Max drove her home. She claimed it was because she knew Eloise hated having her routine interrupted, but Max was aware it had far more to do with Charlotte having taken an irrational dislike to Maddy.
“You know I hate leaving Eloise with strangers,” Charlotte said. “It’s bad enough when they’re trained sitters.”
“Maddy’s perfectly capable of handling Eloise,” he said as they turned into his street.
Charlotte didn’t say anything. The moment the car drew to a halt, she was outside and heading for the door to his apartment.
Her expression became grim as she registered the music leaking from his apartment.
“I told her Eloise doesn’t like loud noises,” she said. “What does she think she’s doing?”
Despite his firm belief in Maddy’s capabilities, he felt a twinge of concern. He’d seen Eloise howl a dozen times in reaction to anything overly loud.
He opened the door and they both froze on the threshold, surprised into stillness by the sight of Maddy and Eloise dancing together in the center of his work space.
Maddy was leading, her movements simple but graceful, and Eloise was imitating her, pirouetting, leaping, spinning and gliding in a child’s interpretation of the choreography. Both were oblivious to their audience, utterly swept up in the moment.
Max’s heart squeezed in his chest as he saw how much pleasure Eloise was taking from the experience. Her gray eyes sparkled with delight, and he could hear her laughing above the music.
Charlotte clutched his forearm, her expression torn between shock and amazement. Then Maddy caught sight of them and stopped in her tracks. Her hair had come loose from its topknot and hung in wispy strands around her face and neck. She was flushed, her violet-brown eyes shiny with laughter and fun.
She had never looked more beautiful to him.
“You’re back,” Maddy said, reaching for the remote control and silencing the music.
Eloise made a noise of protest as she registered that the dancing was over.
“But she hates music,” Charlotte said. “I’ve tried everything. The Wiggles, Disney songs…”
“She loves to dance,” Maddy said with a shrug. “She’s a natural.”
Charlotte shook her head, bemused.
“The DVD player died,” Maddy said. “I couldn’t find anything else she was interested in, so…we danced.”
“You have good instincts. Most autistic children love music and movement. But for some reason Eloise never has,” he said.
“Until now,” Charlotte said. The look she sent Maddy was searching. “Perhaps she simply didn’t have the right teacher.”
Maddy shrugged self-deprecatingly. “I didn’t do anything special.”
Charlotte approached her daughter and knelt so that they were on the same level. Touching Eloise’s arm to gain her attention, she held out her arms.
“Maman is here,” she said with a small smile.
Eloise’s mouth quirked to one side in recognition, and she allowed herself to be embraced. Charlotte closed her eyes, savoring the contact.
“How is Marcel?” Maddy asked.
“Out of surgery. Richard is with him. He will have to stay in overnight but with luck he can come home tomorrow,” Max explained. “The doctors are very happy with everything, so it seems the worst is over.”
“Oh. That’s good news,” Maddy said with an earnest nod. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She looked self-conscious, he realized. Then he understood that she was worried that she’d done the wrong thing with Eloise. Before he could reassure her, Charlotte spoke up.
“I owe you an apology, Maddy,” Charlotte said in her forth-right way. “I was rude last night. Inexcusably so. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for looking after Eloise today, and for making her smile. We don’t see enough of that in our house.”
She held out her hand for Maddy to shake, and Maddy blinked with obvious surprise before taking it.
“It was my pleasure. We had a lovely time,” she said.
“You will have to show me what to do, so Eloise can have a lovely time again,” Charlotte said. “And perhaps I could buy you a coffee sometime and we could start again?”
“Of course,” Maddy said with a shy smile. “Anytime.”
Charlotte looked relieved as she turned to Max. “Thank you for today. I don’t know what I would have done without you. I feel like I have been saying that to you a lot lately.”
“You know I’m happy to help,” he said.
“Still. You have stepped in for us too many times. And I have been pulling my hair out too often. Richard and I will be having some serious talks tonight,” Charlotte said solemnly. “Perhaps it is time for him to change jobs.”
Max knew that Richard and Charlotte had been walking a fine line the past few years, trying to balance the demands of Richard’s high-paying job with the demands of home. They needed the extra income to fund Eloise’s early intervention therapies, but Charlotte was clearly reaching the end of her endurance in her role as single parent in all but name.
“Let me know if there is anything else I can do,” he said.
His sister flashed him a grateful smile as she began to collect Eloise’s things. Maddy extracted the DVD from the broken player and handed it over, then they were out the door, Eloise pressing her face into her mother’s neck as Charlotte carried her to the car.
Silence reigned for a long beat after the door closed behind them. Maddy let out a big sigh and flapped the front of her T-shirt.
“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” she asked. “I can’t believe Eloise’s stamina. She wouldn’t let me rest for a second.”
He wondered what she would do if he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms and kissed her the way he wanted to right now. She looked so small and strong and sexy standing there. He was fast running out of self-control where she was concerned.
A knock called him back to the front door. It was Charlotte again. She thrust two tickets into his hand.
“Last interruption for the day, I promise. I nearly forgot these. Richard bought them for me for my birthday, but we will not be going to the ballet tonight,” she said drily. “You and Maddy go, please. As a thank-you from us both. They will go to waste otherwise.”
She flashed Maddy a last smile then was gone again. He studied the tickets. Dress circle, front and center. Good seats.
“What do you think?” he said, glancing at Maddy. “The Garnier Opera Ballet performing The Nutcracker?”
“Anna mentioned it when we spoke about Dr. Rambeau,” she said. “She’s
