style="font-size:15px;"> “Sounds like a good plan to me,” Chad said, grinning.
“Let’s ride,” Stuart said.
Later, he arrived at the Victorian home he shared with his seven-year-old twin daughters, Carrie and Dottie. The house was more than one hundred years old, but it had been updated with all the modern features of the twenty-first century, including granite countertops, cork and vinyl flooring, new plumbing and energy-efficient windows. The house had once been shared with Fawn, the girls’ mother and Stuart’s former wife, before she inexplicably bolted from their lives four years ago, leaving him alone to raise the twins.
It was a challenge Stuart, now age thirty-three, had readily accepted for the love of his girls. It had also left a wound in his heart that wasn’t so easy to heal. He had to do what was best for his twins, and that meant he couldn’t invite another woman into his life. The last thing he wanted was for them to get comfortable with someone who wasn’t their mother, only to be disappointed if she too suddenly left.
The moment he stepped inside the huge foyer, Stuart was surrounded by Dottie and Carrie.
“Hi, Daddy,” they spoke in unison. They were light-complexioned, thin and had thick black hair, currently in braids.
“Good morning, my little angels.” He lifted them up one at a time and gave them each a big kiss on the cheek. Honestly, even with the subtle differences between the two, it was still hard sometimes to tell them apart. “Did you have breakfast yet?”
“No, we waited for you,” Dottie said.
“Yeah, Grace said we should,” Carrie added, tugging on his leg.
“Did she now?” Stuart smiled as Grace Brennan, their part-time nanny, entered the room. The twenty-one-year-old graduate student did a good job caring for the girls when he needed to do other things. Moreover, Dottie and Carrie got along with her, unlike the previous nannies he had employed.
“Good morning, Stuart,” Grace said. “How was your ride?”
“It was a great workout,” he answered. He loved the way riding raised his heart rate and strengthened his legs. He thought about how Madison Wagner and her decidedly less-than-warm attitude had put a damper on his bright morning. If she acted like that before she even got to know him, he could only imagine how she might treat his kids if they ever ran into each other. “Why don’t we all go wash up and have some breakfast,” he told the girls, and added for Grace, “You’re welcome to stay and eat, too.” He said the polite thing, but secretly hoped she would decline as he enjoyed when it was just the three of them bonding as a family.
“I’d love to,” Grace said, “but I have a hiking date with my boyfriend, so...”
“Understood,” Stuart said with a smile. “Have a good hike and we’ll see you the next time.”
“Sounds good.” Grace grabbed her bag and beamed at the girls. “Don’t give your dad a hard time.”
“We won’t,” Carrie promised, then turned to her sister. “Will we?”
“No, we won’t,” Dottie said. “Race you to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Carrie sprinted away, giggling, with Dottie hot on her tail.
Stuart laughed, as did Grace. It gave him such joy to see them acting like girls should, rather than the way it was when their mother left and it seemed like there was a void he could never fill. While he considered it still a work-in-progress, Stuart felt he was generally getting the job done as a single parent.
* * *
On Monday, Madison drove her Subaru Legacy to the downtown offices of Rose Petals magazine. She loved the job, as she loved reading books and giving honest reviews. It was also nice to have her own column, where she could highlight books of interest and other general literary topics.
Stuart Kendall crossed her mind. She had not seen him since their run-in. She had read some of his thriller fiction after Holly had recommended she try it. Admittedly, he was talented, and she had given him high marks when doing reviews in Houston. But she saw little reason for them to crisscross at this point, as it would only remind her of things she was trying to forget.
After pulling into the underground parking garage, Madison took the elevator up to the fifth floor. She greeted the other members of the staff, then sat at her desk in her small office.
The editor-in-chief, Giselle Fortune, walked in holding a stack of books.
“Good morning, Madison,” she said. “I’ve got some reading material for you.”
“Oh, great!” Madison smiled as Giselle set them on her desk. “I can’t wait to get started.” She picked up the top book in the stack, which was a thriller by Stuart Kendall titled The Next One to Fall. “Hmm...this looks interesting, but I know Stuart, kind of. I used to hang out with his sister. I’d feel kind of funny reviewing his book, especially if it wasn’t glowing.” Maybe even weirder if it was, she mused.
“Understood,” Giselle said. She brushed aside feathered blond hair and took the book from Madison’s hands. “I’ll get Larry Wellington to review it.”
“Thanks,” Madison said, grabbing another hardcover title that was more agreeable to her.
“I’m sure you probably already realize that Stuart’s a local,” Giselle said.
“Yes, my friend mentioned it to me.”
“Well, just so you know,” Giselle began, “while I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we treat our city’s bestselling authors like royalty, we do try to do pieces on them every now and then to boost circulation and show our appreciation for local talent.”
And I’m sure it all goes to their heads, Madison thought. “Makes sense,” she said evenly.
“That doesn’t mean anyone gets a free pass for a lousy book,” Giselle made clear. “As for Stuart, I met him once at a Portland book convention. He seems like a stand-up guy and totally down-to-earth.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s approachable,” Madison told her, though she had already gathered as much. I’d just rather not be the one to approach him right now, she thought.
“Well, I’d better let you get to work,” Giselle said. “Oh, in case I forgot to mention it, we’re glad to have you as part of our team.”
Madison smiled. “Thank you. I’m happy to be part of the team.”
After her boss left, Madison leaned back in her chair and thought about how she could make the most of her new city and circumstances. She deserved to be happy just like everyone else. Didn’t she?
* * *
Two weeks later, Madison was at home enjoying a glass of white wine and reading a book when her iPad chimed. Her sister Bianca was initiating a video chat.
Madison accepted and watched as her older sister’s face suddenly appeared on the screen. “Hey there.”
“Hey back at you,” Bianca said. “What’s going on?”
“Same
