Chapter Five
GRAHAM
“Allie, come on!”
“I’m coming!” she called in return.
My daughter pounded down the stairs, practically skidding to a stop in the kitchen as she came around the corner.
“Can we get coffee?” she asked.
I arched a brow. “Coffee?”
Allie shrugged, her blue eyes twinkling. “Yes.” I waited. She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Not coffee. Hot chocolate,” she amended because she knew coffee for her wasn’t on the menu.
When she saw the look on my face, she added, “I just want to stop by Firehouse Café. I’d like one of those cranberry orange scones too. Please.”
Aw, hell. I couldn’t say no, even if I wanted to, so I nodded. “Can do.”
“Yay!”
Glancing at my watch, I added, “We need to roll. You only have a half an hour before school starts.”
Allie’s curls bounced on her shoulders as she spun away and hurried toward the entryway. I heard the rustle of her backpack as she yanked it out of the closet. I grabbed my keys and wallet off the counter and followed her outside.
As we began the drive into town, she commented, “Do you think our new neighbor will be nice?”
I’d kept it vague last night, but she must’ve seen the smile teasing at the corners of my mouth.
“What else do you know?” she chirped.
“I told you it was Harold’s granddaughter last night,” I replied, briefly sliding my gaze to hers before looking at the road again. I shook my head, almost to myself. “I didn’t even know he had a granddaughter.”
“I knew he had a granddaughter.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you serious? I talked to him every year when he came, and he never mentioned a granddaughter. In fact, he made a point of making it clear that he didn’t have any family.”
Allie looked awfully pleased with herself when I glanced over as I came to a stop before turning onto the highway.
She pursed her lips and shrugged. “You talked to him about guy things, hunting and stuff. He told me about the rest. He doesn’t stay in touch with his family, or he didn’t.
” A shadow passed through her eyes, and she looked away.
My daughter bonded tightly to people. Harold had doted on her, and she’d loved it. When she looked out the window, I turned onto the highway that would lead us into Willow Brook.
“His granddaughter, Maddie, is the only one he kept in touch with. He hoped she wouldn’t turn out like his daughter. He didn’t like his daughter,” Allie offered.
“No?”
I didn’t like how curious I was about Madison or Maddie, as Harold apparently referred to her.
I hoped for once my usually chatty fourteen-year-old would offer up whatever she knew.
She didn’t need to know that I’d crossed paths with Madison before.
She certainly didn’t need to know the woman had nearly set me on fire.
I was still feeling the occasional reverberation from that kiss.
It felt as if cinders had settled inside me in its aftermath, and the embers of the fire still burned.
Allie kept on talking. “I don’t know all the details. All I know is he thought his daughter was a money-grubber, and she married an asshole. He told me he planned to leave his place to his granddaughter. We haven’t seen her since he passed away, so I thought maybe she didn’t want it.”
“She does,” I offered.
Allie snorted. “I bet that was funny, you showing up and checking on the place, and it’s actually hers. Did you do your whole firefighter-take-care-of-the world thing?”
“What are you talking about?” I countered.
“Your vibe, always taking care of everybody. That’s all.”
“It’s my job,” I muttered.
“You’re not a cop,” she pointed out.
“No, but Rex asked me to stop by and check on the place, like I told you last night,” I returned just as pointedly.
“I can’t wait to meet her. Can I go over after school today?”
“I don’t know. She might not want surprise guests.”
Allie sighed heavily. She’d perfected the art of sighing. As of late, every sigh was imbued with shades of meaning, all of which I was supposed to intuit even if she didn’t elaborate.
“We’re her neighbors. She’ll feel all alone and unwelcome. Plus, you went by acting like you were a cop,” she added.
“I made sure to tell her I was not a cop and explained that Rex asked me to stop by and check on the place.” I felt more defensive than I wanted to. Lately, my daughter had the unique ability to elicit a sense of defensiveness over the most minor things.
“I’ll take you over there this weekend. How’s that?”
Allie bounced her heels on the floorboard. “That’d be great.”
I turned onto Main Street, watching as golden leaves scudded across the road in front of us. We were headed into autumn, and the leaves were starting to fall from the birch and cottonwood trees. Most of the forests around Willow Brook were evergreen, but there were clusters of birch and cottonwood.
We drove past Willow Brook Fire & Rescue, and the parking lot was noticeably full.
Rex was probably having a meeting over on the police side, or one of the other crews was having a staff meeting.
The sign for Firehouse Café appeared ahead, its bright red lettering announcing the town’s favorite—and only—coffee shop.
Other places served coffee, but it wasn’t the main draw.
I couldn’t imagine anyone even trying to compete with Firehouse Café.
Moments later, I’d parked, and Allie was already hurrying out of the truck. “We don’t have time to hang out,” I called as I caught up to her.
“I know, Dad. My first class starts in twenty minutes. That gives us ten minutes here, five minutes to the school, and five minutes for me to get in the building and to class. Plenty of time.” She tapped her watch for emphasis.
Chuckling, I followed her in the café. The scents of fresh coffee and baked goods filled my senses. Allie skipped to the line and tapped the shoulder of a man waiting.
He glanced back, a smile cracking open on his face. “Well, hey, Allie.” Beck’s eyes lifted to mine. “Good to see you, Graham. How’re you two doing this morning?”
“I’m getting a cranberry orange scone before school,” Allie whispered conspiratorially.
Beck nodded solemnly. “Good call. You should get two and sneak one into class.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, dude.”
Beck flashed a grin. “Sorry. I always snuck food in school. You did too.”
I sighed. “I know. I just don’t want her to get in trouble the way I did. She’s a straight-A student.”
“Fair enough. Don’t do what your dad and I did,” Beck added, pulling one of Allie’s curls and letting it go with a bounce.
He was next in line, and Allie prodded him in the back when the couple in front of him stepped out of the way. “Hurry up. I have a time limit, or I’ll be late for school.”
“Go ahead. I can wait.” Beck gestured for us to step in front of him.
“You don’t mind?” I asked.
“Nah.” He shook his head quickly.
“I’ll cover your coffee then. You getting a shot in the dark?”
Beck nodded.
“Did you do that just so Dad would buy your coffee?” Allie asked pointedly.
Beck threw his head back with a laugh. “Nah, I’m not that slick. Honestly, I just wanted you to make it to school on time. I can be chatty. Janet knows that.”
Janet smiled amongst the three of us. “That I do,” she agreed. “What’ll it be?”
“Can I get two cranberry orange scones and—” Allie began.
“No coffee,” I cut in.
Janet chuckled. “You’re too young for coffee, dear.”
Allie groaned.
“Hot chocolate is what you want, right?” I pressed.
Allie brightened instantly with an enthusiastic nod. I ordered Beck’s and my coffee, and we stepped out of the way to wait while Janet prepped everything. “Heard you have a new neighbor,” she commented.
“We do. It’s Harold’s granddaughter. Do you know her?”
“I met her this morning. She’s right over there.” Janet pointed toward the windows to the side of the café.
All three of us swiveled to look where she pointed. Madison sat at a table. Sunshine was falling through the window, creating shimmery glints of gold amidst her dark locks. She was stunning.
Allie swung to me, her eyes wide. “Can I go meet her?”
“You can’t be late for school,” I warned.
“I won’t.” Allie didn’t wait before she skipped across the café as Janet chuckled.
“You can be grateful your teenager isn’t sullen and hates to talk to adults,” she offered encouragingly.
I’d known Janet for as long as I could remember.
Growing up in Willow Brook, I had memories of my parents bringing me here when she owned the place with her late husband.
He passed away after an accident on an icy highway, and she carried on with her warm smile, her kind brown eyes, and her familiar dark hair streaked with silver that she almost always wore in a braid. She felt like a grandmother to me.
“I know I’m lucky,” I replied. “She’s a good kid.” My eyes flicked to Beck. “Can you grab our stuff when it’s ready?”
He nodded. “You got it. I’ll bring it over.”
Crossing the small café, I tried to ignore the subtle buzz of electricity that set to thrumming in my body. When I stopped by the table, I caught the tail end of my daughter’s comment.
“I live next door with my dad. He’s the one who pretended to be a cop and showed up asking who you were,” Allie explained.
Stopping beside the table, I glanced at Allie and shrugged. “I stopped by because Rex asked me to. Did you introduce yourself?”
“Of course, I might have forgotten to tell you my name, though. I’m Allie, Allie Holden. This is my dad. He’s a hotshot firefighter. He’s nice, although he probably seemed a little bossy when he acted like you were a criminal.”
Madison’s eyes swung to mine. I felt a little jolt, as if a tiny bolt of lightning struck me, when her pretty green eyes collided with mine. Her face was fresh and pink-cheeked. She had this sultry, wholesome vibe that confused me. She was almost too pretty for it.
I tried to tell myself I needed to give her more of a chance. It’s just she reminded me too much of Allie’s mother, who was long gone. She’d been mostly absent from Allie’s life since a month after she was born.
“Hi, Graham,” Madison said, dipping her head.
“Do you go by Madison or Maddie?” Allie interjected.
Madison’s lips twitched at the corners. “Both, so take your pick.”
“I go by Allie, even though my name is Alison,” Allie offered.
“Do you answer to Alison?” Madison asked.
Allie pursed her lips, tapping her fingertip on her cheek. “Sometimes. Dad only calls me that when he’s frustrated.”
Madison’s eyes lifted to mine, and I saw the mirth glinting there.
As I fought the urge to grin, Beck arrived. “Here are your scones. Don’t get yourself in trouble if you try to sneak one in class,” he offered as he handed the small paper bag to Allie.
I glanced at him, adding, “Karma. You just wait. Once your oldest is fourteen, you’ll think twice about encouraging them to behave the way we did when we were in high school,” I teased as he handed me my coffee.
Beck’s eyes widened. “Dude, I’m not ready. Don’t give me a heart attack.”
With a low laugh, I gestured to Madison. “This is Madison Glen. She’s Harold’s granddaughter who inherited his old place.” Pointing at Beck, I added, “This is Beck Steele. We grew up together, and he’s also a hotshot firefighter here in town.”
Beck dipped his chin in acknowledgment. “Nice to meet you, and welcome to Willow Brook. We all loved Harold even though he wasn’t around very much.”
Madison’s lips tightened at the corners, and an intense emotion flashed through her eyes before she shuttered it quickly.
“He meant a lot to me. I didn’t know he’d left me his place until a few months ago.
I’m glad to know people here cared about him.
I didn’t get to see as much of him as I wanted,” she offered.
I was way too freaking curious about Madison.
I wanted to know why Harold disowned Madison’s mother.
But if Harold was close to Madison, then she couldn’t be all that bad.
That said, family could overlook all kinds of stuff.
Hell, I’d given Allie’s mother the benefit of the doubt for way too long when it came to Allie.
“We need to get you to school,” I interjected.
Allie let out a put-upon sigh. “Fine.” Her eyes bounced to Madison. “Can I come over and visit this weekend, Maddie?”
Madison’s eyes shifted to mine. At my nod, she replied, “Sure. Let me give you my number.”
She pulled out her phone, and I watched as my daughter exchanged numbers with a woman who pretty much set my body on fire. Just being near her again had heat rising swiftly inside me, sparking the electricity sizzling through my veins.
“You sure that’s okay?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Madison nodded. “Of course, I don’t know anyone in town except you three now and Janet over at the counter. Friendly neighbors are a good thing. I have an excessively friendly dog. Your dad may have mentioned him.”
Allie’s eyes snapped to mine. “What? You didn’t mention she had a dog.”
“I didn’t think about it,” I replied sheepishly.
Allie huffed. “I have to go to class. I can’t wait to meet your dog.”
A few minutes later, we were back in my truck. “How could you forget about her dog?” Allie asked, her tone accusatory.
“I just didn’t think of it.”
The question of a dog had been on the radar for the last year.
Allie’s beloved childhood dog, Banana, had passed away, and she wanted another one.
We didn’t have time for training a puppy, so I’d been putting it off.
Now that Madison lived next door with a dog, I knew this meant plenty more discussion on the matter.
“We can talk about the possibility of a dog at another time,” I added.
Allie shrugged. “Fine. Maddie’s really pretty, by the way.”
I slid my eyes sideways. My way too perceptive daughter had likely sensed my reaction to Madison. Fuck my life.