No answer.
“Damn it.”
I just knew in my gut that my father was doing this because Maddox was back in town, and his mother lived in the trailer park. All that talk at dinner, pretending like I wasn’t part of the golf course project, was bullshit. My father had known it was my idea from the beginning, and he knew it could come back to me when Maddox found out his mother was going to lose her home.
I had never seen my father stoop so low.
I was furious. I almost turned around to yell at him, but two things stopped me. His health. I didn’t want him to have another stroke on me. And I needed to find Maddox.
Something had changed that day in the garage. After our almost-violent screwing, he’d been tender. I felt as if he’d opened up a part of himself he’d been holding back. And he’d been coming to me every night since. He still left before dawn, but sometimes, he would stay and hold me after we had sex.
I feared that, if Maddox found out about his mom from anyone but me, he’d think I was behind it. I needed to talk to him as soon as possible.
I called him once more. Again, there was no answer.
When I got home, Maddox’s SUV was parked in the back, but when I ran upstairs to his apartment and knocked, no one was there.
I tried to calm myself. I would just tell Maddox when he got home and came over that night. It would be okay. But, just in case, I sent him a text as I walked back home.
Before I went to bed, I cracked my window up a bit, so I would hear him when he came home. And, while I waited, I planned on how I could fix this problem that my father had created. If he thought I would just sit back, he was wrong.
An hour or so later, I drifted off to sleep, knowing what I had to do the next day.
When I woke up in the morning, I was ready to take on the day.
Unfortunately, five seconds after I woke, I realized that Maddox had never come home.
Twenty-Four
Maddox
I woke up, feeling the most refreshed I’d felt in a long-ass time. I rolled over and realized I was sleeping in my old bedroom at my mom’s. I looked at my watch. It was after ten in the morning.
I had lain down after dinner last night, planning to just take a nap, but I had slept all night. It was true that I was due for some good sleep. Fucking my ex-girlfriend every night and constantly getting up to leave early had really cut into my sleep schedule. But I was still shocked to see I had slept over twelve hours.
I used the bathroom and went into the kitchen in search of some coffee. On my way, I picked up my phone in the living room. It was dead.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Can I borrow your phone charger?”
“Sure. It’s in here,” my mom said from the kitchen.
“Oh, thank God,” I said when I walked in. “Coffee.” I plugged my cell in and grabbed a cup. “Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked.
My mom grabbed my chin in her hand. “Because you looked so peaceful, sleeping. I didn’t have the heart. You were even snoring.”
I shook her off. “Liar.”
She laughed. “But you were sleeping hard. Are you not getting any sleep at your new place?”
I took a sip of my coffee. “I am.” Just not as much as I should be.
She patted my chest. “I’m worried about you.”
I laughed. If she only knew. “Don’t be, Mom. I’m fine. I just need to go to bed earlier.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Yes.” She was the one who was sick. Not me. “You don’t need to worry.”
“It’s what mothers do.”
There was a knock at the door.
I frowned. “Are you expecting anyone?”
“No.”
I went to the front door and looked out the window before opening it. I didn’t recognize the guy.
“Open the door, Maddox.”
“I don’t know who it is.”
“For heaven’s sake, this is Brook Creek. You lived in the big city for too long.”
I rolled my eyes, but she did have a point, so I opened the door.
A stranger was wearing a suit and held an envelope in his hand. “Good morning. I’m looking for Betty Wolfe.”
My mother pushed in front of me. “I’m Betty.”
The man handed her the envelope. “This is for you. If you have any questions, you can call the number at the bottom.” The man turned and left without another word.
I closed the door, and my mom opened the envelope and pulled out a letter.
As I watched her read it, all the color drained from her face, and she grabbed the couch behind her.
“Oh, dear. What am I going to do?”
What the fuck?
I steadied my mom, and then I snatched the letter from her hand. As I read it, a slow anger settled over me. I crumbled up the paper and threw it across the room.
I’m going to kill her.
I marched to the kitchen and turned on my phone.
My mom raced after me. “What are you doing?”
“Looking for the person responsible for this. And then I’m going to wring her pretty little neck.”
It looked like I’d missed several phone calls before my phone died. They were all from Addison. She’d also sent me a text message.
I pulled up her number and hit Send.
“Who are you calling?”
“Addison.”
The phone went to voice mail.
“She was here this morning. While you were sleeping.”
I hit End on my phone and looked up at my mom. “What?”
“She was here this morning.”
I pointed to the floor. “Here? As in this house?”
“Yes,” my mother said like I was stupid.
“What did she want?”
“A dollar.”
What?
“A dollar?” That didn’t make any sense. “Did she say why?”
“She said she would explain later and that she didn’t have time because she needed to stop at every trailer in the park.”
What the hell is that woman up to now?
“I don’t know what I’m going to do, Maddox. Where will I go? I can’t afford to move my house to another park.”
I grabbed my mom’s upper arms. “Mom, I’m not going to let them kick you out of here.”
“Maddox, I don’t own this land. I just pay the lot fee.”
“I know.” I knew exactly who owned the land. That fucker Brantley Graham.
I kissed my mother on the forehead. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this, okay? We’re not going down without a fight.”
I pushed my feet into my boots and headed to Addison’s office.
I had walked over to my mom’s the afternoon before for the exercise, but now, I was regretting it. I didn’t have the patience that it was going to take me to walk to her office. I wanted to get there now, so I could yell at her for being such an insensitive bitch.
I tried calling her again, but this time, I went straight to voice mail.
“Fuck.”
I thought she was ignoring me.
I picked up the pace and ran almost the whole way. When I got there, I was starting to sweat, but I didn’t care. I pulled open the door, and Serena looked up.
“Hey, Uncle Maddox.” She wrinkled her nose. “You look like you could use a shower.”
“Thanks,” I said, ignoring her jab. “Is Addison here?”
“No, she said she was going to be gone all day. Do you want me to take a message?”
“So, you don’t know when she’ll be back?”
Serena shook her head. “No, but she said she would call before she was on her way home. I can let you know when that is.”
I nodded once. “Please do. I need to talk to her.” I turned to leave but paused. “Oh, and, Serena?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t tell her I was looking for her, okay?”
“Okay,” she said warily.
“Thanks,” I said and headed out the door.
Twenty-Five
Addison
I trudged to my car, feeling defeated.
I’d driven to Iowa City early that morning to speak to the CEO and board of directors of Brandon’s company to try to reason with them. I knew there was no point in trying to convince my father to change his mind, so I’d hoped to appeal to the company’s compassion.
I’d lost. The board had agreed to help a little, but in the end, the mobile home park was going. Not only were they afraid my father would change his mind about the project, but they also liked his idea of turning it into a full country club. It would only bring in more revenue, and some of the added features would help offset the money they would lose in the winter when it was too cold, and there was too much snow to golf.
I had to hand it to my dad. He was one smart man. Ruthless and cunning but smart.
I pretty much drove home on autopilot, using the hour-long drive to try to figure out what I was going to do next. It was hard because I really needed to sit down at my computer and do some digging and research.
When I got back to Brook Creek, I parked in my usual spot and walked into the office through the back door.
Serena looked surprised to see me. “Oh, you’re back. I thought you were going to call.”
“Yeah, sorry. I was preoccupied. Did I miss anything?”
“Just that Uncle Maddox was looking for you.” She put a hand up by her mouth. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and looked at my blank screen. I’d forgotten to turn it back on. I pushed the power button now.
I’d gotten a phone call in the waiting room, and I hadn’t bothered to see who it was. I’d just turned it off completely, so there wouldn’t be any distractions.
After my cell powered up, I saw that it was Maddox who’d called me.
Crap.
I’d wanted to talk to him, but now, I felt so drained. There was only one thing I wanted to do. And it wasn’t to talk to anyone. Even research was going to have to wait.
“I’ll be in my office,” was all I said to Serena.
I threw my purse on my desk and went to the corner of the room where my file cabinet was stored.
I sat on the floor, opened the bottom drawer, and reached into the back.
Jackpot.
I pulled my consolation prize out of the back and hugged the package to my chest.
I tried to stay away from chocolate because, once I started eating it, I found it difficult to stop. But, damn it, I deserved some food medication right now.
I unwrapped my bite-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and popped it into my mouth. It didn’t really make me feel any better, but it sure as shit tasted damn good.
I lay back on the floor and unwrapped another.
A short time later, I heard the bell ding as the front door opened.
“Where is she?” a deep voice said.
“In her office,” Serena said.
I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to face Maddox right now.
I heard the heavy tread of his boots as he entered my room.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I opened my eyes. “Feeling sorry for myself.”
“You’re feeling sorry for yourself? You really are selfish, Addison Graham.”
I’d never seen such anger in his eyes, and it was directed at me.
I burst into tears.
I was on the birth control shot, so I didn’t get my period, but I still went through my cycle, emotions and food cravings and all. I was pretty sure that was why I was drowning myself in chocolate and why I was crying. My stressful day had come at the wrong time of the month.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Maddox said, his face softening as he got down on his haunches.
Like most men, he looked uncomfortable around a weeping woman.
“I’m sorry, Maddox. I tried. I really did. But they won’t back down.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He held out his hand. “Here, let me help you up.”
I put my hand in his, and he pulled me into a sitting position. The crinkle of wrappers falling off my chest sounded as they landed in my lap.
Maddox picked one up and raised an eyebrow.
“Chocolate therapy,” I explained.
He wiped a tear off my face. “It doesn’t look like it’s working.”
I hiccuped, and new tears started to flow. “It’s not.”
Maddox shook his head. “I really want to be mad at you, but you’re making it very hard to do.”
“I’m-I’m sorry. I’d be mad at me, too. I’m guessing your mom got the notice that she needs to move?”
His mouth flattened into a grim line. “Yes.”
“This is all my fault.” I unwrapped another peanut butter cup and shoved it in my mouth. “But I swear, this wasn’t part of the original plans,” I said over my mouthful of chocolate.
He tilted his head. “It wasn’t?”
“No.” I frowned. “I would never do that.” Does he really think so little of me? “I went to Iowa City this morning to talk them out of it. I was even prepared to threaten them with a class action lawsuit, but let’s face it. I don’t have the funds to take them on.”
A look of understanding crossed his face. “Is that why you asked my mom for a dollar this morning?”
I sniffled. “Yes. It was my retainer fee, so I could represent everyone in the trailer park.”
“Did you get a dollar from everyone?”
I wiped my cheek. “Almost. Enough that I could legally represent them.”
“You really care about the people you represent, don’t you?”
Didn’t he ask me a similar question like that the other day?
“Yes. I never wanted anything like this to happen.”
“So, what did happen?”
“My father.”
Maddox swore.
“I know. He’s gone too far this time.”
“Why would he do this?”
I didn’t want to tell Maddox my theory. It sounded so silly to say it out loud to him. I wasn’t his girlfriend. We weren’t in love. I didn’t want him to tell me my father’s plan was ridiculous because we weren’t even together. I was already too emotional, and as much as I hated to admit it, Maddox meant too much to me. Try as I might to keep him at arm’s length, he was becoming too important to me.
But it was obvious that he didn’t feel the same, so I shrugged. “I don’t know. Money, I guess.”
“It’s always money.”
Usually. Not always.
I looked up at his green eyes, and I felt my eyes began to get wet again. “I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know if I’d said sorry for the mobile home park/golf course mess or because I was starting to cry again.
“Do you need to do anything else around the office today?”
I held up my bag of candy. “Just finish this off.”
Maddox took the chocolate out of my hand and set it on the filing cabinet. “Come on, baby.” He put his arms underneath my back and legs and picked me up. “I know something better than drowning yourself in sweets.”
Twenty-Six
Maddox
I carried Addison upstairs to her apartment, yelling at Serena first to let her know that Addison was done for the day and to lock up before she went home.
I took Addison to her bathroom and set her on her feet. I turned on the water in the shower and then proceeded to undress her.
“What are you doing?”
“Sometimes, the best way to get rid of a bad day is to wash it away.”
“Does it work?” she asked as she took off her top and bra.
“Sometimes.”
I finished undressing her and then took off my own clothes. I ran my finger over the bite mark I’d left on her the other day. I guided both of us under the spray and then slowly washed Addison’s day away.
I had shown up
at her office, fully ready to yell at her, and she’d completely caught me off guard when she started crying. I’d dated enough women to know when they were fake tears and real ones, and I knew that Addison was sincerely distraught.
The fact that she’d gone to take on a company by herself with only forty dollars as retainers showed me how dedicated she was. I believed her when she’d said she didn’t want my mother to lose her home.
When the soap and shampoo was all washed away, I turned off the water and grabbed us some towels from the shelf in the bathroom. I dried us off and took Addison to her bedroom.
“Throw on something comfortable,” I told her.
“Is this code for put on something sexy?”
I laughed. “No. I mean it. Put on sweats or whatever it is women wear when they want to veg out.”
“Yoga pants.”
“Yoga pants?”
“Yeah. The most comfortable pair of pants.”
I smiled. “Okay then. Put on some yoga pants.”
I left her to get dressed and went back to the bathroom to put my clothes back on. I could go home and find new clothes, but I had showered only a few hours before Addison got home.
After I hadn’t been able to get ahold of her that morning, I’d called Foster to tell him I wasn’t coming in, and I had gone and worked out instead. I’d worked myself so hard; I’d had no choice but to shower before I scared people away with my smell.
I met Addison back in the living room and guided her to the couch. “So, tell me what happened today.”
She looked at me and pouted. “When you said you had better therapy than food, I thought you meant sex. I want my chocolate back.”
I laughed and pulled her into my arms. “Maybe later. If you’re good. But, right now, you need to talk and then relax a little. Tell me about today.”
“I went to Iowa City to talk to the company in charge of building the golf course. They won’t back down. I did get them to agree to rebuild the park in a new location and move everyone’s trailers for free.”
The rush of relief went through me. “That’s good news, right?”
“Yeah, except I don’t know where we’re going to move it to. I don’t know of any land for sale. And, anything my father owns, I know he’s going to say no.”
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