One Step At A Time

by Brenda Adcock

  “Would you like to come to my place for dinner some evening?” Dani whispered.

  “I...uh...never turn down a free meal,” Maddie managed.

  “I have a lot on my calendar this week. I’ll contact you.”

  “I’ll be lookin’ forward to it,” Maddie smiled.

  When the song ended, Maddie returned to her seat alone and Dani returned to her conversation with Flo and Sal. Maddie finished her wine and asked a bored-looking Clorinda for a dance to something a little more upbeat. Everyone laughed at their wild gyrations when they finished the dance with a flourish as Maddie flung the young woman the length of her arm and pulled her back again to dip Clorinda with a smile. Clorinda jumped up and hugged Maddie, throwing her arm around her shoulders as they panted their way back to their seats and plopped down. Not long afterward, Dani stood and waited for Sal to get her coat from the closet, leaving a few minutes later following hugs and kisses to most of those present.

  Maddie went upstairs to get ready for bed. It had been a long day and the partying downstairs lasted longer than she anticipated. She was ready to doze off peacefully on a full stomach. She stripped down to her T-shirt and boxers and started to turn the bed down when a knock on her room door stopped her. She opened the door to find Flo looking at her.

  “What’s up?” Maddie asked.

  “We need to talk,” Flo said. She walked into the neat room and looked around before closing the door.

  “Little late for a room inspection,” Maddie said lightly.

  “What the hell were you doin’ tonight?” Flo asked. “I saw you flirtin’ with Dani.”

  “I wasn’t flirtin’.” Maddie shrugged. “I knew you wanted to impress your guest and just wanted to make her feel welcome in your home. That’s all. I swear, Flo.”

  “I saw the way you looked at her all evenin’,” Flo frowned.

  “How was I lookin’ at her?” Maddie asked.

  “Like you was sizin’ her up for dessert,” Flo answered, her voice hard and cold. “I wouldn’t be happy if you did anythin’ to hurt her. She’s a nice lady and that makes her strictly off-limits to you.”

  When Maddie started to say something, Flo mashed her finger against Maddie’s lips and growled, “All I want to hear from you is that you understand what I’m sayin’.”

  Maddie managed to nod. “I’m sorry you feel that way, Flo, but I wouldn’t do anything to hurt or upset you or your friends.” But Dani had already invited Maddie to dinner at her place and Maddie really wanted more than the impulsive kisses they’d already shared. She’d carefully avoided a hug or kiss from Dani as she prepared to go home, which left Maddie hungry and mildly frustrated.

  Flo took a step closer and poked Maddie in the chest. “Keep it that way. Dani deserves someone better’n any of us.”

  “Agreed,” Maddie admitted. “Can I get some sleep now, Warden?”

  THREE DAYS LATER, Maddie received a phone call at work from Dani inviting her to dinner Saturday evening. Maddie hesitated before accepting, hoping Flo wouldn’t find out she would be alone with Dani.

  Late Saturday afternoon, Maddie told Flo not to save dinner for her because she was meeting the guys for pizza and beer. She walked to Oscar’s, opened the rear door, and changed into the better clothes she’d stashed there the day before. She killed a little time before calling a taxi to drive her to Dani’s address on the other side of town. It was a one-story duplex a few blocks from the central downtown area. It was located in a well-kept part of town, that appeared to be inhabited by mostly upwardly mobile young professionals. Maddie liked the area, but felt a little out of place. As she walked up the brick sidewalk, she checked her clothes. She rang the doorbell and quickly rubbed the toe of her shoes on the calf of her leg to dislodge anything she’s picked up at the shop. She was examining the shine on her shoes when the front door opened and she looked up to see a pleasant-looking older woman with graying hair staring at her. Maddie’s first thought was she was at the wrong address. She glanced at the numbers next to the door and then back at the woman. “Uh—” she started.

  “If you’re looking for my daughter, Danielle, you’re at the right place,” the woman said with a smile. “She told me we were having company for dinner. I’m Gladys Hunter.”

  “Madelyn James,” Maddie responded, stepping cautiously inside and surveying the homey-looking interior as she removed her jacket.

  “I live next door, but eat with Danielle most evenings,” Gladys volunteered. She reached out and touched Maddie’s forearm lightly. “She’s an excellent cook,” she said in a low voice. “Girl always liked to cook, but she didn’t get it from me,” she added with a wink. “Where did you and my Danielle meet?”

  “Through work,” Maddie answered. Technically, it wasn’t a lie.

  “Are you a lawyer, too?” Gladys inquired.

  “No, ma’am. I...uh...fix things,” Maddie hedged, wondering where Dani might be.

  “I’ll let Danielle know her guest has arrived,” Gladys said cheerfully. After a step or two, she turned back toward Maddie and said, “Please have a seat, dear. Make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hunter,” Maddie acknowledged with a smile. Spending an evening with Dani and her mother wasn’t what she’d envisioned, but the not-so-subtle warning she’d gotten from Flo still niggled in her mind. With her mother there, Dani would be relatively safe from Maddie’s evil clutches. Maddie spent a few minutes examining the pictures on the walls, smiling at a couple depicting Dani acting like a goofy child playing in the snow with a strange-looking, large dog.

  “That was my father’s Airedale, Kaiser. He was my playmate and protector,” Dani’s voice said from behind Maddie.

  “Looks like you kept him busy,” Maddie said.

  “We loved wrestling in the snow,” Dani said with a trace of sadness. “I miss him.” In a happier voice, she said, “We’re eating at the kitchen table. This place isn’t big enough for a real dining room, but it’s big enough for me.”

  “That’s all you need then,” Maddie said.

  “I’m sorry my mother dropped over. I wasn’t really expecting her this evening.”

  “She told me she ate here most nights. I hope I’m not intrudin’ on your time together,” Maddie said.

  “You’re not. I’m glad you could make it,” Dani said with a faint blush.

  Maddie held out a chair for Gladys and waited for everything to be placed on the table before holding a chair for Dani and taking a seat herself.

  “This looks great,” Maddie commented.

  Gladys leaned over and semi-whispered, “I told you she was a good cook, but didn’t learn it from me.”

  “You were a good cook, Mom,” Dani said. “You just didn’t enjoy it that much.”

  “That’s true,” Gladys nodded. Then she looked up suddenly and smiled broadly. “Maybe your friend can come back in December and I won’t have to help you bake all those damn cookies you insist on making every year. No one needs that many cookies, Danielle,” she huffed. “Do you like cookies, Madelyn?” she asked.

  “I do. Very much, ma’am,” Maddie nodded.

  “Danielle makes a million every Christmas and after baking that many, I don’t have the damn stomach to eat them,” Gladys said, nudging Maddie’s arm.

  “I give them away as gifts, Mom. You know that,” Dani said.

  Maddie looked at Dani and grinned. “I’d be happy to help. I’m not much of a cook, but follow directions pretty well,” she offered.

  “It’s still a way off, so we’ll see,” Dani mumbled. “Another biscuit?” she offered.

  “I’m glad Danielle has made a new friend,” Gladys said while Maddie chewed a bite of meat.

  “I have friends, Mother,” Dani said.

  “I know you do, dear, but you can’t ever have too many friends. Don’t you agree, Madelyn?”

  Thinking briefly about the women who protected her at Sand Ridge, Maddie answered,
“Generally, that’s true, but there are times friends can’t always be trusted, ma’am. Even very close friends.” In the end, even Aggie had built their friendship on a lie. Maddie had trusted women who claimed to love her, but in the long run they had never done anything but hurt her.

  “You might be right,” Gladys nodded. “The only time my Danielle was ever in trouble was because of a friend.”

  Maddie noticed Dani pale slightly. “That wasn’t Jan’s fault, Mother,” she said.

  “She talked you into going to that damn concert with her,” Gladys blustered.

  “I chose to go so she wouldn’t have to go alone. It was my decision,” Dani shot back.

  “And I was the one who had to pick you up from the police station in the middle of the damn night,” Gladys reminded her daughter. “I didn’t see Jan there to rescue you.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened slightly and to bring the minor disagreement to an end she asked, “Did you enjoy the concert?”

  Dani looked at Maddie for a moment and cleared her throat. “Yes. It was very...stimulating,” she answered quietly.

  Maddie grinned. She’d never heard anyone call one of her high-energy performances “stimulating” before and it amused her, although in a strange way it was also slightly insulting.

  After dinner, Maddie helped Dani clear the table, while her mother wandered into the living room to select a video. Maddie set a stack of dishes on the counter and looked at Dani.

  “Stimulating?” she questioned. “Really?”

  “I could have said ‘interesting’, I suppose,” Dani smiled as she placed a large bag of popcorn in the microwave.

  “Not an improvement,” Maddie sulked.

  “I’m sorry, but at that time in my life, heavy rock wasn’t my thing. I didn’t want to go, but let Jan talk me into it,” Dani explained.

  “Well, I feel so much better now,” Maddie said. “What kind of music did you prefer, at that time in your life? Just curious.”

  “Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel, Carole King, and a few others,” Dani answered.

  “You weren’t even born when they were big on the charts,” Maddie said, astounded.

  “They were my father’s favorites. After he died, my mom played them all the time, so I sort of grew up listening to them. I didn’t keep up with much else. Sorry,” Dani apologized with a shrug. “Ready to watch a probably old movie now?” she asked as she dumped the popcorn into two medium bowls.

  Dani set a bowl on an end table next to Gladys and the second on the couch between Maddie and herself. Once the film began, Maddie stretched her arm along the back of the couch, slowly running her fingers into the soft, feathery hair along Dani’s nape and massaged the muscles that ran down the back of her neck. Maddie felt Dani relax and shiver slightly.

  Halfway through the movie, Gladys fell asleep, snoring softly. Dani woke her gently and walked her to her side of the duplex. “She’ll sleep all night now,” Dani said when she returned. “Would you care for a cup of coffee?” she offered.

  “Sounds good,” Maddie answered. When Dani went into the kitchen to prepare the coffee, Maddie followed her. She stood behind Dani as she poured water into the coffeemaker and pushed the button. Before Dani could turn around, Maddie began massaging her shoulders softly. She brought her mouth close to Dani’s ear and whispered quietly, “I’d have to be dead to forget the way you kissed me the last time I saw you. You were so hungry.” When Dani finally turned around, Maddie caught her lips for a brief kiss.

  “That the best you got?” Dani asked with a smile when Maddie pulled away.

  “I don’t know what you like,” Maddie said. “And I don’t want to scare you.”

  “I’m not sure either, but I know I’m not afraid of you. Maybe I’m more afraid of myself.”

  Maddie’s mouth hovered close to Dani’s. “That’s good, very good,” Maddie breathed. She traced Dani’s upper lip with the tip of her tongue. Dani’s tongue slid out to touch Maddie’s for a moment before slowly sucking it into her mouth where she continued to suck it gently, stroking and circling it with her own tongue. Maddie relaxed into the sweet feelings she was experiencing and ran her hands into Dani’s hair.

  When the tender kiss ended, Maddie mumbled, “It’s gettin’ late. I should go. Thanks for a great meal,” she said with a smile.

  “Now?” Dani asked unbelievingly, her eyes slightly unfocused. She stopped Maddie as she turned to leave. “Why?”

  “To stop you from makin’ a horrible mistake you’d regret later,” Maddie answered, her voice oddly sad-sounding. “I’ve been known to get carried away. You’re not ready for that.”

  “But Jan was?” Dani retorted.

  “She just wanted to fuck,” Maddie said with a shrug.

  “Did you let her touch you?” Dani asked.

  “No one touches me,” Maddie ground out tightly.

  “Why? Were you sexually abused as a child?”

  Quickly, Maddie stepped closer and took a moment to gather her emotions before speaking. “No!” she spat. “Don’t try to fuckin’ analyze me. Better trained people than you have tried.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dani said softly, reaching up to stroke over Maddie’s lips with her fingertips.

  Maddie shook the touch off and walked out the front door of the small duplex without another word. Yes, she was abused, but not by her father. The only people who had ever abused her were other women who sought to control her. The only way she regarded sex now, was as a struggle for control over another woman. Danielle Hunter wasn’t prepared for that type of interaction and Maddie couldn’t force herself to hurt the young woman.

  THE NEXT MORNING, Maddie blinked her eyes open, stretched, and swung her legs out of bed. Collecting her bathrobe, toothbrush, shampoo, and other toiletries, she opened the door to her room and made her way toward the upstairs bathroom, hoping a shower would make her feel better. When she returned to her room twenty minutes later, still drying her hair with a towel, she found a piece of paper taped to the door. She glanced at it quickly before tossing it on her dresser and getting dressed.

  After breakfast and cleaning the kitchen, Maddie wandered outside to smoke a cigarette, volunteering to feed the chickens and clean out their coop. She rested her arms on the fenced enclosure and reached into her pocket to withdraw the paper taped to her door. All it really was was a phone number, but there was no name attached. There wasn’t anyone Maddie could think of who might be calling her. It wasn’t the shop number, but she didn’t know Oscar’s home or cell number. She’d call after taking care of the chickens.

  Nearly an hour later, Maddie paused to clean the bottom of her boots before stepping into the warm kitchen again. She washed her hands and picked up the receiver on the wall phone, dialing the mystery number. After several rings, a voice finally answered with a soft, “Hello.”

  “Uh, yeah, this is Maddie James. I had a call from this number earlier and—” she began.

  “Maddie! It’s Dani. Are you doing anything important today?” Dani asked.

  “Not unless you consider cleanin’ out a chicken coop important,” Maddie answered.

  “Well, I need to get out of the house and enjoy the mild weather for a while. So, I thought I might go fishing and was wondering if you’d like to keep me company,” Dani explained.

  Maddie looked around to make sure she was still alone. “I don’t know. Hadn’t really thought about it.”

  “There’s a pretty nice lake not too far from town where my dad used to take me. It was stocked last spring, so we should be able to catch enough for dinner, if you like fish, that is. If nothing else, it would give us a little time to just talk. I didn’t mean to upset you last night and fishing seemed like a good way to make it up to you,” Dani said fairly rapidly.

  “I don’t have a fishin’ license or any equipment,” Maddie hesitated.

  “I have extra rods and stuff and you can just hand me your rod if a game warden comes by
. It’ll be fun, I promise,” Dani said. “Dress warm in case there’s a breeze off the water and I’ll swing by to pick you up in about an hour, okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess,” Maddie finally agreed. “But can I just meet you at your place?”

  “I drive right past Flo’s on my way out of town, plus you won’t have to pay for another cab ride. See ya soon,” Dani said cheerfully as she disconnected and left Maddie listening to an annoying dial tone.

  Flo would shit a fuckin’ brick if she thought that Maddie would be going anywhere alone with Dani. Maddie envisioned coming back to Flo’s later and finding her stuff packed up and sitting on the front porch with Sal waiting for her with a rifle across her knees. She rushed up the stairs and threw on her jacket. She stuffed a toboggan in her pocket and strolled nonchalantly down the stairs, deciding to wait outside for Dani, hoping Flo or Sal wouldn’t see Dani’s vehicle pull up in front of the house. She threw her hand up and said, “Goin’ for a walk. Be back later,” before stepping out of the house.

  An old, beat-up, weathered Chevy truck swung to the curb and before Maddie could get off the porch, Dani jumped out and started walking toward her, smiling broadly.

  “You’re early,” Maddie managed, her eyes taking in Dani’s tight, faded light blue jeans that were ripped at the knees and her warm-looking sweatshirt.

  “I know,” Dani acknowledged. “But the weather was so great, I couldn’t wait. Glad you’re ready.”

  Glancing back at the front door, Maddie said, “Then let’s get out of here.”

  The door opened quickly and Flo glared at Maddie. “Enjoy your walk?” she asked.

  “Hey, Flo! I invited Maddie to go fishing with me today,” Dani said cheerfully.

  “Oh, really,” Flo frowned, knowing Maddie had lied to her.