Christmas in Magnolia Cove (9 page)

“What?” he asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“Well, weren’t you about to ask me out?” she asked with her head cocked.

“Um. No. Has no one told you… about me?” he stammered.

“Told me what?”

“Maddie, I’m gay.” Madison choked on a sip of her sweet tea. When she finally caught her breath, she looked at Brooks who was patiently waiting for her response.

“You’re gay? Since when?” she whispered across the table.

“No need to whisper. Most people around here know,” he said with a smile. “And, to answer your question, since about eighth grade.”

“But, we went to the dance…”

“I know. My Mom was pushing me to do that. She just wanted me to be normal.”

“I thought you always had a crush on me…” she said embarrassed.

“I did when we first moved here. Then, I started having a crush on Tommy Tucker and realized that I didn’t feel the same way about girls,” he said.

“Wow. This is a lot to take in…”

“Sorry. I thought you knew. Your sister and Mom know,” he remarked with a sly smile.

“Yeah, they just got me good!” she said giggling. “So, what were you going to ask me?”

“Well, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you really need to think about poor Wyatt.”

“Poor Wyatt? Are you kidding me?”

“No, I’m not kidding. I don’t want to make you feel bad, but do you remember how horribly you treated me in school? You tried to avoid me, made fun of my headgear and glasses…”

“I remember. I was hoping you didn’t. I am so sorry, Brooks. I really am,” she said reaching out to touch his hand. He jerked it back.

“I don’t forgive you. I only brought you here so I could tell you that you are a total bitch, and you should be ashamed of who you are.”

“But, Brooks, I’ve changed. I grew up. Everyone does…” Before she could finish her sentence, she realized he was acting to make a point. She smiled at him as he reached out to touch her hand.

“People can change, Maddie. Most people even grow up and mature. I would hate to think we were all judged on who we were as teenagers for the rest of our lives. I’m not saying what he did to you was right, but he was working with a very immature teenage boy’s mind. And he was lusting after a hot girl that he was trying to impress. That’s a dangerous combination,” Brooks said.

“Gosh, I guess I’ve been trying to punish him. Maybe I should give him a chance to be my friend…” she said.

“All I know is that he looks at you like he is in pain, Maddie. I think he has some feelings for you.”

“How could he? We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“Not true. You’ve known him since you were a teenager. You just didn’t have the best first introduction,” he said laughing. “He can’t change history, but at least give him a chance to show you who he is now.”

“Can we go back to the house, Brooks? I have something I need to take care of,” she said looking up at him with her deep blue eyes.

***

“Want me to come in with you?” Brooks asked as they pulled up in front of the Granger house.

“No. I’ve got it. Thanks again… for everything,” she said leaning over to kiss his cheek. She hobbled up the steps using her crutches and waved good-bye as Brooks pulled off. She swore she saw Wyatt looking out the upstairs window.

As Madison walked into the house, she could hear Wyatt instructing his crew on some renovations in one of the upstairs bedrooms. He sounded so forceful and strong. It struck her that Connor had never sounded so in-charge. Compared to Wyatt, Connor was a wimp.

Madison stood in the foyer looking up the staircase until Wyatt appeared. He stopped for a moment and looked down at her with no expression on his face. Slowly, he walked down the stairs while keeping his gaze fixed on her.

“Hi,” she said softly as he came downstairs. Standing just a foot from her, she wanted him to pick her up again.

“Hi. How was your lunch?” he asked without moving.

“It was great to catch up with Brooks,” she said smiling.

“You guys are dating?” he asked.

Madison laughed. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know Brooks was gay.

“Not hardly. Wyatt, Brooks is gay.”

His face softened as a slight smile crossed it.

“Gay, huh? Didn’t know that.”

“Were you jealous?” she asked with a coy grin.

“Why would I be jealous, Madison? You’re my employer,” he said walking past her into the kitchen. She hobbled along behind him. Realizing she had really hurt his feelings, she caught up and touched his arm.

“Wyatt, wait… please,” she said. He turned and looked down at her. Those piercing blue eyes cut right through him.

“I can’t talk to you if I know you are struggling on those crutches,” he said as he pushed them to the floor and picked her up to place her on the counter. Now at eye level, she looked at him carefully before she began to speak.

“Wyatt, I’m sorry for beating you up so much lately. I realize that you were trying to show me who you are now, and I wasn’t allowing you to do it. I was holding you to all of those stupid things you did as a kid, and that wasn’t fair.”

Stunned by her words, he took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “And what caused this change of heart?”

“Brooks reminded me that I bullied him, too.”

“You were a bully?” he asked with a smile. “Hard to imagine.”

“Well, I was. And I realized that it would kill me if Brooks still thought of me that way and there was nothing I could do to change his mind. It’s not fair.”

“What isn’t fair is the way I treated you back then, Madison. I was a cowardly, testosterone-fueled boy who had a lot of family issues. I was trying to hold on to Kim even though I knew she was bad for me. I did a lot of things then that I’m not proud of now,” he said looking sideways out the window.

“We all have regrets, Wyatt.”

“No, you don’t understand. I did drugs, drank too much, bullied a lot of kids, shoplifted… I was a mess,” he said shaking his head. “You were just caught up in my whirlwind of a life at the time.”

“It’s okay, Wyatt…”

“It’s not okay, Madison,” he said stepping forward to where he was positioned between her legs with his hands bracing the counter around her hips. She was thankful she had worn jeans and not a skirt that day. He was so close that she could feel his warm breath across her cheek. “If you will let me, I will make it up to you the best way I know how.”

Breathless with anticipation of what she was sure would be a mind-blowing kiss, Madison said “And how will you do that?”

“By making this place the most beautiful home in town,” he whispered into her ear before backing up and smiling.

The next week was full of activity with Madison closing on the property and Wyatt heading up a flurry of renovation tasks. The kitchen had been completely remodeled with new floor stain and paint. While Wyatt continued working on renovations, Madison started to focus on decorations. Best of all, she was finally able to remove the boot as long as she promised that she wouldn’t wear high heels for a couple of weeks. Petite at only five foot three inches tall, Madison hated feeling below everyone else. With Wyatt towering over her at over six feet tall, she was always craning her neck upward to look at him. And she liked to look at him a lot.

“Madison, are you planning to decorate the outside of the house?” Wyatt asked as he walked up behind her. They had gotten more comfortable being around each other over the last week. She didn’t hold as much anger at him, and he seemed to be easing up a bit on carrying her around now that the boot was gone.

“Of course. It’s Christmas!” she said with a grin.

“You really love Christmas, don’t you?” he asked.

“I adore it! What about you? What will you be doing this Christmas?” she asked.

“Probably what I do every Christmas… Heating up a TV dinner and watching old westerns on TV,” he said looking down as he picked at a smudge on the living room wall.

“Why don’t you celebrate with family?” she asked, feeling a curious sense of sadness for him.

“I don’t really have any family, Madison,” he said.

“You never told me where your Mom is, Wyatt. Did she pass away too?” Madison asked.

Wyatt leaned against the stacked stone fireplace and crossed his arms across his muscular chest. She had noticed he did that when he was trying to protect his emotions.

“My mother has early-onset dementia, Madison. She lives in an assisted living center just outside of town,” he said. Madison’s stomach churned at the thought of that possibly happening to her mother because of the Parkinson’s Disease. Even though that was not something that happened to everyone with Parkinson’s, it was a possibility.

“Wyatt, I am so sorry. How long has she lived there?”

“A little over a year. Being an only child, it was hard to watch my mother forget who I was. She was getting lost in her own house. One day, I found her sleeping in the shed behind the house because she left the house in the night. I just couldn’t take care of her the way she needed…” Madison walked closer and resisted the urge to embrace him. The emotion on his face was palpable. “I felt really guilty that I couldn’t just move in with her and take care of her, but I had to work…”

“Your mother would never have wanted you to give up your life to take care of her. Mothers are funny that way,” she said smiling. She couldn’t hold back anymore as she walked forward and rubbed her hand across his right arm that was still crossed over his chest. “I am sure she loves you very much.” He jumped a bit at her touch, almost as if a hot poker had brushed across his skin.

“Madison…” he whispered as she took another step toward him. She wasn’t sure what she was doing. Her heart, or maybe her body, was leading her. She put her left hand on his left shoulder and looked up at him. “What are you doing?” he asked softly.

“I don’t really know…” she said watching her hands rub across his muscular arms. He didn’t move an inch, but she could hear his breath quicken.

“Madison?” she heard a familiar male voice calling out to her.

“Oh, my God…” she whispered looking at Wyatt like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Who is that?” he asked.

“Connor. My ex-fiancé,” she said, gritting her teeth.

“There you are,” Connor said from the living room doorway as Madison swiftly spun around. Connor stood there smiling with a vase full of red roses in his hand.

“What in the hell are you doing here, Connor?” she yelled as she walked toward him, hands on her hips. “You are not welcome in my home!”

“This place is nice,” he said, ignoring her comment. “Amber said you got a great deal on it.” She vowed to kill Amber for telling Connor where the house was located.

“I said you are not welcome here, Connor. Get out,” she said pointing at the foyer.

Wyatt stayed against the fireplace while she confronted him. Everything in him wanted to pick the weaselly guy up and throw him out physically, but he knew she would not appreciate him taking over for her.

“Madison, I just want to talk to you. Five minutes. That’s all I ask. Then I will leave, I promise,” he said. She stood there staring at him for a moment.