Seaglass (7 page)

She knew exactly what he meant. “You have to love it. You have to see it…see what it wants to be.”

He turned at the conviction in her voice. No one had ever quite understood why he toiled and labored over these pieces the way he did. He felt a lump in his throat.
“You have to see it,”
she’d said. He didn’t know how long he’d be able to do that. For now, things were okay, but what if…

“I think I’m about ready for that apple pie.”

She was a little taken aback by his abrupt change in conversation, but decided to let him lead the evening. After surviving weeks and weeks of one word conversations with him, she’d allow him all the leeway he wanted.

“Okay.” She smiled.

They sat at the breakfast bar and ate the delicious apple pie and ice cream she’d picked up at the diner earlier.

“I’m sorry it’s not homemade, but I don’t have an oven.” She apologized.

“You don’t have an oven?”

“Only a cooktop. It’s a small studio, and honestly, I’m at the project house so much I’m barely there anyway.”

“Maybe when you sell the house, you can afford a better place.”

“I don’t know. Right now I like being able to focus all my energy on work. I don’t want to worry about another place. The studio is fine for now.”

“Well, if you get the urge to bake, feel free to come here and use my oven. Truthfully, I can’t remember the last time I used it for anything besides frozen pizza.”

“Deal.”

“So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow? Wiring? Plumbing?”

She bumped his arm with her own. “You want to talk shop? And I thought this was a date.” She teased.

He looked over at her as those beautiful blue eyes flashed with mischief. Yes, this was a date, damn it. Knox reached out and pulled her in for a kiss. She tasted like vanilla ice cream.

The desire in her seemed to reach up and grab her by the throat. The way he’d looked at her; for a moment she’d felt totally exposed. Then he’d pulled her in and kissed her hard and fast. Again, he’d left her breathless. Now, a slow burn that had begun deep in her belly was moving its way upward. The wine and the kiss had left her a little off-balance, but in a most pleasant way. This time, she made the move. She stood up between his knees at the counter and held his head in her hands. She let her thumbs trace the sharp contour of his cheekbones and then she’d lowered her head and kissed him deeply.

“Maddie,” his voice rumbled against the side of her neck. “God, I want you.”

She smiled and pulled back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pressure you. It just came out.” He ran his hand through his blonde hair.

“I’m not sorry.” She whispered as she bent down and kissed him just under his jawline. She felt his deep voice rumble in his chest as he groaned. When she pulled back, the fire in his eyes was unmistakable. He stood up and grabbed her hand.

“Are you sure?” He asked as he walked them to the bedroom.

The nerves were alight under the surface and Maddie was surprised she wasn’t visibly shaking, but she knew her mind, and she knew she wanted to be with him.

“Yes. Are you?” She asked, suddenly nervous that she was the one pushing him too far.

“Are you nuts? I’ve wanted you since that day outside the movie theater.” He practically growled as he led her into his bedroom.

As with the kitchen, the tone of the room was decidedly male, but with warm and welcoming tones. The dark wooden bed was covered with navy blue sheets and a stone colored duvet. A beautiful Indian print throw rug warmed up the hardwood floors

She turned and faced him. He was illuminated by only a small table side lamp. His golden hair gleamed in the light. As she reached up and began unbuttoning her dress she watched him swallow.

“Let me.” He covered her hands and gently pushed them away. He made quick work of the buttons and pushed the straps aside so that the garment pooled at her feet. She was thankful to Kayla for their recent shopping trip and that her friend had cajoled her into purchasing some very ‘girly’ undergarments, although she certainly wasn’t going to mention that now.

“God, you’re gorgeous.” He let the back of his knuckles trail a path along the outsides of her breasts. “I like this.” He touched the strap of the black bra that matched her black panties.

Maddie reached out and ran her hands under the untucked edge of his shirt. His abdominal muscles were as hard as she’d imagined.

“Take this off.” She whispered. In a move that was purely male, he managed to remove the shirt with one hand in a split second and then tossed it in the corner. She let her hands run along the sides of his body and felt goose bumps rise on his skin. His taut muscles rippled under her fingers. She leaned forward and kissed his collarbone and felt him shudder.

“Maddie—“his deep voice rumbled. He stepped back but held her hand as he gently pulled her toward the bed. She lay down and pulled him so that he joined her; their bodies lying side by side, facing each other. He ran his fingers through her long hair. She kept her eyes locked on his, trying desperately to know what was in his mind. And in his heart.

As he came forward and kissed her, realization struck her; she was safe here. Knox would not hurt her. It was a feeling of such profound certainty that it stole her breath. Madeline decided to let down her guard and trust him completely. She knew she’d be safe in his arms. At least for tonight.

“You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Maddie opened her mouth to respond, but Kayla steamrolled right over her. “Don’t bother denying it. Half of Touchstone saw your truck outside his house all night.”

Maddie covered her face with her hands for a second. “Oh god.”

“I’d ask for the ‘deets’, but considering he’s my brother, I don’t want to know. Besides, I’m trying to keep my breakfast down.” She said as she pointedly stabbed a piece of watermelon in the fruit salad she’d ordered.

Maddie smirked as she scooped up a mouthful of home-fried potatoes drenched in ketchup.

“Stop showing off. And stop glowing. Everyone in here can tell you had sex.” She teased.

“Shut up.” Maddie whispered as she ducked her head and gave a surreptitious peek at the other patrons in the diner.

“I’m joking!” Kayla said as she sipped her tea. “Stop looking guilty. You’re an adult. You can have sex with whoever you want.”

“Would you please stop talking about it?” Maddie sunk lower in her chair and finished off the last of her coffee. “I feel like I should sew a scarlet letter onto my shirt.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. It was our first date!” She whispered.

“It’s not like you just met, though. You two have been dancing around each other for weeks. Truth be told, I think most people assumed you two have been…intimate,” Kayla frowned at the word as if she’d eaten something sour, “for a while now.”

“People are talking about us?” Maddie asked, mortified.

“Oh stop it! This is a small town. You’re the quiet, yet strikingly beautiful new girl that keeps to herself. My brother is the handsome, yet broody bad boy that won’t settle down. It was written in the stars.” She said with dramatic flair.

“What do you mean, ‘he won’t settle down?’”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Maddie. Honestly, he hasn’t really dated anyone since Hannah.”

“Who’s Hannah?”

“Hannah Freemont. They were college sweethearts and she wanted to get married right away. He wanted to join the Army first. She waited through his first tour, and then his second, but when he re-upped the third time, she dumped him.”

“Oh wow.”

“Part of me understands. He went back on his word. She had no guarantee he wouldn’t do it again. If he hadn’t been injured, who knows what he would’ve done.”

“How did he handle it?”

“He doesn’t talk about it. He was hurt about six months after that happened, so I think it sort of was a moot point anyway.”

“Did she know…about what happened to him?”

“I don’t know. I asked him once if he wanted me to get in touch with her. He said no and that’s that.”

“What if…if she knew that he was done with the Army for good, would she want to get back together?”

Kayla studied her friend over the brim of her teacup. “Are you trying to play matchmaker or something?”

“No! God, no.” Maddie laughed. “I just was thinking aloud, that’s all.”

“Well, don’t think too much. He likes you, Maddie. I can tell.”

Kayla smiled as the telltale blush crept up Madeline’s neck. “You like him too.”

“I’ve got to get to work.” She laughed as she slid out of the booth.

“Tell my brother I said hello.”

Madeline shot Kayla a look and then walked briskly out of the diner and back down the street to her trusty pickup. She tried to see if anyone was looking at her differently, but she couldn’t tell. Did anyone know? Did anyone really care? She laughed to herself as she climbed into the truck and cranked the starter. It didn’t matter who knew. It didn’t matter one bit.

Knox tripped on the edge of the area rug for a second time that morning. The first time, he chalked it up to nerves at seeing Maddie again after their ‘encounter’ Friday night. They hadn’t spoken since she left early Saturday, except for a text he sent her this morning. He wanted to make sure there wasn’t going to be any awkwardness, so he thought he’d try and lighten the mood by texting her.

“
You had sex with me, so I figured I owed you a donut. See you at 9:00.”
He’d worried a little that she’d find it offensive, but she’d texted back almost immediately.

“
It was YOU that had sex with ME. I think I owe you a donut. But I don’t have any. I’ll be waiting at 9:00. –M.”

He bent down and straightened the corner of the area rug. It happened sometimes, especially when he was tired. It wasn’t a big deal, he told himself. People tripped every day. And he was tired. He hadn’t slept well. The dreams were back and more frightening than ever. He cursed the timing. His life was finally taking a turn for the better and he was waking up in a cold sweat, dreaming that he couldn’t see a thing. This dream had plagued him heavily when he’d first been injured and his brain was still so swollen and damaged. His vision had been a lot worse then, too. The doctors had assured him that when the swelling went down, his sight would most likely improve, but it was a tense two weeks.

Finally, when the dark blobs had begun to materialize into actual objects, the relief had made him weep. But then the doctors informed him that his vision wasn’t going to get any better. He was stuck in limbo. Too sighted to be blind, to blind to be sighted. But he’d adapted. He’d done well. He figured out early on that his skills in the woodshop were unhindered. He just needed to learn to be careful.

Now, three years later, and countless MRI’s and eye exams, his vision had mostly been stable with just a few changes. He was fine. This was just fear because other things were changing. Now, he walked back through the kitchen and out the back door to wait for Maddie. He checked his cell phone and noticed it was only 8:45. Well, he had a little time. He put down the donuts and wandered into his shop to look over a set of Adirondack chairs that had been sold at an estate sale over in Chelsey. His friend Dave had called him and asked if he wanted them. They were for sale for practically nothing and needed a bit of sprucing up.

Once he’d gotten them into his shop and given them a good once-over, he’d discovered that they were closer to ‘dead on arrival’ than Dave had lead him to believe. Well, it didn’t really matter. The minute he’d laid eyes on them, he envisioned them in all their glory on the front porch of Madeline’s craftsman bungalow.

Now, he flipped on his work light and was slightly dismayed that the bulbs were not their usual brightness. Probably needed replacing, he mused. Not to mention, the cloudy overcast day was barely letting any sun in through the windows.

He ran his hands over the bumpy surfaces of many bad paint jobs, imagining all the hours of labor he’d need to put it to uncover the bare wood. At least there wouldn’t be any intricate detail work with these. The last piece had given him migraines.

“Whatcha doing?” She called from the doorway.

He spun around and saw the dark blob of her silhouette in the doorway. “Just checking out my newest project.” He quickly recovered the chairs with a tarp.

“What is it?”

“Nothing as interesting as the Chippendale. Just an old chair.”

“Hmm.”

He walked over to her until she appeared clearly in his vision.

“Hey there.” He leaned in and kissed her.

“Hey.” She responded when he released her. She’d wondered how they’d interact with each other now. Would they pretend Friday night hadn’t happened? Would it change everything? Now, she had her answer. He wasn’t pretending at all. He still seemed happy to see her.

“Shall we?” She pulled him forward and toward old Rusty.

“Oh wait. I wasn’t kidding about the donuts.” He turned, heading back inside the woodshop.

“Knox!” She called to his retreating form. “They’re out here.”

He stopped. Where had he left them? He scanned quickly, but anything past the two foot mark was a blurry mess. He thought he saw the white box on the table by the back door of the house. He crossed back, but when he arrived, he realized it wasn’t the box, but the light playing tricks with him. He felt the heat of shame and embarrassment creep up the back of his neck.

He heard her shoes crunch on the gravel path. “By the door.” She said, matter-of-factly. He watched her blur by him and bend down to the little bench outside the woodshop door and pick up the white box.

Knox climbed in to the passenger side and fastened his seatbelt. He didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t hide it from her. But that’s exactly what he’d been doing, he realized. He turned to her to speak when she interrupted his thoughts.

“I already ate breakfast with Kayla, but I couldn’t resist. Jelly is my absolute favorite.”

He smiled at her attempts to put him at ease. “Maddie…”

“It’s okay. Really.” She put her hand on his knee. “Have a doughnut.”

“You’re awfully calm about this.” He took the box and selected a Boston crème.

She finished the last bite of her doughnut and turned to face him. “I think you and I are both a little banged up, Knox.”

He didn’t know what to say to her. He knew so little about her. What did she mean? “Are you…what’s the matter?”

She sighed. “I suppose I should give you at least the condensed version and then you can decide if you want to run for the hills screaming.”

“As long as you’re not an ax-murderer or already married, I think we’re safe.”

“Nothing like that.” She fired up the engine and pulled out of his driveway. “My family disowned me.”

“What? What do you mean?” He’d never heard anything like this outside of a made-for-TV movie.

Madeline took a deep breath and tried to give him the condensed version. “I grew up in a very controlling family. Everything was fine as long as I went along with their plans. When I wanted to go my own way—“she stopped as the pain of their final confrontation swam to the forefront of her memory.

“Anyway, I needed to leave and start a life of my own, but it was made clear to me by my father that if I did so, I’d never be welcomed back.”

“What about your mom?” Knox asked gently. His mind flashed to his own sweet mother would’ve done anything for him. “Surely she didn’t go along with this?”

“She never stepped in.”

“But—“

Madeline bit her lip as she thought about her mother. “I think she’s trapped too. But she’s been using his version of reality for so long that she believes it too.” She heard her voice crack as she pulled up in front of the little craftsman.

“Come here.”

The sternness of his voice had her turning around and facing him in an instant.

“Maddie, none of that is your fault.

“There’s more.” She breathed slowly as she pushed up the sleeve of her shirt to expose her arm. She took his hand and placed in on her scar. She watched his brow furrow as his fingers felt along the raised edges of the jagged line.

“You said…it was an accident.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Who did this to you?” He asked, angrily.

“I did, Knox. I did it.”

He flinched back and pulled his hand away from her arm at once. “What?”

Madeline felt her heart break a little. She knew it was too good to be true. Her past, her history—it was too much for most people.

“I was getting help for depression. At the end of my treatment, my father presented me with a long list of conditions under which I’d live.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “I didn’t want to live like that again.”

“Maddie—“

“It was impulsive and childish and I regretted it immediately.”

“What happened?”

“I was hospitalized for a while. After that, my grandmother took me in.”

Knox felt his head swim with this new information. He knew she’d come here to Touchstone with some ghosts, but he had no idea how serious it had been.

“Come here.” He said.

Maddie looked up and into his dark green eyes. “Knox—I know this is heavy stuff. If you don’t want to—“

“I want to.”

“But you don’t—“

“I do. Okay?”

“Okay.” She whispered as she slid over toward him and pressed her lips against his.

“Besides, I’m not exactly a new model right off the assembly line either. As you said, I’m a little banged up.” He released her and but kept his hand locked onto hers.

“I think you’re okay.” She said softly as she laid her head on his shoulder.

The honking of a horn broke the spell between them and had them hopping out of the truck like a pair of guilty teenagers.

“I thought I was running late and here you are, not even started yet!” Jerry bellowed from his van. “Get the lead out, boy.”

Knox rolled his eyes as he got out of the truck and marched up the steps to the front door behind Madeline.

“Do you think he knows?” She whispered.

“Unfortunately, I think most of the town knows.”

xXx

A half a day later, the kitchen was mostly a bare room with exposed walls. She, Knox and Jerry stepped back to assess their handy work.

“Well, now the real work starts.” Maddie spoke while leaning heavily on her sledgehammer.

“It’s good you got these walls opened up. You have a few issues.” Jerry pointed out areas where the wood had rotted away from moisture damage.

“I expected a few surprises in a house this old.”

“I imagine the bathrooms are in similar condition.” Knox added.

“Yeah.” She responded, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

“I can get a few guys in here to help out, Madeline.” Jerry spoke. “I think you’re going to need some muscle.

“Okay. Thanks Jerry. I don’t want the bathrooms fully gutted though. Let me write up my plans for you and then you and your crew can get started next week.”

“Sounds good. I’m gonna go have a peek and see what we’re talking about.”

“Sure. There’s a full bath upstairs and another down the hallway here.”

She and Knox watched him walk away and then turned to face each other, both with silly grins on their faces.