by Mia Knight
“This is my daughter, Maddie. She’s a freshman in college. Maddie, this is Carmen, Isabel’s daughter,” Marv said.
“Hi,” Maddie said faintly.
“Hi,” she said and shifted Vinny awkwardly on her hip.
“What’s that?” Maddie asked.
“My husband.”
Maddie’s eyes widened and then softened. “Oh.”
“Maddie’s going to school for hotel management and business,” Marv said.
“Really? I might be able to help you with that,” Carmen said.
Maddie’s brows rose. “You can?”
“I own shares in Pyre Casino, and I have an in with the CEO.”
Maddie’s mouth formed the word, “Wow,” but no sound came out of her.
“Where are we putting her stuff?” Frederick asked from behind her.
“This way,” Marv said and started down the hallway.
“You know, Marv, it’s not a big deal for me to go to a hotel,” she began.
“Don’t be silly. You’re family.”
He led her to a beautiful guest room with doilies on the dresser and everything done in white. It was simple, rustic, and soothing. It wasn’t the type of room you cried your heart out in. She settled Vinny on the bedside table and winced when it creaked under the weight. Frederick and Mickey began to bring in her stuff, and she attempted not to trash the place by making semi-organized piles. When she finished, she padded back into the living area. Through the front windows, she saw Mickey and Frederick parked across the street in the SUV.
“Are you in trouble?” Maddie asked.
She plopped on the opposite end of the lush couch and faced her future stepsister.
“Yeah,” she said.
“What kind?” Maddie asked.
She hesitated. This house belonged in Better Homes and Garden. If Maddie grew up in a house like this, underworld shit wasn’t for her innocent ears. She might not even know it existed.
“The bad kind, but it’ll be over soon.”
“I like your shoes.”
She smiled and held up her foot so they could admire the kickass shoe together. “Thanks. What’s your shoe size?”
“Eight.”
She winked. “Your shoe collection just imploded. You and I are the same size. Whatever you want, feel free to take.”
Maddie’s mouth dropped. “What?”
She waved a hand. “I mostly use my shoes once anyway. Actually, Lyla’s the same size too, so you can steal her shit too.”
“Lyla?”
“My cousin. She’s married to Gavin.”
“You mean, the CEO of Pyre Casinos?” Maddie asked in a strangled voice.
“That’s him,” she said dryly.
She jerked her head toward the kitchen where their parents were eating donuts, drinking decaf coffee, and giggling like teenagers.
“How long have you known about them?”
“From their first date.” Maddie gave her a small smile. “Mom’s great.”
Hearing Maddie call her mom gave her all the feels. She cleared her throat. “She sure is.”
“My mom died when I was eleven. Breast cancer,” Maddie said quietly. “Dad’s been alone for a long time. I’m happy for him.”
“So am I.”
“I know about your husband,” Maddie said quietly. “It was in the papers.”
She let out a long breath. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
She nodded because there was nothing to say.
“We spread Mom’s ashes in the backyard. We’d never sell this house because of that.”
Carmen looked around at what felt like a sprawling ranch house. “I can see why. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m boarding at college to give them privacy.” Maddie tilted her head toward their parents. “But I like to come home when I don’t have classes. Levi is going to freak out.”
“Levi?”
“My brother.” Maddie crossed her arms and grinned. “I don’t know what he’s going to notice first. You or that Aston Martin Vanquish S Volante.”
“You know your cars.”
“It’s a requirement when you live with mechanics.”
She hugged an oversized pillow to her chest. This house seemed untouched by anything twisted or evil. Mom looked comfortable and settled here. The pictures on the mantle and walls showed a happy family who had lived a full life. Despite the years since Marv’s wife passed, the house still maintained the essence of her. Marv didn’t become resentful or abusive. He took care of his family and worked hard, and the result was here in front of her. Maddie had grown up without a mother, but she seemed secure and grounded. She wasn’t resentful of their presence.
“You’re taking this well,” she said.
Maddie’s brows rose. “I am?”
“We’re moving in on your turf.”
Maddie laughed, and the beautiful sound was music to her ears.
“I freaked out when I first found out, but I met Mom and…” She shrugged. “Some things are meant to be, you know?” She glanced into the kitchen before she leaned forward. “Dad told me how you reacted.” She gave her two thumbs up. “What’s good for them is good for us, right?”
That painful clenching sensation in her chest eased ever so slightly. Maddie’s innocence made the night at The Pussy seem like a bad dream rather than something she participated in. She rose and gave her new sister a long hug before she settled beside her on the couch.
“Yes, what’s good for them is good for us,” she agreed.
Maddie’s wise eyes tracked over her face. “You need a nap.”
She let out a choked laugh. “I do.” She needed a lot of things, but a nap sounded like the best at the moment. Maddie smelled of vanilla and honey. She settled against her sister who didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable. Marv’s house seemed like a good place to lick her raw wounds and recover.
“You want to watch Psych?” Maddie asked.
“What’s Psych?”
“It’s a show about a guy who’s super observant and solves crimes from clues police post on the news. When he tries to collect his reward money for solving a crime, they think he’s a suspect, so he has to pretend to be a psychic instead. It’s really funny.”
She settled against Maddie. “That sounds perfect. I’m in.”
15
Carmen pulled up to Cimarron Elementary and stepped out of the car. She put her hands on hips and glared at Frederick and Mickey as they strolled up to her.
“Pyre and Roman approved the outing,” Frederick said.
“I would have attended without their approval,” she retorted.
Maddie climbed out of the passenger seat of the Aston. She wore Carmen’s thigh-high boots with jeans and a white tee. Carmen glanced down at the scuffed Converse sneakers she had borrowed. Maddie had been horrified when she found them in the back of her closet, but she was in love with them. It brought her back to a simpler time. She paired Maddie’s olive-green bomber jacket with her black knit body con dress. Pleasure in little things. That’s how she was getting through.
She spent the past two days at Marv’s house, doing nothing more strenuous than sleeping, eating, and watching Netflix. She had a few breakdowns, but they didn’t last long. How could it when she was surrounded by such nice, caring people? She told Charisse that something came up and that they would have to resume their house hunting next week. After two days at Marv’s house, she had a better idea of what she wanted for her next home, and it wasn’t as grand as what she’d had in the past. It would be smaller, homey, safe. Despite the love bursting at the seams in Marv’s house, she couldn’t stay there. She was sharing a bathroom with Maddie, and the closet was the size of a linen closet. Nope.
“You made it!”
Alice rushed toward them wearing a ball cap, fluorescent jacket, and gold shoelaces. She was also accompanied by a dachshund wearing a red bandanna. Alice’s eyes were shining and she looked adorable. If men saw this version of h
er, she’d have to beat them off with a stick.
“Hey,” Alice gushed and smiled at Maddie. “I’m Alice.”
“This is my sister, Maddie.”
Alice blinked as she shook Maddie’s hand. “Oh, wow. That’s awesome.”
“Maddie’s in school for hotel management and business and interested in helping out with your events. I’m going to see if I can get her into the intern program at Pyre Casinos.”
Alice beamed. “That’s fantastic.” She looked past Maddie as Frederick and Mickey helped a large truck back up. “What’s going on?”
She clapped her hands together. “I bought some goodies.”
“Goodies?” Alice echoed as two delivery guys opened the back of the truck.
“I got things a new pet owner needs. Scratching posts, puppy pads, leashes, food. I thought it would help. What we don’t use, we can donate to the shelters.”
“Did Gavin authorize this?” Alice was clearly ill at ease.
“No, this is my contribution.”
“Carmen, we can’t accept this.”
“Why not? I’m a Pyre, aren’t I? I can do good Samaritan shit.” She had enough money to feed a country. Maybe she should do that—
Alice gave her an enthusiastic one-armed hug. “You’re amazing; you know that?”
“I’ve heard that once or twice.”
Alice hollered to some volunteers to help before she grabbed Maddie’s hand. “Come, let me show you everything!”
Alice led them toward a cluster of tents and volunteers wearing gold Pyre Foundation T-shirts. There were pens full of puppies, kittens, and older dogs wearing bandannas or cute sweaters. Kids ran with the dogs on their heels, and manly men with tattoos allowed their faces to be pawed by tiny kittens. The elderly bonded with the mature dogs who needed a pair of feet to snooze beside for the handful of years they had left.
She was pleased to see her mother’s friends from cha-cha with their grandkids. Alice flitted from group to group with Maddie in tow. There was happy madness everywhere she looked. She ran into Shonda and Keenan from the salon and chatted with them for a minute. Keenan adopted a black cat with mesmerizing blue eyes. She pointed them toward the free stuff and was happy to see that the pregnant waitress and her boyfriend had adopted an old, gray-faced Chihuahua who lay docile and content in her arms.
Mom and Marv arrived holdings hands. Her mother was glowing.
“Carmen!” Marv boomed as if he hadn’t seen her in days when it had been less than two hours.
He hugged her tight. If she’d had any doubts about her mom’s relationship, they were put to rest after spending time with the Armstrong’s. Marv and Maddie were amazing. She felt as if she had known them all her life. She’d been so absorbed by brutal tragedies that she couldn’t see past that to anything clean or normal until now. It took Marv almost a decade to recover from losing his wife, so he didn’t think her inability to move on after two years was odd in the slightest.
“Levi’s here,” Marv said.
Before she could ask who that was, a brawny arm slid over her shoulders. She looked up at a handsome guy with Maddie’s hazel eyes and dark hair. “So, you’re my new smoking hot sister?”
Marv sputtered. “Levi, don’t talk like that to your stepsister!”
“When’s the wedding?” Levi asked without looking away from her.
“We’re not sure yet. Why?” Marv asked suspiciously.
“I want to take her out before she becomes my sister.”
She grinned as Marv made a choking sound.
“Show some respect, son.”
“I had to try. Is that Aston yours?” Levi asked.
She pulled the keys from her pocket. “Knock yourself out.”
He dropped the flirtatious act. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.”
“You’re smoking hot and have good taste in cars? Where have you been all my life?”
Marv shoved his son good-naturedly. Levi and Maddie raced toward the car as she headed toward a group of pit bulls that most people were giving a wide berth. They wagged their tails as she approached. She went on her knees and was immediately rushed by eager to please dogs. She considered the situation for a minute before she grabbed a handful of toys. When the dogs began to gnaw on squeaky toys, it drew the attention of a small crowd. Alice gave her a thumbs up.
One dog, a beautiful rust-colored one with bright green eyes, was flat on her belly. As she approached, the dog turned her face away. She was shaking and clearly in distress.
“What happened to her?” she asked a volunteer.
“Don’t know. She was found on the streets. Looks like she’s been in a few scrapes.” The volunteer pointed at some scarring around her neck and rump. “She’s terrified. She won’t even eat.”
Carmen lay on the ground a good two feet away. The dog wouldn’t meet her eyes, though her ears twitched in her direction. Her tail was curled under her body.
“She has to get adopted, or she’ll be put down,” the volunteer said quietly.
“If no one adopts her, let me know.”
She gave the volunteer her number and looked around the gathering. Everyone was having a good time. Her heart swelled when she saw families walking away with new pets. A familiar figure caught her eye. Marcus was dressed in a light gray suit and white button-up shirt, no tie. He looked suave and cultured, but she knew what lay beneath the clean-cut image. She’d always had a soft spot for a good guy who had a dark streak and fucked like a bad boy.
He spotted her and stopped in his tracks. Memories of their hookups made her palms tingle. She took a step toward him but had to stop when a group of kids ran in front of her. He made no move toward her. After the week she had, the Kody Singer thing seemed inconsequential in comparison. Marcus couldn’t still be mad about that, could he? As the little crowd passed and Marcus continued to watch her, she realized he was definitely still mad. Before she could figure out how she wanted to handle this, an arm slid over her shoulders.
“That was amazing,” Levi said as he handed back her car keys. “I think you’re my new favorite sister.”
“I’m standing right here,” Maddie said.
“You smell that new car smell on me?” Levi asked.
He was drunk on the Aston. “You smell like grease,” she said, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
He shrugged. “Inevitable when you work at a garage.”
“How many of your clients are women?” she asked.
He winked at her and was about to say something flirtatious when he was interrupted.
“Carmen.”
She turned her head and locked eyes with Marcus who was standing two feet away. He gave her a long look through cool green eyes before he extended his hand to Levi who still had an arm around her.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Marcus.”
He took the outstretched hand. “Levi.”
“You’re the COO of Pyre Casinos,” Maddie piped up.
“He is,” Carmen said. Maybe he wasn’t mad after all. “Marcus, this is Maddie. She’s a freshman in college and taking courses in hotel management.”
“I took the same courses,” Marcus said, making direct eye contact with Maddie who blushed furiously. “If you’re interested in an internship at Pyre Casinos, let me know.”
“T-thank you,” Maddie said.
Marcus switched his attention back to her. He eyed her expectantly, obviously waiting for her to say something. She clapped her hands and gestured to Maddie and Levi. “Our parents are getting married.”
Marcus blinked. “Excuse me?”
“My mom’s marrying their dad, Marv, so we’re getting to know one another.”
Marcus focused on Levi. “Looks like it’s going well.”
Something about his tone made Levi drop his arm. She gave her future step siblings a sunny smile as she stepped forward and linked her arm through Marcus’s.
“We’ll catch up later. I need to talk to Marcus about something,” sh
e said before she pulled him into the crowd.
“Your mom’s getting married?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You’re happy about it?”
“Of course. I don’t want her to be alone.” Like me, she thought.
“You seem comfortable with your stepbrother.”
They stopped on the path leading up to the school, a good distance from the happy ruckus. “I let him drive my new Aston, and he’s a car nut, so he dubbed me his new favorite sister.”
With the sun highlighting his features, he looked chic and unattainable. His cool demeanor made her want to provoke him, but that would have to wait.
“My stepdad asked for my mom’s hand in marriage an hour before you saw me in the casino with Kody,” she said bluntly.
His expression revealed nothing. “I see.”
“I was on my way to your office when Kody stopped me.”
That caught him off guard. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mickey and Frederick milling around. They were keeping their distance but observing every move she made. She looked around and focused on the open door of the school. Without a word, she started walking toward the building after shooting her guards a warning look.
“Where are you going?” Marcus asked as he followed.
She didn’t answer as she walked down a hallway lined with pegs and cubbies. The walls were covered in crayon artwork, and the smell of Play-Doh and tiny, sweaty humans filled her nostrils. She walked into a classroom with tiny desks. A guinea pig burrowed into shredded newspaper while the burble of the aquarium filled the room. A map of the world covered one wall and a dry erase board littered with math problems hung on the other.
She strolled around the classroom while Marcus watched from the doorway. He didn’t step into the classroom, of course, because he liked rules. Even as a child, she didn’t acknowledge rules. That was partly her father’s training, but she continued the practice in her adult years since it got her what she wanted in life.
She sat in the tiny plastic chair, which felt as if it had been made for a doll rather than a human. She propped her chin on her hand and clamped her knees together in the classic schoolgirl pose. Maddie’s shoes really got her into character. She pouted as Marcus watched her suspiciously. He was a wise man. She was definitely going to fuck with him.