Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

MADELINE

Sitting on the back porch of Judy's little house outside of Memphis, Madeline stared up at the stars. Her mind was wandering and full of doubts about what she should do next. She was torn. Judy mentioned again that she should be there in Jacksonville, well – Mayport, when the carrier arrived at port to greet her ‘husband'… and her job called. They were ready for her – and her studio apartment was available as well.

It seemed like everything was falling into place, almost like it was too good to be true; but then there was Noah. Was any attempt at a relationship going to fall apart because of the distance between them? Was he going to be upset she picked New York over him? If she didn't take the job in New York, what was she going to do for an income?

She needed the money and had everything already lined up, but if she chose Jacksonville – nothing was ready or waiting. Judy mentioned Noah lived on the carrier. Madeline sure couldn't do that, even if their marriage was a love match.

This was a fake marriage that was somehow morphing into something vaguely resembling friends, even bordering on ‘slightly romantic' material between them. Yes, he replaced her necklace, and a week later, she was sporting a brand-new watch. But a life of emails and a single phone call did not make a happy relationship.

"Have you heard from Noah?" Judy asked softly, sipping on a glass of iced tea on the porch swing.

"No," Madeline sighed. "I got an email that said he couldn't wait to get off the ship, but that was a couple of days ago."

"Gotcha."

"And New York?"

"They asked if I wanted to pick up my keys and sign the lease this weekend," she whispered guiltily, closing her eyes and hesitating. "I could move in immediately and start to get a few pieces of furniture. The building is five blocks from my new job, and I wouldn't need a car."

"And Noah?"

"Noah knows about the job in New York and the apartment," she volunteered openly, not bothering to hide any details. "I told him about it, and he mentioned that he would see me when the carrier pulled into New York Harbor for Fleet Week. He mentioned we could ‘go out on the town together' and…"

"And?"

"I'm scared I'm making a mistake either way," Madeline admitted quietly.

"Honey, there are no right or wrong answers in life. You just make a decision, and if it turns out to be the wrong one, you pivot. If it is the right decision for you both, then hunker down and hold on with all your might," Judy said emphatically and then harrumphed, catching Madeline's attention. "But I can tell you for a fact that I've never been to New York City, and you aren't moving there by yourself."

"You think I should go to New York?"

"And if you go to Jacksonville, I'll help you find an apartment not too far from the base in a nice part of town because I'm sure there is a waiting list for base housing."

"Oh, I didn't even think about something like that."

"Either way, whatever you choose, you've got a tag-a-long coming with you, and I already started to pack my suitcase. As you get older, it takes a little longer to look this spectacular," Judy chuckled, patting her hair – and Madeline grinned at the flamboyant woman who was full of zest. "I just need to know if I should pack a swimsuit or a fancy dress. One location, I'm going to end up with sand in places – and in the other location, I'm going to shine like a diamond when we go to The Met."

Madeline didn't say anything. She stared up at the sky, wishing for an answer to fall right into her lap because she was so confused. Yeah, she needed the job badly, and it was perfect for her qualifications. But from everything Judy had told her – she wanted to be there when Noah got off the ship, too. If nothing else, she wanted to welcome her friend and see his face when they talked about the future, dinner, or whatever.

She just needed more time, more information, more confidence, more security… more, more, more – and nothing else was forthcoming. The pressure was on, and everyone wanted an answer.

"I'm going to New York City," she whispered, choking on the words almost as if she was praying for guidance and talking through the chaos in her mind. "I need time to figure out what my next steps are. I'm also going to catch a flight to see Noah so that we can talk."

"I think that's a really good compromise," Judy said softly, causing Madeline to look at her. The woman's face gave away nothing until she shrugged. "You know, I understand what you are going through, and I can tell you for a fact that if Noah thought you were a pushover, he wouldn't be interested. The Bennington men like a woman who is both soft and with nerves of steel – or at least David certainly did. I can imagine the apple didn't fall far from the tree."

"I don't know about nerves of steel…" Madeline hesitated. "My hands are shaking, and I feel like I'm about to throw up. I thought I used to handle stress well, and now, I'm having doubts."

"We'll have a great time together, get you settled, and then we can hop a flight outta there to see the ship arrive."

"Oh," Madeline began and quickly covered it up. "That's great."

Of course, Judy would want to come and see Noah when he returned from deployment. The woman was a sweetheart and obviously adored her son, but didn't this kind of weirdly encroach upon a relationship - that wasn't a relationship, yet?

"We'll have so much fun. You just wait and see."

Three days later, Madeline's suitcase was loaded in Judy's Ford Escape right beside the woman's bag, a box of extra dishes, a few towels, a set of sheets, and other household goods that Judy suddenly ‘didn't need.' The woman was mothering her – and it was wonderful.

Madeline held up her phone and took a photo of her in the passenger seat, with Judy in the driver's seat, and held up a peace sign. She texted it to Noah, unsure when he would get it or when he would get a pick-up signal, but it would be a cute surprise.

Hey! I thought I would let you know that we're on our way to NYC together – and then flying down to meet you when the ship arrives. Let me know a date when you can. I'll text you when we stop for the night. It's a long drive, and I'm glad Judy is with me.

Holding down the chat bubble, she copied it and pasted it into an email along with the picture – just in case that arrived faster for him. Clicking send, she hesitated and decided that since Judy was driving, she'd send another quick one so it was private.

Hey Noah,

I'm glad I'm going to come down to see you – and excited you are coming up to NYC for Fleet Week. It will be fun to actually try going on a date without having to run in the heat, through the sand, or have people trying to capture, injure, or kill(!!) us. I'm of the distinct opinion that nice people should not be threatened on days that end in ‘Y'… just saying.

I hope we have a chance to talk alone.

When we make dinner reservations, we'll need to make sure it's for three. I don't want to leave your mom out because she's been so sweet to open her home to me – and you were right – she is definitely ‘ Mom-ing' me.

Judy packed boxes for me to take to NYC to help me get started. I tried to explain to her that my studio apartment is only five hundred square feet, but that didn't seem to bother her.

It's so weird to feel like all of this is coming to a close when I know it's a beginning. I'm so glad we can talk, and we're friends.

Write when you can,

Madeline

Clicking send, she put her phone away and went back to looking out the window at the world around her. It's going to be okay – and we'll figure all of this out, she thought silently.

A day later, Madeline was feeling a little intimidated. New York City was busier than she ever imagined. Oh, she knew it would be intense, but it was still a lot to take in – and she'd lived in a place where you just drove wherever, honking to say ‘hello' while driving whatever speed you wanted. Yeah, this was more nerve-racking than that.

The apartment building was on the corner of a very busy street with several men peddling along the streets with homemade signs. They ended up circling the block twice, trying to find a parking spot – only to realize that there was practically no parking anywhere near there.

"Pull up here, and I'll tell them we need a few minutes to get our things up to the apartment," Madeline said in a rush. "Just turn on the flashers, lock the doors, and I'll take my phone with me. If there is a problem – call. "

"I'll be fine, honey. You go ahead."

Madeline hopped out of the SUV that was illegally parked in front of the building with the hazard lights blinking, and rushed inside. There was a strange smell that hung in the air just outside of the building, but once she entered the building, it smelled heavily of lavender… which was nice.

"May I help you?" the woman at the leasing desk asked openly.

"I'm Dr. Madeline Bennington, and I'm supposed to…"

"Yes, yes. Sign here, here, and initial here. Is that your car out there? You'll have to move it before someone tows it off."

This was her greeting, her ‘Welcome to New York City' moment?

"Of course," Madeline began and signed the contract obediently, glancing at the numbers and timeframe to make sure it was correct. This was a six-month lease with an obscene amount of money that would be covered easily by her paycheck. Handing the woman her pen, she smiled politely. "Where should we park my mother-in-law's vehicle?"

"There's a parking garage eleven blocks south of here and…"

"Eleven blocks?" Madeline interrupted, stunned.

"You can get a cab and pop right back in here to get the keys."

"I'll take the keys now, unload my boxes in my apartment, and then move the car. I just need ten minutes."

"Five – and I'll wave off the nosy biddy on the fourth floor who is probably already calling a tow truck. Just hurry, hon, oh, and welcome to New York City."

"Thanks," Madeline said flatly, grabbing her keys and racing toward the Ford Escape, breathless. Yanking open the door, she looked at Judy and began spewing information at the woman in a mad rush.

"Is everyth…"

"Nope. Hang on. We've got less than five minutes before you get towed or fined – I'm running the boxes and suitcases up. I'll be back in a jiffy, and we'll move the car. Anyone tries to tow you – stall them!"

And slammed the door, yanking the boxes out and stacking them awkwardly before her. Pushing on the door with her butt, she got to the elevator and pressed the button and remembered the elevator in Egypt with Noah, sighing at the memory and missing him. The door slid open, and she smiled. The elevator was brightly illuminated, clean, and shiny, with not one sticker or piece of graffiti to be seen.

Getting off the elevator a moment later, she unlocked her apartment door – slid the boxes inside, locked it again and ran! Two trips later, the SUV was empty, and they were parking the vehicle in the massive garage that cost a small fortune. Grabbing her purse, looking at Judy, the woman winked at her.

"Let the adventure, begin… eh?"

"I suppose so," Madeline smiled and nodded, making their way slowly up the streets and stopping for a slice of pizza along the way. Yeah, she was going to figure out this new life, this new place, somehow.