“It was lovely to meet you,” the photographer said. “I can’t wait for the finished product.”
Adelie opened her mouth to reply when Maddox approached and clapped Ritchie on the shoulder. His presence sent a jolt through her. She had tunnel vision, barely able to take in anything but the billionaire.
What had Maddox thought of Ritchie’s comments during the shoot? Time after time, Ritchie had pointed out her reaction to Maddox’s attention. She hadn’t been able to help it. His effect on her was increasing the more time she spent around him. What had Maddox thought of it?
“Nicely done,” Maddox said as Ritchie drove away.
She linked her fingers in front of her and placed her palms against her stomach. “Thanks, that was kind of amazing.”
“Better than you thought?”
Only because you were there. She tucked a hair behind her ear. “Yeah, actually. When will the images be done?”
He glanced out the large window where the fountain was visible. “I’ve got Ritchie on a tight schedule. It’ll take some time to get everything printed and up, but I can show them to you when everything is ready.”
“That would be great,” she said. “Just, you know, give me a call.” Give her a call. She’d invited Maddox to call her.
For a moment she wished their situation was different. That he was interested in her because of who she was, not because of who he wanted her to be. He would have asked for her number. She would have given it, and maybe that staggering chemistry they’d shared on the carousel would be real.
She stood before him in anticipation, wondering how to go about bidding him goodbye. Things seemed to be different between them after the shoot. Should she hug him? Offer to shake his hand?
Adelie knew she shouldn’t care this much. He was only interested in her for his park, but their attraction was undeniable. Did he feel it too?
“I’ll walk you out,” he said, one hand in his pocket, the other indicating his fancy front door.
Adelie bit her lip. It would be better to leave things this way, without any walking to cars or awkward goodbyes. Their relationship needed to end here. She would wait for word on the pictures, and that would be that.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “Thanks again.”
He stuffed his other hand into his pocket. His expression betrayed a hint of desire, that he wanted to say something else, to declare the emotion collecting in his eyes, but Adelie pressed her lips together, gave him a final nod, and strolled toward the door.
She couldn’t prolong things or to allow the hope swelling inside her to grow any larger than it already had.
“Adelie,” Maddox said in her wake, reaching the door first and opening it for her. “Thank you for this. If you—” He paused and then shook his head, letting his words trail off.
If she what? What was he about to say?
“Yes?”
He grimaced and turned his head away from her. “If you check your account, the money should be there by Friday.”
A lump bulged in her stomach. Right. The money. That’s what this was all about, after all.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
She tore herself away and headed out to her car, chiding herself with every step for being so foolish. What had she been doing, imagining interest from him when there was none? He was only fascinated with her because of his park. No matter what, she had to remember that.
CHAPTER TEN
Adelie propped the rake against her side and removed her phone from her pocket. It hadn’t buzzed. It hadn’t rung. Yet, the doggone thing kept summoning her to glance at it every five minutes, the way it had since she’d left Maddox Hatter’s mansion six weeks ago.
“You need a hobby,” Suzie said, raking dead leaves that hadn’t been cleared last fall and had slumbered beneath the snow all winter long.
“And you need to get off your sister’s case and let her do whatever she wants,” Fletcher said, wrapping his arms from behind Suzie and planting a kiss on the side of her neck.
Suzie playfully pushed him aside, lobbing a glare that lasted no longer than a blink before she smiled.
“Thank you,” Adelie said pointedly, looking directly at the adorable red-headed man who’d been enamored with her sister for the past four years. Why he hadn’t proposed yet, Adelie didn’t know. They seemed content with the snail’s pace of their relationship, and if that was enough for them, it was enough for her too.
“I’m just saying you need something to keep you too busy to look at that dumb thing every second.”
“I’ve been plenty busy,” Adelie argued, thinking of all the work they’d been doing on the house since the money from Maddox had come through. She pocketed her phone again and resumed impaling the leaves and coercing them into the pile near the sidewalk in front of their vintage, country bungalow.
“Sure, busy on social media.”
Adelie stopped raking again. “Is there a crime in wanting to check for updates?”
She’d been stalking Maddox and his Wonderland on Facebook for weeks, not to mention her message and email inboxes. She couldn’t deny the prick of hurt at being ignored. They had a connection during the few days they’d spent together—or so she’d thought. The days had continued, however, and every day she muscled down her disappointment at not having heard a word from him.
She tried reasoning with herself. He was busy. He owned a theme park that was being entirely rebranded for goodness’ sake. The arguments didn’t completely quell her disappointment or the nagging fear that everything she’d felt between them had all been one-sided. Unrequited, like always.
Against her better judgment, she’d been entertaining more and more daydreams since the photo shoot. Daydreams of carousel rides and crooked smiles, of time in
