“Neither did I. Apparently, an editor from one of the big fashion magazines reached out to her after her interview on Good Morning Sunshine. She didn’t breathe a word of it to me until late last night.”
Last night.
Jack’s jaw clenched. Madison’s sudden disappearing act was 100 percent his fault. She’d clearly gotten her new job offer before she’d come to his house the night before, maybe even before he’d been hurt. She hadn’t said a word about it, though.
Could that possibly mean she’d had no intention of taking the job until she’d found out he was Fired Up in Lovestruck?
He hadn’t thought he could feel any worse about her sudden departure until right then.
“Let me go get that gift she left for you.” Alice held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.”
She bustled toward the hallway leading to the back of the farmhouse, and Jack waited, absently running his fingertips over the tops of the twins’ soft heads.
“Dada,” Emma said, and his heart nearly cracked in two.
Toby’s fanciful head cocked to one side, and he narrowed his gaze at Jack. It was almost as if he knew Jack was the reason his beloved Madison had flitted off to New York and left everyone behind. Either that or Jack was losing it. Possibly both.
“It’s my fault, I know,” Jack said, and the little dog’s plumed ears pricked forward. “I’m sorry.”
Toby blinked at him a few times and then walked toward a big Vermont-flannel plaid dog bed tucked by the hearth, turned three careful circles on it and then plopped down with a sigh. Apology not accepted, apparently.
Jack couldn’t blame him. It would be a long, lonely while before he forgave himself. If ever.
He shifted from one foot to the other while he waited for Alice, wondering if there was any chance her flight hadn’t taken off yet. How fast could he get to the airport? Granted, he wasn’t supposed to be driving at all, much less all the way to Burlington. Maybe he could get one of the guys to drive him up there in the rig. At least they’d arrive in a hurry.
“Here we go.” Alice returned carrying a small paper bag with a whimsical illustration of a ball of yarn on it. The yarn unspooled to spell out the words Main Street Yarn.
“A gentle warning—they’re not pretty. But Madison worked really hard on them.” She offered Jack the bag, and he took it. “I loved having her in class. For a while there, I was kind of hoping she might stay here in Lovestruck and take over the shop someday. She loves fashion so much, and she’s just a beginner now, but she could create some really beautiful things if she stuck with knitting. I guess it’s just not mean to be.”
“I suppose not,” Jack said, clutching the bag.
He was almost afraid to look inside. He was barely hanging on as it was, and he really didn’t want to start weeping right there in front of Madison’s aunt and a clearly unhappy Toby. But Alice made no move to usher him toward the door, so he didn’t have much of a choice.
He peered over the top of the twins’ heads, reached into the bag and pulled out a lump of pink yarn. At first, he wasn’t sure what he was looking at, but once he untangled the pieces, he realized he was holding four tiny, hand-knitted baby booties in his hands. Two pairs—one for Ella and one for Emma.
“Remember, it’s the thought that counts,” Alice said, arching a brow.
Jack guessed the knowing look she tossed his direction was a reference to the uneven rows of stitches and the way all four booties seemed to vary in size. He couldn’t have cared less about any of those details. In fact, he preferred them this way. He could see what a struggle the project had been for her, and the fact that she hadn’t given up made his heart feel like it was being squeezed in a vise.
Perfectly imperfect.
Just like her. Just like Madison.
When he looked up and met Alice’s gaze, her eyes were filled with unshed tears. She gave him a watery smile. Maybe she knew what had happened between him and Madison, after all. Or maybe she simply missed her niece. Either way, Jack felt the invisible vise around his heart tighten another notch or so.
He offered her his best attempt at a smile, but could feel his face refusing to cooperate. What now? Where did he go from here? “They’re perfect.”
Chapter Sixteen
Dear Editor,
First Fired Up in Lovestruck disappeared, and now Queen Bee?
Bring her back!
Sincerely,
Disappointed in Lovestruck
Dear Editor,
Lovestruck adores Queen Bee. I can’t believe Fired Up drove her away.
Sincerely,
Angry in Lovestruck
Dear Editor,
I always thought Fired Up in Lovestruck and Queen Bee were perfect for each other, like two sides of the same coin.
I guess I was wrong.
Sincerely,
Heartbroken in Lovestruck
The entire town blamed Jack for the sudden disappearance of Queen Bee’s column. Technically, they blamed Fired Up in Lovestruck, but Jack and his alter ego were one and the same, even if he still hadn’t come forward and identified himself.
What possible purpose would that serve now? Madison was gone. Nearly a week had passed since he’d shown up at her aunt’s house, hoping to fix things between them. He was certain Alice would have mentioned it to her. Even if she hadn’t, there’d been enough unanswered calls and text messages for Jack to get the message loud and clear.
It’s over. He’d written those same words in his final letter to the Bee—he just hadn’t realized they’d eventually turn out to be so prophetic.
“Welcome back.” Cap looked up from the newspaper in his hands as Jack walked into the firehouse kitchen on his first day back on the job after his concussion. “How’s the head?”
Jack did his best not to grimace at the sight of the Lovestruck Bee’s banner running across the top of the front page. If he never saw another copy of the local
