“Good morning, Stuart,” Grace said. “How was your ride?”
“It was a great workout,” he answered. He loved the way riding raised his heart rate and strengthened his legs. He thought about how Madison Wagner and her decidedly less-than-warm attitude had put a damper on his bright morning. If she acted like that before she even got to know him, he could only imagine how she might treat his kids if they ever ran into each other. “Why don’t we all go wash up and have some breakfast,” he told the girls, and added for Grace, “You’re welcome to stay and eat, too.” He said the polite thing, but secretly hoped she would decline as he enjoyed when it was just the three of them bonding as a family.
“I’d love to,” Grace said, “but I have a hiking date with my boyfriend, so...”
“Understood,” Stuart said with a smile. “Have a good hike and we’ll see you the next time.”
“Sounds good.” Grace grabbed her bag and beamed at the girls. “Don’t give your dad a hard time.”
“We won’t,” Carrie promised, then turned to her sister. “Will we?”
“No, we won’t,” Dottie said. “Race you to the bathroom.”
“Okay.” Carrie sprinted away, giggling, with Dottie hot on her tail.
Stuart laughed, as did Grace. It gave him such joy to see them acting like girls should, rather than the way it was when their mother left and it seemed like there was a void he could never fill. While he considered it still a work-in-progress, Stuart felt he was generally getting the job done as a single parent.
* * *
On Monday, Madison drove her Subaru Legacy to the downtown offices of Rose Petals magazine. She loved the job, as she loved reading books and giving honest reviews. It was also nice to have her own column, where she could highlight books of interest and other general literary topics.
Stuart Kendall crossed her mind. She had not seen him since their run-in. She had read some of his thriller fiction after Holly had recommended she try it. Admittedly, he was talented, and she had given him high marks when doing reviews in Houston. But she saw little reason for them to crisscross at this point, as it would only remind her of things she was trying to forget.
After pulling into the underground parking garage, Madison took the elevator up to the fifth floor. She greeted the other members of the staff, then sat at her desk in her small office.
The editor-in-chief, Giselle Fortune, walked in holding a stack of books.
“Good morning, Madison,” she said. “I’ve got some reading material for you.”
“Oh, great!” Madison smiled as Giselle set them on her desk. “I can’t wait to get started.” She picked up the top book in the stack, which was a thriller by Stuart Kendall titled The Next One to Fall. “Hmm...this looks interesting, but I know Stuart, kind of. I used to hang out with his sister. I’d feel kind of funny reviewing his book, especially if it wasn’t glowing.” Maybe even weirder if it was, she mused.
“Understood,” Giselle said. She brushed aside feathered blond hair and took the book from Madison’s hands. “I’ll get Larry Wellington to review it.”
“Thanks,” Madison said, grabbing another hardcover title that was more agreeable to her.
“I’m sure you probably already realize that Stuart’s a local,” Giselle said.
“Yes, my friend mentioned it to me.”
“Well, just so you know,” Giselle began, “while I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we treat our city’s bestselling authors like royalty, we do try to do pieces on them every now and then to boost circulation and show our appreciation for local talent.”
And I’m sure it all goes to their heads, Madison thought. “Makes sense,” she said evenly.
“That doesn’t mean anyone gets a free pass for a lousy book,” Giselle made clear. “As for Stuart, I met him once at a Portland book convention. He seems like a stand-up guy and totally down-to-earth.”
“I’m glad to hear he’s approachable,” Madison told her, though she had already gathered as much. I’d just rather not be the one to approach him right now, she thought.
“Well, I’d better let you get to work,” Giselle said. “Oh, in case I forgot to mention it, we’re glad to have you as part of our team.”
Madison smiled. “Thank you. I’m happy to be part of the team.”
After her boss left, Madison leaned back in her chair and thought about how she could make the most of her new city and circumstances. She deserved to be happy just like everyone else. Didn’t she?
* * *
Two weeks later, Madison was at home enjoying a glass of white wine and reading a book when her iPad chimed. Her sister Bianca was initiating a video chat.
Madison accepted and watched as her older sister’s face suddenly appeared on the screen. “Hey there.”
“Hey back at you,” Bianca said. “What’s going on?”
“Same old, same old,” Madison responded, thinking of how much they looked alike, aside from the fact that Bianca had now gone totally blonde and had thinner brows. “Just trying to keep up with my workload.”
“I hear you,” Bianca said. “There’s been a lot of newsworthy stuff happening at the casinos. I’ve had to put in extra hours at the paper.” She sipped from a glass of wine. “I wish you had moved here instead of Portland. I’d love to have my kid sister around to hang out with.”
“I doubt that,” Madison said, smiling. Though things were good between them now, it hadn’t always been that way. They were both stubborn and seemed more interested in butting into each other’s lives than not. “I’d never be able to keep up with you. Besides, I like Portland and the job that brought me here.”
“Fair enough. I’m sure there are some hot men in Portland to take your mind off you-know-who.”
“It’s already off him,” Madison insisted. “That’s over and done with. As for hot men in Portland, I wouldn’t know, as I’ve been too busy to notice.”
“Didn’t you say Holly’s brother lives there?” Bianca probed.
Damn, she has too good a memory, thought Madison, tasting her wine. “Yes, he lives here.”
“And...?”
“And nothing,” Madison said. “We’ve run into each other, but that’s about it.”
“He’s single, right?”
“Yes, as I understand it, and he has two young children.”
“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a ready-made family, if the man is a good fit,” Bianca told her.
“Never said there was,” Madison responded tightly. “And the man’s not a good fit.”
“Why not?” Bianca pressed. “Not hot enough for you?”
“He’s nice-looking,” she admitted. “But—”
“But he’s Holly’s brother and she’s involved with your ex. Am I right?”
Madison saw no reason to deny it. She sighed. “Let’s just say that’s not a road I care to go down. And, for that matter, I’m not really interested in pursuing anyone or being pursued by anyone right now.”
“Okay, okay, I won’t push it,” Bianca said, leaning back in her chair. “When you’re ready, you can put yourself back out there. Just remember that one mistake does not a lifetime make. I’ve made a few mistakes in the male department, but I refuse to allow that to keep me from taking new chances at love and happiness.”
“I’ll