Stephen pushed his rolling chair away from his desk and slid it over to look out the large window lining his wall. Looking down over the city had always helped him clear his mind before, but now he just thought it looked too jumbled and messy. He never thought he’d long for it, but seeing all the building, traffic, and pollution, a small part of him wished he could look out over his grandpa’s fields from the front porch. The same place he’d stood countless times watching for signs of Bea’s family to come back in from checking the cattle out on their grazing lands so he’d know if it was worth starting the beat-up old truck to head over to see her.
He closed his eyes and tried visualizing the serenity of King, Montana, but fell short with the sounds of the air conditioning unit on. He took a slow breath then moved back to his desk to finish the project. A knock on his open door brought his head up, and he blinked in surprise at the woman standing at the door. He’d never seen her in the office, but she looked like she belonged here.
“Are you Mr. Kohalohini?” She struggled over the name just a little but not bad.
“I am.” Stephen stood up and approached her.
“I’m Carrie.” She offered her hand. “Mr. Carlson asked me to check and see if there was anything you’d like help on. Madison called in sick today.”
Stephen wondered if Madison was all right. Hopefully, it wasn’t serious. She had seemed fine last night, but Milo had been a little quieter than usual. Maybe she was taking a sick day on the boy’s account. He pulled himself out of his wonder about Madison and looked at Carrie. “I think I’ll be fine. We aren’t pitching to anyone until next week, and I believe we’re on top of things for the moment.”
Carrie smiled. “Excellent. I’ve been helping Madison on some of the accounts, so if you have any questions later, let me know.”
She turned away then glanced over her shoulder, giving him a quick once-over, and smiled again as she walked back to her office. He couldn’t help following her with his gaze as she left. She was beautiful and friendly, but he didn’t get the same desire to pursue her he would have just months ago. Now it was only Madison who filled his thoughts.
Stephen texted her quickly to see if she was okay and see if there was anything he could do.
Stomach bug. We’ll have to reschedule Milo’s meet-up with you.
Is he sick too? Stephen asked.
Yeah.
I’ll bring soup tonight. Gimme your addy, or I’ll get it from the files here.
No need. I’ve got soup.
Madison’s response made him shake his head, even though she couldn’t see.
Not my special recipe. It’s a cure-all. Grandma Iris taught me.
Madison’s response to that made him smile.
You’ve got Iris’s secret soup recipe?
Yup, and if you just tell me your addy, I’ll bring some by tonight. You know you want it. It’s a miracle cure.
Stephen stared at the phone, willing the next text to give the address.
You win.
Her response brought a whoop from him. That text was soon followed by her address and instructions how to get there.
But you can’t stay long. Don’t want to pass this on to you.
Understood. Get some rest, I’ll be over around 7:00.
He turned back to his desk and pulled open the files. After going over one of the proposals, he smiled at how thorough Madison had been on their plan. He made a few phone calls and sent a few emails then did some research on the latest marketing trends to keep abreast of them. When the knock came again on his open door, he looked up and smiled wide to see Carrie standing there again.
“I was about to head to lunch. You want me to pick you up something?”
Stephen checked his clock and stood to stretch. “I hadn’t even noticed what time it was. That’s nice of you, but I brought something from home.”
Carrie’s smile slipped a little, but she nodded and turned to leave. Stephen wondered if he should work through lunch so he could leave early and stop by the supermarket to get the ingredients for the soup. His stomach rumbled at the thought of food. Maybe he could heat it up and eat it while working. That way he could come to Madison’s aide much sooner.
***
Madison curled over the bowl, hoping the urge to vomit would pass. She’d spent half the night trying to clean up all the pukes from Milo, who hadn’t made it to the bathroom the first time. At least now, he was resting on the couch surrounded by towels and blankets with a bowl in his hand to catch anything else.
She had worried at first that it was a reaction to some nut contamination in something he’d eaten, but he hadn’t shown any other signs typical of his food allergy. He hadn’t thrown up for a couple hours, but he had a mild fever and complained of aching. She hoped her bout with the stomach bug would pass as quickly. When she called Karen to let her know they were staying home sick, Karen said they’d come down with something as well.
Every time she’d had to deal with a sick child on her own through the night, she had longed for the companionship of a husband to help her. To take over when she couldn’t do it anymore. Now that Stephen was back in her life, she wondered if she should possibly give him a chance with her. Not just see how he did with Milo, but to see if maybe there was any chance the two of them could work things out. The fact that he’d checked on her and was going to bring Iris’s delicious soup made her heart thaw toward him just a little more. She touched the cell phone sitting on the armrest of the loveseat, thinking how sweet it was he’d offered to help.
Madison looked around the little house and the mess it was in after this sickness. She would have to clean it up before he got there. When she stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she sat back down and leaned her head against the back of the seat. It would have to wait. Besides, she had a few hours.
Chapter Sixteen
Madison dozed throughout the afternoon, subsisting on crackers and apple juice and a few ibuprofens. The stomach bug had come and gone, but her body still hurt, and she just wanted to take a long hot bath to soothe her aching joints. She looked at the clock, and figured she’d have time to bathe before Stephen arrived in an hour.
She grabbed her blanket, scattered tissues, and the cracker box, then checked on Milo.
“How you feeling, buddy?”
“Better.” Milo looked up from the video game he’d been playing quietly on the couch. He still looked pale, and his eyes weren’t as bright as usual, but he did look improved from the morning.
“Good. I’m going to take a bath. Stephen said he’d bring us some soup in about an hour. You be good.”
“Kay.” Milo’s eyes trailed back to the TV screen, and she headed to her bath.
Madison turned on the playlist on her phone and set it on the counter. She poured in some of her bath salts, the fragrant ones she saved for special occasions, and slid into the hot water, sighing at the way her muscles relaxed. If only there was some way to bottle up that sensation. The music, combined with the warm water made her drift off to sleep, and she woke with a start when her head tilted to the side and water filled her ears.
The water was still warm enough to remain for a few minutes longer, so she slipped under the water, submersing her head; she rubbed her scalp, enjoying the sensations that brought. Knowing she should get out soon, she pulled the plug and turned on the shower to rinse off, then reached out for her towel.
She lathered herself in her favorite body lotion, and combed through her hair then let it hang down her back. She didn’t want to bother blowing it dry. She looked for her change of clothes and realized she hadn’t grabbed a set or her robe. Not wanting to put her dirty clothes back on, she tossed them into the hamper, wrapped the towel around her body and tucked the corner in to hold it like a sarong.
It didn’t go down her thighs very far, but it was still long enough to cover her butt. And Milo wouldn’t even notice; he’d probably still have his eyes glued to the television. She checked the clock. It was six-
thirty, so she knew she should hurry and get dressed before Stephen came over with the soup.
She opened the door, and the sounds of Milo’s game reached her ears. She headed toward the front room. “Milo, it’s time to turn that off and do a tidy up if you—” Her words fell right out of her mouth as she met Stephen’s big brown eyes. She froze and stared at him.
***
Stephen sat next to Milo on the couch, the game controller forgotten in his hands as he stared at Madison. The towel covered her just as much as some dresses he’d seen on women, but his face flushed at the idea of nothing there besides that bit of terrycloth fabric. She brought her hands up to the edge of the towel and pulled it up just a little, but that only brought his attention to her full figure, and he struggled to keep his eyes on her face and not let it roam over her body.
Madison didn’t walk away, just stared at him, and though he wanted to speak, he couldn’t think of a thing to say. At least nothing that wouldn’t get him in trouble.
“Oh, Mom, Stephen brought the soup.”
Madison seemed to struggle to take her eyes off him, giving Stephen a jolt of hope. He smiled and glanced at Milo, hoping to give her time to come to grips with his presence there. “I got off a little early and started the soup, then thought I’d bring it over to help you get better sooner.”
Milo pointed at the kitchen. “It’s on the stovetop. He wanted to keep it warm for you.”
Madison nodded numbly then turned without a word and disappeared back down the hallway. He stared at the place she’d stood, not able to get the image of her beauty out of his mind. Seeing her like that definitely solidified his desire to rekindle that flame they’d once shared. And she hadn’t gotten angry at him, hadn’t yelled and told him to leave, hadn’t over reacted at being caught in a towel in the privacy of her own home.
This soup idea was paying untold benefits. He only hoped it was actually as good as what Grandma Iris had always made. Stephen turned to Milo. “Maybe we should turn this off and do the tidy-up she was talking about.” He looked around the room, trying to figure out what needed to be done, but it looked pretty good to him.
Milo sighed but shut the game off, put the controllers away, then grabbed his blanket and folded it before placing it in a basket next to the couch.
Stephen looked toward the kitchen with the little table in a breakfast nook. “Should I set the table?”
Milo nodded. “Yeah.”
Stephen went back into the kitchen and checked the soup; he turned the temperature off and placed the hot pad he’d brought with him on the table. He examined the closed cupboards and made a guess to which one housed the dishes. He guessed wrong on the first try but found the bowls on the second and set three at the table. He hoped she’d let him stay and decided he’d fare better if he played it cool and just put them all on and had it ready for when she came out.
He looked up after placing the last spoon near the bowl to find Madison watching him. He smiled and turned to face her. “I’m sorry about the early arrival. I should have called first.”
Madison shrugged. “No harm done.” She looked at the table, her gaze resting on the pot. She took a slow breath and smiled. “Smells amazing. Thank you.”
Stephen motioned for her to sit down and called for Milo to join them. He came in and slid onto his seat, then Stephen sat down. He was glad there were four chairs around the table instead of just two. Stephen met Madison’s eyes, and she smiled then spoke. “Would you like to offer a blessing on the food?”
Stephen blinked in surprise, not used to doing that on his own, but it had been a tradition in his grandparent’s house, even though it wasn’t at his own. He paused for a moment, wondering what to say, then decided to just speak his heart and let the words come as they would.
When he finished, Madison met his eyes again but didn’t speak. He looked away from her and used the ladle to dish her up some soup, filled Milo’s bowl, and then his own. Milo paused for a minute, looked at his mom and back to Stephen. “Does this have any nuts in it?”
Stephen shook his head. “No.”
Madison studied the bowl in front of her. “Does it have anything that could have been processed with nuts?” She turned to Stephen.
He smiled. “I can just give you the recipe. You don’t need to go about it this way.” Madison opened her mouth to respond, but he kept going. “I know, he’s got a nut allergy, but I don’t think there is anything that contained nuts, but if you’d like I can tell you all the ingredients.”
She took a slow breath and sighed. “What do you think, Milo? Do you trust him?”
For a second, Stephen worried she was serious, then the twinkle in her eye as she glanced at him while Milo mulled it over made him smile.
“Yeah, he’s good.” Milo lifted his spoon, blew on the soup, and took a sip. He put the spoon down inside the dish, then his eyes widened, and he grabbed his throat. Stephen dropped his spoon back into his bowl and leaned forward, panicked that he’d added something wrong. Milo stuck his tongue out, rolled his eyes to the back of his head, and dropped his head to the side, making a theatrical croaking sound.
Madison giggled, and Stephen leaned back, shaking his head. “That was mean.”
Milo grinned. “Sorry, Dad. But you should have seen your face.”
Stephen froze at the use of the word Dad. It sounded so strange to his ears, but he loved it, feeling such a strange mix of emotions. He was terrified he’d do something wrong and mess up any chances he had with these two, but to know Milo had accepted him and didn’t hold his absence against him was amazing.
Stephen turned to Madison, who had focused on her soup. She took a slow bite, savoring the flavors, and sighed. “Well, Mr. Kohalohini, I think you might almost be as good as your grandma with this soup.”
Stephen smiled and took a spoonful as well. It wasn’t anything huge — it wasn’t even fancy — but Stephen loved this moment and hoped there would be a lot more of them.
Chapter Seventeen
Madison finally felt well enough Saturday morning to venture out to the store for a few supplies. As she wandered the store aisles with Milo beside her, she wondered about getting something nice to cook for when she invited Stephen over for dinner. He was a good cook, at least with the soup, so she’d have to think of something impressive.
“Hey, buddy, what do you say we invite Stephen over for dinner next week?”
Milo lit up just like she’d expected him to. They discussed the different types of meals that Milo liked and tried to come up with one that they thought would be good for Stephen.
“Can we make cupcakes too? Stephen said he liked those,” Milo said. It sounded strange for him to call his father by his first name, but she preferred it over the times he’d used Dad. Stephen had said he was fine with it and would let Milo call him what felt comfortable for the boy, and that made her appreciate him even more.
“Yeah, cupcakes sound great. And I think I remember his favorite flavor was chocolate.” Madison smiled at Milo’s toothless grin since he’d recently lost another one of his front teeth. “Let’s go see what we can find.”
The more she thought about inviting him over for dinner, the more excited she got, and the butterflies in her stomach told her maybe she would enjoy it as much as Milo would. She couldn’t wait until Monday to see him at work. She’d invite him in person instead of a text.
On Monday morning, Madison took extra care in getting ready for work. She made sure her skirt and blouse were attractive but not too provocative. As she dropped Milo off at her sister’s, Karen caught her excitement and asked about it.
“I’m just feeling a little hopeful today. Milo and I decided we’d invite Stephen over for dinner.” Her cheeks hurt from the grin that wouldn’t go away.
Karen studied Madison and smiled. “Good for you. Take a step forward. From everything Milo’s said about him, he sounds great. And you’ve not had anything bad to say about him for a while now.”
Madison n
odded. “He’s really good with Milo. I can actually say I’m glad he’s part of his life now.”
Karen hugged her quickly, and Madison rushed back to her car. She wanted to get to work a bit early to make sure everything was running smoothly so she could focus on the right time to ask him for dinner. She knew Carrie had been covering for her on the accounts since Robert hadn’t been able to do them from home, like Mr. Carlson had hoped. Carrie was good, and Madison wasn’t worried about finding a mess to clean up. In fact, she hoped she might convince Carrie to take over the accounts for good so she could start working more with Stephen to bring in new clients. She’d discovered she was pretty good at it and working with someone of his talents made it even better. If she was lucky, maybe she could convince Mr. Carlson to let her stay in the new client manager position even after Robert returned.
Inside her office, she restocked her candy dish, generously putting a couple extra Butterfingers on top. She opened her laptop and started reviewing the files and customer accounts. Everything looked to be up to date, and there were only a few notes in the accounts from Carrie on things that Madison would need to finish up. It was such a relief to come back after being sick and not have a mountain of work.
Carrie knocked on her door as she entered. “Hey, Madison. Good to see you’re back. Are you feeling better?”
Madison smiled. “Yes, much better, thanks.” She pointed at the computer. “You did awesome. Thanks for taking care of this.”
“No worries. I just wanted to make sure you were here and find out if you needed me to do anything, or if you had questions about things from when you were gone.”
Madison shook her head. “No, the notes in here are perfect. I’ll take care of those last few things and get these other accounts in progress.”
Carrie nodded. “’Kay, let me know if you have questions later.” She turned to walk out the door, and Madison watched her leave through the glass walls, thankful for a co-worker who was so helpful.
Echoes of Summer Page 8