Mad Love: Madison (11 page)

 When Sarah finally finished handing out kisses,
she turned to the window and stared at the young man standing by the lamppost.
Her happy expression fell and was quickly replaced by one of annoyance before
she pivoted around on her heel and disappeared behind the bar.

Madison glanced back at Jamie who had by then had
turned his attention back to the sky.

What was going on between them?
Madison wondered. Sarah
had never mentioned Jamie to her. She talked about her boss, her manager, the
bartenders, servers, cooks, and some of the regular customers, but not once did
she mention Jamie’s name. Yet, twice in the last two days, she had seen Sarah
react to him in a way she had never seen her sister react to any other man. It
was as if Sarah couldn’t help but look Jamie’s way if he was anywhere near her.

Could Sarah actually be interested in him
romantically?

Surely not
, Madison thought, dismissing the idea almost
immediately as she studied the man underneath her eyelashes. He was completely
different from the men Sarah usually dated. She normally chose safe, clean cut
young men with good jobs.

Nice, dependable, boring, young men
, Madison thought with a
small smile as she remembered Sarah’s last boyfriend. The oh-so-serious history
major writing his thesis on Victorian women and… Madison frowned …And something
or other. Madison tried to remember if she had ever heard him speak above a
soft whisper in the three months they had dated last year. Sarah had a type and
it wasn’t Jamie.

So why did Sarah keep looking his way? And with
that painfully sad look on her expressive face.

Madison gave Jamie another long look. “Pretty
night out tonight.”

Jamie looked toward her. “Very pretty.”

“A bit cold though.”

He nodded politely before glancing down at the
toe of his boot.

Well, he was certainly as talkative as the men
Sarah usually dated
,
Madison thought wryly.

They both turned their attention back to the door
as Sarah stepped out carrying a cardboard box. Her gaze traveled first to Jamie
and then to Madison. She gave her sister a partly fearful, partly hopeful look
as she came closer, limping slightly. “Do you remember last night when we were
talking about pets?”

Madison eyed her sister suspiciously, as the
crown of a furry red head appeared at the top of the box. “Yeah? What about
them?”

Sarah looked down at the box and then back at her
sister.

“Oh no,” Madison said.

“We were talking about getting a pet anyway.”

“Yes, and we decided to wait until after you were
fully healed.”

“I am fully healed.”

Madison gave her sister a look. “You were just
limping.”

“It’s not my leg. It’s my feet. My boots are
killing me. They’re pretty but they are a pain to wear.” She gave her sister a
small smile as she held out the box. “Just take a look at him. He’s so cute.
You’ll absolutely love him. He’s got the cutest little floppy ears.”

Madison groaned. “Floppy? We discussed getting a
cat. Cats don’t have floppy ears, Sarah.” She glanced in the box. A tiny red
squirming ball of fur with large brown eyes stared back at her. His tail
wagging, the puppy climbed over a towel, a small box of kibble and three
squeaky toys to get closer to her. He planted his front paws on the edge of the
box and let out a loud bark as he tried to scramble up and over.

“He’s the sweetest little puppy,” Sarah cooed as
she shifted the box under one arm and petted the puppy’s back. “He’s so
helpless. He was found in an empty garbage bag inside a dumpster yesterday.
Someone just threw him away like he was trash.”

Madison watched as the puppy climbed on top of
the kibble, planted two small paws against Sarah’s chest, and began bathing the
underside of her chin with kisses.

Madison held out her hand and allowed the pup to
sniff it before picking up the puppy and holding it close to her chest. He wiggled
happily in her arms.

“Isn’t he cute?” Sarah asked, her big blue eyes
wide and hopeful.

Madison glanced down at the puppy who was staring
up at her with his own big brown eyes. She sighed. It was obviously two against
one. “Adorable,” she said with a smile as she looked at the little fur ball in
her arms. “What is he?”

Sarah cocked her head to the side as she gave the
puppy a critical once over. “I don’t know. He’s definitely a mix. I think he
might be part chow. He’s got the cutest little black tongue.”

“A chow?” Madison asked in horror. “Do you know
how big those dogs get?”

“I said he might be part chow. Might be.” Sarah leaned
over and nuzzled her face against the puppy. “Maybe the vet can tell us. I’ll
see if I can’t get an appointment for Tuesday.”

Madison took the box out of her sister’s arms and
handed the puppy back to her before turning around and heading down the street.
She glanced at the lamppost, surprised to find that Jamie had disappeared.
“What’s Jamie doing for Christmas?” she asked casually.

Sarah looked at her in surprise. “I don’t know.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask him to join us.”

“Why in the world would I do that?”

Madison shrugged. “I have no idea.”

They lapsed into silence as they continued down
the street and turned a corner.

“He wouldn’t come even if I asked him,” Sarah
said softly. “So, I didn’t ask.”

“Okay.”

Sarah pressed the puppy closer to her chest. “Besides,
Jamie would much rather spend it alone than with me.”

Madison pressed her lips together. She had
discovered long ago that her little sister had a tendency to clam up if she
felt like she was being interrogated about something. Especially if it was
something she didn’t want her big sister knowing. It was clear that if Madison
wanted to know more about Jamie, she was going to have to approach the subject
very carefully. Oddly enough, just staying silent or noncommittal often worked
the best. Sarah hated silence. Eventually, she would talk.

“What?” Sarah asked suspiciously.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“I don’t know why you would think I’d ask him to
come to Grandpa’s.”

“No reason.”

“If I was going to invite anyone it would be
Derek.”

“Good.”

“What do you mean by good?”

Madison laughed. “I like Derek. He’s nice.”

Sarah’s lips quirked up. “He is nice. He called
me today while you were getting the car.”

“What did he want?”

“He just wanted to wish me a Merry Christmas.”
Sarah suddenly stumbled. Wincing, she hissed in pain as she looked down at her
leg. After a few seconds, they continued down the street a bit slower than
before.

When she stumbled again, Madison’s gaze dropped
to Sarah’s leg.

Sarah sighed as she linked her arm through
Madison’s. “Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Good.”

They walked on in silence for a few minutes. “It
just seems to me,” Madison began over Sarah’s groan, “that it would be better
if you wouldn’t push yourself so hard. Take more breaks.” She glanced at her sister’s
high-heeled boots. “Wear sensible footwear.”

The puppy let out a low growl as they neared the
park across from their apartment building. A young couple kissing stood near
the entrance to the small park. They stepped back into the shadows as the girls
approached. The puppy let out a series of yips and growls as they passed
through the large metal gates leading into the park.

Sarah tried to get the dog’s attention, but it
wasn’t until the couple was out of sight before the puppy returned to licking
Sarah’s face.

They turned down a small gravel pathway that
travelled down the center of the park towards their apartment buildings.

Madison loved this park. It was one of the
reasons she chose her apartment. She had a great view of it from her bedroom
windows. In the summer, it was full of flowers and in the winter, especially
this time of year, it was like their own private winter wonderland.

There wasn’t much snow on the ground. Only a
light dusting left over from the night before but it was enough. Along each
side of the pathway was a knee-high hedge decorated with Christmas lights and
just beyond the hedges were various fir trees decorated with colored lights. Old-fashioned
gas lamps, next to wrought iron benches, lit the way giving the whole park a
romantic feel. Madison closed her eyes for a second imagining that it was Ethan
beside her as she walked.

She felt Sarah lean in close and opened her eyes
as her sister dropped her voice to a whisper. “Did Jamie say anything to you while
you were both outside?”

“Not really. We just talked about the weather.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Sarah leaned away. “So, have you got anymore
strange phone calls yet?”

Madison shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Good. I think if we have anything to worry about
it’s with that Paul Harris guy. What does he look like?”

“I should get a picture of him and give it to
you,” Madison said before describing Paul Harris once again for her sister.

Sarah dropped her arm from around Madison’s and held
the puppy out in front of her face. “Did you hear that, dog? You see anyone
like that you make sure to bark.”

The puppy let out a little yip, its tail wagging
so hard its entire body shook.

“We’re safe now,” Sarah said confidently. “He’ll
never get past our little protector.”

“Little is the operative word. What do you expect
the dog to do?”

“Attack if necessary.” She held up the puppy to
Madison’s face. “Look at him. He’s ferocious.”

The puppy reached forward to lick the tip of
Madison’s nose.

Madison giggled. “I see that.”

Smiling, Sarah said, “I better pull him back
before he sinks his teeth in to you.” She cuddled him against her chest. “He’s
a dangerous dog. You can see it in his eyes. Don’t worry. If anyone goes after
us, he’ll go for their Achilles tendons. Then we’ll have the creep right where
we want him.”

“I feel safer already. What are you going to name
the little guy?”

“Cupcake.”

“Cupcake?” Madison asked with a laugh as they
passed through another gate and crossed the street. “That name may be too
strong for such a ferocious animal. What about Cuddles or Sprinkles? You know,
something to strike fear into a man’s heart.”

“I sense sarcasm. No, see, you have to give him a
cutesy name. Lull the bad guy into a false sense of security. He’ll never see
Cupcake coming until it’s too late.”

Madison set the box she was holding down on a
bench in front of their apartment building. Smiling, she pulled out her
keycard. “Somehow, I don’t think Cupcake fits him.”

Sarah looked down at the puppy in her arms,
eyeing him critically. “Hmm, maybe not. We’ll have to go online and get some
suggestions. We definitely need a good name—”

“How about Rory?” a voice called out from behind
them.

Madison spun around to find Jamie only a few feet
away.

“It’s Irish for Red King,” he said coming to a
stop behind them.

Sarah stared at him in silence for a moment
before lifting the puppy up and looked into his eyes. “Rory.” Her face lit up
as the puppy barked. “I think he likes it. Rory it is.”

Unnerved to realize the strange young man had
followed them from the pub, Madison asked, “What are you doing over here,
Jamie?”

“Going home,” he said as he passed them. She
watched as he continued down the street, and then made a right at the
stoplight.

As soon as he disappeared around the corner,
Madison looked back at her sister. “Does he live around here?”

“The next block over,” Sarah said as she set the
puppy down near a tree.

Madison snapped her fingers. “I knew I recognized
him from some place.” She bent over to retrieve the cardboard box. “I’ve seen
him over here before. What’s his last name?”

Sarah looked at her suspiciously. “Murphy. Why?”

“Just curious.”

Once Rory was finished inspecting the tree and everything
around it, Sarah picked the puppy up and carried him up the stairs while
Madison unlocked the door.

 “Did you know Jamie was outside our building the
other day when I came home from work?” Madison asked as they walked to the
small elevator at the end of the hall.

“What was he doing?”

Madison stifled a yawn as she looked at her
watch. “Just walking.”

Sarah’s lips quirked up as she pressed the third
floor button. “Sounds sinister.”

“Are you ready to go to Grandpa’s?”

“I just have to pack up my makeup and we can go.
It’ll take me a few seconds.”