once upon a romance 07 - finding mr right

by leclair, laurie

  “Thanks, Dad.” Under his breath, Shane said, “I think.” To Dex, he mouthed, “Help!”

  “Good advice, Auntie. Maybe you can write a how-to book. Sex in your sixties, or something like that.”

  “Sixties!” she sputtered. “Why, Dexter, I’ll have you know, I’m not a day over fifty.”

  “Five,” her husband added. She smacked him on the arm. “Ouch! Oh, oh, of course. Fifty it is then.” But she glared at him and stormed off. “Should I even bother?”

  “Go,” Evelyn said, taking his arm and turning him around. She gave him a little shove in the back. “Now. Beg her forgiveness.”

  “The making up part is so much fun,” he said, sauntering off. “Oh, dear! Your big teddy bear is sorry…”

  Shane groaned. “How much do you want for them to stay at your place for the duration?”

  Dex snorted. “There’s not enough money in the world, cuz.”

  “I was afraid you’d say that.”

  Their voices drifted to them.

  “How dare you!” Shane’s mother cried.

  “Honey, I didn’t mean anything by it, you know that. Come on, give me a little sugar.”

  “No! You have to earn your way back in my good graces.”

  “I like a challenge. I’ll have you begging in no time.”

  “Oh, God!” Shane and Evelyn clamped their hands over their ears. “Stop them now!”

  “It can’t be that bad,” Dex said.

  “Start at my toes and work your way up,” his aunt said.

  “Oh crap, it is.” The visual seared in his head.

  Shane and Ev started to sing, “La la la la…”

  He joined in, drowning out the laughter and the chair crashing in the other room.

  The doorbell rang.

  They all lunged for it at the same time, pushing one another out of the way.

  “I’ll get it,” Dex said.

  Evelyn bumped into both of them. “Let me.”

  “It’s my house.” Shane reached out to grab Ev’s elbow to keep her upright as he went for the doorknob.

  It clicked and they shoved it open, gasping for air.

  Madison, beautiful in a green dress with little black martini glasses on it and one of those tiny black sweaters, stared wide-eyed at them. “Is this a bad time?”

  “Of course not,” Dex said. “You look beautiful.”

  “Not there.” His aunt’s high-pitched voice rent the air. “Yes, yes, there!”

  Dex stepped over the threshold. Shane and Ev joined him, slamming the door shut behind them. “It’ll be just a few, ah, minutes.”

  Finding himself toe to toe with Madison was not an unpleasant place to be. He reached out and touched her arms lightly. “I’m glad you could make it.”

  She pointed over his shoulder. “Shouldn’t we be in there?”

  Shane ran a hand through his hair. Evelyn, who she’d met at Charlie’s family get together, stood beside him, fanning herself.

  “Not safe,” Dex said, shivering in disgust. “Toxic even.”

  “Maybe we should all go out instead,” Shane offered.

  A metal crash reached them. More resounded, one right after the other.

  “My poor house.”

  “Is there something on the loose?” Madison giggled.

  “You could say that.” Dex’s lip twitched.

  “Two big somethings,” Evelyn mumbled under her breath. “And you say I’m dangerous.”

  “You always are, Ev. Them, only when they get it on.” Shane nodded to the door.

  “What?” Madison glanced up at Dex and then over at Shane and Evelyn.

  Shane sighed heavily. “My parents. Reuniting. Again and again.”

  “Making up after a little tiff.” Dex tried to edit the scene that took place minutes before she arrived.

  “How sweet,” she said.

  “You would be the only one to think so right now.” Shane held up his hand. “Listen. All quiet on the home front. Maybe they’re done.” He went to the door and slowly turned the knob, and eased open the door.

  Dex turned and with Madison and Ev nearby, they crowded in behind Shane, sneaking a peek at the path to the kitchen. “Coast is clear in the foyer.”

  “You game?” Shane tossed over his shoulder.

  Evelyn sniffed loudly. “Something’s burning.”

  “The scalloped potatoes.” Shane crept in to the house. The board underneath him creaked. He shifted his weight back and forth. “Must fix that.”

  “Not now, Shane,” Ev said. “There’s more important things, like getting to the oven.”

  They formed a line. “I’ll take the lead,” Dex offered, going to the front. “It might be better if I shield you from your folks.” In the past, he had seen too much, but for Shane it would be more traumatic.

  “I owe you one, cuz.”

  With Madison clutching the back of his shirt, and Evelyn and Shane bringing up the rear, Dex moved stealthily down the hall. The house remained silent. No heavy breathing. No cymbals crashing together. Nada.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. Dex peeked around the corner. “All clear in the living room.”

  “Roger that,” Ev said, mimicking their friend Peg.

  Slow steps took them longer, but they were on hyper alert. He glanced upward, recalling to look at the stair landing. No bodies.

  Finally, Dex reached the kitchen. He peered around the corner. It lay in shambles. Pots and pans were everywhere. Objects littered the floor. “What—were they throwing things around or something?”

  “Is it intact? Are they?” Shane asked in a loud whisper.

  With a sigh, Dex stood up straight and entered the room. Curls of smoke drifted from the oven to the ceiling. He searched for a potholder. There, on the floor at his feet, sat one.

  Stooping down, he grabbed for it. It moved. He jumped back.

  His aunt’s scream nearly broke his eardrums.

  The next thing he knew, he saw naked, entangled limbs out of the corner of his eye. “Shane, don’t come in, buddy!”

  “I’m stuck,” his uncle cried. “Hip. Cramp. Can’t move!”

  “Help, I’m being squished to death!” The smoke alarm blared at the same moment his aunt shouted out her desperate plea.

  Madison grabbed his arm and peered around him.

  “Meet my aunt and uncle, Madison.”

  “Nice to meet you, dear,” his uncle said, lying face down on his aunt.

  She started to giggle and couldn’t stop. The others joined in. “Ah…nice family you have there, Dex.”

  ***

  Madison avoided looking at the older couple across the table for any length of time. Dex’s aunt, hair rumpled and sticking out, wore an oversized bathrobe. It opened every time she reached for something.

  “I’m starving,” she said.

  “Worked up an appetite.” Her husband gave her a saucy wink, he too, wearing a flannel robe.

  “Mom, Dad, at least put some clothes on for our guest.” Shane pushed his plate away.

  “Shaney, you know we like to get comfortable after the wild thing.”

  “Thanks, Mom, for sharing.”

  “We’re adults. Who doesn’t know the birds and the bees?”

  “Some things should be private.”

  “Don’t waste your breath, Shane,” Dex said. “They’ll never change.”

  “But in my kitchen? While dinner’s cooking?”

  “Oh, there was something other than food cooking, wasn’t there, sugar?” Shane’s father grabbed his wife’s hand and kissed the back of it.

  She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Until the hip locked up. Sweetie, you’ve got to get that checked. Can’t have it cramping our style.”

  They shared a laugh. Madison covered her smile with a napkin, but looked around and saw the others were smirking, too.

  “Never a dull moment,” Dex said to her under his breath.

  The family may be a little out there and eccentric, but she could see the lov
e they had for one another. Gentle ribbing ensued and she sat back and took it all in.

  Madison couldn’t help but compare Jacob and his parents to this family. The Turners would never be caught dead looking or acting like this. How sad for them. A pang of regret for herself echoed in her chest at the loss of never being able to have this easy, laidback exchange with anyone like this ever again.

  Relaxed, Dex seemed like a different person, joining in on the quips. She liked that. His serious nature took a backseat. His playful funny side sprang forward.

  “Oh, this tastes burnt, Shaney. Did you have to let them cook so long?”

  “Mom, you were in between me and the oven. Next time, you could turn it down. The stove and your activities.”

  “We’re making up for lost years.” His father leaned closer and said, “Me and the wife divorced years ago. Best thing that happened to us.”

  Shane sputtered. “Not to me.”

  “You turned out all right.”

  “Dex’s parents took him in,” Evelyn said, forcing a smile on her face. “He and Dex are more like brothers.”

  “That’s so sweet.” Madison glanced at Dex sitting beside her. “They must have been pretty special people.”

  “The best,” he agreed.

  “That’s why Dex is going to be my best man at our wedding.” Shane held up his ice tea as a toast.

  “Hear, hear,” Shane’s father said. “All’s well that ends well.”

  “Thanks,” Dex said, nodding to his cousin. “Shane, remember that first Christmas you were with us? My folks made it like a treasure hunt.”

  Shane chuckled. “By the end of it, we were digging up a treasure in the backyard. Those gold chocolate coins poured out. We thought we were the richest kids in the world, didn’t we, Dex?”

  “We were,” he said softly. “We just didn’t know how rich then.”

  Her heart hitched. Madison reached over and covered his hand. “You don’t. Not until they’re gone,” she whispered, thinking how she’d taken so much for granted herself. She was losing her mom to that dreaded disease and all the memories only the two of them had shared together, too. There wouldn’t be anyone to reminisce with. Where was his time machine when you needed one? I want to go back and relive it over again. But this time, I’d savor every moment.

  He jerked his gaze to hers. Soft. Blue. Sizzle. There was something there, something electric.

  She shivered as she felt herself easily slipping into that heady ride, arms wide.

  In the back of her mind, she wondered if she ever wanted to have her feet planted on firm ground again.

  Is this real? Or a fantasy?

  Chapter 17

  “Girl, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Rico chirped as he hugged Madison to him, air-kissing her cheek. Pulling back, he clapped. “I’m going to L-O-V-E our time together here.”

  Heat crawled up her neck. “Thanks, Rico. I can’t believe I’m working at King’s. If only as a temp.”

  “We’ll work your fingers to the bone in the next three weeks, so you may not be saying that in the end.”

  “I don’t mind hard work.” Now, if only she knew the first thing about how to crack in the computers for the former employee records, she’d work around the clock. A slice of guilt arrowed through her. Deception didn’t come easily to her. Nor did lying.

  “First, I’ll show you around this magnificent place.” He threw his hands out. “To die for. D-I-E! Then we get assignments.” He leaned close. “I asked for you to be on my team.”

  She pressed a hand to her chest. “Aw, thanks. I’ll do you proud.” Another stab of shame pierced her.

  He touched her on the arm. “I know you will. I’ve saved the best for last. Tonight. Party at Rico’s. Sort of a warm-up for the sports bar’s opening. Peg’s in, too. The others are stick-in-the-muds. It’s a weeknight. We have kids. Blah! Blah! Blah!”

  “Spoilsports,” she agreed, part of her wondering if she should attend herself.

  “I knew I liked you for a reason. Come, let Uncle Rico show you the place.”

  The whirlwind tour of the new wedding wing knocked the breath out of her and sent tingles to her toes. Big, open, and airy, the entire three floors were painted the same black lacquer as the original Charming’s Wedding Boutique. The trademark pink showed up in the carpet, seating arrangements, and accessories. Crystal chandeliers twinkled overhead.

  Rich. Elegant. Luxurious.

  “We get to set up the dresses!” he exclaimed. “On the mannequins. In the windows. The displays. That’s us. Thank moi—M-O-I—for it.”

  “Us?” Her mind lurched into overdrive, seeking out the hotspots. Madison began to point in different directions. “There and there, right?”

  “You’re good. Yes, the little alcoves were especially built to spotlight the ultra-expensive, ultra-glam King’s designs.”

  “What are we waiting for? Let’s get started.”

  “I like.” He rattled off the list and directed her to the storage room. The keys jingled together as he searched for the right one. “I’ll have Charlie make you a set of these.”

  She memorized what he said as he explained the different locks, the interior workings for the codes, and the computer. “Security. Nice and tight.”

  “Here’s the password for the store employees.” He said it aloud as he typed it in.

  Her heart jumped. “All employees?”

  “It’s a log-in system. Once we get into the wedding dress inventory, there’s only a handful of us who will have access.”

  “Of course. But this one—”

  “You can email anyone in the store. Or message them. It works for a quick answer. Phones in here are like dinosaurs in the world, if you know what I mean. Oh, and you get all these memos of store ad campaigns coming up, new policies, and newsletters. Who’s getting promoted, who’s preggers, awards handed out, anyone retiring. Oh, and some pictures now and again, too. Like digging up from the archives. History. Charlie is big on reminding us where we started and how far we’ve gotten. You know the drill, right?”

  Numb, Madison nodded. Maybe, her birth mother still worked here. She may even be close to retiring. Note to self, pore over the newsletters—past and present. And maybe the baby blanket was for someone who had a well-documented baby shower here.

  So close. Yet so far.

  ***

  “Is she here?” Charlie’s voice caught Madison by surprise.

  All morning, Rico and she worked to get the new mannequins together and she’d thrown herself into her work. It was either that or harp on how she was going to find time to search the computer files.

  “Over here,” Rico called out. “Party of two.”

  He’d selected her as his assistant on the project. They were starting off days before anyone else would join them.

  “Madison Avenue,” Mrs. King-Baxter barked her name.

  Her head shot up and she stared at Rico. His face grew ashen.

  “The barracuda. Run!”

  “What is she doing here?” Madison asked just as Charlie and her stepmother rounded the corner. The Colonel’s warning reared its ugly head. War! She began to shake.

  “Who do you think you are, stirring up trouble?” The older woman eyed her with a cold, critical eye.

  “T-trouble? Me?”

  “Stepmother wants, of all things, to have her legacy known to all who come here.” Charlie’s face was white.

  “The ripple effects continue.” Rico sighed dramatically.

  “You suggested an interview?” Charlie’s lips barely moved. “For your website?”

  “Yes.” Madison scrambled to her feet, running her hands over her yellow skirt to smooth away the wrinkles and calm her jitters. “It’s for Vintage Vibe. Anything—”

  “Ancient,” Rico chimed in, standing up and touching the corner of his mouth. “Like her.” He pasted on a smile.

  The older woman leveled him with a look.

  “Wounded.” His snarky comment didn
’t please her.

  “I want my due. I put in the time. I should get the credit.”

  “Stepmother, your years here are much appreciated. However, this is my store now.”

  “I can help,” Madison jumped in, when they turned to stare at her. “My website, of course. Also, King’s website. The store newsletter. Awards, recognition, a full-page ad in the newspaper…” She ran out of options.

  A smile inched its away across the older woman’s face.

  Charlie mouthed, “Full-page ad? Are you kidding me?”

  “Tie it in with the launch of the new wedding department. Paying homage to the foundation of what King’s stands for and always has.”

  “Oh, girl. You are good. G-O-O-D!” Rico held up his hand. “High-five me.”

  She did. The smack of skin echoed in the now silent room. Her palm stung a little.

  “It’s the least you can do, Charlotte.” Her stepmother turned on her heel. “You, Madison— my house. Dinner tonight. Seven sharp. Bring a notebook or whatever you use.”

  When the door whisked closed behind her, Madison let out a breath. “Does she always suck the air out of the room?”

  “Always,” Charlie and Rico said in unison.

  “Phew!” She brushed the back of her arm across her forehead.

  But when she looked up, Charlie shook her head. “Why? I hire you and you still make me doubt your motives.”

  Madison gulped hard. “I’m in awe of what you’ve accomplished. King’s is”—she swallowed hard—“a legend.” She waved her hands at her surroundings. “You create magic.”

  Rico fingered his shirt collar. “Something from nothing. Like me.” He fluffed his hair. “Of course, I was a diamond in the rough.”

  They chuckled. It broke the tense atmosphere.

  Charlie blew out a breath. Coming to her, she touched Madison on the arms. “There’s something more. I can feel it.” She searched Madison’s gaze. “I’ve already gone out on a limb for you. Griff and I don’t disagree often, but this time we did. Don’t make me regret it.”

  Swallowing hard, she said, “Not at all.” However, she felt a death knell sound in her head. In her quest, she had no idea she’d have to betray this woman, the King family, and her friends. Dex!