“Sure you don’t want to go on any rides?”
She shakes her head and chuckles self-consciously. “I don’t think I’m tall enough for half of them.”
“Stop,” I warn, hating how self-conscious she seems about her size.
Her gaze flits around the immediate area and she leans up on tiptoes. “I’m only interested in one very specific ride,” she says low enough for only me to hear.
A rumble of approval eases out of me and I plant a quick kiss on her lips. “You’re the perfect size for that ride.”
Madison joins us, looking a lot less thrilled than when she bounded up the stairs for the swings. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It was cool. It went high enough to see the whole Midway, but I’m too old for these baby rides.”
She’s pale and I wonder if she got scared but doesn’t want to admit it.
“Feel okay?” I ask.
Madison scowls and doesn’t answer. Instead, she takes the map from Aubrey’s hands and declares the horses are our next stop.
Aubrey shrugs at me and follows.
The scents of farm animals, barbecue, and a variety of fried foods fill the air. Aubrey takes a bunch of photos of Madison and me, which I appreciate. I always seem to forget. She snaps even more photos of Madison and the two of them discuss the best filters, poses, and angles to use.
I casually hook my arm around Aubrey’s shoulders. “Still having fun?”
“I am. Really. Stop worrying so much.”
“I’m not worried.”
She rubs her finger right between my eyebrows. “What’s this then?”
“Hunger.”
“I guess we better feed you then.” She pinches my bicep. “Need to keep you big and strong.”
Leaning down, I press a kiss to her temple. Love the way she teases me. “I do need to keep my stamina up.”
She raises an eyebrow. “You stay up like a champ.”
I cough-laugh and look away.
Madison asks for more pictures of the horses and I take a few of her to send to her mom.
We promise Maddy we can return to the horses after we eat. Although, I have a feeling something else will have captured her interest by the time we finish lunch.
The avenue of states is all the way on the other side of the fair. We weave through the crowds of people to stand in line for lobster rolls, loaded baked potatoes, and blueberry pie.
“I’ll grab a table outside,” Aubrey says, pointing to the back of the building. “Madison’s still in line for her potato.”
I swing my gaze to the left and easily pick Maddy out in the line. “All right.”
Madison’s picking up her order when I’m handed our lobster rolls and I meet up with her. “Want me to carry those?”
“I got it. Where’s Aubrey?”
“She said she was grabbing a table.”
“I hope it’s in the shade,” she grumbles.
I stop and take her in once again. It’s a warm fall day, but not that hot. Living in Florida, she’s conditioned to much hotter temperatures than this. “Are you sure you feel okay?”
She blows me off and storms outside, leaving me shaking my head.
Aubrey stands and waves us over to a table in a shady corner of the lawn.
“Want to look for those gifts next?” Aubrey asks. She nods to one of the houses in front of us. “The Vermont state house is right there. Probably the best place for maple syrup.”
Madison nods and drags her fork through her potato without really eating any of it.
“You want to trade?” I ask, holding out my lobster roll.
“No. I’m fine.” She flicks her gaze at Aubrey. “The New Hampshire house. We should go there too. They used to have maple cotton candy and really good fudge.”
“Sounds good. I can’t remember the last time I had fudge,” Aubrey agrees.
We finish lunch—well, Aubrey and I finish, Madison didn’t make a dent in her food—and I take the trays to the trash cans. Aubrey meets me there and smiles.
“Ready for a sugar rush?”
“You’re my sugar rush,” I whisper, giving her a quick kiss.
Madison’s already half-way to the next shop when we catch up to her. “What did I say about walking off?” I say.
“I didn’t,” she snaps, jerking out of my hold. “We said we were going here next.”
Bewildered by her behavior, I back off for now.
“Is she okay?” Aubrey asks in a low voice.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should head home after this.”
“Oh boy,” she mutters. “Good luck with that. I think she has her heart set on going back to see the horses.”
“Well, if her attitude doesn’t improve, we’re not going to see anything else.”
“Give her a break. Maybe she’s overwhelmed.”
Maybe Aubrey’s right. Maddy seems to chill as we collect her maple sugar goodies. She even offers to split her cotton candy with Aubrey. Part of me worries Maddy’s not handling Aubrey joining us today as well as I thought she was. Too much too soon or something.
We finish winding through the state houses and move over to craft alley. Madison stops at one of the jewelry shops and immediately zeroes in on a butterfly pendant suspended from a fine silver chain. She’s so enchanted by it, I have to get it for her.
“Do you want that?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I don’t have enough left.”
“I want to get it for you.”
“Are you sure?”
Maybe I should check with the shopkeeper before I commit. He takes it out of the case and lets Maddy try it on. I plunk down my credit card and wait for him to ring it up.
“Oh, that’s so pretty on you,” Aubrey squeals.
My gaze drifts around the small shop. Should I get something for Aubrey too? I’d rather give it more than a couple seconds of thought, so I dismiss the idea.
The shopkeeper returns. He’s also the designer, so he explains to Maddy how to clean the pendant and throws in some polishing cloths.
Outside, Madison slips her arm through mine as we walk toward the next shop. “Thank you, Dad. I really love it.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Do you mind if I slip in here?” Aubrey asks, nodding to a shop that sells special shea butter lotions and bath stuff.
Maddy wrinkles her nose and pulls me toward a toy stand. “Meet you in the middle,” I say to Aubrey.
I glance down at Madison who’s squeezing a white, fluffy, stuffed owl. “I thought you were too old for toys?”
“It’s for Ella. She loves owls.”
Love for my daughter expands and fills my chest. She complains about her little half-sister a lot, but that she’s still thinking of her and wants to spend her last couple dollars on a gift for her is sweet. “It’s pretty. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
“She better,” Maddy says, making me laugh.
We meet Aubrey at the shop she stopped at as she’s checking out. “Anything good?”
“Body butter.” She unscrews the cap of one of the jars in her bag and sticks it under my nose. It’s a soft coconut-vanilla scent. Almost impossible to detect with the air full of sizzling briskets, sausages, and popcorn. “It’s nice.”
And now I’m visualizing all the ways I want to butter up Aubrey’s body.
“Can I?” Madison asks. “Ooo, that smells good.”
Pink spreads over her cheeks and Aubrey opens her bag. “I bought a jar for you too, if you like it. It’s strawberry—”
“Oh, yes. Thank you!”
After Maddy gives it a thorough sniff-test—and I say a secret thank you that it smells nothing like the body butter I’m planning to slather all over Aubrey—I transfer the jar to one of her bags, then pull Aubrey closer. “You didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugs. “I wanted to.”
We follow the sidewalk that leads to bigger outdoorsy vendors. Tractors, sheds, hot tubs, stuff like that. Aubrey stops at the
hot tubs. “I definitely need one of those one day.”
I can vividly picture her in it and have to glance away for a second.
“We have one,” Maddy says. “I’m not allowed in it for more than ten minutes though.”
“You’ll probably cook yourself if you’re in it much longer,” Aubrey teases.
Maddy giggles. “Ella’s not allowed in it at all.”
“Big sister privileges.”
They walk ahead, talking about sister stuff, I guess. We stop to buy squares of fudge and Madison looks around for a bathroom.
“I’ll go with her,” Aubrey says, reaching up and giving me a quick kiss on the cheek.
A few minutes later, Aubrey emerges alone. “She’s coming,” Aubrey assures me.
“Come here.” I hook my arms around her waist, yanking her closer. Our foreheads touch. “Are you having a good time?”
“I am. Are you?”
“Yes. I—”
“Jeez. Do you have to stop and make-out like every fifteen minutes?” Maddy’s snide voice pulls us out of our bubble.
“What?” I’m not used to my daughter using that tone with me.
“Sorry,” Aubrey mutters, pulling away.
“No.” I grab her hand, keeping her where she is. “What’s wrong, Madison?”
“Nothing. Just, jeez.” She won’t meet my eyes but glances down the Midway instead. “Can we keep moving, please?”
I guess we’re back to awkward.
I thought we were getting along and having a good day. Suddenly Maddy seems absolutely miserable and everything I do annoys her.
Her foul mood worsens until she bursts into tears and demands to go home.
Sully closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “Madison. Calm down.”
She wails even louder, drawing a lot of attention our way.
My frantic gaze searches the area and I nudge him toward a bench in the shade.
A huge white sign for the Big E cream puffs grabs my attention and I mutter, “Thank you, Jesus!” under my breath.
“I’m going to go grab those cream puffs and eclairs you wanted,” I say, eager to sound helpful instead of desperate to get away. “Should I meet you here or by the car?”
Sully shakes his head. “It’s a straight shot out the gate and to the right. So if we’re not here, we’ll be headed to the car.”
“Okay.” I glance down at Madison who has her face buried in her hands. I want to comfort her, but I’m not sure it will help. “Maddy, do you want anything?”
“I don’t care!”
Yikes, okay.
“Madison! Stop being rude,” Sully scolds. God, this just keeps getting worse.
“Be right back.”
It turns out “be right back” was a little too optimistic. The Big E cream puffs are their own attraction at the fair. The windows are all glass so you can watch the desserts being made. Any other time I’d be fascinated, but now I just want to grab the puffs and go.
I finally make it to the window to place my order. Worried dehydration brought on Maddy’s mood change, I ask for three bottles of water as well.
The bench is empty, so I carry the giant white pastry boxes all the way to the parking lot.
Sully and Madison are still having words outside the Jeep. Can I find a bus back to Empire? I’m really not looking forward to the ride home.
“Aubrey, let me grab those,” Sully says as soon as he sees me. Madison groans and slams the door after she hops in the Jeep. Sully rolls his eyes.
“No better?”
“Nope.” He huffs out a frustrated laugh. “Her mother tried to warn me about this last night.”
A couple of questions flutter at the edge of my tongue. But they’re invasive and none of my business, so I keep my mouth shut.
In the car, I pass a bottle of water to Maddy who takes it without a word. “Do you need anything else, Maddy?” I ask before Sully opens his door.
“No.”
It’s an uncomfortable two-hour drive home.
“I’m so sorry,” Sully says, walking me to the steps leading up to my apartment. He keeps glancing at the Jeep, where Madison’s asleep in the backseat.
“It’s okay. Maybe a trip like that was too ambitious for our first outing.”
“First, huh? You saying there will be another?”
My face falls. Wow. Stupid assumption.
Sully must realize where my thoughts ran. He grabs my hands and squeezes. “No, no. I meant you’ll give us another chance? Me and Madison?”
“Oh!” Now I feel silly. “Of course.” I let out a sigh. “Maybe next time we’ll stay local or just do dinner or something. Or I don’t have to—”
He squeezes my hands again and draws me closer. “Thank you.”
A horn blows, startling us apart. Sully’s eyes close and a grim expression settles over his face as he turns toward the Jeep. “I guess she’s awake.”
I pat his chest. “Good luck, Dad.”
Not to be deterred, he leans down and kisses me. Quick but sweet.
When we part, I can’t help smiling. “I know your mom’s out of town, so if I can help you in any way, call me. I used to speak twelve-year-old girl pretty fluently. Maybe I can give you some tips over the phone.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “Thank you.”
Feeling reassured that Sully and I will be okay, I trot up the stairs, waving when I get to the top to let him know I’m all right.
Celia’s rushing around the living room when I walk into our apartment. “Shit, you scared me! I didn’t think you’d be back until a lot later,” she says.
“Whoa, what are you so dressed up for?”
She stands up straighter, smoothing her hands over her black sleeveless peplum top and black pencil skirt. “Date.”
“With who? I need details.”
She rolls her eyes. “This guy who keeps coming into the salon to see me. Persistent asshole.” The words come out more affectionate than mean.
“If he’s an asshole, why are you going?”
“I don’t know. I’m intrigued.” She narrows her eyes. “Now, spill. Why are you home so early?”
I toss my stuff on the couch and then drop down next to the bags and kick off my shoes.
“We had a good time. Then, I don’t know. Madison seemed mad or something. It kept getting worse, so Sully decided it was better to take her home.”
“Aww.” She sits next to me and pats my leg. “I’m sorry. She seemed so nice last time. Maybe it’s just hard to see her dad with someone after having all of his attention for so long.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured. We were getting along. I was trying so hard not to be ‘Dad’s obnoxious girlfriend.’ You know, give them some space. Not be all clingy with him or kiss up to her too much.”
She chuckles. “You’ve put an awful lot of thought into it.”
“Of course I have. I actually like her too. When she’s not being a brat,” I add.
“What did Sully say?”
“I think he was upset. Or embarrassed. I don’t know. I don’t think she’s ever acted up on him before.”
She wrinkles her nose. “You think she’s PMSing?”
“Maybe. I don’t know her that well. I couldn’t figure out a tactful way to ask.”
“Have mercy on poor Sully if that’s the case. I hope it’s not her first one.”
I chuckle and bump my shoulder against her. “You remember when that happened to me?”
“How could I forget? You thought you were dying. Mom’s whole ‘you’re a woman now, get over it,’ was less than useless.”
“Remember she told me if I wasn’t so fat, I might’ve started later?” I can joke about it now, but back then it was a pretty traumatizing thing for an eleven-year-old to hear from her mother.
Celia rolls her eyes. “That was so stupid. And not even remotely true.” She wraps her arm around my shoulders and gives me a quick hug. “My car keys are on the peg. Since it seems Sully has his
hands full tonight, why don’t you go out or something?”
“I’ll think about it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Later that afternoon, my phone rings and I snap it up, pleasantly surprised it’s Sully after the awkward way our afternoon ended. “Hey, I didn’t expect to hear from you until Monday.”
He lets out a frustrated laugh. “I’m kind of having an issue.”
“With Maddy? Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. I think. She won’t talk to me.”
“Why?”
“This is awkward. My mom’s not here and you’re a girl…”
I think I know what’s coming and steel myself not to laugh. Celia was right after all.
“She got her period and I guess she didn’t bring anything with her. She won’t tell me what she needs. I can’t reach her mom to ask her. So I tried to run to the store and grab some stuff, but I guess the supplies I picked up were wrong.” He lets out a defeated groan. “And now she won’t talk to me.”
Giggle-suppression failure.
“Aubrey,” he pleads. “It’s not funny.”
“Poor Maddy. She’s probably embarrassed and uncomfortable.” And am I totally awful for thinking that maybe, hopefully, hormones are the reason Madison seemed so annoyed with my presence earlier?
“The only thing she said was ‘pads with wings’ and apparently what I grabbed doesn’t have the right wings.”
“The right wings are critical,” I tease.
Obviously not in the mood for joking around, lowers his voice. Almost begging. “Would you mind coming over?”
“Not only will I come over, I’ll even stop at CVS and pick up some supplies.”
He lets out a relieved breath. “Thank you. Wait, you need me to come pick you up?”
“Nope. Celia’s out on a date and left me her car. Do you have a heating pad?”
He takes a while to answer. “Probably?”
“That sounds like a no. I’ll bring one.”
An hour later I’m knocking on Sully’s front door with four plastic bags of girly supplies in my hands. Plus, groceries.
Sully’s eyes widen when he takes everything in. “What did you get?”
“All sorts of goodies. You can grill some steaks for us later,” I say, handing over one of the plastic bags. “I’ll go talk to her.”