Madison grabbed a pink macaroon, but before eating it flashed her a comforting smile. “I’m sorry. But you’ve done a great job not letting your past define you in a bad way. Don’t let it start now.”
Knox raked his fingers through his hair. He looked at the screen, hating himself over how much power she had over him. He was nearing the end of his script, a time he usually was filled with a mix of excitement and regret. But now, excitement deserted him and the only regret he felt was about how he ended things with her a few days ago. Well, she ended things with him.
He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t seen her in the backyard or in the pool much like before. It was like she went out of her way to avoid being anywhere he could see her from his office on the second floor. So different than the beginning of their relationship.
He popped his knuckles. He’d been texting and calling Madison, who also gave him the cold shoulder.
The doorbell rang, and he flew down the stairs, only to open the door see one of the two women who weren’t big fans of him stood at his doorstep.
“Madison,” he said, and gestured for her to come in.
She shrugged, and entered.
A small measure of hope took flight in his heart. At least she wasn’t completely ignoring him.
“Thank you for coming,” he said.
“Well, what the hell, Dad. My best friend?”
“I…” he drew in a breath. He’d thought and rethought how to breech the subject, but now none of it mattered. “Listen, it’s all my fault. I should have known better. I don’t want you to be mad at her,” he said, straightening his shoulders.
“I’m not,” she said, walking into his living area. “Well, a bit I guess. But I know she’s not a bad person and is not out to ruin my life, even though I’ll need some serious therapy money to move forward from this.”
“I didn’t know you still went to therapy,” he said. When he and Sandra divorced, they did some family therapy to break the news to Madison, and she had a few sessions of her own.
“I meant shopping therapy. And guess who’s paying for it?”
“Okay. Fine. But the main issue is I don’t want you mad at Alyssa. Not even a little bit. She doesn’t deserve it,” he said. Poor Alyssa. She broke up with him, and he knew she didn’t have many people she trusted. He certainly didn’t rank amongst them anymore.
His daughter was one of the few she trusted. He’d hate to come in between them.
She plopped on the couch, then stretched her legs over his coffee table. “You care for her, don’t you?”
He had to toe the line between being honest and saying too much. “Will that gross you out?” he asked, injecting a twinge of amusement in his voice, one he was far from feeling.
She wrinkled her nose. “Yes.”
“I love her,” he said, realizing that was the first time he said that out loud to someone else. He’d said it to himself and to Alyssa, but now, it became even more real.
Madison rolled her eyes, then maybe she second guessed her reaction, because she looked at him intently. “Apparently she feels the same way.”
His heart skipped a beat. For the last few days, he’d wrestled over if she’d fallen for him or not. A cynical part of him even tried to convince himself she didn’t love him or ever had. Then the memories of their time together flooded his brain, messed with his heart and he was lost again. “Didn’t seem like it the last time I talked to her.”
“Look, Dad, I’m not here as a couple’s therapist. I didn’t have to fulfill that role with you and Mom, and I’m definitely not starting it now.”
“You’re right.” He and Sandra had done a good job keeping Madison out of their divorce. They’d had a squeaky clean breakup, with no messy fights or heated arguments in front of her.
Madison uncrossed her legs then sat with her shoulders more straightened. “But if you need answers, you should talk to her. A lot of times, she hears what she’s heard before from someone else, so I think you have to be direct about your intentions.”
13
Alyssa zipped her bag. The next day, the Smiths would return. She’d already found a temporary place to live—she’d join three other roommates who already shared an apartment not too far from her massage school. Her new crib would be very simple and a downgrade, but at least she’d have a roof over her head. The money she made by housesitting and taking care of Mr. Fluffers she’d use sparingly.
She sighed, and looked around her room.
Mr. Fluffers mirrored her action, sighing too, then laying his head on his paws.
Her heart squeezed a little. “I’ll miss you, buddy.”
