17. Madi

Chapter 17

Madi

He had dropped me off and walked me to my door, kissing me goodbye and holding me close like everything that happened tonight wasn’t too good to be true, like it was real.

How could this be real?

Moonlight filtered through my window, casting shadows across the room as I tossed to my side, displacing Kenny, who had decided to fall asleep on my boobs. “Sorry,” I whispered in the dark.

He meowed and cuddled into my chest, purring while I stroked his soft fur. Victor stared at me from his position at the foot of my bed while Sage had turned herself into a black cat loaf on the pillow next to mine to stare at me with her glowing golden eyes.

“Is it real, Sage?”

She closed her eyes, ignoring me as if it were a stupid question and I should know better and trust my instincts. Rude.

I tugged my quilt to my chin and hugged Kenny against me like a cat spoon. I was exhausted, but sleep did not come easily.

It felt real.

Why did having hope have to be so scary?

I shut my eyes, willing my racing thoughts to stop.

Hours later, I awoke to dim before sunrise light filtering through the big bay window and three cats staring at me from atop my dresser, waiting to be fed.

“Fine, have it your way. I’ll get up. Good morning.”

I threw my quilt to the side and sat at the edge of the bed.

I needed more sleep.

My bed felt empty without him, even though he’d never been in it.

I also needed to think—to gather all these swirling thoughts I kept having and form them into something cohesive, a plan I could implement rather than a few random ideas about the direction I wanted my future to take.

Pinning hopes and dreams onto a man was foolish. Thanks to Ross, I’d already learned that lesson. But I wanted to stay in Cozy Creek. I wanted to work with Gigi, live in this apartment, and get to know Cole better.

We had dinner plans this evening to discuss the rest of the details for the fundraiser. His kids would be there, and I took it as a good sign that he was okay with me being around them even before we went on our accidental first date and had our accidental first kiss.

I could still see his eyes as he drew back in surprise. There was electricity between us. I had known it was there in theory, and I felt he did as well. But when his lips touched mine, it exploded like I’d always suspected would happen with him.

I couldn’t wait to see him again.

I ran through my morning routine, choosing a skintight black pair of deep pink leggings and matching hoodie to wear on my walk with Basil.

My phone pinged with an incoming text. It was probably Natalie asking if she could join me.

COLE: Good morning, gorgeous. I woke up thinking about you.

My heart banged hard against my ribs as I read, then reread his message, then reread it because, holy crap, it felt good to know he had been thinking about me. Especially since I hadn’t stopped thinking about him all night. I’m pretty sure I even dreamed about him, but I was not about to tell him that.

Putting all your cards on the table was never a good idea—another lesson from Ross.

Why was retrospect the thing that had always made me learn?

From now on, I will keep my head out of the sand regarding love. I had to protect my heart.

MADI: I thought about you too. You turned a bad night into something extraordinary.

COLE: See you at dinner tonight. The kids can’t wait to see you, too—you and your brownies. ;)

I blushed. It’s a wink emoji, not even a real wink.

Wow. I had it bad.

He called me gorgeous. A small squee may or may not have come out of my mouth.

I needed some perspective before my heart ran away with all my newly earned good sense.

We had shared a kiss and a date. We’d had a few great conversations and had chemistry that wouldn’t quit.

But none of that made him mine. It was real, but there were no guarantees that I wouldn’t get my heart broken.

Five years with Ross had never made him mine, no matter how many lies I’d told myself about his intentions. He’d given me just enough hope to keep me hanging on, and whenever I doubted him, he gave me some more. I had been a fool, but those days were over. I would never think about Ross again. He didn’t deserve it. He was out of my life.

Actions over words. That was the key.

Promises were too easy to break.

I made it to Gigi’s right as the sun came up. The deep blue sky burst into pastel hues of pink and orange as the sun rose on the horizon. As I got out of my car to greet her, trees in silhouette defined themselves in the shimmering light to cast dappled shadows on the sidewalk. She was sitting sideways on one of her porch swings with her foot elevated. I loved how pretty it always was here, and selfishly, I was glad to see the boot still on her foot. I wasn’t ready to go back home.

“Good morning, honey. There’s coffee inside if you want to fix yourself a cup and sit with me on the porch for a spell.”

“Hey, Gigi. I’d love to have coffee with you.” Basil ran up to me with his tail wagging, excitedly barking because he knew what we’d be doing. “Hello there, boy. Who’s ready to go for a walk?”

“He adores you. Look at him!” Gigi called.

“And I love him right back⁠—”

“Whatever, Mother! It’s not fair, and you know it!”

I jumped and almost fell on my ass as I spun on the lawn toward Cole’s house and the sound of Natalie arguing with what had to be her mother. Where was Cole?

“That’s Sherry’s car in the driveway.” Gigi tutted. “The two of them haven’t been getting along lately. She’s here to drop them off. They arrived a few minutes before you pulled up, and they argued all the way into the house.”

It tore at my heart to hear it. I knew how much she had been hurting, feeling abandoned and unloved by her mother. I felt the same way from time to time about my dad. I’d yet to see my father, and I’d been here for ages.

“Did that used to happen a lot when they were together? The fighting?” I picked Basil up and set him next to Gigi as I joined her on the porch. “She’s usually outside to meet me. I’ll wait and make sure everything is okay before I leave. Sometimes, we talk when she walks Basil with me. I want to be here if she needs me.”

“No. Never. Not until after the divorce. But Sherry always was a little self-centered. Cole didn’t see it; he probably got used to it since they grew up together—he sees it now, though, no doubt about that. Her family used to live right there.” She pointed to the house next to Cole’s. “I’ve known them both all their lives. Her momma is just devastated by this entire situation.”

“Oh, no.” I hadn’t thought much about Cole’s history with his ex beyond the fact that he was divorced. I didn’t want to speculate on his life or his feelings. I didn’t want to know anything about him until he told me. He must be feeling awful.

“They dated all through high school and got married right after college. It’s shameful what she did to him. And his best friend too. He and Todd had been thick as thieves since they were kids until she got between them. However, it takes two to tango. He’s just as much at fault as she is. Terrible, the entire situation.”

“Yeah, Natalie told me a few things. I feel horrible for her.” My eyes drifted across the street to his house. “And he deserved better. No one deserves to be lied to that way.”

“He sure did deserve better. He’s always been a good boy. And now a good man. One of the best.”

Cole’s front door flew open so hard we could hear it slam into the drywall inside.

“What the hell is going on over there?” I went on alert.

Natalie stormed out of the house screaming, followed by a woman who looked like her older carbon copy.

“That’s Sherry,” Gigi whispered. “We were never that close, so you might not have met her while you were here. I don’t remember.”

“All my friends are allowed to have a date to the Fall Ball,” Natalie shrieked. “Why can’t I? You said I could before!”

“You’re too young, that’s why. I thought about it again and the answer is no. You’re only fifteen⁠—”

“So what?” She whirled on her mother. They were in the middle of the lawn now. “That’s old enough.”

“See?” Sherry’s arms flew out to the side in exasperation. “Thank you for proving my point. You’re screaming in the front yard at sunrise for all the neighbors to hear, Natalie. A fifteen-year-old should know better. It’s early. You’ll wake the people up.”

“Oh, I get it,” Natalie shot back. “Age is so important, right? You’re thirty-eight years old, mother. Why didn’t you know it was wrong to cheat on your husband with his best friend?”

“Oh god.” I started to stand up but changed my mind and sat back down. “Should we go over there? Where’s Cole?”

“Dad!” I heard Ethan yell from inside their house.

The crack of Sherry’s hand against Natalie’s cheek echoed across the street. “Watch your mouth, young lady,” she bit out.

Gigi let out a gasp. “Noooo.” She breathed, clambering to her feet to put Basil in the house.

“I hate you!” Natalie shrieked. “I never want to see you ever again.” Her sobs broke my heart.

Without thinking, I ran, meeting Natalie in the middle of the street and catching her in my arms as she collapsed against me.

“I’m so sorry, Nattie,” Sherry cried when she caught up to her. “I didn’t mean to—I would never—oh my god, please⁠—”

“What’s happening?” Cole came barreling through the front door and into the street, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around his waist.

I pulled back to check on Natalie. Red bloomed across her cheek in the perfect print of her mother’s hand.

“Did you hit her?” He gasped. His mouth hung open as he gaped at Sherry. “You hit her? Sherry, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Dad?” Evan’s voice was small and scared as he stood in the doorway watching.

“Go back inside, bud.”

“But—”

“Please, Ev,” Cole repeated his request. “Go on inside. I’ll be right there. It’s okay.”

Gigi rushed around me to take Evan into the house.

“It’ll be okay, bud. Go inside with Gigi.”

“No, it won’t!” Natalie yelled. “Nothing will ever be okay ever again.” She buried her face in my neck and held on to me.

“Oh, sweetheart.” I held her tight, finding Cole’s eyes over her shoulder.

“You should go, Sherry,” he said. “Let me handle this.”

“I—I swear I didn’t mean to. It just happened. She said something terrible, and I reacted without thinking. I’m so sorry. Natalie, I’m sorry, honey. Please look at me.”

Sherry hovered at my side, trying to get Natalie’s attention.

Natalie clutched the fabric of my hoodie tight in her fists as she mumbled into my neck. “Make her leave me alone. I can’t talk to her right now.”

“Excuse me? I’m your mother; she has nothing to do with this.” She glared at me. “Who even are you?”

“I’m Madison Winslow⁠—”

She waved a hand in the air and cut me off. “Oh, okay.” She dismissed me. “One of Gigi’s girls.”

“Now she’s Dad’s girl.” Natalie pulled back, her eyes glinting angrily as she glared daggers at her mother. “She’s coming over for dinner tonight, right, Daddy?”

Sherry’s eyebrows shot up as she looked me over. “She is? Isn’t she a bit young for you, Cole?”

“Sherry,” Cole barked. “Leave. Go home. We’ll talk later. You’re making this worse.”

He had obviously been in the shower. His hair was full of shampoo bubbles, and his smattering of chest hair was matted into his skin with soap swirls. He also had a few tattoos, but I couldn’t tell what they were. They were obscured in all that lather.

I blinked the sight out of my mind and refocused on the scene at hand.

Damn.

“Okay, I—okay,” Sherry stammered. “Natalie, baby, I’m sorry. I’ll make this better. I promise you.” To Cole, she said, “I didn’t mean to hurt her. This has never happened before, you know that. You know me! Please make sure she understands that I would never⁠—”

“I know. I’ll get to the bottom of everything. I got this, Sherry. Go home.”

“Okay. I—thanks.” After one last glare aimed my way, she got into her car and left.

“Natalie,” I whispered. “She’s gone now, honey.”

Her tear-filled eyes met mine when she pulled away. “I practically tackled you. Did I hurt you?”

“No. You didn’t hurt me. I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me.” I cradled her red cheek in my cool palm.

“Natalie, sweetheart.” Cole’s gentle voice went straight to my heart, even though his words were not meant for me. Natalie was so lucky to have a father like him. “Let’s go inside, yeah?”

“Okay, Daddy. Am I in trouble? I was really mean. I shouldn’t have said what I did to her. It was terrible. I⁠—”

His eyes softened on her. “No, you aren’t. Not at all.”

She turned to me. “Um, thank you, Madi. I was freaking out, and you were right there when I needed to get away from her—I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here. I probably would have just kept on running.” She laughed as she wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater.

“Hey, you’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to be here for you.”

She hugged me and went inside, leaving Cole and me standing in the street.

“Madi,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Of course. I mean, anyone would have⁠—”

“Oh, yeah? Her own mother didn’t care enough not to hurt her.”

“Oh god. I’m so sorry, Cole.”

“It is what it is when it comes to her. The slap was new, though.” He shook his head. “And now I’m in the middle of the street, covered in soap, wearing a towel. No one will be talking about the kiss in Bookers now.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You look hot.” I brushed a lock of his shampoo-y hair back from his forehead with a smile. “Plus, I forgot to tell you I threw tequila all over Ross’s favorite suit last night. Maybe that will eclipse your nudie booty towel stroll in the street.”

A startled laugh escaped him as we exited the street to stand on the sidewalk in front of his house. “Jesus. Thanks for making me laugh. Maybe I should have knocked him around for you last night. I’m kind of known for that around here.”

“We make quite the pair, don’t we? So much scandal.”

His eyes burned into mine. “Yes, we do. I better get in the house. Talk later? Yeah?”

“Absolutely.” I took his hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. I’m just going to throw this out there. My mom used to let me skip school from time to time if I was going through something rough. I’ll be at the Confectionery all day, baking brownies, among other things. Natalie and Evan are welcome to join me there. Baking with Gigi has always been therapeutic for me, ever since I was a little girl. It might take their minds off things until you can all talk it out together.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me. “I’ll take you up on that. I’m on shift at the station, and I can’t skip it. Can I drop them off later this morning?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll try to join you there after lunch. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Maybe I’ll teach them the secret family brownie recipe.”

He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Thank you. You’re an angel.”

I headed back to the porch. Gigi joined me a couple of minutes later.

“What a mess,” she muttered. “Cole has his hands full with that ex of his. I’m so disappointed in her. I can hardly believe what happened.”

“It was—definitely shocking.”

“Hopefully, she can turn it around. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Not that I’m aware of, at least. I used to babysit Natalie and Evan from time to time over the years if their daycare provider was sick or for a date night here and there. I would have sensed something off, don’t you think?”

“You sense everything, Gigi. So, yeah, I think you would have noticed if something bad was going on with them. Cole would have too. And based on what I know of him, he’d never allow that kind of thing.”

“Good point.” She relaxed. “I hate the thought that I could have helped somehow. But you’re right. He absolutely would not have allowed such things in his home. And Sherry is self-centered, but she loves her kids. She’ll come around. Hopefully, this is just a phase, and once she’s settled into her new life, things will calm down.”

Did thirty-eight-year-old women have phases? I had my doubts about her but kept it to myself.

“I invited Natalie and Evan to bake brownies with me today. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is. You’re a good girl, Madi. You have a heart of gold. I hope you know that. Cole knows it. Doesn’t he?” Her smirk was knowing.

“Maybe he does,” I confessed. “But I got it from you. That, and the belief that while delicious baked goods may not solve your problems, they make them easier to think about.”

“You got that right. Operation Cheer Up the Sutter Kids is the mission of the day. Let’s make today a better memory for them.”