Grave Homecoming (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 1) (8 page)

“Why do you say that?”

“She was watching them yesterday,” Christy said. “They didn’t see her. In fact, Nick wasn’t even aware she was on the same planet because he was too busy trying to take care of Maddie after she discovered that body.”

Maude was intrigued. “Did she say something?”

“No,” Christy said. “You could just tell by the look on her face. She knows she’s already lost him.”

“Then she should let him go,” Maude said.

“She’s not going to do that,” Christy said. “She’s still trying to convince herself that she has a shot.”

“Well, it’s just going to hurt more over the long haul,” Maude said. “I’ve always known that Nick and Maddie were destined to be together. Now we just have to wait for the two of them to pull their heads out of their own behinds and give into their feelings.”

“Oh, they’ll get there,” Christy said, smiling. “Once word gets out that Todd and Maddie went on a date, Nick is going to go nuclear.”

“Well, that will be fun to watch,” Maude said. “Do you want some lemonade?”

“Sure,” Christy said. “I want to hang out here long enough to make sure Maddie doesn’t just circle around and sneak back into the house.”

“That is an unfortunate possibility,” Maude agreed. “We really need to work on that girl’s self-esteem.”

“Don’t worry,” Christy said. “I think once Nick falls into place, other things are going to fall into place, too. She’s still finding herself.”

“I like how optimistic you are.”

“I’m just a sucker for a happy ending,” Christy said.

Maddie was so nervous she thought she was going to climb out of her own skin. The ride to the restaurant had been long – and uncomfortable. Todd had insisted on taking her down the coast to a cozy little seafood restaurant she’d never heard of before.

Maddie would’ve been more comfortable with a burger and some fries.

Thankfully for her, Todd managed to handle almost all of the conversation over the duration of their drive. Maddie occasionally nodded, or interjected a single word, but Todd was more than happy talking about himself for a half hour straight.

Maddie was already bored.

When they got to the restaurant, Todd insisted on racing around to open her door. “Did I tell you how amazing you look tonight?”

Maddie was still self-conscious about the dress. “I feel naked.”

“That’s why you look amazing.” Todd snaked an arm around Maddie’s waist and guided her through the front door. After charming the hostess, and slipping her a fifty because he hadn’t made a reservation, the duo found themselves at a table by the window with drinks in their hands.

“This is a great place,” Maddie said, licking her lips. “It must be new.”

“It used to be an old boathouse,” Todd said. “They renovated it about five years ago. The food is amazing. I highly recommend the lobster.”

Maddie smiled. “Do you bring all of your dates here?”

“Are you asking if I date around a lot?”

“Maybe.”

“I’m not a monk, if that’s what you’re asking,” Todd said. “I don’t think I date more than anyone else my age, though. I probably don’t even date as much as you.”

Maddie knew that wasn’t true. “I don’t really date.”

“Oh, you’re teasing me,” Todd said, smiling. “No one who looks like you can go through life without dating.”

Maddie sipped from her soda. “You’d be surprised.”

“Is that why you’re so nervous?” Todd asked, leaning back in his chair and scorching Maddie with a predatory look.

“I’m not nervous.” She was beyond nervous.

“You might relax a little if you had something a little more … adult … to drink,” Todd suggested. “How about a glass of wine?”

“Wine goes right to my head.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Todd pressed. “I’m the one driving.”

“I’m fine with my Diet Coke.”

“Well, maybe with dinner,” Todd said, glancing around the restaurant for a moment before returning his attention to Maddie. “So, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Why did you leave nursing?”

Ah, there it was.
“I just realized it wasn’t for me.”

“Shouldn’t you have realized that when you were in college?”

“Probably,” Maddie said. “I thought it was what I really wanted to do, but it turns out I couldn’t take all of the … .”

“Blood and guts?”

Maddie snorted. “That didn’t really bother me,” she said. “It was more that I couldn’t take the sadness. It was great when we saved someone and they had a happy outcome. When someone died, though, that’s what I couldn’t take.”

“You always were sensitive,” Todd said. “I remember you adopting stray animals every chance you got.”

“I’ve always liked animals.”

“And your mom just let you bring them home?”

“She liked animals, too.”

“Did you come home because your mom died?” Todd asked.

“Partially,” Maddie said. “Someone needs to take care of Granny.”

“Yeah, she’s a real spitfire,” Todd said, chuckling. “I especially like how she’s always going after Harriet Proctor. Those two are like oil and vinegar.”

“They’ve hated each other since they were kids,” Maddie said. “That’s what Granny says, anyway. She claims Harriet tried to steal my grandfather from her.”

“That’s a frightening picture,” Todd said. “You said you partially came home because of your mother’s death. Why else?”

“I just wanted to come home,” Maddie said. “I don’t think city life was for me. Someone needs to run the shop. I’ve always loved that shop, so it seemed like a natural fit.”

“Well, the city’s loss is my incredible gain,” Todd said, reaching across the table and wrapping his hand around Maddie’s wrist. “Let’s decide what we want to order. Did I mention how good the lobster is?”

NICK
was in a horrible mood. He’d had every intention of leaving work, crawling into bed, and forgetting all about his day. That wasn’t in the cards.

He’d found Cassidy sitting on his front porch, a bright smile and a nice dress illuminating her pretty features, when he got home. He’d never given her a key – he didn’t like people in his personal space – so she’d been forced to sit on his porch for more than an hour.

When she’d suggested a nice dinner out, Nick balked. Not only did he not want to go out to dinner, he also didn’t want to spend any time with Cassidy. He had no idea why, but her very existence was starting to grate on him.

She was always so nice and friendly. She was never in a bad mood. She never tried to force him into things he didn’t want to do. There was absolutely nothing wrong with her. “Except she’s not Maddie,” a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard the voice. It had reared its ugly head every time he dated a woman over the past decade. He’d learned to ignore it. It was easy when Maddie wasn’t there. Now that she was back, it was darned near impossible. Nick knew he was at a crossroads. He just had to pick a direction, and the one he was leaning toward was going to devastate Cassidy.

So, he’d agreed to dinner. She wanted a nice night out. She wanted seafood and a view. He could give her that. For now.

“We haven’t been here since our first date,” Cassidy enthused, her eyes shining as the hostess led them across the dining room. “I’m so excited.”

“I’m glad,” Nick said.

“Aren’t you excited?”

“Sure.”

“Will this table work?”

Nick smiled at the hostess. “It’s fine.”

“Oh, do you have something by a window?” Cassidy asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry,” the hostess said. “They got the last one.”

Nick lifted his head to stare at the couple the hostess was referring to and pulled up short. The sight of Maddie sitting there – he didn’t even recognize her at first – was enough to throw him. Her date’s identity as he held her hand across the table felt like a semi-truck rolling over him when realization dawned.

“Todd.”

MADDIE
felt like she was caught in a trap. It was bad enough she was stuck on an uncomfortable date in an outfit that left little to the imagination, but Nick’s arrival was creating enough pressure on her chest to virtually smother her.

“Oh, hi,” Cassidy said, her voice bright.

“Hi,” Maddie replied dully.

“Winters.” Todd’s tone was terse.

“Winthrop.” Nick’s tone was deadly.

“Oh, do you two know each other?” Cassidy asked, oblivious.

“We all went to high school together,” Maddie explained.

“Oh, that’s great,” Cassidy said. “We can all sit together and catch up. Our lunch the other day got cut short. We really wanted to sit at a window anyway.” She turned to the hostess. “Can we just sit with them?”

The hostess shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”

“I don’t think … .” Nick broke off, unsure.

“Yeah, we’re on our first date,” Todd said. “That’s not really a group activity. I’m not going to be able to flirt with her if I have an audience.”

Nick narrowed his eyes as he regarded Maddie. “You know what? It sounds like fun.” He took the open seat between Maddie and Todd and plopped down in it. He reached over and snagged one of the menus from the hostess. “Have you ordered yet?”

“We were just about to,” Maddie said.

“Winters, do I infringe on your dates?” Todd asked.

“Sit down, Cassidy,” Nick ordered. “I left the seat right by the window open for you.”

Maddie glanced at Cassidy and found the girl’s face hard to fathom. It was a blank slate, but there was something there lurking in the depths of her eyes. After a moment, Cassidy plastered an obviously fake smile on her face and settled in the chair Nick had indicated.

“I really love this place,” she said. “Oh, I’m Cassidy, by the way.” She extended her hand in Todd’s direction.

“Todd Winthrop.”

“And you all went to high school together?”

“Yup,” Nick said.

“Did you all hang out?” Either Cassidy was oblivious, or she was purposely leading the conversation into the middle of a minefield. Maddie wasn’t sure which one was true. Since her heart was beating so rapidly, she was having trouble hearing anything else that was going on, though.

“No, we didn’t exactly run in the same circles,” Todd said.

“Oh, what circle did you run in?”

“I was with the popular group,” Todd said. “These two were … their own little group.”

Cassidy swallowed hard. “Yes, I’ve heard they were … tight.”

Todd barked out a laugh. “Tight? They were inseparable. You never saw one without the other. I think Winters here would’ve followed Maddie into the bathroom if he could have. He was a little protective of her.”

“You were protective of her?” Cassidy asked, shifting her attention to Nick. “Did she need protection?”

“I wasn’t protective of her,” Nick said. “Todd just didn’t understand that no means no.”

Cassidy faltered. “I don’t understand.”

“Oh, well, it’s just that Todd was always sniffing around Maddie and asking her out – even though he knew she wasn’t interested,” Nick said. “She had good taste … at least she did when we were younger.”

“I’ll bet you had to beat the boys off with a stick when you were in high school,” Cassidy said, her eyes practically begging Maddie to intervene.

“Not really,” Maddie said.

“Yeah, I couldn’t find a stick big enough to beat Todd off with,” Nick said. Maddie pursed her lips to keep from laughing at the awkward statement. Nick shot her a look. “You know what I mean.”

“So, you had a crush on Maddie in high school?” Cassidy asked, gripping her glass nervously.

“Everyone had a crush on Maddie,” Todd said, his smile lazy. “She only had eyes for Nick here, though. Everyone thought they were going to get married.”

“But, they didn’t,” Cassidy said.

“Nope, they certainly didn’t,” Todd said. “Instead, Maddie dumped him in the dirt and left him a broken man.”

Maddie leaned forward, angry. “That is not what happened.”

Todd shushed Maddie. “Winters and I are in the middle of a conversation, sweetheart. Drink your Diet Coke.”

“Don’t talk to her that way,” Nick warned.

“What way was I talking to her?”

“Like she was your … property,” Nick said. “Show her some respect.”

“Like you’re showing your date?” Todd pressed. “Have you even noticed that she’s sitting at the same table? You seem a lot more interested in your good
friend
Maddie than your actual date.”

Nick scowled. “Maybe I just don’t like Maddie falling victim to your … crap,” Nick shot back. He turned to Maddie. “Do you know how many women this guy goes through every month?”

“I … .”

“How could you even agree to go out with him?” Nick asked, incensed.

“I didn’t give her an option to say no,” Todd replied. “I asked her if she was involved with someone. She said she wasn’t. I told her we were coming to dinner, and here we are.”

“Wow, you’re so romantic,” Nick deadpanned.

“Maybe sitting at the same table was a bad idea,” Cassidy interjected.

Maddie couldn’t help but agree with her. “You know, I’m not feeling very well. As fun as this evening has been – and it has been fun – I really think we should cut it short.”

“You haven’t even ordered yet,” Todd said, brushing off her statement. “I haven’t even had a chance to ply you with alcohol so I can take advantage of you later.”

Nick slammed his hand down on the table. “Stop it.”

“You stop it,” Todd said. “You’re the one who cut in on my date. In case you haven’t noticed, she’s not your personal plaything anymore, Winters. She’s open for offers, and I’m offering.”

“No, you’re not,” Nick said, getting to his feet. “Come on, Maddie. I’m taking you home.”

“You can’t do that,” Todd said. “I brought her here. You can’t take her home.”

“Yes, I can,” Nick seethed.

“No, you can’t,” Cassidy chimed in. “In case you forgot, we came in your truck. There’s only room for two of us.”

“Well, then Todd can take you home, Cassidy,” Nick sputtered. “I’ll take Maddie home.”

Cassidy reared back as if she’d been smacked. Maddie’s heart went out to her. “Nick,” she hissed. “You can’t do this.”

Nick growled. “I … .”

“Nicky,” Maddie’s voice was low and full of warning. “What you’re doing is so … wrong.”