Becoming Maddie (The Casterhouse series Book 1) (37 page)

Chapter 28

“Three chocolate cones please.” Maddie ordered. “Two scoops.”

The young guy behind the counter nodded, took the money and then started to get to work on the order. The other two woman had offered to pay but since Maddie had more than enough to cover it, thanks to Jean, she told them to get a seat.

Looking across the room she searched for the table they had chosen. It turned out to be exactly the same table that Maddie had sat in last time. She wasn’t sure how she felt about sitting there again this time. It hadn’t exactly brought her a lot of luck last time what with the phone call from Detective Miller interrupting her ice cream enjoyment. At least this time she will be able to finish her whole cone.

Sarah gave her a little wave to make sure that Maddie had spotted them. Claire smiled at her too. The three of them had just spent the afternoon looking around a couple of empty shops.

One was on the main street in Casterfield and was really big. It had a great location that was for sure, and wouldn’t need a great amount of work. The place just seemed to lack ‘
something
’ over all.

The second one was down a cute little side street that had cobbles on the road. The shop was smaller but had loads of little nooks and crannies that Maddie just loved. There were hooks on the outside of the building for hanging baskets and the floor on the inside was wood that made a lovely creaking noise when you walked on it. As she had stood inside the deserted main shop floor Maddie had known this was the shop for her.

“There you go miss.” The guy said, blushing as he handed them all to her.

His eyes never met hers.

Maddie didn’t know why the young man looked so uncomfortable but she smiled and took the cones from him. Maybe he was new, it wasn’t like she came here a lot so didn’t know the staff.

As she reached the table the woman took their cones from her and thanked her.

“Don’t thank me.” Maddie said. “This is my ‘thank you’ for coming with me.”

Taking her first lick of the ice cream she hummed in appreciation. Mario’s really did have the best ice cream ever.

“No need to thank us for that. It was great fun.” Claire said smiling as she to tucked into her cone. “Which did you like the best? Or do we not need to ask?”

Maddie gave a guilty little smile and the other two woman laughed.

“Was I that obvious?” Maddie mumbled.

Sarah laughed again, loudly.

“People call me unsubtle but I think they should have seen you in that shop.” Her neighbour chuckled. “I would look refined.”

“Don’t be embarrassed though.” Claire said more quietly but still happily. “It was so nice to see you get really excited by the place. Not to mention the fun it was imaging the things you were pointing out. I think the place will look amazing when you are done with it.”

“Jean still has to see it.” Maddie reminded them.

It was true. It had only been three days since she had been attacked but somehow the older woman had convinced Maddie to get out there and start looking. Maddie had agreed with her when she had said dreams shouldn’t have to wait on anybody. So that was why Maddie had rung her friends this morning to see if they were free and dragged them all out on Tuesday, late afternoon, to check out a couple of store fronts in Casterfield.

Maddie had told herself that she would only look today but would save the actual choosing of a place till Jean was out and able to come with her. That plan had kind of gone out the window when she spotted the shop from the outside. Then it had disappeared altogether when she had walked inside and heard the bell above the door. It was honestly the best little shop Maddie had ever seen in her life. Just thinking how much better it would be after a little work was enough to make her want to burst with excitement.

“You took a million pictures to show her.” Claire stated.

Maddie nodded. She wasn’t sure a million really covered just how many she had taken.

“Plus she heard your voice on the phone and knew straight away from that that it was going to be yours.” Sarah said laughing again.

Maddie nodded again. Both her friends were right. Jean would see the pictures and see how excited by it Maddie was and she would be fully on board.

“It still feels like a lot.” Maddie said her mood going a little south. “Too much.”

Aiden had helped her a lot when it came to dealing with everything that had happened but there were still times, like now, when things just got on top of her.

Sarah reached for her hand and squeezed it tight until she had Maddie’s full attention again.

“Jean wants to do this for you and with you. This is not too much.” Sarah spoke softly. “This is you and her building a future that is full of hard work but fun and satisfaction.”

Claire nodded with everything Sarah was saying.

“More than that though,” The quiet woman started, “You need to realise what you are worth and this is not too much for you to have. You deserve happy and so much more.”

Blinking back the tears that threatened to over flow from her eyes, Maddie gave a shaky smile. Claire was right. She needed to stop putting herself down even if she didn’t really mean to. This was not too much. Maddie could do this and Jean would be by her side the whole time.

It was going to be great, better than great.

“What about your job in the hotel?” Sarah asked. “Surely they are not pleased to have you leave?”

Now that had been a hard meeting. Maddie was not going to take her time with this dream.  She wanted to get totally stuck in so that if something did try to take it away from her she would be knee deep in it. At the very least she would have left a mark.

Maddie called her Manager Monday morning. He had wanted to see her straight away. That meant Monday afternoon.

“I have sat down with my Manager already.” Maddie started.

“Already?” Claire said cutting in surprised. “Whenever Richard wants to see him he has to wait for ages.”

Maddie started nodding quickly, “I know but when I told him I wanted to hand in my notice he wanted to see me straight away.”

“Surely that’s good?” Sarah asked, her attention on her ice cream.

Claire and Maddie looked at each other smiling. The ice cream here was
that
good.

“I think he was just worried that I would leave him short-handed.” Maddie explained before catching Claire’s eyes. “Not that that would have mattered because Richard could do that job with his eyes closed.”

Maddie got a massive smile from Claire. She took pride in how well her man did his job.

“So what did your manager say?” Sarah asked. “It must be good because we are here on Tuesday.”

Taking another lick of ice cream, Maddie thought back to the long hard meeting she had been in the afternoon before.

“Basically he was really annoyed, then sad, then he started begging.” Maddie explained, rubbing her face. “It ended with him calling me a traitor to the company but I think he really was just upset because he worked it so that I could take my two weeks’ notice as holiday. Long story short…here I am.”

What she didn’t say was how hard it actually had been to quit the hotel. That place had been the first stable thing she had found in Casterfield, the first stable thing since her ex-husband was arrested.

Somehow though the two women at the table knew. How had she gotten so lucky to have these amazing people in her life?

Taking a deep breath Maddie stared at the table. She would not be scared instead she would open her arms wide and hold onto it tight.  

“Okay, enough shop talk already.” Sarah said lifting the tone. “I want to know more about that hunk that you are taking to bed every night.”

Claire make a startled laughing/gasping noise while Maddie groaned and covered her face with her free hand while laughing. Sarah knew that the mood needed to be changed and seemed determined to find out what was going on with her and Aiden.

“What do you want to know?” Maddie asked taking her hand away from her face and having more of her ice cream.

Sarah looked at her closely, while eating her own ice cream, as if to check that she really was allowed to ask anything. Claire got there before Sarah could say anything.

“Does he make you happy?”

Surprised that that was what she wanted to know and not some dirty details Maddie looked at Claire and gave an open honest smile. Maddie was pleased that she had judged the woman right and that she did just fit in with her and Sarah like she had been there the whole time.

“So happy.” Maddie answered honestly. “I struggle sometimes with…well…things. Somehow he always knows and makes me laugh. Then when I am done laughing I realised that we have sorted whatever I was finding difficult. I have never known so much laughter.”

Claire looked at her with a warmth in her eyes and a kind of understanding that made Maddie realise that she didn’t know Claire’s past. Maybe there was something there that made her understand in a way Sarah couldn’t.

“Good.” The quite woman said before looking away and having more of her ice cream.

Sarah put her arm round Maddie and gave her a squeeze before letting her go.

“John does that for me. That’s why it’s hard sometimes when he is gone because he isn’t there to help with the big things.” Sarah confided then added with a cheeky smile. “Not to mention I feel like a virgin when he’s not around to take care of me.”

All three woman burst out laughing. Several other people in the room looked round to watch the laughing woman but nobody said anything. It was nice to hear the happy tones fill the room.

“You feel like a virgin.” Maddie exclaimed. “Before Aiden, I hadn’t slept with anybody for 2 years. I couldn’t even remembered what to do!”

Again all three woman laughed.

“Was it worth the wait though?” Claire asked her cheeks all red but clearly having fun.

Maddie let her eyes roll back in her hear and gave a deep groan. Claire burst into giggles.

“I knew it!” Sarah nearly shouted. “I knew they didn’t make hot men like that without making him a legend in the sack.”

Maddie let her eyes come back to the table and she could feel her cheeks getting red like Claire’s. Never in her life had she had ‘girlfriends’ that she could talk about this sorts of things with. Never before had she sat in place and laughed and joked about their men and the stuff they got up too.

“I keep waiting for it to become normal and not so mind blowing but I am not sure it ever will.” Maddie shared with the table.

“Okay, now you are just teasing me.” Sarah whined.

Turning to look around the room for the toilets, Maddie finished off her ice cream before looking at Sarah again.

“Don’t give me that!” Maddie teased. “I have seen your stud of a husband. There is no way that he doesn’t rock you world every time.”

Sarah face took on a totally satisfied look and gave a little nod. It was clear that she had gone somewhere in her head that was dirty and fun but Maddie had no wish to ask about.

“Richard makes me laugh during it.” Claire said, bravely adding to the conversation.

Turning to focus on her, Maddie smiled in an encouraging way. This was a safe place for all the woman to talk about anything they wanted. Sarah came out of the memories in her head and waited for Claire to say more.

“Sex…It had never been much fun for me before…”Claire swallowed before going on, Maddie reached out and took her hand. “But Richard…He made me laugh the first time we…well…you know. That’s not saying it’s not hot, cause it really is, but I like that he makes me laugh more.”

Sarah reached out and took the shy woman’s other hand. For a moment or two they didn’t say anything, just took in how nice it felt to share and laugh. To have people to lean on.

“John makes me laugh too.” Sarah confided. “That’s what I miss the most. That and the warmth of his body sleeping next to me.”

Claire looked at Sarah then back at the table. This was getting heavy and it was clear that they were all going to cry if something wasn’t said to change the topic.

“I am about to pee my pants.” Maddie burst out, it was the first thing she could think of.

Letting go of each other’s hands, Sarah and Claire burst into laughter again. Maddie winked at Claire as she got up and went to the toilets.

Walking to the far side of the ice cream parlour and down a little corridor, Maddie followed the signs for the woman’s toilets.

Blinking repeatedly, Maddie started to see double. Actually she was starting to feel really light headed as well. Her legs started to shake underneath her as she tried to make it to the bathroom door.

Hitting the wall to the side she started to slide down it. The closer she got to the floor the more the fear swept her body. What the hell was going on? This couldn’t be her getting a bug or the flu. It was too quick and way too strong. Maddie had never felt anything like this before.

Had someone slipped her something?

Maddie’s eyes were getting heavier and she couldn’t focus on much of anything at all. She could no longer move her limbs. They felt like lead weights that would do nothing they were told. Her head rolled back and the fear took over completely. Letting her mouth fall open she tried to make a sound, anything, her girls would come to her aid.