John made eye contact with Maddy while the others were getting their coffee. She grinned sheepishly, and he smiled back.
“I’ll check in with you later,” he said, and headed up the steps.
The others followed shortly afterward, and Maddy was left to make sense of her strange and shifting moods. She was relieved that, as hard as she’d tried, she hadn’t scared John too much. She grimaced as she thought about her ravings, and then wondered if she’d get a bathtub out of the deal after all.
All of the bedroom floors were finished by Friday afternoon, which meant that furniture could be moved in first thing Monday morning. Maddy was thrilled at the prospect. Renovations had also been completed on both upstairs bathrooms, including the replacement of the elusive pipes in the master bath. Bill had laid the flooring and Maddy was very pleased. He seemed to fit in well with the others and there was a general sense of relief as everyone adjusted to the “new guy.”
John had invited Maddy over for dinner and she offered to cook. The menu included a hamburger casserole that her mother used to make, homemade biscuits and a tossed salad. Brownies were an inevitable conclusion to the meal, and the men teased Maddy about smelling up the house while they worked.
John joined her late Friday afternoon, smiling as he watched her maneuver around the kitchen. “Smells good. Who’s cooking?”
Maddy threw an oven mitt at him, and he caught it, walking over and returning it with a rather compelling kiss. Maddy leaned back against the counter, surprised. “Was that allowed?”
“I’m not thinking clearly, the way this kitchen smells.”
“What if one of the guys had walked in just now?”
John looked back at the closed door to the stairway and shrugged. “I would have heard them.”
“And I thought I was safe.” She walked over to check her brownies, just as footsteps rumbled down the steps. John walked casually over to the sink as the door opened and the rest of the crew joined them. Maddy finished pulling her meal together, leaving a few brownies out for the men. Saying her good-byes, she went to her room to get ready for her date with the Fordhams.
Blake answered the door when she arrived, and invited her in very properly. Parker came around the corner and hugged her, almost knocking the brownies out of her hands.
“Easy there, buddy,” John said, coming up and taking the plate from Maddy. He looked at her and smiled. She’d taken the time to dress up a little, and she looked great. He leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Hey, Maddy.”
“Dad, how come you kissed Miss Maddy’s cheek?” Parker asked with a giggle.
“Well, Parker, I aimed for her nose, but she moved.” John winked at Blake, and Parker laughed.
“Dad! Don’t you want to kiss her lips?”
Blake shook his head and smiled, and Maddy turned an inquiring eye on John. He looked at Parker, then Blake, then back at her.
“You mean like this?” he asked. He put the brownies down and carefully cupped Maddy’s face with his hands, kissing her gently on the lips. The kiss was very brief, and Parker shrieked happily.
“Now, enough kissing,” John said. “Let’s see what Miss Maddy brought.”
A few minutes later they were sitting on the deck, and after Blake said a prayer, they began to eat. The boys poured out stories of past vacations, accounts sadly devoid of a mother figure. Maddy was touched by their excitement about the coming week with their dad. John seemed to catch their enthusiasm, and Maddy drew some comfort from the fact that they would at least be away having fun together.
The evening passed far too quickly, and Maddy eventually acknowledged that it was time to go.
John reluctantly agreed. “We’d better finish our packing.”
The boys carried their dishes into the kitchen, talking excitedly about which toys they were going to take. They disappeared down the hall while John and Maddy cleaned up. A few minutes later Parker marched back into the kitchen with an overflowing backpack.
“Parker, you can’t take all of those toys. We’re going to have to go through your things together.”
“Oh, man!” Parker responded, disappointed. He let his backpack drop into a chair and looked up at his dad expectantly
Maddy took the hint. “I’ll get out of your way so you can pack.”
“I’m going to walk Miss Maddy to her car,” John said. “Why don’t you go pull out your clothes, and I’ll be right down to help?”
Maddy smiled ruefully up at John. “You don’t have to come out to the car with me,” she said.
“You’re not going to talk me out of my last minute alone with you for a week,” he said quietly, falling in next to her as they walked outside to say good-bye.
eighteen
If Thursday morning’s overcast skies reflected Maddy’s mood two days earlier, she could hardly imagine what kind of weather would do justice to her feelings on Saturday. She lay in bed considering the possibilities. A violent storm was out of the question; there was too much emotion in that. A gentle rain was less emotional, but too pleasant. Maybe a relentless and unforgiving snowstorm, she decided. Cold, hopeless, desolate.
Of course, none of those things happened Saturday morning. The sun rose with irritating precision, assuming that all was well with the world. Grumbling about nothing in particular, Maddy rolled out of bed and tripped over her dog.
“Burt, what’s wrong with you?” she demanded.
He looked up groggily, and put his head back down with a sigh. He wasn’t quite ready to start the day.
Maddy put the coffee on and decided to go sheet shopping. Generating a list for the outlet mall, she felt her mood lift. She needed to keep busy during the coming week, and she had plenty of lists to make it happen.
John turned the radio on and tried to tune in something reasonably distracting as they began their trip west. The boys were tucked into the back seat with their books and toys, and the front seat was well supplied with snacks. This was normally a very happy time for the three of them.
Well, at least we’re two for three.
John was relieved that the number was up to two after the stressful morning they’d spent preparing to leave. He had been especially impatient with the boys; they didn’t move fast enough, their arguments were particularly irritating, and nothing seemed to go right as he tried to close up the house.
John gave up on finding a decent station, and turned the radio off. Parker started humming one of his Sesame Street songs, and before long, began to sing with gusto. Blake giggled, and John smiled at his sons in the rearview mirror.
“Dad, I’m so hungry I could eat a whole box of animal crackers.”
“You just had breakfast an hour ago, Parker.”
“But I’m just so hungry!”
“I’ll break out the snacks in a little bit. Let’s try to get out of Clairmont first.”
“Okay, Dad. But I’m still hungry.”
“Okay, Parker.”
Parker continued to sing and seemed to forget about his hunger. Blake got lost in a video game adventure. John sipped his coffee and thought about Maddy as their truck made its way across the state.
Maddy kept herself so busy Saturday that she literally fell asleep in the bathtub after supper. She awoke with a start and a sputter, as her legs relaxed and her face dipped below the water line. The water had cooled considerably, and she hurried out of the tub and quickly prepared for bed.
She jumped when the phone rang. Is John checking in already? Grabbing the receiver on the third ring, she answered hopefully, “Hello?”
“Maddy?”
“Oh, hi.”
“Well, it’s nice to hear your voice, too. Am I interrupting something?” Becky’s imagination became fully engaged when Mad-dy assured her that she was just getting ready for bed.
“Alone?”
“Oh, please.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help but ask.”
“So, what’s up?” Maddy tried to sound a little more upbeat.
“I thought I’d take you up on your offer to come and paint at your place for a while.”
“Great. You can start with the parlor.”
“Ha ha. I thought I’d just drive up and spend a few days. Does that sound okay?”
Company – Distraction! “You bet. You’re welcome any time.”
“I don’t want to interrupt your time with John, or anything.”
“Don’t worry, you won’t. He’s out of town.”
“Oh. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. They’re just on vacation.”
“Well, you’ll have to fill me in on everything. I want to know all the details.”
Maddy was on her way to bed when the phone rang again. What did Becky forget?
“Hello?”
“Hey, Maddy.”
“John! How are you?”
“I’m fine. Had a good trip. How are you?”
“I’m fine. I shopped all day. How are the boys?”
“They’re having a blast. Or had. They’re in bed now. We’ve got an early fishing date for tomorrow.”
“Sounds fun.”
“Really?”
“No, sorry.”
John laughed. “I wish you were here.”
Maddy sighed. “Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Oh, yeah.”
She smiled. “What’s your cabin like?”
“Very rustic; a good ‘guy’ cottage. Indoor plumbing, though, so we’re lucky.”
“Sounds dreamy.”
Another laugh. “I should probably let you go.”
Why? “Yeah, I guess so. Tell the boys I said hello.”
“I will.”
“Thanks for calling.”
“My pleasure. I miss you, Maddy.”
“I miss you, too.”
Pastor Rob greeted the congregation and assured everyone that Rachel and the baby were doing fine. He thanked them for the meals and gifts. “I don’t need to tell you that I have pictures, and I’ll be happy to share them at the coffee hour after the service.”
There were a few laughs, and then the proud dad gave way to the earnest preacher. “Today we’re going to talk about being sufficient in Christ, based on Lamentations, Chapter Three. Now, I know you’re thinking, ‘Lamentations… that’s going to be a bummer,’ but wait and see. I think you’ll find these verses full of hope and, frankly, good advice.”
He concluded his remarks and the service began. Maddy didn’t remember a book in the Bible called Lamentations, nor did she ever remember hearing a pastor use the word, “bummer.” She smiled, thought about John and the boys, and then settled in for the service.
“It amazes me,” Otis observed on their way home from church, “how many of the sermons seem especially tailored to some concern of mine.”
Maddy nodded as she drove along. “What hit home for you?”
“Well, sometimes I struggle with being alone,” Otis admitted. “I miss my Louisa so much, and sometimes I wonder why the Lord keeps me around.”
“Otis, you are important to so many people, and I’m one of them,” Maddy protested.
“Thank you, my dear,” he said. “You have become so dear to me, too, and I appreciate your kind words. It’s just that,” he paused, “I have to find my peace with being alone, for the most part, and it was good to be reminded that, ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I hope in Him.’ ”
Maddy thought about her own loneliness, which was sure to end in a week, and felt guilty for how hard she was taking it. Otis may have family and friends, but he was essentially alone most of the time. He really seemed comforted by the idea of the Lord being his portion. She wondered if she could want it as much as he did.
“Maddy?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, you just got me thinking, as usual.” Turning onto their street, she added, “I’ll stop by a little later, okay?”
“After my nap,” Otis qualified.
“After your nap,” Maddy agreed with a smile.
“A day of rest” was still an elusive concept for Maddy, who had al-ways spent the weekend catching up around the house after a heavy workweek. After a quick lunch, she decided to start dealing with the smaller pieces of furniture that she’d purchased. She wiped them down and separated those that needed repair. Thankfully, the latter group was small, and after she finished cleaning, polishing and tightening knobs on drawers, she began moving things from the shed into the house. The trek to the second floor was significant, and by mid-afternoon she was beat.
Maddy stopped by Otis’ house later in the day, and he accompanied her while she took Burt for his walk. Instead of walking along the beach, they strolled through the streets of their neighborhood, and Otis filled her in on where the year-round versus summer residents lived. There was often a story to accompany any given family, and Maddy enjoyed getting to know her neighbors in this borderline subversive way.
After their walk, Otis invited Maddy over for a bowl of clam chowder. They ate together at his kitchen table, and looked at a photo album from his early years of marriage. His mood seemed to lift with the happy memories, and Maddy was relieved for him. An hour later she left, promising she’d see him the next day.
The rest of the evening passed slowly for Maddy. She tried to get lost in her website, but didn’t feel terribly creative. The novel on the kitchen counter held her attention for less than half an hour. She finally took a bath and got ready for bed. She knew she’d be up with the sunrise, and it would be a busy day.
It took the better part of Monday morning to move the bigger pieces of furniture in and reassemble them, where necessary. Maddy went from room to room, cleaning and polishing each piece as it was brought in. When everything was in place, she couldn’t believe the transformation.
The master bedroom was especially grand. She could hardly imagine how the addition of mattresses, bedding, and curtains would further warm the room up. She’d seen a beautiful privacy screen at the antique shop downtown that would be perfect for the corner by the bathroom, and made a note to check if it was still available.
Revisiting the other rooms, Maddy updated the list of furniture that she still needed: a bedside table, another quilt rack, a small desk and chair, one or two more dressers. She pulled out the bags of trinkets and decor that she’d bought on her first road trip down the coast, and started sorting through them. It felt a little like Christmas as she spread them all out, removing price tags and contemplating which room would receive which gifts. She passed the afternoon quite contentedly in this manner, and was surprised when the men called out their good-byes at the end of the day.
While the floors were being prepared on the lower level on Wednesday, Maddy began stripping the molding in the front hall. It was a tedious process, but one she embraced more readily, since she’d had the fun of a more creative project the day before.
Along with the satisfaction of having the mattresses delivered, Maddy had prepared the master bedroom in anticipation of Becky’s visit. She’d spread her down comforter on the new sheets, placed new towels in the bathroom and fresh flowers in a vase on the dresser. She marveled at how well the room came together; the bed, dressers, night stand, and even the rocker by the window. The quilt rack would soon hold a quilt that her grandmother had made, and the screen did look perfect in the corner. All in all, the first bedroom was shaping up nicely.
Becky’s arrival later in the afternoon spared Maddy further molding work, and after she cleaned up, they went out for seafood. Catching up on each other’s lives after only a couple weeks was a welcome change for both of them. Maddy shared the latest on house projects, and, more important, as far as her sister was concerned, her status with John.
Becky was a little disappointed with the lack of information.
“There’s not a lot to tell
,” Maddy defended herself. “We went out; it was great. I went to his ballgame. We got stuck at my house in a storm. He worked on renovations, and I saw them off to New Hampshire.” She shrugged and sipped her drink.
“You got stuck in a storm?” Becky’s eyes lit up. “What happened?”
Maddy recaptured the experience as well as she could, amping up the storm a little for good measure.
Becky remained unimpressed. “That’s it? You talked? Oh, Maddy.”
Maddy smiled. “Believe me, it was exciting enough.”
Becky rolled her eyes. “So, how does John look in his baseball uniform?”
“Nice.”
The simple word spoke volumes with the right inflection. This brought a smile to Becky’s face.
“Well, at least you noticed. Sometimes I wonder about you.”
Thursday’s shopping and art gallery visits exhausted the girls to such a degree that the only reasonable plan for Friday was a day at the spa. They drove all the way to Augusta to find one, but it was well worth the effort.
They started the day with hot-stone massages, and, regrouping an hour later, they shared neighboring chairs while they received pedicures. Talking and laughing and drinking herbal tea, they forgot, for a little while, about the rest of the world. They also forgot about lunch altogether when they went into a third area for manicures. Time in the steam room and sauna concluded their visit.
They left the spa with bags of soaps and body creams to continue the indulgent treatment at home. Loading their treasures and pampered bodies carefully into Maddy’s car, they started the trip back to Clairmont.
Becky yawned languidly. “When did we eat last? I’m starving.”
“I think it was the biscotti that we had with our cappuccino, whenever that was.”
“Well, I need something really caloric, and soon.”
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