand and a bag of pretzel crisps in the other.
He blinked at me, looking surprised, then glanced past me at the house as if double-checking he was at the right place.
“Are you one of Sloan’s friends?” I asked before he could say anything.
He nodded, his shoulders relaxing. “Yeah.”
“Great! I’m Sloan’s niece. She’s just out back,” I said, stepping aside so he could walk through.
“Thanks,” he said, still seeming a little thrown off but grateful.
As he headed outside, I made my way back to the fridge, grabbed the bottles of wine Sloan had mentioned, and carried them out to the backyard.
Sloan and her friends were all chatting around the fire pit, lounging in the patio chairs she had arranged. After placing the wine bottles in the ice bucket next to the wine glasses, I glanced over at Grant. He was sitting on the grass, ripping out handfuls of it to add to one of his grass piles.
Oh no. Not again.
I hurried over to him and crouched down, keeping my voice low. “Hey, buddy, don’t rip out Aunt Sloan’s grass, okay?”
He looked up at me, the brown eyes that he’d inherited from his dad full of innocence, like I hadn’t already asked him not to rip out Sloan’s grass three other times since moving in. But thankfully, he dropped the handful he’d just torn out and seemed to decide that he would stop…for tonight, at least.
“Is it time to read books now?” he asked, seeming to notice only then that we weren’t the only people in the backyard.
“Sure.” I nodded. “We can read a few books before the movie.” Since yeah, if my boy who had struggled with reading this past school year was asking to read books with me, I was for sure going to take him up on it. “Let’s go pick out some books.”
Grant took a moment, glancing at his stick and pocketknife on the grass nearby. Knowing how tempted he might be to start carving indoors if he brought the stick inside, I said, “How about we leave the stick outside for the night? You can finish your masterpiece tomorrow, all right?”
He picked up the stick that currently resembled what my brain really hoped wasn’t supposed to be a phallic object. After standing up, he carefully set it on the edge of one of Sloan’s planter boxes.
“Maddie, you should come hang out with us!” Sloan called out as we walked past her and her friends.
I bit my lip, unsure of what to do. Sloan’s friends all looked like they were a few years older than me, closer to her age. But even if I wasn’t sure how much I’d have in common with all of these thirty-somethings, it would be nice to have some adult time. Aside from Ian, most of my co-workers lived in New Haven, and I hadn’t really talked to anyone from Eden Falls yet.
But then, I glanced down at Grant and knew I should probably spend some time with him before he called it a night.
“I’m going to read a few books with Grant first,” I told Sloan, feeling torn. “But I might be able to come out later while he watches a movie.”
“Perfect,” Sloan said with a warm smile.
I smiled back and led Grant inside.
“All right, buddy, go pick out a few books for us,” I said when we made it to Sloan’s cozy living room.
Not needing to be told twice, he darted over to the coffee table where Sloan kept a basket of books. Once he found a few favorites, we settled on the couch. I couldn’t keep the grin off my lips when he opened up Dr. Seuss’s book Fox in Socks first since it had always been one of my favorites, too.
I mean, who could resist the fun challenge of reading all those tongue twisters as fast as possible? Definitely not me.
And now that Grant was becoming a better reader, I could tell he was getting into it, too.
We were just getting to the part about the Tweedle Beetle battle when there was another knock on the door. “Hold on a sec, buddy,” I said, sliding off the couch.
I padded across the carpet and when I opened the door, I found the guy with glasses and curly hair that Sloan had pointed out at The Garden as one of the guys she’d dated briefly standing next to another guy with slick, jet-black hair.
“Hi,” I said, offering a smile to them both, curious why she’d invited an ex over. “You must be here for Sloan?”
“Yes.” The guy with jet-black hair held out his hand. “I’m Owen. I used to teach at the school Sloan works at.”
“Owen, huh?” I asked, shaking his hand, thinking his name sounded familiar for some reason. Had she mentioned him before?
“And I’m Bash,” the other guy introduced himself. “I’m guessing you’re the niece Sloan mentioned moving here.”
“Ah, yes. That’s me.” I nodded. “My son and I are staying with her for a little bit until we find a place of our own.”
“Well, welcome to Eden Falls,” Owen said. “I hope you’ll enjoy living here.”
And I might have just been imagining things, but there was an amused look in his deep brown eyes that I didn’t understand.
Had I missed something?
After a brief, awkward silence, I cleared my throat and stepped aside. “Sloan’s out back. You can head through the house if you’d like.”
They thanked me and walked inside. I watched them go, still wondering why Owen had acted like he was in on an inside joke I didn’t know about.
Maybe he was just an eccentric guy and I was just reading into things?
Shaking it off, I returned to the couch where Grant was waiting patiently. We finished reading a couple more books before I took him upstairs to brush his teeth and change into his pajamas. Once he was ready, I grabbed my iPad from the dresser in the room we were sharing and got him cozy on the bed, setting him up to watch a movie.
“Remember, you’ve got your new summer camp tomorrow, so as soon as the movie’s over, it’s time for bed, okay?” I said, kissing him on the head after switching on the lamp next to him.
“Okay.” He nodded, his eyes already glued to the screen.
But even though he’d said he’d turn off the screen once the movie was over, I knew my devious little boy well enough that I quietly set a timer on my phone to remind me to check on him, just in case he tried to sneak in another show after it ended.
After one last look at the cute boy who had given me a reason to keep going even when things had sometimes been unbearable over the past few years, I turned off the main light above and then headed back down the stairs.
As I stepped outside, the warm evening air greeted me, along with the sounds of happy conversation and the crackle of the fire. The sun was just starting to set, painting the sky with breathtaking streaks of pink and orange. The whole scene felt like something out of a movie, peaceful and perfect.
Sloan spotted me lingering on the back steps. Waving me over, she called, “We saved you a chair!” before pointing to an empty seat between the blonde woman I’d met earlier and the guy who’d brought the cheese dip and pretzel crisps.
“Perfect,” I said, stepping onto the patio. “Just let me grab some of those amazing appetizers first.”
I made my way to the table full of goodies, the smell of campfire filling the air. I helped myself to some fruit, meats, and cheese, then poured a glass of wine, hoping it would help settle the nervous flutter in my chest.
“Hey! I’m Jennifer.” The blonde I’d briefly met earlier turned to me with a bright smile when I took my seat. “Sloan mentioned that you’re actually moving here and not just visiting. Do you mind if I ask what brings you to Eden Falls?”
“Oh, of course,” I said after taking a sip of my wine. “My grandparents are actually from here, which I’m sure you must have guessed since Sloan is my aunt. Anyway, I’ve always really liked it here, and so when I saw a job listing at an office in New Haven a while back, I decided it was time to take a chance on living here.”
“Oh, I love that,” Jennifer said. “I’m also a transplant. I grew up in Wisconsin but have been here for about five years.”
“That’s cool.”
I was about to ask her what had brought her here since Wisconsin was pretty far away, but then Jennifer asked, “So, where do you work? I work at an office in New Haven, too, so I wonder if I’ve heard of your company.”
“I work at Hastings Industries,” I said, tucking some hair behind my ear.
“Hastings Industries?” Jennifer’s eyes lit up at the name. “Well, I’m definitely familiar with that. I don’t know how anyone in Eden Falls couldn’t know about that company.”
“You’re Ian’s new assistant, right?” a male voice said from the other side of Jennifer. When I looked to see who had asked the question, I found Owen leaning forward, his eyes lighting up in recognition.
“Yeah…” I furrowed my brow. “I work for Ian Hastings.”
And then, it hit me. Ian had mentioned having a friend named Owen who was bartending at The Garden the night we met. And when I saw the knowing look in Owen’s eyes, like he was probably thinking about the kiss he’d apparently witnessed me giving his friend, my cheeks suddenly flamed hot.
“So, how have things been going with Ian anyway?” Owen asked. “Last I heard was that things got off to an interesting start.”
My face grew even warmer. Why is he asking me this?
Was he trying to do some sort of detective work for his friend? To see if I was going to talk about our now forbidden meeting in front of all of these people?
Not knowing if I should really be super open about anything, since it was a possibility any slip-up could get me fired, I forced a smile and tried to tread carefully as I said, “It’s going all right. Some...awkward situations when you first start somewhere new, you know? But he’s a good boss.”
“That’s good to hear,” Owen said, his smile widening. “Ian’s my best friend, so it’s nice to know he’s treating you well. If he gives you any trouble, let me know and I’ll whip him into shape.”
I chuckled awkwardly. Okay, so maybe this hadn’t been a test at all.
Maybe he just wanted to know if his friend was a good boss.
“So, where are you from?” the guy on the other side of me asked. “I’m Theo, by the way.”
“Hi, Theo,” I said, thankful for the shift in the conversation. “I’m actually from a small town in New York called Ridgewater.”
“Ridgewater, you say?” he asked, like he was trying to decide if it rang a bell. “What part of New York is it in?”
“Central New York. Between Syracuse and Ithaca.”
“Ah, nice.”
“So, how do you know Sloan?” I asked, seizing the moment to turn the focus off myself.
“I actually first met Sloan at the academy.” He smiled, revealing a cute dimple that I hadn’t noticed before. “I was a house dad at the boarding school—got free room and board while I was in law school.”
“Smart.” I chuckled, appreciating his practical side. “Not a bad deal at all.”
“I thought so,” he said with a grin. “It kept me from racking up student loans, at least.”
Was it weird that I found it oddly attractive that Theo had gotten his law degree without any debt? Because yeah, after being married to a man who couldn’t hold down a steady paycheck, a man who knew how to avoid debt was definitely a turn-on.
With Jaxon, money always seemed to slip through his fingers. We were constantly scrambling to pay the bills, always one step behind.
I hadn’t necessarily married him for financial stability since we were so young when we got married, but a little extra cushion would’ve done wonders for my stress levels through the years. There’s only so much robbing Peter to pay Paul you can do before you had to face reality and make the hard choices.
I took a deep breath, pushing away the familiar frustration that always bubbled up when I thought about Jaxon’s failed business ventures and empty promises.
That chapter was closed now. And even though I was still working to pay off some of the debts he’d stuck me with, I had a good job now and his financial irresponsibility couldn’t hurt me anymore.
“And what do you do now?” I asked. “Are you using that law degree you were working on?”
“I am.” He nodded, licking his lips. “I’m a corporate lawyer now.”
“Oh nice,” I said. But since the extent of my knowledge of what corporate lawyers did came from binging Suits a few years ago, I asked, “What exactly do you do?”
“Essentially, I’m the legal expert who ensures businesses operate within the boundaries of the law and navigate complex legal situations.”
“Oh, of course. That makes sense,” I said, even though his explanation was a little over my head. “That sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“It is,” Theo said, nodding thoughtfully. “Definitely keeps me on my toes, but I like it.”
I smiled at that, appreciating his down-to-earth demeanor. We continued chatting for a bit, the conversation light and easy as the warm evening breeze carried the smell of campfire and the low hum of voices around us. It felt nice to relax, to feel like I was starting to make connections in this new town.
But then, just as Theo was starting to tell me about his two-year-old daughter, the sound of the back door opening drew my attention. And when I turned to see who was joining the party, my breath caught in my throat.
Because it was none other than Ian.
What was he doing here?
Had Sloan invited him without telling me?
I had no idea. But based on the surprise that flickered across my boss’s features when his brown eyes locked with mine, he hadn’t expected to see me here, either.
“Ian!” Owen said, raising from his seat when he noticed his friend. “You made it!”
Had Owen invited Ian, then?
And was that before or after he realized I was here?
“You and Bash said it was the place to be tonight,” Ian said, stepping onto the patio and walking toward Owen with a confident stride. “So of course I had to swing by.”
“Here, you can sit by me,” Owen said, gesturing to the seat between us that Jennifer had deserted when she’d gone inside to escape the campfire smoke.
Ian glanced at the empty chair beside me, hesitating for a second before nodding and saying, “Sounds good.”
I shifted in my seat, acutely aware of how close he would be sitting. The last time we’d been this close in a social setting, things had escalated quickly. And since I was slightly tipsy from the wine, I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to keep my cool.
Not with the way my body was reacting to his mere presence.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Ian murmured as he took the seat beside me, his arm brushing lightly against mine. And while his tone was casual, I could tell that he was just as caught off guard at seeing me here tonight as I was to see him.
“Yeah…” I swallowed, trying to act like his close proximity hadn’t just sent my pulse racing. “I could say the same for you.”
For the next few minutes, the conversation flowed around us, but I barely heard a word of it. All I could focus on was the way Ian was sitting so close, his presence sending my thoughts into a whirlwind. His familiar scent of sandalwood and something distinctly him enveloped me, stirring up memories of our kiss—of the way my heart had pounded against my chest in that one stolen moment.
I didn’t dare glance at him again, afraid he might see right through me.
But then, when Bash made a joke and the group burst into laughter, Ian leaned in, his voice low so only I could hear. “So does this mean that Sloan is the aunt you mentioned earlier today?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “She’s my mom’s youngest sister.”
“Interesting,” Ian said. “When I saw you walk back to her at the club, I just assumed you two were friends.”
He’d watched me walk over to Sloan after our kiss? Why did the thought of his gaze following me all the way across the club suddenly make me feel breathless?
But trying to appear unfazed by that idea, I said, “No, she’s just my cool, young aunt who’s letting me crash with her for a bit.”
Ian leaned even closer, and in an even more hushed tone, he whispered, “Is Theo the guy she’s trying to set you up with?” before nodding at Theo who was now chatting with the woman on the other side of him.
What?
“You said earlier today that your aunt was planning to set you up with one of her friends tonight.”
“Oh, right,” I said, my mind scrambling from his nearness and the way his warm breath felt on my ear. “W-we were just talking.”
“Well, Theo’s a cool guy,” Ian said with a shrug. “I mean, not quite as awesome as myself, but since we can’t exactly go down that road, he’s a good second choice.”
My jaw dropped, and I stared at him, stunned. Did he seriously just say that?
Had my boss just suggested that he was a better option?
My pulse quickened at the thought, and for a split second, I forgot where we were, lost in the implications of what he’d said. But coming back to my senses, I said, “Well, I guess I should feel honored you consider yourself the gold standard.” I gave him a sidelong glance, trying to keep my tone light. “But as you pointed out, we definitely can’t go down that road.”
His lips quirked up into a small, teasing smile. “Doesn’t hurt to acknowledge the obvious, though, does it?”
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the way my whole body was buzzing just from this flirtatious interaction.
His confidence, his easy charm—it was almost enough to make me forget that he was my boss, and that as tempting as this banter was, it could only lead to trouble.
“No, I suppose not,” I said, forcing a casual shrug even though my heart was racing. “But I think you might be overestimating yourself.”
Okay, what was I even saying? I really needed to stop it with these comebacks or I was going to end up with some kind of disciplinary action for sure.
But instead of firing me on the spot, Ian’s eyes flashed with amusement. Then leaning in close enough that the warmth of his breath brushed my cheek, he mumbled, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were trying to challenge me.”
“Maybe…” I shrugged, feigning calm even though I was all shaky with nerves.
“Well,” he said, licking his lips. “It’s just too bad that you work for me. Otherwise I’d be more than up to the challenge.”
My heart stuttered as I imagined what it would be like for him to make good on what he was hinting at—to take my hand and pull me away from the group so he could show me once more what it was like to get lost in his embrace.
To continue what we started that first night we’d met and leap down the path we might have taken if I hadn’t been sitting at the desk outside his office the next Monday.
Would he have pursued me? Would he have contacted Sloan that very day and asked how he could get in contact with the mysterious girl he’d seen her with the Friday before?
Ah, I really wish I could have found that out. Because even if I wasn’t ready for something serious, another stolen kiss with this man—this magnetic, impossible man—might have been worth the risk.
But that can’t happen, I told myself, reining my fantasies back in. Because no matter how tempting he is, keeping your stable job is what you actually need right now.
So instead of saying something reckless like, Maybe breaking the rules would be worth it just this once, I met his gaze and said, “It’s too bad we’ll never know if you’re the superior choice, since proving that would involve breaking all sorts of rules.”
“Yes,” he said, his expression shifting as his gaze flicked down to my lips. Then bringing his eyes back to mine, he mumbled, “It really is too bad.”