A pair of teenage girls stood near Coleman’s entrance, giggling and talking behind their hands. One of them called out, “Hey, Alice!”
Adelie closed her eyes. Wasn’t there anywhere she could go without being seen?
“Okay,” she said. She did want to talk to him away from prying eyes.
Together, they strolled to where he was parked. Maddox opened the passenger door to his Lexus and waited until she sat down before he closed it again.
Maddox headed for the freeway and they sped along down the road toward Manchester, weaving in and out of traffic. Though she wondered where he was taking her, she didn’t care enough to voice it. Instead, she focused her attention on the scenic beauty surrounding them.
It was an unspoiled forest, interrupted by asphalt, and the scenery was infectious, simplistic, and vibrant. She’d always loved living in Vermont because of the landscape alone. This was what had inspired Robert Frost to write such stunning words about nature, and she got to live here.
“Okay,” he said. “I’m going to drive out to the Shires. That should give us plenty of time and privacy to talk. Is that okay?”
She’d roamed along the Shires several times with her church youth group growing up. It was a beautiful area with luscious trees, rocky streams, and several nice walking paths, and it was just the respite she needed.
“I’m so sorry this happened to you,” he began. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she said truthfully.
He inhaled through his nose. “Fair enough. I’ll make good on your request, Adelie. I’ll take everything down, all the pictures, the billboards, everything. I never anticipated that you’d get such negative attention, that you wouldn’t be able to do something as simple as grocery shopping without hordes obsessing over you.”
“I—yeah. It’s kind of awful.”
His ready offer to redact the new images affected her. She never expected him to actually agree. Maybe it was that fact that made her hesitate. To have him remove everything just like that? Sure, she’d demanded as much back at the store, but he’d already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this—into her.
“But what about your profits?”
“Your safety is more important than my profits.”
The words sank into her like a drink of hot chocolate, soothing the chill that had been building inside. How could she let him do that? It hadn’t been his fault the creeps had come after her.
The truth was, Maddox had offered her the chance of a lifetime, and she’d accepted it, risks and all. She just needed to learn how to deal with everything a little better than she had. And carry a can of pepper spray with her everywhere she went.
Even women who weren’t famous got stalked by psychotic ne’er-do-wells. Learning a little self-defense might not hurt either.
“You put so much into this,” she began as he took a right turn and slowed toward the stop sign at its end.
“Doesn’t matter,” Maddox stated emphatically.
“Yes, it does. Even if you take all the signs down, the social media exposure still has the images. There’s no way to undo this, not really.”
With the roadway clear, Maddox accelerated, spearing past several slower-moving cars on his way toward the breathtaking mountains that made up much of northern Vermont’s landscape.
“I’m so sorry, Adelie. I feel like I have to do something to make it right.”
“This isn’t your fault.” She startled herself with the veracity of her tone. Little by little, good things about this situation began to filter in, drip by drip, in a way they hadn’t before.
It helped to be here with him now, to know she wasn’t alone in this. She’d felt so lonely, as though she were treading on sinking stones and waiting for the fall. So much of her anxiety had been based on the not-knowing.
“Thanks for offering,” she added as the road inclined and the meadow-like fields filled once more with trees. “But I’ll be okay. A little scarred after today, I won’t lie, but they don’t have grocery pick-up for nothing.” She tried chuckling, but it didn’t have the effect she’d hoped for.
Concern still dominated Maddox’s face. He scowled at the road, not responding to her attempt at playfulness.
“I’ll just lay low,” she said. “Like Officer Warner suggested.”
“You can’t hide for the rest of your life.”
“Maybe Officer Warner was right. I’ll just wait until the park’s publicity with your reopening and all these recent changes die down.”
Maddox slowed and changed lanes. “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”
“Never leave my house?” she joked. Hey, with Amazon, grocery pickup, and Suzie around, it was totally possible. It was a good thing she loved her home as much as she did.
Maddox took the next turn, which led to a wider pull-off for those wanting to stop and take in the view. He pulled onto the shoulder and frowned at a pair of trees that had tangled their trunks as though someone twisted them together.
“I have an idea,” he said, drumming his thumb against the steering wheel, “but you’re probably going to hate it.”
“What’s that?”
“Stay with me.”
She shifted on the leather seat. “What?”
He angled his head, still staring out the dash. “I know it sounds ludicrous and completely mad, but why not? Come, stay at my house for a while. You could have your own room, your own section, if you want. There’s plenty of space. And you’d be totally safe there. I mean, you’ve seen my security. Why not?”
Sure, go stay at the billionaire’s house with secure fences and cause even more speculation once word leaked she was living with him.
“Publicity is bad enough as it is now,” Adelie said. “How are people going to react when they hear I’m living with you? They might think something is going on between us.” She dipped her chin, embarrassed at having
