Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game (19 page)

Reaching over, Maddie took her hand in mine. “I’m so
sorry.”

“Thank,” I murmured. Feeling revived, I squeezed her
hand. The smile she gave me warmed my heart. We sat in silence for
a few minutes before Maddie hopped up. When I glanced up at her,
she grinned wickedly at me. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

My eyebrows jerked up in surprise. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“Yeah, but what about your parents?”

She shrugged. “They’ll understand.”

With a force that surprised me, she grabbed me by the
hand and dragged me off the bench. I led her over to my Jeep, and
within a few seconds, we were pealing out of the church parking lot
like runaway sinners. “So what exactly did you have in mind for our
mad escape?” I asked.

Maddie cut her eyes over at me. “I wanted to do
something that would get your mind off things. So what’s something
you usually do when you’re upset?”

“Get drunk.”

I expected her to gasp and immediately start praying
for me. But she only raised her eyebrows. “Is that right?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm,” she murmured. She gazed out the window and
then pointed. “Pull in there.”

It was Baskin Robbins. I whipped it into a parking
space and turned to look at her.

Maddie motioned to the building. “Well, you have your
way of coping, but this is what I do when I get upset.”

I couldn’t help but grin back at her. “Wow, I don’t
if I should get involved in hard stuff like ice cream.”

“Whatever,” she murmured as she hopped out of the
jeep.

I followed her up the walkway to the store and held
open the door for her. Sugary sweet aromas filled my nose as we
strolled up to the counter.

“So what are you getting?” Maddie asked, as we peered
up at the menu.

“Probably a chocolate cone.”

Elbowing me playfully, Maddie asked, “Just a cone?
Where’s your sense of adventure?”

I grinned. “Like I said. I don’t want to go all
hardcore—I hear it’s easy to get addicted. I wanna say outta Ice
Cream Rehab if you don’t mind!”

Maddie giggled. “I guess you’re right. Better stay on
the safe side with your itty, bitty cone,” she teased.

“Hey now,” I countered as the guy cleared his throat
to take our orders. I motioned for Maddie to go first. “I’ll have a
build your own sundae with vanilla, chocolate chip, and strawberry
ice cream with hot fudge, wet nuts, sprinkles, and whipped
cream.”

“Good lord, you’re really going to eat that?” I
asked.

“Mmmmm, hmmm,” she answered.

“I’ll be surprised if you don’t go into a
sugar-induced coma first.”

“I just might.” She then nudged me. “Wanna try it
with me?”

I shot her a skeptical look. “Are you kidding?”

“Nope.”

“All right.”

“Great!” she exclaimed. “Will you give us two spoons
please?”

The cashier nodded. Before Maddie could reach into
her purse, I thrust a five into the cashier’s hand.

Maddie shook her head maniacally back and forth. “No,
Noah, I meant to treat you,” she protested.

“No, I don’t think so.”

“But-”

Maddie continued to argue, but I interrupted her.
“It’s a treat just being with you,” I quipped.

“Whatever,” she laughed.

Her laugh, coupled with her expression, sent warmth
tingling over me. I don’t know what it was about laugh that got to
me. I’d never given former girlfriends laughter much thought. Of
course, no girl seemed as amused or entertained by me as Maddie
did.

I took our massive sundae over to a table while
Maddie got us napkins. I’d barely gotten my spoon raised when she
was already devouring her side.

“Hey now, you gotta pace yourself!” I cried.

She grinned sheepishly. “I know. I’m just hungry
that’s all.”

“Oh, I interrupted your dinner, right?”

“No, you didn’t,” she said. I could tell she was
lying by the way she ducked her head and refused to meet my
gaze.

I smiled. “You should have said something. I would’ve
taken you to get something to eat.”

“I’m fine.” When I started to protest again, she
shook her head. “Wednesday’s dinner is always potluck at the
church. It’s nothing exciting, I promise.”

“If you’re sure…I mean, we can still get dinner.”

Maddie gave me a dimpled smile. “We’ll see.”

We enjoyed the sugary goodness in silence for a few
seconds. Then Maddie cleared her throat. “So…I was just thinking
about what happened earlier and was wondering if wanted to talk
about your grandfather?” she tentatively asked.

Once again, she was Miss Pushy with the feelings
stuff. I guess I couldn’t blame her. Her dad was a minister, so she
was used to problem solving. Even though she had made me feel
better earlier, I wasn’t really up for anymore soul searching.

I shook my head. “No, not really.”

She gave a quick bob of her head. “Okay, we don’t
have to.”

But I as looked up at her, there was something so
accepting in her eyes that I suddenly found myself talking.
Seriously, it was like I was purging myself of word vomit. It came
spewing out of my mouth, and I couldn’t stop. I told her about him
taking me fishing, learning how to play guitar, and even about our
last conversation. That’s when I saw the tears glistening in her
dark eyes.

“Those are really beautiful memories, Noah,” she said
softly.

I shrugged. “Whatever,” I mumbled as we finished off
the sundae. “So what about you?”

Maddie raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“What’s your story?”

“I don’t really have a story.”

I snorted exasperatedly. “Sure you do. Everyone has a
story.”

“I’m kinda boring, I guess,” Maddie said.

“I doubt that.”

“No, really I am.”

“Then tell me what’s boring about you,” I urged.

Maddie cleared her throat. “Um, well, I’m not like
other girls my age, but I’m okay with that.”

“So why aren’t you like other girls?”

She twisted her napkin nervously in her hands. “Well,
I don’t party, I don’t drink, and I don’t believe in having sex
until you’re in a longstanding, committed relationship or at least
engaged.”

Ouch, that last answer literally hit me hard below
the belt. “You really don’t?”

She shook her head. “No, but you do, don’t you?”

Her question caught me off guard. “Well, yeah, I mean
I have done it if that’s what you’re asking.”

I expected her to blush, but instead, she laughed.
“No, that’s not what I was asking, but I thanks for letting me
know.”

With a grin, I replied, “Sure.”

Maddie cocked her head at me. “Did you at least love
them?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. “Not the first
girl. But the others, yeah, I guess so. I mean, I was in a
relationship with them at the time. I’ve never been a player like
Jake.

Maddie’s expression momentarily darkened at the
mention of Jake, but she quickly recovered. “I can understand it
when you love someone. It’s having sex with a stranger or someone
you hardly care about that I can’t imagine. For
me
,” she
emphasized. “I just look at sex like a gift.”

Instantly an R-rated fantasy flickered through my
mind that featured her wrapped in nothing but a giant, red bow.
After shimmying it off her creamy, white shoulders, her perfect
Double D’s would be exposed. I shifted on my feet at the thought of
taking them into my hands and my mouth. Then I would bring my
fingers to her—

“Noah?”

“Huh?”

Her dark brows furrowed. “I asked if you were okay.
You were moaning.”

Oh fuck. My eyes widened in horror. “Sorry. I was
just…um…” Shit, how the hell was I going to get out of this one? “I
guess I was just groaning more than anything when I thought about
how your beliefs on sex must have seemed to Jake.”

“Well, I can’t say he agreed with me, but he did
respect my beliefs,” Maddie replied.

“He did?”

“Yes. He knew we were never going to be friends with
benefits or anything like that.”

“I’m sure that bummed him out greatly,” I said, with
a grin.

Color flooded her cheeks a little. “I guess so.”

My last statement unsettled both us. Maddie made a
desperate to change the subject because she suddenly started
gathering up our trash while I couldn’t help but wonder if her
reaction had anything to do with Jake’s true feelings and the ring.
Once again, I couldn’t help wondering if Maddie was
her
.
That caused a slow burn to radiate through my chest.

Maddie snapped me back to attention when she rose out
of her seat. “Come on, let’s go get your mom some flowers.”

“Okay.”

All the florists were closed, so we headed to the
Publix across the street. I eyed the colorful bouquets before
glancing over at Maddie who was inhaling of the roses. Suddenly, I
found myself blurting, “Why do chicks dig flowers so much?”

Maddie grinned. “It’s not just “chicks” who dig them.
I mean, you send flowers for all kind of reasons.”

“Fruity reasons,” I said.

“Now that’s not true. The winners at the Kentucky
Derby get flowers and the Gold Medal winners get roses at the
Olympics,” she protested.

“I guess you’re right.”

“Flowers just say things that words sometimes can’t
say.”

A funny feeling rippled through my chest. “Kinda like
song lyrics, huh?”

Maddie gave me an odd look. “Yeah, I guess so.” She
glanced back at the bouquets. “So which one of these says, ‘Mom,
I’m sorry for being a mega-sized, selfish jerk’?”

“Hey, watch it now,” I argued.

She laughed. “Do you want my opinion or not?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Do I have a choice?”

“Probably not.”

“Then let me have it.”

“I’d go with a dozen red roses with baby’s
breath—classic, elegant, and very apologetic.”

I eyed the price tag. “Uh, huh, looks like you also
go for what straps my wallet the most too!”

Maddie held up her hands. “All right, it’s your
decision.” She gave me one last look over her shoulder before she
strolled away.

I sighed and rolled my eyes before I snatched up the
bouquet of roses and went to pay.

It was after ten when I dropped Maddie off at her
house. “Are you sure your parents won’t be mad at you…and me?” I
asked.

Maddie shook her head. “I texted them to let them
know what was going on. They were worried about you, so they told
me to take my time.”

“So, you can’t be alone in the house with a boy, but
you can run away from church and stay out half the night?” I
asked.

Maddie cocked her head at me. “My parents knew what I
was doing out with you.”

Figures
, I thought. “They trust you that
much?”

She nodded. “And why shouldn’t they?”

“I dunno.”

“I’ve never given them any reason to distrust me.
Like I told you earlier, Noah, I’m not like other girls. I don’t
sneak out of the house to hook up with random guys, and I don’t go
to parties where there are drugs or drinking. I respect my parents
and their wishes.”

I held up my hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, I
get you. You’re a good, church going girl who gets her kicks
inhaling ice cream sundaes, not Jello shooters!”

Maddie smiled. “Hmm, once again, I sound totally
boring.”

I shook my head. “Trust me, Maddie. You’re anything
but boring.”

Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “Really?”

“You’re selling yourself short. Trust me, Jake didn’t
spend time with boring girls, and neither do I.”

Maddie blushed. “Thanks, Noah. That means a lot to
me.”

“Well, you’re welcome. And thanks for tonight—I
really appreciate you listening to me and helping me through all of
this,” I said.

She smiled. “You don’t need to thank me. I was happy
to do it. And I had a good time, too.”

I returned her smile. “So did I.”

She hopped out of the Jeep. I watched her bounce up
the walkway to the front door. She waved at me before heading
inside. I then eased out of the driveway and made my way home. My
palms were sweaty, and my skin felt clammy when I turned onto my
street. I felt like an absolute pussy for having such a physical
and emotional reaction.

I clutched the bouquet in my hands as I tentatively
stepped through the garage door. The house was quiet except I could
hear the television on in the living room. When I got to the
doorway, I saw Mom asleep on the couch. A quick glance into the
dining room showed the uneaten dishes and empty plates. From the
looks of it, she’d canceled on Greg after my bitch fit. That made
me feel even worse that she’d deprived herself of having time with
the man she loved all because she had an asshole for a son.

I knelt down beside the couch. “Mom,” I said
softly.

She stirred, but her eyes stayed closed.

“Mom, it’s me. Please wake up. I need to…I want to
apologize.”