once upon a romance 07 - finding mr right

by leclair, laurie

“No problem.” He didn’t get it.

  “Well, I don’t have to ask how you’ve been, do I?” By all indications, he’d made it.

  His chuckle—half laugh, half squawk like a seagull—used to make her heart swoon. Now, it left her sliding down in her seat a little more when a nearby group of patrons jerked around to stare. Her cheeks warmed.

  No more attempt at jokes!

  “You seeing that guy you were with? Couldn’t miss the hand holding part.”

  We just met. I really like him. But, there’s this thing. I’m engaged to someone else. “Friends.” Short and to the point. But it didn’t nearly describe what she and Dex had. What are you saying? You’re going to get married in a little more than five weeks.

  He shrugged. “Forget about him. I got this place in Cali. Come visit. Stay for a while. Soak it all up. We were good. Still can be.”

  Was he hitting on her? “Bodie, we broke up ages ago.”

  “Eight years.” The hurt in his tone stopped her.

  “We’ve moved on. You’re a what, a surfing dude megastar now? Me, I run an online vintage store.”

  “You do? Cool! That means you’re not stuck in one place. You can move around with me. I travel a lot. All over the world.”

  She swallowed hard. “We just can’t pick up where we left off.”

  “The way I see it, you wanted me to work. I didn’t want that nine-to-five crap. Still don’t. Making money surfing is my dream, babe. You and me, we still got it. I felt it the minute I heard your name again.”

  She didn’t feel it. “It won’t work.” Madison struggled for a reason. “My mom.” There, good ol’ mom to the rescue again. She’d been there when Madison walked away from Bodie, not saying a word about the breakup other than to offer her a place to live and stay as long as she wanted to. And she had.

  “Bring her along. I don’t care.”

  “What? You never liked her before.”

  “She didn’t like me first.”

  How juvenile. “It doesn’t matter now.” She brushed it aside. “My mom has Alzheimer’s,” she said quietly, looking down at her untouched salad. “She’s here in Dallas. Her wish, before she got so bad, was to come back here. Come back home.”

  “Wow! What a bummer. So, she’s here. You can come visit now and again. She’ll never know the difference, right?”

  A chill swept over her. Madison would know. Even though Austin was less than four hours away, it still bothered her she’d be so far away.

  “No problem.”

  Why had he worked it all out? It wasn’t like she was some great love. “Why, Bodie? I can only guess that you’ve had other girlfriends, maybe even married.”

  “Never married. Lots of girlfriends,” he said nonchalantly. “A year, tops. Nothing like us. You were my first real love. You gotta know that. And you were the one who walked away. The others, I dumped them. Too clingy. Too comfortable with their role, trying to take on my thing and boss others around. Too sleazy. You name it. Nobody’s like you.”

  It was nice to hear she wasn’t considered clingy, comfortable, or sleazy. “I’m the one who got away?” This sounded more like a competition or challenge than wanting a real relationship with her.

  “Yeah, I’m a winner. That’s how I roll.” His grin was not returned.

  “Maybe your winning streak stays in the surfing world and not outside of it. Ever think of that?”

  His smug look faded. “How do you mean?”

  “You can’t have it all.” Could you even have happiness, Madison, with a guy you named Mr. Right who didn’t act like you thought he should be acting right now? Doubts nibbled at her.

  “Me?” Bodie pressed a hand against his chest, covering up the surf board on the T-shirt he wore. “Nah. I got it. I’ve just been waiting to find you again.”

  “If you were looking for me, you’d have found me. I’m on the Internet. Plain as day. Same name. Same Keep Austin Weird hometown.”

  He spread his hands, palm side up. “What? You dropped into my lap today. Divine intervention or something.”

  Madison let out a pent-up sigh. “Bodie, I’m happy for you. Really I am. But that’s not my life. I tried to fit me into your world. Failure. Crash and burn.”

  “It’s diff now. I got coin. Man, with this deal I just sealed, I’ve only just begun. I got another deal creating boards with my name on them. More in the works. Money. Money. Money.”

  It was more than that. He didn’t want to see it. “I put you above all else—”

  “That’s what I like about you. You’re not selfish like that.”

  She groaned. “Maybe I want someone to put me above all else.” The words tumbled out before she could stop them. They hung between them, thick and heavy. The truth pulsed in her and through her. Grabbing her clutch, she said, “I have to leave now.”

  Her lips were numb; in fact, her face barely moved. Getting up, she stumbled, and then righted herself as she raced for the door. Fresh, clean air hit her. Madison sucked it in, gulp after gulp.

  “Hey,” Bodie called out. “Wait up!”

  She turned briefly to see him at the door of the café, trying to wave her back. Madison rushed down the sidewalk, the urge to flee nipping at her heels. The wedding department, still not open, beckoned to her.

  Reaching it, she flung the door open and ran straight in. Noises came from the back. A drill or something jumped to life. She retreated to a corner, pressing her back against the solid wood. She slid down until her butt hit the carpeted floor.

  Madison gulped in deep breaths, clinging to the little clutch. With unsteady hands, she snapped open the purse and searched in the zippered compartment. Her fingers found the object of her desire. Slowly, she withdrew it. Holding it up, she stared at the beautiful sparkling diamond ring.

  She tucked it away there the first day here and had never thought about putting it on again. In fact, she’d almost forgotten all about it.

  How could she forget about her dream ring? Two carat, square cut, perfectly shaped rock.

  More importantly, and the worst sin of all, she’d forgotten about her fiancé.

  Her own words slammed into her. Maybe I want someone to put me above all else.

  Bodie hadn’t been that person. Mr. Wrong. In the back of her mind, she couldn’t imagine Jacob ever doing that, either. Mr. Right had a lucrative career in law and a very promising future in politics. There were rules to abide by. And work to be done for him and for the people.

  She’d bent and compromised to his wishes, happily too. Longing for love and a family, both he’d willing provide, were enough for her, wasn’t it?

  But are you happy, my dear? Her adoptive mother’s question from yesteryear rushed back to her now.

  An image of Dex rose in her mind. A smile trembled on her lips and her heart squeezed in her chest.

  Or was any of it enough after all?

  Was he Mr. Just Right for her?

  ***

  “Where have you been? I want to go home.” Her mother waited for her, sitting on her bed with a sweater on and a packed bag at her side.

  “Mom, it’s great to see you again.” Madison’s relief at the sight of her one true champion brought tears to her eyes. She’s remembering. At this moment, she needed her mother more than ever. After her meeting with Bodie and realizing how much more she needed, she sought out her mother’s comfort. “I’ve missed you.”

  Going to her, she embraced her mother. However, she was stiff and standoffish. Madison’s heart tugged. This was never easy.

  “Home.”

  She eased down on the bed beside her mom, touching the soft waves of the older woman’s white hair. “You look pretty today. Did they style your hair?”

  “Lipstick, too. When can I go home?”

  “Soon,” she lied. “Do you know who I am?” She bit her lip, hoping against hope.

  “That girl. Did you bring me a cookie?”

  Chuckling, she dug in her clutch, briefly running her hand over the lu
mp the ring made and moved on to the half-eaten treat from the other day. “Chocolate chip.”

  “My favorite.”

  “Mine, too.”

  Her mother pulled back. “You, too?” She wrinkled her brow. “Grace Kelly?” Pressing a hand to her chest, she said, “Oh, I’m starstruck.”

  “No…I mean, is that who you think I am?” Would it hurt to go along? For her, yes. Her mom, not so much.

  Reaching out with a frail hand, her mother touched her cheek. “Soft. Pretty.”

  “Thank you.” Tears stung her eyes.

  “How is the prince doing? And the children? Ah, such beautiful babies you had.”

  A lump formed in Madison’s throat.

  “I never had any.” She dropped her hand abruptly and looked away. “Never married. Sad.”

  “I thought you had a daughter.” Madison broached the subject, wanting to be remembered.

  Looking down, her mother pressed her hand over her mouth for a moment, and then exclaimed, “A baby. But who left it?”

  In this moment, her mother was transported back in time. Madison touched her back gently.

  “Yes, I’ll take care of her. Yes, I’ll call her my own. I promise.”

  The hairs on the back of Madison’s neck stood on end. “Is there someone there?”

  “She’s how old? Days, you say? I won’t tell a soul. It’s as if I never saw you leave her.”

  Her heart dropped to her belly and then bounced into her throat. “You saw her? The woman?” My birth mother!

  “You’re just a girl. I’ll take her. I’ll raise her.”

  “Mom?” Madison whispered the name of this woman as well as the girl who’d given her away.

  “I’ve always wanted a baby.”

  That much she’d told Madison. However, actually seeing the girl, as her mother now put it, wasn’t revealed to her. Could she believe the ramblings of a woman with Alzheimer’s?

  “My prayers have been answered.”

  Again, her mother had told her that time and time again, making Madison feel wanted and loved. Even if she hadn’t always shown it with hugs and kisses all the time, her mother had said it often enough. “Does she have a name?” Could she get the information she needed?

  “I’ll name her.”

  That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “The girl. Does she have a name?”

  “Oh, look at the blonde curls, so much like yours.” She lifted an invisible baby into her arms, cradling her close. “Sshh, now! I know. Your momma loves you. The blanket? Here, you need to keep warm.” She grabbed at her feet and found the pretend item.

  Madison waited with bated breath.

  “Such a lovely shade of lavender. Yes, of course. From King’s. I know the store well. But this…I’ve never seen anything like this before there. Special, you say? Only a few dozen made. For employees. You work there?”

  “She works at King’s?” Madison’s voice rose an octave.

  Her mother stilled, blinking rapidly. She glanced at her arms and then dropped them. Looking at her, she said, “Where am I?”

  The distressed, vacant look in her eyes dashed Madison’s hopes of discovering more.

  A few dozen made for employees.

  How hard could this be?

  Break into the office? Search through the files?

  Dex’s image rose in her mind.

  Would he end up hating her when he found out she’d been lying to him all this time?

  A chill swept over Madison.

  Chapter 16

  Dex tapped the pad against his palm. “Where is he?” He’d borrowed the men’s department phone to call Peg in order to locate Griff.

  “He’s coming down to the floor in five, four, three…minutes,” she’d said. “Roger and out.”

  Click. That sound still rang in Dex’s ear as he waited at the elevator.

  Finally, it dinged open. Griff never missed a beat. “Dex.” He nodded and kept on strolling by.

  “Wait up, Griff.” He rushed to the man’s side.

  “Did we have a meeting?” Griff slowed to look at him.

  “No appointed time. I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Walk and talk. I’m canvassing the floor for any problems.”

  “Perfect.” But words stuck in his throat.

  “You wanted to talk,” he reminded him. “I’m listening.”

  “I want the director of product development position.” There, he’d said it. It didn’t feel as scary as he thought it would. And Griff didn’t laugh in his face, either.

  Griff stopped in his tracks. He frowned. “Did you submit an application to the headhunters?”

  He shook his head.

  “I didn’t think so. I would have remembered it. There’s six finalists. Why you over them?” His gray eyes drilled holes into Dex.

  “I know King’s. The store. The history. The employees. And the customers.”

  When he resumed walking, Dex fell into step beside him. “You’re far removed from the customers in the lab,” Griff pointed out. “You forgot one thing. You know the owner. Why not go to Charlie?”

  “I discussed this with her. Briefly. I want the job on merit, nothing more.” The idea of using friendship to win her over never crossed his mind.

  “Admirable,” he said as he checked the jewelry department. “So, Dex, give me the rundown.”

  Glancing at the pad he’d scribbled on, Dex cleared his throat. “First of all, let me point out the new building structure. I know, it’s not a product, but, if you tie everything in, it’s a winner.”

  “Go on,” Griff drawled.

  “The new Charmings Wedding Boutique, the façade, it should be altered to one that matches the personality of King’s. Oh, and also, the main building, too. They should match, balance each other out.”

  “I thought we had taken that into consideration. The display windows to tie in with the ones we have here…”

  “The two buildings should resemble a castle,” Dex blurted out, gaining all of Griff’s attention. “Turrets and stone and you know the drill better than I do. Also, you have King’s Café and you’re going to add an events room above it, but what about above that?”

  “The roof?”

  “Yes, a rooftop garden. With lights that twinkle and tables. Better yet, an intimate area to entertain private parties.”

  “Where did you come up with this?”

  Dex tapped a finger to his temple. Memories of the time machine and pretending to go back to medieval days with Shane and his dad had sparked this idea for the King’s castle.

  “Any more?”

  At least Griff was receptive. Dex held up his hand to the huge poster of his cousin and Evelyn above them. “Her ring. Big. Classic. Beautiful. But what’s unique about it? I mean, look at all the options she and Shane could have had.” Going to the counter, he pointed to a few pieces. “If only King’s offered customized service. Design your own engagement and wedding rings. A little bit of this and more of that. King’s, well a newly hired first class jeweler for King’s, gives them the options and the customer creates their own rings. It can be for earrings, bracelets, necklaces, too.”

  “Interesting,” Griff murmured. “What else?”

  This time, Dex directed his boss to the aisle. “You must have heard about the perfume bar, right? Well, extend it to lotions, scrubs, sprays and whatever else the customer wants to have their own unique scent for.”

  Getting caught up, Dex nodded to the Beauty Bar. “Same with makeup. One King’s special compact; however, every woman can choose their favorites from a wide array of colors. You see, the makeup—lip stuff, eye shadow, blush—whatever it is, King’s offers in the same shape and sized little block all to fit nice and neat in this little compact.”

  “Mix and match?”

  “Better. I came up with a slogan. Customize Your Life.”

  Griff halted in the middle of the aisle; customers and employees veered around him. Their murmurs floated by. Their stares didn’t faze
his boss. “It’s good. Better than good, even.”

  Dex continued, turning a few pages. “I have a million and one ideas.”

  “Do me a favor and type those notes up. Turn them in to Peg when you’re finished. I’ll read through them.” He went to leave, but stopped and directed his glance at Dex. “Dexter, you just earned your spot. We have seven finalists for the position now.”

  Shock raced through him as he watched Griff shoot him a grin and march away. “You’re in the big leagues now,” he said to himself. “Griffin James likes my ideas!”

  Another thought rushed to him. I can’t wait to tell Madison.

  ***

  Dex paced his cousin’s entry way—back and forth, back and forth—with his hands jammed in his pants pockets.

  “She not coming, son?” his uncle asked, patting him on the shoulder.

  “What? She stood you up?” His aunt’s voice carried from the kitchen. “What do you mean, tone down your voice, Shaney?”

  Footsteps, several pairs, sounded on the wooden floors. Dex halted and stared as the troops marched toward him. His family, ragtag and loving, stared at him with a mixture of sympathy and concern.

  “I heard she had to get training at King’s today.” Evelyn’s voice held a ray of hope.

  “That must be it,” he agreed, disappointed he couldn’t tell her his good news. But deep down, he had doubts about the training part. Ever since that Bodie guy had showed up, she’d made herself scarce. His lab felt empty without her in it. His heart did, too. God, not again.

  “Feel like giving me a hand, cuz?” Shane nodded to his wife. “No sharp objects.”

  Ev nudged Shane. “I heard that.”

  He clutched his side. “Oh, another dent. Bruise to follow tomorrow.”

  “Body armor, dear,” Shane’s mother offered. “In the bedroom, at the very least. Especially the privates.”

  “Mom! Do you have to go there?”

  Dex ran a hand over his face. Nope, they were still there.

  “Honey, I’m looking out for your little spermies. You need all of them to knock her up, right?”

  “Little is not the correct word to use,” Shane’s father chimed in. “Not when you’re talking about manly things.”