Cafenova

by S. Jane Scheyder

  Maddy looked around the room, which was neat, but not obsessively so. There was a picture of the boys in a frame on the table next to the bed, along with a devotional book and some change. On the wall there were several more pictures, but it was hard to make out the details. She guessed that one of them was of John’s parents, and another of the whole family. Maddy wondered if there was a picture of John’s ex-wife anywhere in the house. She didn’t recall seeing anything in the boys’ room.

  Blake sighed a shaky sigh, and Maddy renewed her efforts to rub his back and stroke his hair. Certain that he was finally asleep, she tried to get up and leave a few minutes later.

  As she reached the door, he murmured, “Will you come back?”

  “Of course,” she assured him. She looped slowly through the house, checking on Parker and turning off one of the living room lamps. All was quiet, so she returned to Blake, who watched as she came back into the room.

  “Thanks for staying with me,” he said softly.

  “You’re welcome,” she answered, feeling a lump in her throat. “Can I get you anything? A drink of water or something?”

  “I’m alright,” he answered sleepily.

  “Okay,” she replied as she climbed back onto the bed and sat next to him. She propped the pillows up so that she could sit more comfortably, and tried not to think about where she was. She closed her eyes and started to doze off, but caught herself. She looked at the clock and then closed her eyes again. She’d rest for a few more minutes, and then sneak out into the living room and watch a movie. Five minutes, tops…

  

  “Maddy?”

  Her eyes fluttered open and she took in the dark room. Turning, she saw a shadowed form on the edge of the bed. She sat up quickly and tried not to look like she’d been nesting in John’s personal space.

  For one terrible moment, she feared that Blake had awoken and wandered back to his own room, leaving her there alone, but he was still next to her, sleeping like a baby. She pushed the hair out of her face and looked sheepishly at John.

  “Sorry about that.”

  “About what?”

  “About being here, in your… room,” she stammered. She couldn’t see his expression. She wished he’d move so she could get up without having to climb over his son.

  “Nothing to apologize for,” he answered quietly. “Thanks for taking care of Blake. Did he have a rough night?”

  Maddy recounted the evening, feeling increasingly conspicuous. Still, John made no move to let her up. They talked quietly about the night’s events and he told her that his mother had arrived and was safely at home.

  “That’s nice,” Maddy replied, absently stroking Blake’s head and wondering if she should just ask John to move. He finally got up and offered his hand. Instead, she slid off the bed, straightening out the pillows and spread.

  “Don’t worry about that,” John said, this time taking her hand.

  Maddy looked down at the hand John was holding. He hadn’t held her hand in almost a week, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him holding it now. Her heart thudded gently in her chest. Why isn’t he moving?

  “Daddy, you’re home!”

  John turned to his son and Maddy exhaled.

  “Hey, Parker, what are you doing up?”

  “I beat Miss Maddy at Uno seven times!” Parker tried to keep his voice quiet for Blake, but the news was too important.

  John kissed his son’s head as he picked him up. “Sounds brutal.”

  Maddy walked over to Parker. “Thanks for being such good company tonight.”

  “I had fun,” he yawned.

  John watched the two of them and said, “Let’s get you back to bed,” to Parker, while trying unsuccessfully to make eye contact with Maddy.

  “’Night, Miss Maddy!” Parker called out as his dad carried him across the hall.

  Maddy lost no time in picking up her purse and slipping out the front door, knowing that she wouldn’t survive another encounter with John. She hurried out to the car and had her keys in the ignition before the door was closed. She started down the street, refusing to look back. He had no right to change the rules in the middle of the game. As she turned the corner, the tears came, hot and furious. It appeared that all of her emotions were still intact. It wasn’t necessarily much comfort.

  twenty-four

  When John pulled up to Maddy’s house Friday morning, he’d never felt so sure about what he wanted and never so uncertain about whether or not he could have it.

  He’d told his mother about Maddy, and his mom had asked, “And you’re just going to let her go?”

  That idea kept haunting him; Frank had alluded to it, too. Had he really just abandoned Maddy when she needed him? Wasn’t it right to protect his kids if she wasn’t sure what she wanted? And what about a little self-preservation? He’d experienced a fair amount of heartache in his first marriage. Didn’t he have the right to protect himself as well?

  These thoughts helped him keep his distance from Maddy throughout the week, but it got more difficult as the days went by. He was beginning to feel unraveled around her. Every move she made was sensual, enticing, and as far as he could tell, unintentionally so. When she’d shown up at his house in sweats, he knew she’d made an effort to be anything but alluring. It didn’t work. Finding her in his bed when he got home was particularly unnerving. She’d been sleeping on her side with her arm protectively draped over Blake’s shoulder, and John had been more than a little envious.

  His mother’s words kept haunting him. “And you’re just going to let her go?”

  How can I possibly hold on to her? He’d been uncivil to her all week; more than that, he’d made false accusations and fumbled over his apologies if he’d made them at all. What had come over him? He’d planned to stay quietly in the background while she worked through the situation with Phil, but who was he kidding? He’d be a fool to sit idly by while Phil tried to move in on Maddy again.

  He had to stop fighting with her and start fighting for her. With renewed resolve, he reached for the door. He would talk to Maddy before the crew arrived.

  

  John was alone on the porch when Frank and the others showed up ten minutes later. He briefed his men on their various responsibilities for finishing up the roof. Puzzled by Maddy’s absence, he finally put Burt in his pen and went to work.

  They were essentially done when they came down at midday. Finishing touches would be completed by John and Frank, but the others were starting their weekend early. Maddy came out of her room while they ate their lunch, thanked them for their work, and avoided any kind of eye contact with John. He ate his sandwich and contemplated his next step with Maddy, while discussing the roof with Frank.

  The afternoon moved in slow motion, as Maddy continued the endless process of unscrewing, bagging hardware, labeling and moving cupboard panels and drawers. Becky worked on her painting, leaving Maddy in relative peace. John and Frank came down while she was walking Burt, so she missed their departure. Sadly relieved that John was gone, she started to prepare herself for the fact that Phil would be back before long.

  

  Maddy adjusted her position so that she could better see the ocean through the door and out of the window, and then promptly slipped down under the bubbles. She resurfaced and situated herself more carefully. She’d always wondered if one could enjoy both the beautiful view and the wonderful tub at the same time. Apparently not. She settled in for the soak, and closed her eyes.

  As she tried to focus on what the evening with Phil might hold, all she could think about was John. All week long, he’d either been distant and removed, or downright mean. Last night was different, and she couldn’t make sense of that either. Maddy blew a pile of bubbles away from her face in frustration, and another large pile quickly took its place; she’d overdone it with the bubble bath.

  A voice broke into her less-than-satisfactory reverie, and Maddy sat up, alarmed. Becky had run an errand downtown, a
nd she was pretty sure it was a man’s voice, anyway. If Phil was in the house she would scream, not that anyone would hear her. For a sickening moment, she actually felt afraid, eyed her towel, and wondered how quickly she could get out of the tub and get dressed.

  Then she heard the voice again. It wasn’t Phil, it was John. What’s he doing here?

  She sat back in the tub and decided not to answer. He’d figure that she was gone with Becky, and leave. She didn’t have the energy to talk with him or try to stay cool around him. She closed her eyes and willed herself to relax.

  Let him worry a little and go away. Better yet, she thought with a half smile, let him come up and catch her bathing in her antique bathtub. That would give Mr. Restraint a little something to think about.

  The smile left her face when she heard John call out again, this time from the stairwell.

  “Maddy, are you up here?”

  She listened, frozen in her bath. She glanced at her radio, silently cursing herself for the last-minute decision to play music to bathe by. Her heart rate went into overdrive when she heard John’s footsteps in the hallway.

  “Maddy?” He was at the door to the bedroom.

  She couldn’t believe it when she heard him closing the distance between them. She took a deep breath and held it as he came to the bathroom door.

  “You are just determined to catch me in the worst possible circumstances, aren’t you?” she asked with unbelievable calm.

  John was dumbstruck. He looked at her, looked away, and then back again. A number of expressive emotions flashed across his face, and anger was among them. It was brief, but it made its appearance.

  “Why didn’t you answer me?” he asked. “I would never have walked in on you like this.” He turned his head away again. There was no other place to look in the bathroom, and it didn’t immediately occur to him to walk back out.

  “Well, John, I wasn’t expecting anybody,” Maddy answered evenly. The more agitated he became, the calmer she felt. “I really should be able to take a bath without having to explain it to the entire neighborhood, or my contractor.”

  A wounded expression flickered across his face. He looked down, and then back up at her, trying to separate her face from the rest of her. It shouldn’t have been hard; with all of the bubbles, her face was about all that he could see, except for a little bit of her shoulders. He swallowed.

  “Why didn’t you answer me?” he asked again, trying to ignore the way her hair curled around her face, which was flushed from the bath, and maybe a little bit of anger. Whatever it was, it looked good on her.

  “Why did you just walk into my bathroom?” she snapped.

  “I don’t know,” John answered, genuinely perplexed. “I was worried. Your car was there and the front door was open, and Burt was in the front hall, and I’m used to just walking in…”

  He was nervous and rambling. If Maddy wasn’t in such an awkward position, she might have enjoyed it more.

  “Maybe I wanted to be alone.”

  She was steamed. John wished it weren’t so becoming.

  “I’m sorry, Maddy.”

  Once more, he tried to look away, but there was nowhere else to look. He looked at the floor, at the ceiling, at the wall above her head. He met her eyes again. “I’m sorry I walked into your house, into your bathroom,” he was really pained as he said this. “I heard the music and just followed it.”

  He looked helplessly at her, and Maddy started to feel a twinge of regret. Still, she wasn’t ready for the fight to be over. She had to keep the argument going long enough for one of them to storm out of the bathroom. She hoped it would be him.

  John turned and looked out into the bedroom, saying something under his breath that she couldn’t quite hear. He held onto the frame above the door, and Maddy was struck by his physique, which was shown off to great advantage by that particular pose. He was surely unaware how broad his shoulders looked, or how trim his waist and hips, but Maddy was terribly distracted. It was her turn to try to look away. Her options also were limited.

  “You know, you don’t have to stay in here,” she finally pointed out, thinking it might be best if he really did leave. “You’re the one who walked in on me. I can’t exactly get up and walk out while you’re standing there.”

  He slowly turned around, and it was as though a different person faced her. He looked into her eyes.

  “You’re right.”

  Maddy thought the victory would be more satisfying. She wasn’t sure she liked the look on his face.

  “So?” she asked. Something had changed, and it wasn’t in her favor. She sunk down a little under the bubbles.

  John continued to regard her in silence before saying, “I would never try to find you in a compromising situation, but since I have, I’m going to take advantage.”

  Maddy looked at him wide-eyed.

  John closed his eyes. “I mean, that while I have your attention, I have a few things to say to you.”

  Maddy relaxed the slightest bit, and he continued.

  “I’ve behaved badly all week, and I’m sorry. I thought I could just stand back while you worked things out with Phil, but I can’t. I don’t want you to go back to him, Maddy. I love you and I want us to be together.”

  This would have been a nice time to touch her in some way, but that clearly wasn’t an option. He put his hands in his pockets.

  “I know you have unfinished business with him and I want you to have the freedom to handle it your way. I just want you to know that I’m going to fight for us, Maddy. For every reason he gives you to go back to him, I’ll come up with five to make you stay.”

  Maddy, reeling from his unexpectedly sweet confession, shifted in the water and John’s eyes widened in surprise. She slid down, noting that her bubbles were beginning to thin. He needed to pour his heart out quickly if she was going to exit this scene with any dignity.

  “All week long I’ve fought with you, when all I really wanted to do was hold you and make you forget all about him. And then you made those references to my showing restraint like it’s some annoying character flaw… Do you know how hard it’s been to stay away from you? Do you know how difficult this is right now?”

  He stopped, his words hanging in the air between them.

  Maddy looked at her contractor, her heart pounding. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to their list of bans if he took a step closer, and she was pretty sure they shouldn’t find out.

  “I think I’d better leave,” he said, his voice uneven. He turned and walked out of the room, and returned a few seconds later. Maddy, her heart still hammering wildly, slid back down under her few remaining bubbles.

  “Your sister’s coming up the steps.”

  Maddy would have laughed at the expression on John’s face, but there was no time.

  “Shut the door and lock it!” she whispered frantically. “Otherwise, she’ll just walk in.”

  John raised an eyebrow, but obeyed, maneuvering the door and its lock quickly and quietly.

  “Maddy?”

  Becky entered the bedroom and they could hear her crossing to the bathroom.

  “Hey, Beck,” Maddy’s voice cracked.

  “You okay?”

  “Yep.”

  “Can I come in?”

  “No!” It was a little too emphatic. “Sorry, I’m just taking a bath.”

  “Big deal. It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.”

  Maddy and John watched the knob turn, holding their collective breath.

  “Thank you for the implied compliment,” Maddy parried, her eyes glued to the door, praying that the lock actually worked. The knob stopped turning, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. So did John. “Go down the hall if you need the bathroom.”

  “I don’t need the bathroom. You know John’s back?”

  “Really.”

  “Yeah. I haven’t seen him, but his truck’s here.”

  “Oh, well, maybe he’s out in the shed or something.�
��

  “If I see him, you want me to send him up?” Her grin could be heard through the door.

  John, who was studying the sink with considerable interest, shifted and looked at the wall.

  “Very funny,” Maddy answered.

  “Maybe I’ll just go look for him.”

  “Good luck.”

  “And I’ll tell him you need him up here.”

  “Well, I don’t.”

  “I think you do. It would do you both some good.”

  “Becky, go away.”

  “I’ll tell John you said hello.”

  “You do that.”

  “And I’ll tell him that you’re madly in love with him and that you want to have his children.”

  John closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall.

  “Well, Becky,” Maddy answered hoarsely, looking up at the ceiling, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  “Well, you won’t do it.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Please go away so I can finish my bath.”

  “Fine. When’s the dirtbag from Seattle showing up?”

  “At five. What time is it?”

  “Four-thirty. You’d better get ready.”

  “I will. Would you go find John and ask him what he wants?”

  “He wants you, Maddy.”

  “Becky! Please, just go find him.”

  “Settle down. I will.”

  Becky’s steps retreated and John started to turn.

  “Don’t you dare,” Maddy hissed. “My bubbles are gone.”

  John stood very still, and then slowly pulled the towel off the rack on the door. He held it out behind him.

  Maddy, unwilling to get out of the dubious protection of the water, said, “Just leave it on the chair.”

  He did so without a word, unlocked the door, and quickly left. Maddy reached over and picked up the towel. She stood in the bathtub as the water drained out, her heart pounding and her mind reeling.