“Yeah, well, it’s over now.” Nick furrowed his brow as he read the letter. “I cut her loose, professed my love, and begged you to make an honest man out of me. After a long time — like ... a really long time — Cassidy let go and we’re all exactly where we should be.”
Maddie wasn’t sure she believed Cassidy had completely moved on, but she wasn’t in the mood to talk about the bitter woman who caused her endless pain over the course of several months. “Anyway, we’re coming up on our air conditioning anniversary. We should do something to mark the day.”
“That’s a fine idea. I’ll haul the air conditioners out of the basement, install them, and then you can fawn all over me.”
Maddie made a face that Nick secretly found adorable. “I was thinking that we would get an ice cream cake or something.”
“However you want to be perverted is fine with me.”
“I’m definitely not here,” George muttered. “In fact … why can’t I turn invisible? That would be so welcome right now.”
“Um-hmm.” Nick’s full attention was on the letter. “Ice cream cake it is,” he murmured.
Maddie tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. “Have you lost interest in dirty talk already? I’m crushed. I thought that was your thing.”
Nick returned to the land of the living quickly and flashed a chagrined smile. “No, it’s not that, Mad.” He worked his jaw as he debated how to proceed. “You know what? We can talk about it later.” He dropped the envelope on the table. “Let’s get the air conditioners into the windows, huh? This place is legitimately stuffy.”
Maddie had no intention of letting him flee from the conversation that easily. “Nicky ... come on. What’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on.”
“Son, I’m on your side when it comes to protecting her, but even I can tell you read something in that letter that upset you,” George offered. “If you don’t tell her now, I predict things go off the rails and you miss out on that cake for the foreseeable future.”
Nick frowned. “Maddie, it’s nothing that you need to get worked up about.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Maddie’s expression was fierce. “What is it? I’m really starting to worry.”
“I don’t want you to worry.” Nick crossed the room and lowered himself to the floor so he could look into the sea-blue depths of Maddie’s eyes. “That was a letter from the prosecutor’s office.”
“Am I being charged with a crime or something?” Maddie’s eyes were as big as saucers, causing Nick to chuckle.
“Have you broken the law, love?”
“Um ... yeah. I’ve broken into houses and spied on people. Maybe I can’t serve as a fortune teller without a license. I didn’t even consider that before. Oh, man. Am I going to get a big fine?”
“No, love, you’re not.” Nick grabbed her hand before she could wipe her grimy fingertips against her forehead. “You’re perfectly fine. In fact, you’re perfectly perfect. You’re not in trouble.”
“Then what is it?”
Nick bit back a sigh at her earnest face. “We’ve both been given notification that our testimony is necessary for another case, Mad. It’s not about us. It’s about someone else.”
“Who?” George asked the question before he could think better about it. He had no idea why Nick was so worked up about telling Maddie her testimony was required, but he was curious all the same.
“Yeah, who?” Maddie echoed.
“Todd Winthrop.”
Maddie’s shoulders stiffened. “Oh.” She had no idea what else to say.
“It’s okay.” Nick’s hands weren’t dirty, so he didn’t leave behind a trail of grime as he fluttered his fingers over her cheek. “It’s not a big deal. It’s one day of testimony and then we can put it behind us forever.”
“Right.” Maddie lowered her eyes.
“Who is Todd Winthrop?” George asked, the change in Maddie’s happy demeanor setting his teeth on edge. “What is going on?”
“Todd Winthrop is a guy we went to school with,” Nick replied, sitting cross-legged on the floor and tugging Maddie so he could cuddle her into his side. Her reaction worried him, although he wasn’t altogether certain why. “When Maddie first came back, things between us were tense. We weren’t together.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” George hedged. “Why does that matter?”
“Because Todd was Mr. Popular when we were in high school and he always wanted to date Maddie,” Nick explained. “When she came back to town, he couldn’t get to her fast enough. She wasn’t even settled yet and he was asking her out.”
“You’re still bitter about that, huh?” Maddie found her voice in time to tease him.
“You have no idea.” Nick smoothed her hair. “The problem is, Todd was not a nice guy. He partnered with a local high school guy and they killed a woman. They’re actually suspected of killing more than one woman, but they’ve only been charged with the one murder.”
“That’s enough to put them away for life,” Maddie stressed.
“It is,” Nick agreed, internally thankful that Maddie seemed to be returning to her normal self after being knocked for a loop. “The additional charges filed against both are important, too.”
George asked the obvious question. “What charges?”
“Well ... .” Nick wasn’t sure how far he should push things. It was Maddie’s story to tell.
“They went after me,” Maddie announced, taking the decision out of Nick’s hands. “They lured me out of the house and chased me into the woods. It was cold and I jumped in the lake to get away from them because I knew what they had planned was so much worse than freezing to death in the lake.”
Nick remembered the night well, her frigid skin and cold lips haunting his dreams for weeks after he pulled her out of the icy depths of the water. “You’re okay.” He wrapped his arm around her back and kissed the top of her head. “You’re okay.”
“Thanks to you,” Maddie supplied. “You jumped in the water to save me.”
“I didn’t think about it. I just knew you were there and I couldn’t lose you.”
“Yeah, well ... thanks anyway.” Maddie’s smile was rueful and it eased some of the tension flying around the room, causing Nick to bark out a laugh.
“You’re more than welcome, love.” He smacked a kiss against her lips. “I don’t like thinking about it either, but we have no choice. Winthrop is finally coming up for trial. That means we both have to testify.”
The notion made Maddie uncomfortable. “Is there any way around that? I’m not sure I’ll hold up well in front of people.”
“You’ll be fine ... and, no, there’s no way around it. Your testimony is very important.”
Resigned, Maddie sighed. “I figured. I’ll get through it ... somehow.”
“Good. I ... .” Whatever Nick was about to say died on his lips when the front door of the house flew open to allow two familiar figures entrance. “Wow. Knock much?” He drawled.
John Winters, Nick’s brother, ignored the dig as he tightened his grip on Christy Ford’s waist. For her part, the effervescent redhead was practically glowing. That was a big improvement over the last time Nick and Maddie had seen their best friends. Back then, right on the heels of Christy announcing she was pregnant, nobody was certain that the relatively new relationship would survive.
“What’s going on?” Maddie asked, instantly alert. “You guys don’t look like you’ve been fighting for a change.”
“We haven’t been fighting.” Christy held up her left hand to show off a huge diamond ring. “We’re engaged.”
“Oh, wow.” Maddie slid her eyes to Nick. “Did you know about this?”
“No.” He shook his head. He knew his brother planned to propose but had no idea the big moment was imminent. He was thankful for the distraction on the heels of the Todd Winthrop news, though. “I think this calls for a celebration.”
Two
The house wa
s too warm for a proper celebration so everyone moved to the field next to the house for an impromptu picnic.
Maude wasn’t thrilled about being forced into the great outdoors — especially since she appeared to be plotting something when Maddie roused her out of her private apartment — but she perked up when Nick grabbed a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator.
“Crack that open,” Maude ordered as Maddie set about spreading a blanket and unpacking various snacks for everyone to enjoy.
“Calm yourself,” Nick ordered, shaking his head. “This is a celebration for Christy and John. You should be happy for them ... and patient.”
Maude rolled her eyes. “I’m totally happy for them. Now ... gimme!”
“Whatever.” Nick handed over the bottle of champagne. He had his doubts Maude could open it without help, but something to distract her was in order. “So, are you guys going to tell us how this happened?”
Maddie was all smiles as she settled between Christy and Nick and immediately grabbed her best friend’s hand so she could study the ring. “This is lovely.”
Christy snorted, genuinely amused. “He already told me you helped him pick it out, Maddie,” she chided. “You don’t have to feign ignorance.”
“That’s good.” Maddie was relieved. “I wasn’t sure if he wanted to pretend he did everything himself and, if that was the case, I didn’t want to ruin anything and start another fight.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Maddie,” Christy noted. “You should work on that for the future.”
“I like that she’s a terrible liar.” Nick slung an arm around her shoulders and popped a grape into her mouth as he grinned. “I find it endearing.”
“You find everything she does endearing,” John countered. He looked more relaxed than he had in weeks, something Nick was thankful for.
“I think you’re the same way about Christy,” Nick pointed out. “You can’t make fun of me for being whipped now that you’re as bad as me.”
“Oh, I can always make fun of you for being whipped.” John lobbed a fond look in Christy’s direction as she showed off her ring. She was so happy, her face flushed with overt joy, that the fist gripping his heart over the past few weeks had finally ceded its relentless grip. “You’re not wrong about me being whipped, though.”
Nick smirked. “Well, at least you admit it.”
“Yes, I’m totally whipped,” John agreed, smirking. “It’s a fantastic feeling.”
“You guys can stop talking as if we can’t hear you,” Christy suggested, her eyes flashing. “We’re women, not deaf.”
“You’re definitely a woman.” John grabbed her hand and gave it a good squeeze. “As for being deaf, it’s the exact opposite, dear. No one could ever call your hearing into question.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Christy wrinkled her nose as she focused on Maddie. “So ... I want you to be my maid of honor. I know your wedding is coming up, so you have a lot of other things to focus on, but we plan on having a small ceremony — very small, like tiny — in the next few weeks. After the baby comes, we will probably have a bigger ceremony, but we’re still discussing that.”
The news caught Maddie off guard. “Oh, well ... I’m not sure I understand.” She looked to Nick for help. “Why not simply plan the big wedding from the start?”
“Is it about money?” Nick queried, math problems buzzing through his head. “If so, we can delay some of John’s payments on the house until after the wedding.”
“It’s not that,” John said hurriedly. “Christy wants to get married as soon as possible, which means she can’t have the wedding of her dreams. There’s simply not enough time. That’s why she wants to do it twice. I’m fine with it.”
He said it in such a manner that Nick assumed he was more confused than excited, but given the way John and Christy had been fighting since news of her pregnancy broke, Nick understood that his brother was willing to do whatever it took to keep the peace. “I understand.”
“I don’t,” Maddie persisted, confusion washing over her. “If we work together, we can probably get your dream wedding ready in four months or so. Why not wait until then?”
“Because I don’t want to be showing at the wedding,” Christy replied simply.
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Maddie. “I get it.”
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed about getting pregnant before being married,” Christy explained. “I don’t care about that. My mother is mortified, though. I mean ... she won’t shut up about it. You would think it’s the worst thing that ever happened, which is rich because plenty of terrible things have happened in this town over the years. Getting pregnant before being married is somehow the worst thing ever, though.”
“I’m not sure I get it,” Nick admitted after a beat. He was willing to let things go when he thought Christy might melt down. Since she’d shown a willingness to talk about it, though, he decided to plow forward. “What’s the big deal about showing at your wedding?”
Christy offered up a “well, duh” look that caused Nick to shift closer to Maddie in case she started yelling.
“I have very specific ideas for a wedding dress, and I don’t want a maternity option,” Christy replied. “I want my dream wedding dress. If we get married in a few months, I won’t fit into my dream dress so ... we’re waiting.”
“Why not wait until after the baby is born for the wedding?”
“Because ... I don’t want that.”
Nick scratched his nose. “I feel like I’m missing something, but I don’t know what it is. It must be a girl thing.”
“It’s an image thing,” Maude corrected, finally popping the top on the champagne and crowing when the cork flew across the blanket and hit George square in the chest. “Now that was aiming, huh?”
George merely rolled his eyes. “Yes. You’re a crack shot with the champagne, Maude.”
“That’s Wild Maude Hickok to you.”
Maude and George’s relationship was a work in progress. Maddie wanted nothing more than a truce, but they weren’t quite there yet. She knew she had to muddle through until they were there ... although it was getting increasingly difficult.
“Tell me what the plan is,” Maddie prodded, desperate to change the subject. “Are you going to have a backyard wedding or something?”
Christy shook her head. “We’re going to have a backyard reception with just close friends and family. We’re going to get married at the county clerk’s office and then invite people to the small reception. The bigger party will be after the baby is born.”
“That sounds pragmatic.”
“That’s my middle name.” Christy’s eyes sparkled in conjunction with her ring as she begged off when Maude offered her the champagne. “I think I’ll pass.”
“She can’t drink, Granny,” Maddie admonished. “She’s pregnant.”
“That’s an old wives’ tale,” Maude shot back. “I drank when I was pregnant with your mother and everything turned out fine.”
George muttered something under his breath that Maddie couldn’t quite make out, but whatever it was had Maude’s hackles rising.
“What did you just say about my daughter?”
“Okay, I think we should divide these festivities by gender,” Nick announced, hopping to his feet. The warning look he shot Maude was pointed, practically daring her to push things further. “George, you’re officially the owner of Mildred’s new house on the hill, right?”
The conversational shift threw George, but he nodded. “Yes.”
“I think we should go up there and check out the construction,” Nick suggested. “I see there’s a lot of equipment arriving daily. You can show us what’s being done. Men love construction, so we can go and the ladies can stay here talking about wedding dresses.”
“Smooth,” Maude deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “I can’t tell you how smooth that was.”
Nick merely shrugged. “I have to work with what I’ve got.”
ONCE THE MEN W
ERE GONE, Maddie asked the question she’d been dying to ask since Christy showed up with the ring.
“How did it happen?”
“Well, it was very romantic.” Christy adopted a far-off expression. “He took me out for a romantic dinner to the restaurant on the lake. I ordered my weight in prime rib and potatoes and was feeling very full — like I needed to change into stretchy pants full — when he took me for a walk on the beach instead of home.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” she continued. “Once we got out there, though, I saw all these candles were lit. I found out after the fact that he hired the cart kids at the golf course to light them and was in contact on his phone, giving them a heads-up when we would be out there.
“Anyway, when we got out there, he dropped to one knee in the center of the candles and said he knew exactly how he wanted his life to go and he couldn’t live the proper way without me,” she said. “He asked if I would marry him. I was crying so hard I could barely get words out, but I agreed. Then we went home to celebrate.”
“It seems to me that’s how you got in trouble in the first place,” Maude noted, taking a swig of the champagne. “There should be a way to celebrate without getting pregnant. If only there were something to stop pregnancy.”
Maddie lightly cuffed the back of her grandmother’s head, not hard enough to hurt her but strong enough to send a message. “Don’t be a jerk. Accidents happen.”
“In my day accidents never happened.” Maude’s annoyance was clear as she rubbed the back of her head. “We weren’t slaves to our hormones.”
“No, you just lied about wedding dates when someone got pregnant so people wouldn’t figure it out,” Maddie shot back.
Maude’s eyes widened. “Who told you that? I didn’t lie about my wedding date. I simply didn’t have a calendar.”
Maddie’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious?”
Maude realized what she said too late to take it back. “Of course not. That was a joke.”
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