“Thanks,” she said.
Keeping her hand in his, he guided her back to where Duncan and Cathy waited.
“She’s all yours,” Maddox told Cathy.
The bracelets along Cathy’s wrist jangled as she gestured to the leather couch. “Want to sit down?”
Adelie took the offered seat. Cathy sat across from her and gathered Adelie’s hands in hers.
“Our boy Maddox wants you to keep much of what you’ve already got going, but he did ask me to prepare you for the photo shoot. Mind if we sprinkle on some makeup and trim your hair just a bit? I might also add some highlights. Make sure it’s extra blonde. Our girl Alice is blonde in the book.”
“Highlights?” Her breath hitched.
Cathy quirked a brow. “Is that a problem?”
Adelie doubted it would matter if it was. She shook her head. “No, that’s fine.” She’d never had highlights before either.
Cathy offered a friendly, impish smile that managed to inject an additional dose of comfort to Adelie. Though she didn’t know her, Adelie suspected the look implied confidence in her as well. In her. Adelie. “You’ll hardly recognize yourself when I’m done. Come on.”
CHAPTER NINE
Maddox checked his watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. He’d said two hours, but Cathy and Adelie had been at this for closer to three. How could it take this long?
He couldn’t help but remember the fear in Adelie’s demeanor when she’d first arrived. Maybe he’d made a mistake putting so much on her so quickly. She’d made it unmistakably clear she didn’t want this. He should never have pushed her into it or encouraged her the way he had.
But the gleam in her eyes when he’d said those words… He’d lit a fire in her. He could see her desire to be someone different from who she was. It was almost like belief, like the compliments he paid her were the first she’d ever received. That drew her to him. In some bizarre, mystical way, he wanted to shower her with attention. Didn’t she know how special she was?
He hadn’t been acquainted with her long enough to know the extent of her deeper qualities himself, but after their afternoon in the park, getting caught in the rain with her and seeing her endearing excitement about the carousel, he hadn’t been able to think of anyone else since.
Were her nerves the reason for her delay? Was she okay? Cathy would be careful, he knew. He’d nearly stormed in to check on her several times, but Ritchie, the photographer, arrived, and Maddox got distracted.
Now Ritchie was ready. He’d transformed the ballroom into a studio, complete with backdrop and props.
Adelie’s hesitation, her caution and timidity, made Maddox want to cradle her in his arms and assure her he would protect her and help her. He wasn’t sure why—though he suspected it had something to do with his mother. She’d had trouble with crowds as well, and his father had always given her a hard time for it. His mom had told him how grateful she was to have Maddox there.
For Adelie, he knew putting herself out there for a photo shoot took more courage than she thought she had, but he saw something in her from the minute he’d spotted her in the gift shop. Then, he’d witnessed the same spark in her as she’d settled onto the squat stool beside the March Hare’s table. People claimed they could read others’ auras, and while he’d never given the claims much backing, he would now. He couldn’t deny the sight of Adelie had called to him. Maddox was eager for Cathy to bring that spark out for everyone else as well.
Footsteps sounded from the hall outside. Maddox exhaled, doing his best to act casual and like he wasn’t a tornado inside. Ritchie also stood and pocketed his phone, watching the door with expectation.
Cathy entered first, wearing a black, stylist’s apron she hadn’t had on earlier. A blue comb and pair of scissors jutted from the wide front pocket. Breath bated, Maddox stiffened as Adelie entered after.
Combed away from her face and secured by a headband, her yellow hair tumbled in gentle waves to her shoulders. Its color was lighter, set off with highlights, and added a glow to Adelie’s countenance. Or maybe that was the way Cathy had arranged her makeup. Either way, she had created a youthful masterpiece. In the blue dress with its poufy skirt, the white pinafore over the top, and the red stripes along the hem? It was as though the Alice he’d seen in pictures his entire life had grown up.
The gleam in her blue eyes. The bright flicker of delight, the bashful blush pinking up her cheeks when her gaze aligned with his. Heat flushed across Maddox’s skin.
“Do you think this will work?” Adelie asked, tugging on the skirt.
Maddox had to clear his throat before he could speak. “You’re perfect.”
“Perfect?”
“You’ll make the perfect Alice, I mean.”
She dipped her chin.
“That,” Ritchie said, interrupting the chemistry swirling between them. He pointed a finger in her direction, camera in his other hand, before directing her to the bright studio setup with its green screen background. “Come here, young lady, and do what you just did.”
The instant Adelie set foot on the set, her head dropped. Her lips tucked into her teeth. Ritchie gave instruction after instruction, but no matter what he did, no matter how he posed her, she wouldn’t loosen up. Maddox wanted to go to her, to put his arm around her and assure her she would be okay, to help her relax, but he didn’t dare interfere.
“There,” Ritchie said, offsetting his feet and holding the camera over his eye. “That’s—no. No. Not like that. Go back to what you were just doing. Ugh.”
Ritchie’s tone grew exasperated.
“Sorry.” She hugged her arms to her chest as if trying to fold herself in half. “I told him I wouldn’t be very good at this.”
“You’re doing just fine,” Maddox assured, hoping she believed him.
Ritchie lowered the camera. “This is not working. Why don’t you take a break? We’ll all take a break. Get some air.” He set his camera down on its case near one of the tripod stands beside a light surrounded by a wide, circular shade, and strutted out of the room, his assistant scurrying after.
Color blotched Adelie’s cheeks. She took advantage of Ritchie’s absence and dashed from the set and back onto the tile with the desperation of a sailor eager to reach land.
Her blue eyes swam with worry. “I’m so sorry,” she told Maddox.
He placed his hands on her arms. “You’re doing just fine,” he said in his calmest tone. “This is all new. Ritchie is just used to working with more experienced models.”
She winced, and he cursed himself.
Why had he said that? Maddox hurried to correct himself. “I mean, this is your first time doing anything like this. No one expects you to get it right the first time.”
She bobbed her head, her stare fixated on his collar. “I feel so silly. There aren’t even any props or the backdrops he’s talking about. Like the trees? How can I look at a tree when there isn’t one? I’m just pantomiming, and I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Maddox’s jaw clenched for a moment. He hadn’t thought she’d need training, but he should have clued her in a little more about what would be expected. That was clear now. He’d wanted to speed through the process and get things rolling as quickly as possible, but maybe he’d rushed into this. Maybe they should postpone the shoot, give Adelie some time to better prepare herself.
“Break’s over,” Ritchie called, reentering the room. His tone sounded infinitely more chipper than it had when he’d stormed out.
Adelie’s eyes squeezed shut.
“You ready to try again?” Maddox asked.
Her expression pleaded with him, but words fled. Instead, she gave him a shrug and shuffled toward the studio.
Maddox wanted to swoop in, tell Ritchie he’d made a mistake, and rescue her. He couldn’t embarrass her like that. She was trying her best. Ritchie was already here, all set up. They might as well start again.
Arms folded, hand on his chin, Ritchie called witho
ut turning. “Hatter? Get over here.”
Confused, but willing to do what he could, Maddox strode to the photographer’s side. “You need me?”
“Yeah.” Though Ritchie addressed Maddox, his attention was on Adelie. Head bowed, she lifted her lashes in Maddox’s direction. Soft pink climbed in her cheeks.
“There it is again,” Ritchie said, softer this time. He faced Maddox. “Stay here by my side and keep her looking at you.”
“At me?” Maddox said in surprise. “Why?”
Ritchie smiled through his goatee. “You bring out the blush in her.”
Adelie must have heard him. Once again, her cheeks went bright pink. She shifted her posture.
“There! Like that, it’s perfect. Don’t move.” Ritchie worked around her, snapping photo after photo. “Good, now reach upward to the tree.”
“But there is no tree,” she said, confused.
“Don’t worry, there will be.”
Maddox crossed his arms over his chest, hoping she was thinking of the same thing he was. Of the way he’d jokingly mimed lifting his arms and posing during their tour of the park. He winked at her, and she gave him that coy, reserved smile and turned as though reaching for an invisible apple.
Though there was no background, he pictured it exactly as he’d done the first time he’d seen her sitting at the table outside the March Hare’s house. The magic of the moment swirled through his mind, bringing an imaginary scene to life. She was stardust and enchantment, and he was captivated. There it was. There was the magic he knew was in her.
The camera made click after click sounds, and the more the shoot went on, the more relaxed Adelie seemed to become. It ended with her walking toward Ritchie, her attention focused at something invisible to her side while fans blew air to lift her hair away from her face.
Ritchie’s camera made a final clicking noise before he lowered it. “That’s it,” he said with a pronounced exhale. “That was amazing.” He turned to Maddox. “Boss?”
Clearly asking for approval, Maddox gave it. He’d been spellbound by her the entire time.
“Enchanting,” Maddox agreed, shaking hands with Ritchie.
Ritchie signaled his crew, and the gathered men and women began packing up lights and the set in such an orderly fashion it was clear they’d done it a thousand times before. Adelie meandered to the window and glanced out, and Maddox dodged between a pair of men carrying black cases toward her.
“You did it,” he said.
Adelie peered at him over her shoulder. “Yeah,” she said.
He waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t continue.
He hurried to fill the awkward silence. Part of him ached to know what she thought of the shoot after it was all said and done. “If you’d like to go change, I can meet you out in the foyer when you’re done,” he offered.
Tension seeped from her. She faced him, directing the full force of her blue eyes on him, before she inclined her head and made her way out of the room.
***
Adelie changed into her regular clothes, but as she looked in the mirror, it wasn’t only the makeup and highlights that made her feel like a new person. She was taller somehow. She’d done something difficult, something that scared her. It hadn’t been like the spook alley, where she was more terrified when it was over than she’d been at the start. No, this time, she was soaring inside.
She’d never been one to bask under the weight of attention, but Maddox’s was riveting. From the minute they’d met, his gaze spoke volumes. Every glance glimmered with interest and admiration. She’d tried playing it off as something else, but what else could it be? It was curiosity and adventure, as though he had plans to rove and explore new territory, and he wanted to bring her along.
Throughout the entire photo shoot, any time nerves had plucked her or attempted to sever her concentration, all she had to do was look at him. To see the glimmer of wonder and weakness in his gaze, it’d been enough to melt the most solid unease inside her.
She’d felt courageous, spontaneous, and stouthearted with him. Adelie had never been strong or resolute in her life, but he gave her the impression that maybe, just maybe, she could be.
She wasn’t sure what to do now that the shoot was over. Maddox had said to meet him in the foyer, so she folded the dress, apron, and the tulle underskirt as nicely as she could, left them on the chair in the room she’d changed in, and headed that direction.
Settling on the foyer’s lavish bench, she watched Ritchie and his crew haul case after case out to the white van. When his supplies were all packed in, Ritchie returned and took her hand. Adelie hurried to her feet once more. Not for the first time, she noticed his fingernails were painted black.
“It was lovely to meet you,” the photographer said. “I can’t wait for the finished product.”
Adelie opened her mouth to reply when Maddox approached and clapped Ritchie on the shoulder. His presence sent a jolt through her. She had tunnel vision, barely able to take in anything but the billionaire.
What had Maddox thought of Ritchie’s comments during the shoot? Time after time, Ritchie had pointed out her reaction to Maddox’s attention. She hadn’t been able to help it. His effect on her was increasing the more time she spent around him. What had Maddox thought of it?
“Nicely done,” Maddox said as Ritchie drove away.
She linked her fingers in front of her and placed her palms against her stomach. “Thanks, that was kind of amazing.”
“Better than you thought?”
Only because you were there. She tucked a hair behind her ear. “Yeah, actually. When will the images be done?”
He glanced out the large window where the fountain was visible. “I’ve got Ritchie on a tight schedule. It’ll take some time to get everything printed and up, but I can show them to you when everything is ready.”
“That would be great,” she said. “Just, you know, give me a call.” Give her a call. She’d invited Maddox to call her.
For a moment she wished their situation was different. That he was interested in her because of who she was, not because of who he wanted her to be. He would have asked for her number. She would have given it, and maybe that staggering chemistry they’d shared on the carousel would be real.
She stood before him in anticipation, wondering how to go about bidding him goodbye. Things seemed to be different between them after the shoot. Should she hug him? Offer to shake his hand?
Adelie knew she shouldn’t care this much. He was only interested in her for his park, but their attraction was undeniable. Did he feel it too?
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, one hand in his pocket, the other indicating his fancy front door.
Adelie bit her lip. It would be better to leave things this way, without any walking to cars or awkward goodbyes. Their relationship needed to end here. She would wait for word on the pictures, and that would be that.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “Thanks again.”
He stuffed his other hand into his pocket. His expression betrayed a hint of desire, that he wanted to say something else, to declare the emotion collecting in his eyes, but Adelie pressed her lips together, gave him a final nod, and strolled toward the door.
She couldn’t prolong things or to allow the hope swelling inside her to grow any larger than it already had.
“Adelie,” Maddox said in her wake, reaching the door first and opening it for her. “Thank you for this. If you—” He paused and then shook his head, letting his words trail off.
If she what? What was he about to say?
“Yes?”
He grimaced and turned his head away from her. “If you check your account, the money should be there by Friday.”
A lump bulged in her stomach. Right. The money. That’s what this was all about, after all.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
She tore herself away and headed out to her car, chiding herself with every step for being so foolish
. What had she been doing, imagining interest from him when there was none? He was only fascinated with her because of his park. No matter what, she had to remember that.
CHAPTER TEN
Adelie propped the rake against her side and removed her phone from her pocket. It hadn’t buzzed. It hadn’t rung. Yet, the doggone thing kept summoning her to glance at it every five minutes, the way it had since she’d left Maddox Hatter’s mansion six weeks ago.
“You need a hobby,” Suzie said, raking dead leaves that hadn’t been cleared last fall and had slumbered beneath the snow all winter long.
“And you need to get off your sister’s case and let her do whatever she wants,” Fletcher said, wrapping his arms from behind Suzie and planting a kiss on the side of her neck.
Suzie playfully pushed him aside, lobbing a glare that lasted no longer than a blink before she smiled.
“Thank you,” Adelie said pointedly, looking directly at the adorable red-headed man who’d been enamored with her sister for the past four years. Why he hadn’t proposed yet, Adelie didn’t know. They seemed content with the snail’s pace of their relationship, and if that was enough for them, it was enough for her too.
“I’m just saying you need something to keep you too busy to look at that dumb thing every second.”
“I’ve been plenty busy,” Adelie argued, thinking of all the work they’d been doing on the house since the money from Maddox had come through. She pocketed her phone again and resumed impaling the leaves and coercing them into the pile near the sidewalk in front of their vintage, country bungalow.
“Sure, busy on social media.”
Adelie stopped raking again. “Is there a crime in wanting to check for updates?”
She’d been stalking Maddox and his Wonderland on Facebook for weeks, not to mention her message and email inboxes. She couldn’t deny the prick of hurt at being ignored. They had a connection during the few days they’d spent together—or so she’d thought. The days had continued, however, and every day she muscled down her disappointment at not having heard a word from him.
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