He frowned, but she laughed and made him surrender his hand as she tied a red, white, and blue braided thread bracelet around his wrist. “Logan and Alex made it for you. With my help.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Why…why’d they do that?”
She knotted the bracelet. “Um, because for some reason they like you.”
“Oh.” Nick had never had much interaction with children, and the fact that he’d made some kind of impression on two little kids just by chasing them and being silly floored him. He jiggled his wrist, inordinately pleased with the simple gift that dangled next to his flashy watch. “I reckon this is more fashionable for the Fourth, anyway.”
“Looks great with your Rolex, too.” Maddie grinned and looked him over. “You look nice and casual today.”
He was happy she’d noticed he’d tried to loosen up a little, wearing a plain gray t-shirt and cargo shorts and ditching his penny loafers for flip-flops.
As they walked the five blocks to downtown, Nick fielded calls and returned texts. It wasn’t easy, because Maddie was always exclaiming about something. “Look at those gorgeous petunias hanging from the lampposts!” or “Everybody’s gathering to talk outside of Ida’s Pancakes,” or “I heard they’re having gourmet food trucks this year for the first time.” While his own stomach churned with bad vibes as they walked along the bumpy sidewalks of the old town, he could sense her excitement at being back in a place she loved.
“If you’re so busy with work all the time, how is it you have a tan?” Maddie asked as Nick finished a call.
He answered without looking up from his phone. “You can return calls from a great outdoor location just as well as from a stuffy air conditioned office.”
“Does that great outdoor location happen to be your Caribbean island?”
He dismissed her comment with a chuckle. She already thought he was a snob, no need to elaborate right now.
“You always did love outdoor sports. Hiking, rock climbing, skiing. Do you really skydive?”
He stopped walking. “You’ve asked me that before. Why don’t you believe that I skydive?”
“Well, you’re complicated. You’ve always loved order and control. Your love of risk surprises me.”
His gaze flicked slowly over her bare legs, shorts, and tank top, and lingered on her boobs. She blushed under his very male scrutiny. “Oh, I very much enjoy taking some risks.” He’d had to in order to become as successful as he had. “But to answer your question, I prefer tamer sports now.”
“Like what?” she asked, clearly trying to steer the discussion to safer ground.
“Oh, you know…cliff diving, train surfing.”
“Train surfing?” She covered her eyes in horror. “No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
He pulled her hand from her face and made her look at him. He gazed into the most spectacular sky blue eyes he’d ever seen. “I’m just messing with you. I might like adventure, but I’m not crazy.”
A mischievous look glinted in those eyes. “If you’re done with your phone, can I use it?”
“I think I’ve made all the calls I need for now. Here you go.” He handed over the phone. Maddie promptly tossed it into the official riveted blue mailbox that sat on the pavement in front of the stately brick post office.
“Hey! Why’d you go and do that?” Nick’s tone held a mixture of disbelief and outrage.
“Because you promised no business today.”
“I meant your business. Not mine.” He set his pie down on one of the post office window ledges, opened the mailbox door, and peered into the dark void.
“It’s just nice to be one hundred percent present, is all,” she said.
“Yeah, well, right now I’m one hundred percent pissed.” He bent down and snaked his arm inside, grasping nothing but air and nearly getting his shoulder wedged in the narrow space.
“You’d better not get caught tampering with that. It’s a federal crime.”
He shot her a murderous look.
“I’ll get Mr. Jameson to unlock it first thing Monday morning.” She did not sound contrite.
“Monday morning? That’s two full days away.” His voice sounded high and overwrought. Well, he was, damn it. She was more than capable of getting him all worked up, shuffling his perfectly ordered life, which was her plan, of course. He was certain she wanted his undivided attention on the good townspeople of Buckleberry Bend so he could be fully aware of how his decisions would impact all her friends and neighbors.
“You can borrow mine for any emergencies,” she said.
“I’m going to get you back for this. Mark my words.”
She shrugged then squinted into the sun. “Want to go check out the booths?”
“Now that I’m done with work for the day,” he said wryly, “I’d love to.”
They strolled through the park to a long row of artisan booths. Pritchett Park was crow-ded, everyone out on the lazy summer day, meandering around the oaks and manicured gardens for the town’s largest annual event.
They passed the bronze statue of General Krandall Pervis Pritchett, Buckleberry Bend’s first mayor, which faced north like every proper Southern general. The statue was bedecked with a leafy crown, flower ropes of daisies, and a large sign announcing the 5K race, the barbequed rib burn-off, the pie judging, and the berry-themed dinner to be held at the lakefront restaurant.
Maddie waved and called out to people as they passed. Seemed like she knew everyone and always had a kind word to say, inquiring after their relatives, sympathizing with their troubles. And they clearly liked her, wished her father well. She fit in here as tightly as the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle.
Everyone milled about the booths, looking for fun and a chance to see berries baked, mashed, put into sauces and syrups, wine, soup, muffins, breads, jams, pies, face masks, and candles.
Nick hadn’t recognized anyone so far and that was fine with him. He just wanted to survive this day and do what he came to do. That meant focusing on his goal of helping his granddad and figuring out some way to help Maddie’s family. And not getting too caught up in everyone’s troubles.
After all, he wasn’t the one who ran the shoe company into the ground. If anything, his money would save it. But not in the way Maddie would want.
Another reason he couldn’t have her. He couldn’t give her the solution she wanted, to keep her family in charge. Not after what they’d done to his grandfather.
“You’re not happy to be back home?” she asked.
He released a pent-up sigh. “You’re the one with the big happy family.”
Maddie halted and stared. “My father’s sick, our business is falling apart, and I have the grandmother from hell. Not to mention a brother who verbally strong-arms me like I’m one of his Army recruits. Big happy family we are not.”
“At least you have a family. You put down roots here.”
“The fact that you’re so successful today is a testament to your inner strength. You should be proud of your accomplishments. You’re very well respected in your field.”
He snorted. “People are always friendly when they know you’ve got money.”
“Remember that dance?” Maddie changed the subject as they passed a guitar player crooning a country tune.
“What dance?”
“The fall one where you came with Ashby Wilkerson.” The most popular girl in school. But he’d ended up noticing Maddie.
They hadn’t really seen each other since kindergarten, just here and there, where they threw each other hasty glances and quickly looked away. Nick knew he should stay away from her, pretty as a princess, all cheery and unspoiled by darkness. Yet Maddie kept drawing him back to her with the intensity of a rip current.
“I saw you leave the gym, and I told my date I had to go to the bathroom,” Maddie said.
He tsked. “Shameless hussy. Pursuing me like that.”
“When I got outside, there you were, leaning against the building, looking
dark and dangerous. I think you were smoking.”
“I had a hunch you’d come out looking for me. So I ran ahead and pretended I went out to take a smoke. I was trying to act badass.”
“You never told me that.”
“I never told you a lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“Like I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen.”
Maddie shook her head as if to fend off the comment, which had probably crossed the just-friends line. But Nick didn’t want her to shake it off. He wanted her to remember.
“We both had dates,” Nick said, “so I asked you to meet me that Sunday at the Pumpkin Fest. Remember the Kissing Booth?”
She laughed. “How could I forget? I paid you a dollar for a kiss.”
“For that kiss, you should’ve paid me two.”
“I wrote my phone number on the dollar.”
Nick shook his head and grinned. “Shameless again.”
“Do you still smoke?” she asked.
“Gave that bad habit up a long time ago.”
“Guess I was a habit you gave up, too.” Maddie bit her lower lip and looked away.
Oh, hell. He’d broken up with her and then took Ashby on a couple dates to cement the breakup, to send the message there would be no getting back together. God, he’d been an asshole.
“Maddie, I—”
Just then, May Felding, an old friend from high school, smiled and waved at them from her organic cosmetics booth.
“Let’s go say hey.” Maddie ran off a little too eagerly.
Nick took up her hand and clutched it tightly so she couldn’t pull away without making a scene.
“Let go.” She glared at him. “We’re not dating. That was over a long time ago. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
“Walk with me, Maddie.” He placed his other hand on top of their joined hands and beseeched. “Enjoy the afternoon with me. Remember the truce?”
“Fine,” she said darkly. “I’ll keep the truce but that does not mean I have to hold your hand.”
They’d only gone a few steps when Ophelia Gorsky spun around from looking at a display of glazed pottery, setting the peacock feathers atop her blue straw hat bobbing.
“Well, I do declare. Seeing you two together again after all this time. Life sure is funny sometimes.” She glanced from Nick to Maddie. “And might those be your mama’s famous pies?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Maddie said as Mrs. Gorsky took her pie, set it down on one of May’s tables, and gave her a hug.
“Your poor mama’s been baking up a storm ever since your daddy got sick. It’s her therapy, isn’t it?” She took the pie from Nick, then she enveloped him in a hug too. He stiffened in surprise but recovered enough to awkwardly return it to one of the only people who had never held his background against him.
If Mrs. Gorsky noticed Nick’s discomfort, it didn’t faze her. “She needs it, since your grandmother’s been hanging around the house so much lately. Nicholas, I’m so very proud of you. Hear you’re a big businessman now. All those library books you checked out did some good.”
“You always ordered me the ones our library didn’t have, Mrs. G.”
“Goodness, all those adventure books. Explorers’ journals, spies, pirates. Laurence of Arabia, Robert Louis Stevenson…”
“You read all those?” Maddie quirked a brow.
Nick never blushed, but dammed if he felt his face heat up.
Mrs. Gorsky wagged a finger at Maddie. “Unlike you, Miss I’ll-sneak-the-Kathleen-Woodiwiss-and-Barbara-Cartland-books-out-before-anyone-catches-me. Oh, dear, I almost forgot, Mr. Hummertz is sick today, and we need another judge. Nicholas, would you do us the honor?”
“Thanks anyway, but my taste buds aren’t exactly discerning enough for—”
“Nonsense. All you need is a hearty appetite for pie and the bravery to give your own opinion. I’m certain you’ll do a fine job.”
Nick would rather have kept a low profile. Besides, he was more a cake person. But Mrs. Gorsky had always been kind to him, and he found himself agreeing to show up at the pie booth in a half hour.
They moved on to May’s booth just as she scooped up a mischievous looking toddler who was sucking on a tube of berry-flavored lip gloss. “Beauregard Mason Felding,” she said, “don’t you dare open any more of those. Is that clear?”
May bounced the toddler on her hip as she hugged Maddie and Nick. “That’s his third one. Good thing they’re non-toxic. I always did think y’all were such a cute couple. Glad to see you together.”
Maddie ignored that and spoke to May while she perused the varieties of organic soaps and samples of blueberry exfoliating face mask. “How’s Beau Senior?”
Nick remembered Beau and Maddie had started together at the shoe store, working the floor, sizing people’s feet, and lugging boxes in and out of the storeroom all day long for customers. Now he managed the main store.
“He’s just taken on the Chesterland store too,” May said. “But he’s worried—we’re all worried, especially with the baby coming.” She paused to rub a small baby bump. “And we have two more at home—” She pulled a bar of organic soap out of little Beau’s grasp.
“Oh, May.” Maddie bit her lower lip. Nick knew she wanted to offer reassurance but had none to give.
“That’s why I’ve been trying to get my own business up and running, you know, just in case.”
“Well, everything looks really yummy. I’d love to try the face mask and what else would you recommend?” If she couldn’t save May’s husband’s job, she could at least buy out all her products. Just like Maddie.
“Everything is organic. My favorite is the lemon verbena soap. Here, smell a sample. The strawberry is really good too.”
“I don’t know, Nick. Which do you like?” Maddie picked up the samples and waved them under Nick’s nose.
“Here, Sweetheart. Let’s get both.” Before she could protest, he’d pulled out his wallet and bought both kinds, plus matching shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion. He hugged May good-bye and even patted her little boy on the head.
As if buying body care products would scrub away any guilt he might feel from whatever happened to these people’s jobs once he took charge. He reminded himself the company was in big trouble long before he bought his shares. But wasn’t he responsible in some big way now that he controlled its fate?
“You didn’t have to buy all that,” Maddie said as they steered their way into the food vendor aisle.
“Organic berry products are my weakness,” he said. “All that shopping gave me an appetite. You hungry?”
“I’m always hungry for barbecue.”
They approached a vending truck where meat was being smoked and slow cooked over an open flame.
“Hey, Clay,” Maddie said as they approached the truck. A well-built man in a muscle shirt and with a large tattoo on his arm left the food truck and ran outside, immediately lifting her up and swinging her around.
Whoa. Talk about an overly exuberant welcome from Muscle Man.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming this weekend. I had to hear it from my grandma talking to your grandma,” he said.
“It was a last-minute decision.”
“Well, I know you’ve got what it takes to get that shoe company up and running.”
The guy was still touching her and making moon eyes, and Nick didn’t like it one bit.
“Nick, you remember Clayton Wilbanks?” Maddie asked. “He attended cooking school in New York, and now he’s head chef at The Lodge.”
Nick shook his old classmate’s hand. The Lodge was the best restaurant in town, set up on a hill with a beautiful view of Lake Watchacatchee. “Heard your place is doing very well. Congratulations.”
“Talk about town is you’re doing pretty well yourself. You’re here to troubleshoot what’s going on at Kingston Shoes?”
“Yes.” That was the story they’d agreed on telling. Funny that now it just happe
ned to be true.
“I wouldn’t want you poking your nose anywhere it doesn’t belong, though.”
Nick stiffened at his sudden change in tone. “Maddie invited me here, Clay.”
“I’m sure she did, because Maddie is a kind and trusting person. But she’s been through enough. Especially with bad men who masquerade as do-gooders.”
“Clay, please,” Maddie said. “I can take care of myself.”
Nick pointed to the grill as he gave Clay the stink-eye. “Maybe you’d better pay attention because I think you’re burning your barbecue.”
Clay, startled, went to check his meat. Then he got back in Nick’s face. “You don’t strike me as a do-gooder, either, from what I’ve been reading about you. Different woman and a different company take-over every week.”
“Clay!” Maddie looked horrified.
Clay telegraphed a look at Maddie that was half loyalty and half desperation. Man, he had it bad. Nick actually felt sorry for him.
“I can’t help it,” Clay said. “I can’t sit by and allow you to think this guy finally has your best interests at heart. He certainly didn’t when he left you high and dry in high school.”
“He does have our best interests at heart. He’s trying to help us find solutions.” Maddie sounded sincere. Guilt hammered at Nick’s conscience. He wanted it to be true. If only he could find a way to pull this company out of the trenches and find a way to help his grandfather, too. But the odds of making both families happy were about one in a zillion.
“My father’s worked for Kingston Shoes for twenty-eight years.” Clay gestured with his grill fork into the distance. “And I can point to at least ten other families in shouting distance who can say the same. All I know is, Mr. Holter, you’d better not make promises you can’t keep.”
“I’m not going to lie, Clay. The company is in trouble, but I promised Maddie my best assessment.”
Clay finally prepared their barbecue and they took it to a far picnic table, out of sight of Clay’s truck. Nick sat and stole a sip of Maddie’s fresh-squeezed lemonade just as he’d done countless times before. “Sir Gallahad was ready to plant me a facer. Hope that was really hot sauce he put on my sandwich and not arsenic.”
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