Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The next morning dawned cool and clear over Deer Creek Falls.
Sunlight shimmered across the lake behind their condos, the water calm after the storm of the night before.
Madison sat on the patio, wrapped in a blanket and one of Garrett’s sweatshirts, a steaming mug of coffee warming her hands.
The oversized sleeves covered most of her fingers.
Somewhere down the shoreline, a loon called.
For the first time in weeks, her mind felt quiet.
The town had exploded after the council meeting. Her phone had buzzed nonstop—messages from business owners, residents, reporters from Duluth and surrounding towns who were already asking for statements. Someone had started a “Madison for Mayor” page online before sunrise.
It still didn’t feel real.
Behind her, the screen door slid open softly.
Garrett stepped out carrying the coffee carafe, a gray Henley stretched across his broad shoulders, jeans riding low on his hips, his hair still damp from a shower.
He looked more rested than he had in days.
Far better than the man who’d shown up in Minneapolis looking like he hadn’t slept since their argument.
“Thought you might need a refill,” he said.
“Thanks.”
He sat next to her. “The town’s losing its mind online this morning.”
Madison groaned softly. “Please tell me nobody actually made campaign buttons.”
He took a slow sip of coffee. “Too late.”
“You’re kidding,” she said, her eyes widening.
“Cole ordered twenty.”
She stared at him. “Twenty?”
“Rosie ordered fifty.”
Madison dropped her forehead into one hand. “Of course she did.”
“You should probably be worried,” Garrett said with a smile.
She laughed softly, shaking her head. Then her smile faded. “I should probably call my dad before he hears about this from someone else.”
“I’ll give you a minute.” He slipped back inside, closing the door behind him.
She reached for her phone and placed the call. The familiar knot tightened in her stomach, but it didn’t have the same hold on her anymore.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Madison.”
“I wanted you to hear this from me.” She looked out across the lake. “I’m not taking the CEO position.”
Silence.
Finally, Harrison spoke. “You’re throwing away an extraordinary opportunity.”
“No,” she said softly. “I’m choosing a different one.”
“You’re emotional right now. That town has you caught up in—”
“This isn’t impulsive.” The calmness in her voice surprised her. She swallowed once before continuing. “I’ve spent a long time thinking becoming CEO would prove something. That if I worked hard enough, succeeded enough, eventually you’d look at me and see someone worth choosing.”
The line stayed quiet.
“And maybe part of me still wanted that,” she admitted. “But I don’t need it anymore.”
The words settled into the morning air, lighter than she expected. Across the lake, sunlight glinted against the water.
“I built a life without the company,” Madison continued. “One I’m proud of. And for the first time since I left NCIS, I’m somewhere that actually feels like home.”
Her throat tightened slightly.
Harrison exhaled slowly. “You’re making a mistake.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way,” she said.
Another silence stretched between them.
Then Harrison spoke again, his voice quieter this time. “You always were stubborn.”
Madison smiled faintly. “Guess I got that from you.”
For the briefest second, she thought he might say something else. Something real.
But then he simply said, “Goodbye, Madison.”
The line clicked dead.
She lowered the phone slowly and waited for the grief she’d always felt after a conversation with her father. The regret. Instead, a strange calm settled over her, like she’d finally set down something heavy she’d been carrying for years.
Garrett came back outside, sat beside her, and placed his hand in hers. “You okay?”
She looked up at him. The man who’d driven four hours for her, who challenged her, frustrated her, grounded her, and loved her without asking her to earn it first.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I think I finally am.”
He got up and stood in front of her. “Come here.”
She stood and rested her head against his shoulder. “Turns out people here fight for each other,” she said. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”
“You know,” he said after a minute, “for someone not running for mayor, you’re making a very convincing campaign speech.”
She laughed. “Don’t start.”
“No promises.”
She shook her head, smiling as she looked back toward the water.
Deer Creek Falls. The town she never planned to stay in. The place that somehow became hers anyway. For the first time in her life, Madison realized love and belonging weren’t things she had to earn. Sometimes they simply chose you.