Playing for Keeps

by Hill, Jamie

  It was an arrangement that worked well for a few weeks, until Michael Stewart decided to take his family to Martha's Vineyard for the last two weeks of their summer break. Maddie didn't want to go, but was overruled. She wanted to spend one last night with Nick before they left, but her father insisted she stay home and help pack, so they could leave early on Sunday.

  Maddie fumed about it for a while, then came up with a possible plan. She called Alec, and he agreed to 'take her out' that night. Maddie's father agreed to let them go, as long as Maddie was home early. She called Nick and told him they'd only have a few hours, but she could meet him.

  Alec picked her up, and they met Nick at a truck stop on the interstate near her home. She didn't want Alec to know where they were going, in case he ratted her out for whatever reason.

  Maddie gave Alec a kiss on the cheek. "I'll meet you back here at eleven, okay?"

  "Sure, Maddie." He shook his head. "This seems like a bad idea."

  "Lighten up, buddy." She grinned at him, climbing out of his car and sliding onto the back of Nick's bike.

  "Hello, you," she said.

  "Hey, baby." He revved the engine, and they peeled out.

  It was forty-five minutes later before they spoke again. Maddie lay in Nick's arms, swearing at her father for spoiling her plans and ruining her summer. Nick just listened and let her rant. He finally told her, "You need to go and try to have fun. Call me once in a while if you can, and we'll look forward to when you get back. It'll only be three weeks until you're back at school, anyway."

  "Seems like forever," she mumbled into his chest.

  "It'll fly by before you know it. Shoot, three weeks is nothin'."

  "Yeah!" Maddie snorted. "When's the last time you went three weeks without seeing me?"

  He chuckled. "I guess that would be the three weeks when I didn't call you last December. Huge, monumental mistake on my part."

  "That's right." She snuggled into him. "Glad you realize that."

  They held each other for a while and Nick finally asked, "So, Maddie, when did you get your period last?"

  She shrugged. "I've never been very regular. It was a few weeks ago."

  "How many weeks in 'a few'?"

  She looked at him. "I'm not pregnant, if that's what you're worried about."

  "And you know this because?" He looked at her.

  She shrugged again. "I just know. We've always been careful."

  He chuckled. "Nothing's foolproof. I think you need to get checked out and get on some pills, since this appears to be a long term thing we got going here."

  She rubbed a hand over the stubble on his face. "You're such a sweet talker."

  He nuzzled her neck and whispered in her ear, "I don't think you love me for my talk."

  She laughed at that. "Okay, maybe you're right. But I'm not pregnant, I'm sure of it." She thought for a few minutes and finally asked, "Do you ever want kids?"

  "Not now," he replied quickly.

  Maddie chuckled. "I know that. I told you, I'm not pregnant. But ever? I mean later, much later."

  He seemed to think about it. "I wouldn't mind a kid or two. Once I feel like I'm not a kid myself, anymore."

  "Oh God, that could take forever!" she teased, and he tickled her. She laughed and squirmed until he stopped.

  He grinned. "I suppose you want a whole houseful of kids."

  "Yeah, I do." She smiled at the ceiling. "If I have the means to take care of them, that is. I love kids."

  "Just give yourself plenty of time," he told her. "Kids are nothing to rush into."

  "Yes, sir." She saluted him. "But you know what you said about me getting on the pill? There's no way I can go to my doctor. He's my mother's doctor, too."

  Nick tapped on her head. "They have a clinic at that school you pretend to go to, Dizzy. And I'm pretty sure it's confidential. Promise me you'll go when you get back to Cambridge."

  "Okay, I promise." She wrapped her arms around him. "Promise me you'll miss me."

  "You know I will." He kissed her, and they made love until it was time to leave.

  They drove back to the truck stop. Maddie got off the bike, and Nick lit up his first cigarette of the evening. She grinned. "Thanks for not smoking around me. I know my father would smell it."

  "Then gimme one more kiss, and I'm outta here." He held the cigarette out to the side.

  Maddie gave him a really good kiss. "I'll miss you." She ran a hand over his face.

  "You too, baby doll." He smiled and looked at Alec, who was trying not to watch them from his car. "Thanks, Junior," Nick told Alec.

  Alec looked at him dully. "I don't feel good about this arrangement."

  Nick chuckled. "I don't either, Junior. But I've found it's easiest to keep Maddie happy. When Maddie's happy, everyone's happy." He patted her on the butt.

  She grinned and crinkled her nose at him as he drove off.

  The trip to Martha's Vineyard turned out to be fun for Maddie, when she got over her pouting. They sailed every day, and she and Matt swam with a group of kids who were also vacationing there.

  They came in late one evening, laughing, after a campfire down on the beach. Their parents were up, sharing a bottle of wine, when Maddie and Matt walked in. "Hey," she said, and dropped her things on a chair.

  "Looks like you're having a good time." Her mother smiled at her.

  Maddie picked up the wine bottle and looked in it. "Looks like you are, too."

  "Maddie!" Matt scolded her.

  "Oh, chill out." She grinned at her parents. "You're entitled to have fun, you know. You're married and of legal age."

  "Glad you approve." Michael slipped his arm around his wife. "So what have you been up to?"

  "Making s'mores," Matt said. "Maddie's the worst at it. She burned her marshmallow every time. People were trying to give her lessons on roasting marshmallows, she was so pathetic."

  She made a face at her brother. "People just like to help me," she said.

  "I'm sure of that." Michael raised his eyebrows at his wife.

  She shushed him, and smiled at the kids. "I'm glad you're having fun. Maddie, we haven't seen you this happy in a long time."

  "I'm happy." She blinked innocently.

  "Perhaps just not around us." Her father looked back at her.

  "Don't be silly." Maddie put her arms around her parents and squeezed. "But thanks for this trip. It's been fun." She stood. "Matt and I are going up. You two, carry on. Goodnight."

  Her parents smiled at her and her mother replied, "Goodnight. Goodnight, Matt."

  "Goodnight." He followed Maddie up the stairs.

  As much fun as she had at the Vineyard, Maddie was excited to pack up and head back to school. She wasn't excited at all about the prospect of starting school. She just wanted to get back to Nick.

  When she arrived at his place, he welcomed her with open arms, and they kissed. "I miss you more each time you go away," he said. "And you didn't even call me."

  "I'm sorry. It was hard to get away from the family. Someone was always with me. It bugged the hell out of me at first, and then I decided to take your advice and just have fun."

  "So you forgot about me?"

  "Never!" She kissed him. "I thought about you everyday. I thought about this day everyday…and planned in my mind exactly what I wanted to do to you."

  "I like the sounds of that," he murmured as they kissed. "I was feeling a little sorry for myself. I never wanted to get this hung up on you, Maddie. Not talking to you bothered me more than I ever thought it would."

  She grinned as she walked him backwards to the bedroom. "Tell me all about it. I'm going to make love to you, while you tell me how much you missed me, and how much you love me."

  He groaned at the prospect, and they fell back in the bed. "Damn, I love you, girl."

  "Keep talkin'." She tugged at his belt.

  They made love and lay in each others arms snuggling afterwards. "She did miss me," Nick teased her.

 
"You know I did." She rubbed her hand over his furry chest. "There was never any doubt about that."

  "We survived the summer separation."

  "Yes, we did, and I'm back. Oh! I forgot to tell you. I got my period at the Vineyard."

  He smiled at her. "Good news. And very convenient."

  She grinned. "I try."

  He rolled on top of her and tickled her. "Try, my ass. You do whatever you set out to do, don't you?"

  Maddie slid her arms around his neck. "You got me figured out."

  "Oh yeah, I do." He kissed her neck.

  Maddie sighed.

  Maddie was a little surprised by the change in Nick. He'd apparently given in to the idea of their relationship, and was moving ahead with it. He expected her to be there when he got home, he talked about what they'd do on the weekends, and he relied on her to help him out at the shop. Maddie was thrilled with the new attitude, and the idea niggled at her in the back of her mind that this could be a long term deal.

  She started renting movies for them to watch in the evenings when nothing else was going on. They could agree on movies much easier than TV programs. The weather was still warm in September, and they continued to take bike rides and walks on the beach.

  Maddie fit in some studying here and there. She'd check in at the dorm in the afternoons, play her answering machine messages and call her parents if she needed to. If Zoey was there, she might stay there and study, otherwise she took her books to the shop. Zoey was dating someone new, and Maddie didn't see much of her if they didn't touch base after classes.

  October remained warm, and Maddie sleepwalked through her classes to get to what she considered her 'real' life, being at home with Nick. She thought more and more that college was not for her, and wondered what would happen if she decided to quit school and get a job. Her parents would have heart attacks, she presumed, especially if she introduced them to Nick. She'd let the idea roll around in her mind for awhile, and figure it out later. Like Scarlett O'Hara, Maddie would think about it tomorrow…or another day.

  Chapter Eleven

  "Trick or treat!" the little Wicked Witch of the West said, and Rosa burst into laughter.

  "Oh my God! Leonard, come look here!" she called to her husband. To the trick-or-treaters, she said, "Come in. Holy cow, you guys go all out!"

  Sophie was dressed as the witch from the Wizard of Oz, black dress, black hat, broomstick and green face. Her father, dressed as the scarecrow, carried Stacie in a baby lion costume. Sam was dressed as the tin man, complete with silver costume, silver face and pointed hat. Maddie was dressed as Dorothy, wearing tiny braided pigtails, ruby slippers and carrying a basket with a stuffed dog in it.

  "Great Caesar's ghost!" Smoky looked them over. "I didn't think you could top last year's clown family, but I think you've done it."

  "Give 'em your line, Soph," Rob urged her.

  Sophie cackled and said in a shrill voice, "I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

  Rosa and Smoky cracked up.

  Maddie said, "Sam, what's your line?"

  Sam grinned and said in his little voice, "Oil can! Oil can!"

  Maddie pulled the little oil can from her basket and pretended to oil his joints.

  "Too cute!" Rosa put some candy in their plastic pumpkins.

  "Got any Snickers in there?" Rob looked in the bowl.

  "You know it." Rosa put in an extra handful of candy bars.

  "Stop begging," Maddie told her husband.

  "It's Halloween! The one day of the year it's not considered begging."

  "He's right." Smoky grabbed a jacket, and looked at Rob. "God, do I really have to walk down the street with you?"

  Rob grinned. "Your costume is way scarier than what I'm wearing."

  Smoky, who was wearing regular clothes, gave him a look. "Smart ass. Are we taking Sophie down the block, or not?"

  Rob looked at Sophie. "Want to hit a few houses before we head to Grandma's?"

  "Yes!" She hopped up and down.

  Rob gave Maddie a kiss. "We'll take her out for a half an hour or so, then come back."

  Rosa said, "I don't remember the scarecrow hitting on Dorothy."

  Rob leaned closer to Rosa. "Try to imagine what the scarecrow is going to do to Dorothy when they get home!"

  She shoved him away and smiled. "Get out of here. And I call dibs on any Milky Way bars you pick up."

  "You got it." Smoky led Sophie out.

  Rob followed. "See ya!" He winked at them, and left to take Sophie trick-or-treating.

  Maddie and Rosa took the little kids into the front room where Callie sat in her bouncy seat. They talked and answered the door to other trick-or-treaters until the men returned with Sophie and a full plastic pumpkin.

  "Wow, look at all that candy!" Rosa's eyes sparkled.

  "The neighbors were generous." Smoky shook his head, chuckling. "Especially when Coop started doing tricks for them."

  "Oh, Jesus." Maddie looked at him, and then picked through the candy. She tossed the Milky Way bars to Rosa. "Hey, peanut M&M's! Can I have them, Soph?"

  "Yep." Sophie played with baby Callie, not that interested in the candy she'd acquired.

  "Give me some of those." Rob tried to snatch a couple of M&M's from Maddie.

  She held her hand away. "Do a trick for me first."

  "Right here? I told you I had a couple of tricks in mind for later, but if you want me to show you now…"

  She tossed the candy to him. "God, you're incorrigible."

  He grinned, popped the candy in his mouth and picked up Sam. "Mama better watch out. She's going to have her hands full when you grow up to be just like me."

  Maddie stood. "I have my hands full now." She picked up Stacie. "Come on, Stace. We've got to hit Grandma and Grandpa's house." She looked at Rob. "You know these two are going to fall asleep on the way there."

  He shrugged. "We promised to bring them by, and Dee wants to see Soph."

  Smoky took one more piece of candy from the pumpkin. "Here you go, Soph. Thanks for sharing."

  "Thanks for walking with me!" She hugged Smoky, and they headed to the door.

  "See you all later." Maddie smiled at Smoky and Rosa.

  "Have a nice evening!" Rosa winked at her, and Maddie rolled her eyes.

  They buckled the kids in, and drove the forty minutes to the Cooper's house. They stayed about a half hour, just long enough for the children to fall asleep again, and then they drove to Dionne's condo.

  Rob looked at himself in the mirror, then said to Maddie "Would you take her up?"

  Maddie chuckled. "What's wrong, scarecrow? I thought you lacked brains, not nerve."

  He made a face. "I don't want to run into Mr. Expensive Suit dressed like this."

  Maddie looked at her own costume, then chuckled. "I guess Dionne has seen me in worse. I looked like a hooker the first time we met …or so you said."

  He grinned. "I also said you looked hot. But yeah, it was a little slutty."

  She kissed him. "You like it when I look slutty, now. It turns you on."

  "You turn me on, no matter what you're wearing or not wearing, Wild Thing." He kissed her deeply.

  Sophie said, "Can we go in, please?"

  They pulled apart and Maddie smiled at Rob. "Sorry, Soph. Come on, I'll take you up."

  Sophie got out of the SUV and Maddie followed her up the stairs. Sophie muttered, "You guys kiss more than anyone I know, except maybe Mom and Deron."

  Maddie laughed. "So Mom and Deron kiss a lot?"

  "All the time." She made a face.

  "You don't make that face when Daddy and I kiss."

  "That's because it's you and Daddy. That's different."

  "Oh, I see." Maddie nodded. It was different. She and Sophie had hit it off immediately, and they never had to work at a relationship. Deron seemed to be trying awfully hard.

  Sophie rang her mother's doorbell, and when Dionne answered the child yelled, "Trick or treat!"

  "What
a cute little witch." Dionne pretended not to recognize her daughter. "Here you go." She dropped some candy into the pumpkin.

  "Mom!" Sophie said, and Dionne grinned.

  "Well look at that! If it isn't Sophie Belle Cooper, as I live and breathe."

  Sophie hugged her mother's waist, and Dionne looked at Maddie. "Ooh, ruby slippers and all. Hello, Dorothy."

  "Hi." Maddie smiled.

  "Where's Coop?"

  "Daddy's the scarecrow!" Sophie told her.

  Maddie nodded. "He's in the car with the babies. I said I'd bring her up."

  "I've got to see this! Deron, let's go down and see what Coop's wearing!"

  Deron stepped up behind Dionne. "Hello, Maddie. Cute costume." He looked down at Sophie. "And look at you! You scared the heck out of me!"

  Maddie shook her head. "I don't think so, Dionne." Dionne was dressed to kill, as usual, and Deron wore an expensive sweater and slacks. "We need to get going. Rob's tired."

  "Rob's chicken." Dionne slipped into her shoes. "Come on, Deron."

  Maddie looked at him with pleading eyes.

  He touched Dionne's arm. "I don't think we should, honey. He's tired, they want to go."

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Maddie nodded at him.

  Dionne gave him a questioning look, and then looked at Maddie. "I was hoping to spend a little time with Sophie."

  Deron said, "Maybe, since she doesn't have school tomorrow, she could spend the night. We can bring her home as early as you want."

  Maddie bit her lip. "I know Rob has plans for the afternoon. It might be okay, if you get her back by noon."

  Dionne seemed pleased, and abandoned her quest to embarrass Rob. "Great!"

  Maddie looked at Sophie. "Okay with you?"

  "Yes! Thanks, Maddie!" She hugged her stop-mother, and went into the condo.

  "Yeah, thanks Maddie," Dionne said, and followed her daughter.

  Maddie looked at Deron. "Thank you," she said softly.

  He smiled and shrugged. "Have a good night."