Loving the Chase (Heart of the Storm #1) (11 page)

“So you will be running this shindig?” Gran said.

Maddi opened her mouth and glanced around the room, as if seeing Nicole would anchor that idea. “Yes, ma’am.” She smiled brightly. “I’m surprised you remember me. It was a long time ago.”

Gran laughed and took a sip of her water. “Well, of course I remember you, sweetheart. You’re the one that crushed my Zach’s heart like a Tic Tac. I wanted to hunt you down, but Zach and Eli forbade it. Building falling on you, and all.” She winked and smiled just as brilliantly. “Good to see you again.”

Maddi felt the smile freeze on her face as the bright-eyed old bitch patted her hand again and someone who was probably Zach cursed under their breath. She wasn’t sure because she didn’t dare look up to check. She was doing good enough just to occupy space in the room she’d once thought of as home, where she’d grown up and laughed and cried and fell in love. Someone pulled the wheelchair another direction and she slowly stood upright, turning to Miss Lou.

“Yay,” she whispered. And then realized that Miss Lou really probably shouldn’t or wouldn’t be her ally on this. If Granabelle felt that way, being once removed, how did Zach’s mother feel? Then again, that hug outside had been the real deal.

“Don’t you let that constipated old biddy get under your skin,” Miss Lou said under her breath, taking her hand. “Here, come with me for a second.”

Maddi found herself being led out the back patio doors into the thick muggy heat and the slightly sweet smell of damp earth and flowers. Miss Lou’s wild-growing flower beds weren’t anything to rave over, but they were as fragrant as ever. Tiger lilies and irises and gladiolas hugged the back of the house, circling around as if to point the way to the spring-fed pond that reached around a bend and sat framed between the two giant oak trees.

The same old dilapidated bench marked the place where the land ended and the water began. The bench where Zach had asked her something very important—in the rain, of course. And her favorite tree, the twin on the right, that had so many hidden cubbies and places to climb up in and get lost. She could still spot a good climbing tree—could tick off the possibilities before taking a full breath.

“Honey, I thought you could stand a chance to catch your wind,” Miss Lou said, sinking into a cushioned patio chair. “I know I could. It’s getting crazy in there, and Annabelle doesn’t help things one bit. They won’t miss us for a few minutes.”

Maddi laughed and glanced through the paned doors at Nicole animatedly chatting with Eli, and lowered herself into a seat next to Miss Lou. The quiet was welcoming, soothing, cathartic as always. She’d always loved this backyard, as if it were separate from the rest of the world. She’d wanted to get married back there, originally, but Zach had talked her into a quick courthouse ceremony and a fantastic party and honeymoon instead.

“How is your brother?” Miss Lou asked.

“He’s great,” Maddi said. “Out of the service now, and running his own gym in West Plano.”

“Good for him,” Miss Lou said. “You know, I think about him every time I look at those trees,” she said, pointing. “How he’d jump from one to the other like a monkey.”

Maddi chuckled. “Yeah, he was quite the skinny little acrobat.” She widened her eyes. “Not so much anymore. The Marines took care of the skinny.”

Miss Lou laughed, her eyes crinkling around her glasses. “It’s got to be a little bit overwhelming, huh? Coming back here?”

Maddi met her eyes, and there was no animosity or negativity there. Simply kindness and concern. She was hit with a wave of regret for not keeping in touch with the woman who taught her to be a woman. Her own parents were never people she could sit and talk like this with. Oh, her mom always gave the effort, but they just weren’t the warm-and-fuzzy kind of parents. They provided. They educated and loved Maddi and Monroe, but demonstrative love just wasn’t in their wheelhouse. And her dad’s quick temper made it easier to come to the Chase house.

Miss Lou always made it easy to be there.

“A little,” she said, releasing a breath and a chuckle. “You know, you think you’re all grown up and past things till you’re staring at them again.”

“Well,” Miss Lou said, crossing an ankle over her knee, “if it’s any consolation, those
things
are struggling a bit, too.”

Maddi felt her mouth drop open as her stomach made a diving move—like when you suddenly drop in an airplane or speed down a hill. What the hell was that? She wasn’t fifteen, hoping to hear that a boy liked her. She was a grown woman, and—

“You just never got closure, Maddi,” Miss Lou said, cutting into her thoughts. “You both have that same look about you. Like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Maddi laughed, the feeling warming her insides and releasing tension. “I guess.”

“I know,” she said. “Talk to each other a little, it’ll even out.”

Maddi nodded, not entirely sold on that theory. She didn’t think having a chitchat would settle the storm that churned between her and Zach every time they shared air, but she could give it a try. She did need to work with him, after all.

“But don’t listen to Annabelle,” Miss Lou said. “God knows that woman can make a stink when she wants to. Yes, Zach may have flopped around a bit when you left. As I’m sure you probably did, too. But you both survived to walk the earth today,” she said with a laugh and flip of her hand. “So don’t let her melodrama get to you.”

“You don’t hate me?” Maddi asked, surprised the question fell out of her mouth. This place had a way of loosening her defenses, that was for sure.

“Sweetheart,” Miss Lou said, putting a hand on her arm, “this life isn’t easy, and it isn’t for everyone. No one blamed you for needing out, especially after what you went through. And baby, look at you now. Standing up to what scares you and filming it. That takes guts.”

Maddi felt her breath quicken and the familiar fires under her skin at the memory of being buried under the rubble. She shook her head slightly to push it away.

“But that day—”

“Happened as God intended it to,” Miss Lou finished. “Sometimes he makes big statements.”

Maddi blinked, feeling the weight of those words. “Thank you.”

“Life’s messy, baby. It’s raw and gritty,” Miss Lou said. “The best stuff always is.”

Maddi smiled. “The best stuff, huh?”

“What I’ve always told my kids,” she said, squeezing Maddi’s arm. “So tell me about you. About this job.”

Maddi sighed. “Not much to tell. Yet, at least.”

“I remember you wanting to be a TV reporter,” Miss Lou said.

“Yeah,” Maddi said wistfully, recalling her childhood dreams of changing the world through broadcast journalism. “Real life tends to hand out different cards,” she said. “I started at the network as a lowly little sound tech, and then took a chance with the assistant position.” Maddi laughed and shook her head. “I thought my
brilliance
would shoot me right on up.”

“No shooting?” Miss Lou said, her blue eyes looking amused.

“Definitely no shooting.”

“Well, just give it time, sweetheart,” Miss Lou said, patting her hand. “You never know what doors it might open up.”

Maddi glanced behind her at the French doors. “Yes, ma’am. Open up.”

“Relax,” Miss Lou said, giving her hand a squeeze. “We’re family here, remember?”

“I know,” Maddi said, letting out a sigh. She felt herself slump, attempting a smile she didn’t quite feel. “That obvious?”

“Only when you breathe, baby.”

Maddi laughed as she covered her face with her hands. “God, I’m not pulling this off well, am I?”

“It’s just your history eating at you,” Miss Lou said. “You and Zach have an epic one. You just have to find a way to put that aside to do your job.”

Maddi nodded. “Exactly. And this show is kind of being dangled over my head like a carrot,” she said. “No pressure.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty exciting—Eli is the harder sell, by the way, so maybe you can work your magic on him.”

Maddi chuckled. “Will do.” She suddenly felt antsy, as if she couldn’t sit in that chair, in that backyard anymore. She needed something normal, something preferably miles away from where she currently existed, but that wasn’t going to happen. “I should probably get back to my boss before she reminds me we aren’t on a social visit. Now, about those lemon bars?”

“Come on,” Miss Lou said, rising to her feet with a hint of stiffness and a grunt. “Let’s see if we can part the masses and get to the kitchen. We can bring everything out to Zach’s table that your boss is so flustered over.”

Maddi laughed and rose with a turn toward the door, reaching for the handle just as it opened for her and Zach stood just inches away. Looking down at her with those eyes. And damn if her stomach didn’t do gymnastics all over again. But Miss Lou was right. They had to work together and find some sense of normal, so they both needed to quit this dance-around and rip off the Band-Aid.

“Hey,” she said, holding his gaze with a neutral smile. She patted him on the chest as if he were Eli or Simon or any other guy that just happened to stand in her path. “Excuse me.”

Zach backed up like she’d hit him with electric shock, and she cruised past him like touching him meant absolutely nothing. As if her hand didn’t still feel the soft fabric of his shirt and the heat from underneath.

Shit, she had to stop. She had to stop thinking like that. Reacting like that. She’d worked on a set before, and she knew what kind of physical boundary-breaking went with that. She was all up in people’s personal space, positioning, setting camera angles. Jesus—wiring the body up for sound, under their clothing.

That thought set both hands to trembling, and by the time they made it to the kitchen, she was wishing there’d be rum in those lemon bars.

There were several trays of finger foods. Brownies, crackers, chips, two different dips, and the aforementioned lemon bars. No one would ever starve at Louella Chase’s house.

Maddi grabbed the chip bowl and the picante dip, suddenly feeling as if she could take it all down on her own. Wouldn’t be a problem.

“Hang tight, there,” Miss Lou said as Maddi turned back the way she’d come in. She grabbed both bowls from Maddi’s hands.

“What?” Maddi said, confused. “I thought we were bringing everything out there.”

“We are, my girl, but you’re shaking like it’s the second coming,” Miss Lou said. “I don’t care to see it all on the floor.”

Maddi clasped her hands together as she felt everything from the neck up erupt in flames. “I’m fine.”

Miss Lou eyed her. “I may have been a little presumptuous on the closure thing, honey,” she said, putting the bowls down and selecting a lemon bar from the tray. She broke it in half. “Neither one of you appear to be over anything.”

“What?” Maddi said again, but any further protests were silenced by half a lemon bar shoved into her mouth.

“For strength,” Miss Lou said, popping the other half in her own mouth. “Grab something not breakable and let’s go.”

Chapter Nine

I
don’t agree.”

“Why not, Eli?” said Simon, letting his hand drop to the table.

The disagreements had hit somewhat of a rotating wheel. Everything that had been covered so far—from the timing to the tone to the number of episodes, and the suggestion of a script—had all been shot down by Elijah on high. Now he was griping about the location, and everyone’s nerves were wearing thin.

“It’s Mom’s house we’re talking about, here,” Eli said.

“Exactly,” Miss Lou said, raising her hand. “My house. My contribution to this thing. You have no bearing on that topic, so let that go.”

Eli’s jaw twitched at the reprimand, but he had no leverage and he knew it. “You want all this chaos in your life? Right under your roof?”

“I’d kill for a little chaos, my boy,” she said. “I get bored stiff around here by myself.”

“Okay!” Nicole interjected, sitting up with a look of great hope that they could all get off the ride and make some headway. “So the location is agreed upon. Are we back to the number of episodes?” She glanced sideways at Eli. “A pilot and three episodes is pretty standard fare for a start-up. We see if the network wants to continue after that.”

“What if
we
don’t want to continue—
before
that?” Eli asked. “What if we hate it after the pilot? What if we hate it before the pilot? What if we punch the cameraman?”

She leaned forward. “You do realize you’re getting money for this, right?”

Eli leaned forward to match her. “I get money now.”

“Not for storm chasing, you don’t,” Zach said. “Shit, Eli, quit being an ass.”

“I don’t want to see us stuck in something we can’t get out of,” Eli yelled, slamming his hand down hard.

“It’s four episodes,” Simon said. “That’s hardly a lifetime commitment.”

Eli blew out a breath and sat back with his eyes closed. “What about a contingency that we reserve the right to pull the plug at any time if we want to.”

“Jesus,” Zach muttered, along with similar under-the-breath expletives from Simon and even Quinn. Maddi was quiet, sitting back in her chair, staring at a packet of paper in front of her like she wanted to be anywhere else.

Nicole tapped her pen on the table and met Eli’s eyes, challenge for challenge, the silence thick as mud between them.

“Three weeks’ notice—
after
you’ve seen the pilot,” she added quickly.

“That’s not—” Eli began.

“Eli, that’s not up for negotiation,” Nicole said bluntly. “Production costs a lot of money, and the network will not sign on to do all this work without something in the bag.”

He let out a long uneasy breath and sat back against the chair.

“Three weeks’ notice,” Nicole repeated, “and the
we
does not mean
you
. It means that the entirety of who signs this contract has a consensus. You all have to sign to end it.”

All eyes swung back to Eli, whose jaw muscles were working violently under eyes that could wither a lesser person.

“Eli,” Maddi said, her voice new and unexpected to the conversation. “Give it a chance. Four shows are standard for a reason. It gives everyone a chance to work out the bugs and find their footing.”

She laid her hand on his arm, and Zach’s stomach contracted as he flashed back on that hand resting against his chest. He closed his eyes and clamped his teeth together so hard he thought they might break. He heard the breathy quality of her chuckle and had to open his eyes again to see the face that went with it.

“This is my first show, Eli,” she said with a nervous and endearing grin. “I’m gonna need all four shots at it.”

Oh, she was good. That was good.

As expected, the hard veneer softened a bit. The ready-for-battle eyes looked away, and Eli sighed as he ran a hand over his face.

“No script,” he said, resignation pulling down his tone. “No script, or no deal.”

“There are times in a reality show where the actors—” Nicole began.

“We aren’t actors,” Eli interrupted.

“—the people on-screen get interviewed, asked questions and such,” she amended quickly. “And the stuff in here would play better with—”

“No,” he said.

“Eli’s right,” Zach said, bringing his brother’s hard gaze his direction. “We don’t work like that. But you can script your side, plan your questions, and whatever we say, we say. I mean, I assume there has to be some introduction in the beginning. Some talky-talk stuff so the viewers get to know us, but let them know
us
. And when we’re out in the field, even if we’re on camera, we’re working.
You
follow
us
and get what you want and edit out what you don’t. We don’t have time out there to worry about words.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed and he nodded. Nicole chewed her bottom lip and pondered that, or pretended to. After a few long seconds, she put her pen down.

“I can work with that,” she said. “Is that everything?”

“I think so,” Zach said.

Eli nodded again, not looking totally on board, but not looking ready to chew through the table anymore, either.

“Okay,” Nicole said in a rush of relief. She flipped the pages to the back. “Then all I need is some ink, guys. There’s a place for each of you to sign, and I’ll get Hannah’s signature later this week.”

The paper moved around the table from Eli to Simon, to Zach, to Quinn, and to Lou. When it passed Gran on the way back to Nicole, she grabbed it and peered through her glasses.

“Where’s mine?”

“You aren’t in the contract, Mrs. Chase,” Nicole said, glancing at everyone else in turn.

“What do you mean, I’m not in it?” she said, laughing as though that was ridiculous. “Of course I’m in it. I pay for all of this.”

“Actually, everything that is done for the show is funded by the network,” Nicole said. “What they do off-screen—say, a storm chase that pops up and it’s not within our filming schedule or we aren’t ready—that’s not covered, but anything for our cameras is.”

Gran’s eyebrows raised slowly. “Hmm,” she said. Zach caught a sideways look from his mother. “So I have no say in this?” she asked, wheeling back from the table.

“In your family? Sure!” Nicole said, trying to smooth old and fragile feathers. “But in this show, no, I’m afraid not.”

“Then I can go,” she said. “I certainly have better things to do than take up token space.” She pushed back and headed for the door. “Simon?”

Simon cleared his throat and smiled. “Am I done here?” he asked softly. “I’ve been beckoned.”

“We’re good, Simon,” Maddi said with a wink. “We’ll get you the schedule so you can plan around work, but we’ll be starting in here tomorrow with sound cues and setting up the static cams.”

“I’ll come by early,” he said, and his hand on Quinn’s shoulder wasn’t lost on Zach. “Hey, Little Bit,” he said, which he’d affectionately called her since the beginning of time. “Can you get a ride home?”

“No problem,” she said, smiling vibrantly up at him.

He looked physically whipped as he walked away from her. Zach knew the feeling. Sharing space—
this
space—with Maddi was beating the crap out of him. She didn’t belong there. Or actually, she kind of did, and that was worming under his skin like a parasite. Her being there, sitting at the table, laughing with his family, brought back memories of when that was normal. Of when he had a heart and felt it beating on a daily basis. She needed to go. Go wherever TV crews go to do whatever they do, so he could breathe.

“So the crew will be here at eight in the morning to start wiring for video,” Nicole said, looking immensely pleased with herself. “That okay, Mrs. Chase?”

“Call me Lou, please, Mrs. Chase just left,” she answered. “And it’ll all be fine.”

Nicole suppressed a laugh. “Gotcha.”

“I’ll have bacon and eggs and biscuits ready to go,” Lou said.

“Oh, wow,” Nicole said as she got up. “I’m sad I’m missing that.”

“You should be,” Quinn said, palming her flat abs like there was a spare tire hiding in there. “Miss Lou’s breakfast is to die for.”

“You won’t be back in the morning?” Lou asked.

Nicole shook her head and patted Maddi’s back. “No, ma’am, I’m headed back to Dallas and I leave you in Maddi’s capable hands.” She smiled at everyone, lingering a little longer on Eli, who Zach wasn’t entirely sure noticed. He was still brooding. “I have rooms booked at the Resort Inn just outside of town for everyone. Three weeks to start, and we’ll see where we’re at, but that’s close enough to be on call if something pops up unexpectedly.”

“Three weeks in a motel!” his mom exclaimed. “I can’t imagine!”

Maddi shrugged. “It’ll be fine. I’ll grab a ride home with one of the crew on the weekends.” She gave Nicole a questioning look. “Surely someone will have to head home for something, right?”

“I’m sure,” Nicole said.

“I’ll catch a ride and get my car,” Maddi said, looking like she wished she could go do that right now.

“Well, a motel is ridiculous, there’s plenty of room here,” his mom said. Zach felt his skin start to buzz. “I can’t put up all of them, I guess, but I can certainly keep you here, my girl.”

Maddi’s mouth opened, and her eyes flew to Zach’s. Panic. Backpedaling. She didn’t want to be there any more than he wanted her to be.
Come on, Maddi, cough up a good reason. Chronic hives. Dog allergies. Gas problems.

“There’s no reason to go to all that trouble, Miss Lou,” she said instead. “You’re going to have all this—”

“Chaos, yes, I know,” Lou said. “Elijah already pointed that out.” She patted his cheek as he shook his head, stood, and picked up empty trays. He gave Zach a sideways look that held a million opinions. Many of them involving Maddi. “I promise, having you around the house again will do nothing to worsen that. I would absolutely love it.”

Maddi looked green. “Um—”

“You can stay in Hannah’s old room—it has its own bathroom.” Lou clapped her hands and picked up the empty chip bowl on the way to the kitchen. “Oh, I’m so excited.”

Zach forced a smile as Nicole made the rounds shaking hands, promising all sorts of wonderful things. Everyone talked at once, family hugged, and conversations broke off in ten different directions as people left. He found himself alone in the room, his ears ringing with the quiet after all the noise, and he turned back to the window. To the stick in the yard—his focal point. Oh, when things were just that simple.

“Was this about her from the beginning?”

Zach turned to see Eli leaning illegally against the back of the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. Studying Zach with hard eyes.

“No,” he said. “I didn’t know she was involved till the meeting in Dallas the other day. Hell, I didn’t even know she was still in the state, did you?”

Eli shook his head. “Why didn’t you mention it at dinner that night?”

“Because it wasn’t about her,” Zach responded, facing Eli straight on. “Even then, she was just sitting in on a meeting for her boss. Nicole Brian was supposed to be doing this.”

“And now she’s not,” Eli said. “You gonna be able to handle it?”

Zach frowned and backed up a step. “Of course.” He let a smirk pull at the corner of his lips. “That’s not concern for
me
that I see there, is it, big brother?”

Eli looked away. “Just want to be sure your head’s in the game,” he said. “You know we can’t afford distractions out there.”

Zach sighed and nodded, his attempt at levity lost as usual on Eli. “I’ll be fine. This is business.”

Eli raised one eyebrow, bringing his scar with it. “Yeah.”

Zach watched him turn and walk out into the kitchen, where noises of dishes clanking and the hum of conversation could be heard. Quinn and his mom were in there, probably buzzing over all that was to come. Eli was likely grumbling and telling them it was a colossal mistake.

He could still feel her hand against his chest. Yeah, this was all business.

Maddi sat down heavily on the porch as Nicole’s car, and the two vans of equipment and crew members pulled away. She’d been left behind with no car, no way of escape, with only her purse and the old beat-up suitcase to her name.