Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Mrs. Pottinger was a member of Bethel Church.
A recipient of the spiritual gift of hospitality.
And the owner of a mansion that reminded Maddie of a modern art museum.
The home’s polished stone floors seemed to stretch for acres in every direction.
Towering white concrete walls supported pieces of art the width of minivans.
Every year on December twenty-third, Mrs. Pottinger graciously hosted a party for the Mission:Christmas volunteers and their dates.
Maddie set a gluten-free iced sugar cookie, then a slice of flourless chocolate cake onto her plate as Rat Pack–era holiday music burbled beneath the hum of conversations.
Notecards had been placed next to several of the platters, letting guests know which items were gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegan, or sugar free—a gesture wholeheartedly appreciated by Maddie.
If a platter had no accompanying notecard, it basically signaled, “Full of all the bad stuff and extremely delicious. Eat at your own risk.”
Mrs. Pottinger had chosen a dark green and white Christmas decorating scheme.
Fir trees were located in every common room of the house, each tree adorned with nothing more than glittering crystal ornaments that resembled icicles.
Wreaths of glossy leaves hung in strategic places, and similar garlands coated mantels and marched down the length of the tables.
The vibe was extraordinarily sophisticated and chic, which left Maddie feeling sophisticated and chic, simply by virtue of being a guest.
She added a scoop of candied walnuts to her plate.
Fortunately for Maddie, Leo had arrived without a date this evening.
If he’d shown up with another woman, she firmly suspected that she would’ve choked on her peppermint hot chocolate.
He’d found her shortly after he’d arrived and stayed by her side.
They’d mingled and chatted with the other volunteers until one of his female colleagues at the college had swept him into a discussion about Abbott.
Maddie paused at the mouth of the great room. Her attention tugged, inexorably, to Leo. He was still talking with his colleague.
Tonight he wore a gray suit, white shirt, black tie.
His hair was slightly disordered. Thick scruff on his jaw.
He could have belonged to the Rat Pack himself, dressed as he was.
If he grabbed one of those old-fashioned microphones with the long metal heads, he could cause an audience of girls to faint dead away.
In actuality, he had a brain filled with academia instead of music. In actuality, he was too humble to call attention to himself by singing to a crowd.
How long until she could wrest him back from that woman?
Maddie was on the verge of seeking out her mom when she spotted Britt’s two older sisters, Willow and Nora, and decided to turn her steps in their direction.
Britt’s sisters greeted her with hugs. Because of Britt, Maddie had known them for ages.
She’d always liked them, and so she tried not to be envious of the happiness they’d both found over the last year and a half with their wildly impressive men, both of whom were standing alongside the sisters this evening.
Britt’s oldest sister Willow, a former model, now ran a boutique in nearby Shore Pine, which was half full of women’s clothing, half full of house accessories, and entirely full of beautiful items. A few months back, she’d married former quarterback Corbin Stewart.
Corbin was so over-the-top famous that Maddie always felt tongue-tied in his presence. She compensated by trying to seem casual about his celebrity, as if she hadn’t noticed that he had one of the most recognizable faces in American sports.
The middle sister, Nora, owned both Merryweather Historical Village and the heart of John Lawson, a former Navy Seal who now ran an emergency-response training company.
“Congratulations on your engagement,” Maddie said to Nora and John. The couple smiled at each other, their deep affection palpable. “I haven’t seen you since, so this is my first chance to tell you how happy I am for you both.”
“Ask to see the ring,” Willow encouraged. “It’s lovely.”
“Yes, please!” Maddie said. “May I?”
Nora extended her hand, and Maddie made an awestruck noise. Nora’s ring reflected Nora’s admiration for all things retro. It harkened back to another era with its square diamond and its halo of pavé diamonds. “It’s gorgeous,” Maddie said honestly.
“Thank you.” Nora took a sip of her drink. “Has Britt been behaving for you at Sweet Art?”
“Yes, for the most part.”
“She hasn’t goaded you into any hikes that go straight uphill lately?” Corbin asked.
“Not since last month,” Maddie answered.
“Has she acted like an eccentric artist and stayed up all night chasing inspiration for a new chocolate recipe?” Willow asked.
“Not since last week.”
“Has she made you go kayaking in cold weather?” Nora asked.
“Has she talked you into bungee jumping?” John asked.
They all laughed, then the sisters, John, and Corbin began telling affectionate “Britt stories.”
Maddie’s attention slid back to Leo just as he glanced across his shoulder at her—as if he’d known where she was, as if he was as aware of her as she was of him. Their eyes met, and her heart took a giddy, stuttering beat.
“Honey!” Maddie’s mom entered their circle, said hello to everyone, and thrust forward the Single Man she’d discovered among the partygoers.
“I wanted you to meet Alistair! He’s from Connecticut originally but his aunt and uncle live here, and he’s staying with them while he looks for work in the area. ”
“Awesome,” Maddie said. Not awesome. Poor Alistair looked to be fresh out of college, with a boyishly cute face, and thick, curly auburn hair, several locks of which fell diagonally across his forehead.
“Hey,” Alistair said to her, obviously self-conscious about being shoved at a woman who was far too old for him in front of spectators. His attention swept the group, passing Corbin, then sweeping back to Corbin with astonishment. “Are you”—his mouth fell open—“Corbin Stewart?”
“I am.”
Alistair proceeded to ignore Maddie in favor of Corbin. Maddie didn’t blame him in the least, but she could feel her mom coiling, awaiting the chance to display her oldest child to Alistair again the way a pet-store owner might display an aging kitten in need of a home.
Why had she brought her mom along? At the moment, she couldn’t remember.
Once again, Maddie’s mother was trying to set Maddie up. Leo, who was not usually an angry person, could feel his temper rising.
Ever since he’d been separated from Maddie, at least half of his focus had remained on her.
He hadn’t determined to keep tabs on her in the crowd.
He simply was keeping tabs on her, as if by instinct.
Automatic. Somehow his mind and body had been reset, and the new settings were attuned to her, the way a car stereo picks up a radio station.
The woman he was speaking with was in the middle of a very long story. He sent another look in Maddie’s direction.
The man her mom had brought over for her was still there.
Possessiveness pulsed through him. His and Maddie’s friendship had changed—the way that sunrise slowly changes to bright morning—into something more.
He thought about her when they were apart. His spirits lifted each time he received a text from her. He left work undone at his desk so that he could arrive at their shopping outings on time. She made him laugh. Her smile stole his breath.
Maddie had become one of the things, in addition to Charlie, that gave his days joy and purpose.
All that had happened, yet he’d done and said nothing to her about it. He wanted to go on a date with her—a real date. In order to do that, he needed to ask her.
He jammed two fingers into the neck of a dress shirt that suddenly seemed tight. He loosened it and his tie slightly.
He’d never been good at asking women out. The more he cared, the harder it was for him to risk himself.
The night he’d met Olivia, she’d made it very, very clear that she liked him. She’d done everything but throw a lasso around him. Because he hadn’t known her then, he hadn’t been emotionally invested. Asking Olivia on a date had been easy.
After things had become serious between them, he could remember feeling relieved that he’d left the world of dating behind. All that uncertainty and insecurity were in his rearview mirror forever . . . he’d thought.
But here he was again, battling uncertainty. Wanting, for the first time in a long time, to ask someone out and feeling like a rookie. Unlike the night he’d met Olivia, this time around he cared. His emotions were already invested in Maddie.
Also, he was painfully aware of his faults. He’d been married before, to her friend. He had a child. He was introverted and sometimes too preoccupied with books.
But he knew without a doubt that he would treat Maddie the way she deserved. He couldn’t trust these men Maddie’s mom kept finding to do the same, which is why he couldn’t allow himself to stand silently to the side any longer.
“Merry Christmas, everyone!” A well-dressed older woman stood next to the DJ, holding a microphone.
“I’m Peggy Pottinger, and I’m so glad that you were able to join me tonight here in my home.
You’ve made Mission:Christmas possible again this year with your efforts.
Thank you for volunteering!” A round of applause.
“Now. If you knew my late husband, Bruce, then you know that he was a sweetheart, but that he was just a little bit grumpy about dancing and music. He didn’t like either one. ”