Blown (Elemental Series Book 2)

by Rose Wulf

  “But what are you going to do?” Madison asked, managing to keep her voice level. She was angry, but there was nothing she could do about it. So instead she tried focusing on being concerned.

  “I’m not sure yet,” Missy replied truthfully. “But I’ll figure it out. I always do. I don’t want you worrying about me. You just might have to see me sooner than you thought.”

  “But you can’t afford a move like that,” Madison argued gently.

  She could practically visualize her mother’s shrug as Missy repeated, “I’ll figure it out. Now, distract me. How’re things with that boyfriend of yours?”

  Madison flushed despite herself at her mother’s question. I should’ve known she’d ask. Keeping her voice as casual as possible, she replied, “Things are good, Mama. We went out again yesterday—made a day of it. It was fun.”

  “Good, good,” Missy said. She added something else—a question, most likely—but the phone beeped, distorting the portion of the words that it didn’t cut off altogether.

  Surprised at the call waiting indicator, Madison pulled the phone from her ear and glanced at the screen. Paula’s name and number came up on the readout and she hastily said, “I’m sorry, Mama, I have to go! Paula’s calling, it could be important. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

  Her mother told her not to rush, assuring Madison that she’d be fine, and Madison switched to Paula barely in time to keep her from going to voicemail.

  “Paula?” she asked by way of greeting.

  “Hi, Madison,” Paula’s familiar voice replied. She didn’t sound urgent or distracted, but she did get straight to the point. “Sorry to call on such short notice, but we were going through the designs for the rebuild and I thought you’d like to have some input with the kitchen. Do you think you can head over? We’re at the site.”

  For a moment, Madison found herself staring at her phone. She was surprised and flattered to be offered the opportunity to have a say in the reconstruction, but at the same time, she wasn’t so sure it mattered. On a sigh, she began, “I’d love to, Paula, but I don’t exactly have a way to get there right now.”

  The drapes that had yet to be pulled back from the window fluttered unexpectedly, dancing on an invisible breeze. Madison’s eyes widened even as Paula spoke again, disappointment in her voice.

  “Oh, wait a second, Paula,” Madison said quickly, interrupting the older woman even as she turned around and looked toward the comparatively narrow entryway. As she’d expected, Nate was leaning against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised pointedly. “Actually,” she said, a smile tilting her lips, “I found a ride. I’ll be there soon.”

  “Oh, fantastic!” Paula exclaimed. “Then we’ll wait for you.”

  Madison disconnected a moment later and pushed to her feet. A teasing light in her eyes, she asked, “How long have you been eavesdropping?”

  Nate held his hands up defensively, insisting, “I wasn’t, I swear. I walked in in time to hear you say you don’t have a way to get somewhere. Coincidentally, I have a fancy new convertible you’ve yet to ride shotgun in, so I thought I’d offer my services.”

  She leaned up, pressing her lips to his cheek briefly, before saying, “Okay, then I’ll let you play chauffeur for me. I need to go to the diner. Paula wants my input on the kitchen reconstruction.”

  “Nice,” Nate commented as they made their way down the hall. “Then to the diner we go. And while you’re doing that, I’ll swing by and see if your new windows are in yet.”

  “That would be nice,” Madison said thoughtfully.

  They paused in the living room and Nate informed his family that they’d be out for a while, then they made their way to his new car.

  As Nate powered the roof down, Madison declared, “I have to admit, hard top convertibles are cool.”

  Nate grinned over at her. “They are, aren’t they?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Madison sighed as Nate pulled into the parking lot of what had once been Earl’s Diner. The parking lot was a mess, but undamaged, while the ground on the other side of the sidewalk was a disaster. What little of the diner that hadn’t burned had been torn down, leaving very little evidence of the building that once was. Paula, Earl, and Logan were gathered off to one side, talking and gesturing.

  “You don’t look excited,” Nate said gently as he eased the car into a front parking space beside his brother’s truck.

  “Excited is definitely the wrong word,” Madison agreed. She turned a smile to him as she released her seatbelt and added, “I’ll manage, though. Will you be picking me up?”

  Nate inclined his head. “I’m just gonna run around and do a couple things while you’re busy. Call me when you’re done and I’ll be here.”

  She leaned forward, capturing his lips in a lingering kiss, before breathing, “Thanks.” Then she pushed the door open and stepped out, quickly making her way toward the trio waiting on her. She was halfway to them, and Nate was already backing out of the parking space, when she realized they were not only waiting on her, but they had been watching her, too. Her cheeks flushed self-consciously and she swallowed.

  Paula was grinning knowingly, and as soon as Madison had joined them she said, “You could’ve told me you were otherwise occupied.”

  Earl chuckled, his own grin lifting his lips, but he said nothing.

  Madison’s gaze flicked toward Logan, who was also grinning, though not quite as broadly. She released a breath and said, “I wasn’t, don’t worry.”

  Without missing a beat, Paula asked, “And how long have you and Nate been spending your free time together?”

  Swallowing again, Madison awkwardly replied, “Uh, not long… So, what did I miss?”

  Granting her the change in subject, Earl spoke up and explained what they were thinking. Since they had to literally rebuild the diner from the ground up, they had decided to redesign a few things, too. This was good news to Madison’s ears, as she had always felt that the kitchen design was a little awkward. So she listened to their ideas, paying attention as they indicated which physical area would get which changes, and contributed whenever she thought of an alternative.

  And it was while they were going over the details that a stray thought struck her—one that had very little to do with what she was supposed to be focusing on. But she bit her tongue, knowing the timing was wrong, and pretended not to be distracted by her idea until they were done. Once they had covered the kitchen in as much detail as they could, Earl moved away to point something out to Logan, and Madison took a deep breath.

  “Paula,” she said carefully, interrupting the older woman’s silent musings. “I was wondering if I could … ask you something.”

  Curiosity overtaking her expression, Paula declared, “Well of course you can, honey. What did you need?”

  “It’s not me, specifically,” Madison began, “it’s Mama. She’s been talking lately about saving up to move out here, and her boss lost his temper when he heard, so he fired her. And I know she doesn’t have the money right now, but she can’t afford to be unemployed, either.” She paused, steeling herself for asking a question that, honestly, she felt almost rude about asking. “I know now’s not the best time, but do you think—after the diner’s open again—that there’d be room for her somewhere?”

  Paula’s lips curved down in a thoughtful frown and she was silent for a long moment. Her faded brown eyes slid sideways, sweeping over the expanse of property that was once Earl’s Diner. And, at length, she said, “I’ll be honest with you, Madison. I really don’t know. Right now I can say for sure that we just don’t have the finances to think about hiring, and Lord knows how long it’ll be before we’re back on our feet.” She returned her gaze to Madison and added, “Maybe, after a little while, we could work something out. I’d love to help Missy out, I really would. But it might be a better idea for you to keep looking. If she needs help after she’s moved up here, and we’re back on track, you let me know, okay?”

 
Madison inclined her head. It really wasn’t an answer she hadn’t expected, but at least now she could pacify herself with the knowledge that she’d asked. “Of course,” she said with a smile, “thank you.”

  Paula returned the smile for a beat before saying, “Next time you talk to her, tell her I said hi will you? And you should get out of here—go do something fun.” She winked conspicuously at her before turning and walking toward her husband.

  “Something fun,” Madison repeated quietly as she turned and swept her gaze over the parking lot. Earl’s SUV was parked in a temporary parking spot, Logan’s truck was parked directly in front of where the main entrance had been, and one other truck—from Logan’s company—was parked on the other side of the empty handicapped spaces. She had never seen the parking lot so bare.

  Releasing a breath, Madison gave herself an internal shake and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. It was time to call Nate. And as she put the phone to her ear, she wondered if maybe he’d be willing to drive her around while she looked for job opportunities that her mother might be qualified for. It certainly wasn’t fun, but it was important, and it might make her feel at least a little productive. Not to mention, it could be distracting.

  “Hey, sexy,” Nate said with a laugh as he answered.

  His unexpected greeting pulled a quiet laugh from her and Madison returned, “Hey, yourself. I’m done. Come get me?”

  “Love to,” he assured her. “Be there in ten.”

  Madison dropped the phone back into her pocket and moved to sit on the curb. Ten minutes wasn’t really a lot of time, but when one had nothing to do, it felt like an eternity. Or, at least, that was Madison’s impression as she watched the cars pass by. So she opted to use the time to try and think of what kinds of jobs she should look at. Her mother was a chatty, sociable person, so anything that allowed her to mingle with customers would surely be her preference. She didn’t like long commutes to work but, really, who did? So probably she would prefer to work in town rather than near town.

  Madison’s head fell into her hands as another thought struck her. Maybe I should try finding her a suitable place to live before I find her a job. And that was a whole other complication. In fact, she quickly decided, she’d much rather focus on looking for potential work options than for potential living options. But now that she’d thought of it, she knew she’d feel guilty if she didn’t at least try. I could always do both.

  Breathing out an exasperated sigh, Madison lifted her head again and rolled her shoulders. She had thought the distraction would be a good idea, but so far all it was doing was making her feel a little overwhelmed. She could only hope it would get easier once she had someone to talk to. A quick glance at her wristwatch told her she had only a couple of minutes left to wait. And she lifted her eyes again just in time to catch a glimpse of a familiar blue car as it turned the corner, headed toward the interstate.

  Her mouth fell open in shock as she watched the car drive out of sight. “He … they…” she cut herself off, settling on an inarticulate sigh of frustration that verged on a curse.

  “Something wrong?” Logan’s deep voice asked from behind her.

  Madison jumped, startled, and turned to look up at him. He was giving her a subtly curious look, obviously having heard her mumblings. Instead of answering him immediately, she looked around, verifying that Earl and Paula were still standing in the construction site, and reluctantly pushed to her feet. Voice quiet, she gestured vaguely toward the street and said, “I just saw my car drive away.”

  One of Logan’s eyebrows shot up at the unexpected declaration. He glanced toward the street, already frowning, and said, “At least you know they haven’t destroyed it.”

  “I’m really not sure how comforting that is,” Madison replied. Her hands landing on her hips, she asked, “And what would they have done if I’d filed a police report? How would they explain it if they got pulled over for driving a stolen vehicle?”

  Shrugging imperceptibly, Logan replied, “From what I’ve seen, I’d be afraid they’d just kill whoever pulled them over. If they even stopped.”

  Madison released a breath, lips pursed. “Yeah,” she agreed. “And then I’d feel guilty about it.”

  Before Logan could respond again, Nate pulled into the still-open spot beside the truck and lifted one arm from the wheel in a lazy wave as he called, “Hey.”

  Logan inclined his head to his brother silently.

  Madison dropped her arms to her sides and moved toward Nate’s car as she said, “Anyway, I guess we’ll see you later.”

  “Have fun,” Logan called to them, slipping his hands into his pockets, as Madison settled in the passenger seat.

  Nate’s lips twitched and he said, “Oh, we will.”

  ****

  Madison slumped against the seat after climbing back into the car a short while later. She had easily talked Nate into going with her while she looked around for options for her mother, and he had suggested they start with apartments. They were working their way from one side of town to the other, and Nate wasn’t entirely sure how many decent-but-not-elaborate options were left.

  “No luck?” Nate asked, recognizing the air of defeat that surrounded her.

  “I hate apartment hunting,” Madison declared. She opened her eyes and looked over at him, saying, “They want over seven hundred dollars for a one bedroom. She’s only paying five-something where she is now, and she never has money for little things.”

  Nate looked past her, to the complex she’d just come from, and cringed. The buildings were old, though decently kept up, and the location itself was somewhat inconvenient. “Seven hundred? Really? Wasn’t the last place bigger?”

  “Yep,” Madison confirmed as she reached for her seatbelt. “And cheaper.”

  “On to the next, then,” Nate declared as he started the engine.

  “How many are even left?”

  Nate paused, easing into traffic, before saying, “There are a couple … And you’re sure you don’t want house rentals?”

  “She had a bad experience when I was little,” Madison explained.

  “Out they are, then.”

  They turned down a couple more streets, Nate swung a sharp U-turn, and he once again eased the Ferrari up to the curb in front of a small complex. The complex was set up like an open-ended rectangle, with two levels of apartments along the outside and a single-story building in the center island. Like the previous complex, it was obviously more than a decade old, but it was acceptably kept-up on the outside, and so Nate killed the engine, asking, “Still don’t want company?”

  Madison smiled over at him and replied, “It’s not worth your time. Be right back.” She dropped another kiss on his cheek and eased out of the car once again.

  He watched her fast-walk through the parking lot, toward the building in the middle, and shifted slightly in his seat. She had told him, of course, about her mother’s situation, and even while she’d been asking for his company on her self-appointed mission, a potential solution had popped into his brain. Only he didn’t know how she’d feel about it, and he wasn’t sure if it wasn’t too soon in their relationship for that kind of solution, anyway. But the more she struck out, the more tempted he became. And shouldn’t I be more opposed to it? It certainly seemed like he should, but he’d be lying to himself if he pretended to be.

  Still, I should probably not bring it up at least until I know I’m still gonna be around to make good on it. And that was the sobering truth. No matter how many times he tried to shrug it off, the weight of the impending confrontation was settling a little more over him with each passing hour. He knew full well there was no guarantee that he’d live through the fight—that any of them would. So he certainly couldn’t look Madison in the eye and offer to solve her mother’s housing problem. Not unless I just give the whole property to her in my non-existent will.

  “Earth to Nate,” Madison called as she pulled open the car door. “You in there?”

 
Nate started, belatedly realizing he’d gotten so caught up in his worries that he hadn’t even registered the sight of her walking back to him. “That was fast,” he commented as he readjusted himself.

  Madison shrugged. “I suppose so.”

  Her movement caused the paper in her hand to flutter, drawing his attention, and he raised an eyebrow as he asked, “Finally find one?”

  She looked down at the simple application she held and pursed her lips. “The price was all right, and the manager seemed nice. They didn’t have anything to show, so I took an application to remind myself that it’s at least worth looking into a little more.”

  “Fair enough,” Nate said with a grin. As Madison pulled her purse from the floor and folded the application into it, he aimed them in the general direction of the next place he had in mind.

  ****

  They came away with three apartment applications of varying potential and a small handful of potential employers to contact again when Madison had a better idea of what her mother was doing. The sun was setting as Nate navigated his way back to his family’s home. Another day was almost entirely behind them now, which meant there was one less day separating them from the upcoming fight. And, despite when Nate had mentioned that her new windows were in, or when Madison had told him about seeing her car driving past the diner, neither had dared broach the subject of the confrontation itself. They were afraid to talk about it. They were afraid of the ways everything could change when the dust settled.

  Nate led the way into the house, Madison’s hand held loosely in his, but it wasn’t a greeting that reached their ears first.

  Angela’s indignant, angry voice carried to them from the living room as she cried, “Why not? Everyone else gets to get out of the house this weekend—why do I have to be trapped here?”

  “We’re not trying to trap you, Angela,” Christopher was saying, his voice pacifying.

  Nate and Madison stepped quietly into the room as Angela argued, “Yes, you are! You won’t let me leave the house—even if I have someone willing to go with me!”