“One more thing.”
“Yes?”
But as I tapped the phone against my ear, I struggled under the decision and opted not to do it.
I didn’t believe Madison the type to go stalker on me.
Not at all.
I just met her but I already knew she’d never be that desperate. Hell, she turned me down for just a kiss because she’d seen me with…what was her name?
No, I couldn’t picture Madison being anything but a ball buster who gave me the ride of my life.
And that was the problem.
There was something about her that had me by my balls, and I didn’t like that. It was a foreign feeling, one I wasn’t ready to look at more closely just yet.
Rubbing my eyes I said a troubled, “Thanks. Have a good night,” and hung up.
Matthew jogged his chin at the dwindling crowd, threw his arm around our inconsolable friend. “It’s gonna be okay, Billy.”
“Didn’t know how much I loved that house until now, man. You think I can save my crock pot?”
“If not, we’ll get you a new one. Your meatballs will prevail.”
Fixated on the disaster he used to call home, Billy muttered, “I hope so.”
Searching for something to make him feel better, I said, “You need to get back on the horse after this. And fast.”
Billy looked unconvinced. “You think so?”
“Absolutely. You can’t let this drag you down.”
Matt agreed, “Nicholas is right! What you’ve gotta do is find a new locale, throw a party immediately! Just imagine how many people would come to that!”
Billy blinked at the house, lips parted, cheeks stained. “I’m gonna do it!”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
“I’m gonna do it!” he whispered, more to the house than to us.
I tried not to admit it, but part of the reason I suggested him throwing another one was to see Madison. She’d get the invite, would have to show up after all that happened. Then we’d meet again in a natural environment. It would give me the opportunity of exploring what this interest was. See if it was just the extreme emotions of what we’d all been through that were playing tricks on my head.
So as the paramedics came over and told me I had to get checked out, I didn’t fight hard. My spirits had lifted slightly. I’d see her at the next party.
That’s what I kept telling myself as the image of her almost running into that fire to save a dog, kept flashing through my mind.
That’s the kind of woman who sticks with a guy like me.
As I dried off, I said it again for the millionth time in two hours, locking eyes with my own reflection.
“No big deal. Let it go.”
Yeah, sure, tell my dreams that.
CHAPTER 12
M ADISON
F rom the passenger seat of Denise’s Nissan I watch the other lanes on I-85 heading toward Virginia, and catch random glimpses of strangers drifting by. Those faces are going places I’ll never know about.
Their lives, what are they like?
Do they have people they care about so much that it hurts to think of them gone, like Nana is?
Jobs, pets, kids, parents, troubles, joys, and everyone they touch is touched by someone else.
That smiling woman bouncing to her music, did she just decide to go after her dreams?
The man in the suit with his tie undone, smoking out the window, did he forget about his?
“It’s like this incredible spider web is woven every second of every day, and we aren’t even aware of it.”
Denise glances over with a blank, “What?”
“All of the people on the planet.” Holding her eyes before they flicker back to the freeway, I explain, “Right now there are people in England, Canada, Australia, South Africa, South America, Spain…”
“I get it…”
“France, Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Canada…”
“You already said Canada.”
“Turkey, Iceland, Russia, Denmark, Romania…”
“Maddie.”
“Just think, right now, people in all those countries—and that’s not even all the countries out there!—they’re walking around in their own lives, like we walk around in ours. Getting up every morning, doing their thing, going to sleep. So many hearts beating for different reasons, different dreams and goals. Isn’t that crazy?”
“Have you been smoking pot?”
Laughing I reach back to pet Bucky. “His eyes are clear today. I think he’s getting used to me.”
“Dogs bounce back pretty well. You should call them again.”
“I called four times. It’s in their court now.”
Flicking a glance to the backseat, she grumbles, “And they call you the animal, Bucky.” Wagging her purple fingernail she announces, “All those people in the world you’re talking about? Not all of them are good.”
“That would be boring.”
“You should have left them a nasty voicemail.”
“There’s enough negativity floating around.” Staring out my window I add, a little quieter, “Maybe he was supposed to be with me.”
“If they do call, do not give him back!”
“Denise, can you imagine if life was just euphoria all the time? People walking around in bliss twenty-four-seven?”
We’re silent as we picture it. I glance over to her, and she meets my eyes to say, “Nothing would get done.”
On a smile I agree, “Kleenex would go out of business. No need for crying.”
Her expression saddens as she fixes her gaze back on the road ahead. “When a loved one died, you wouldn’t feel the loss, and that’s not right. I wouldn’t want that.”
I run my hand down her soft arm. “How are you feeling?”
“Peachy,” she mutters on a deep exhale. “This funeral is going to be one hot mess.”
“I know.”
“Momma’s already driving me crazy. She lives on the drama.”
I mutter with a roll of my eyes, “Yeah. She doesn’t know how to behave sometimes.”
Denise’s lip curls. “She’s going to act like this party is for her. Those people will be there to celebrate my Nana, but will she see it like that?” Flicking me a glance she demands, “Remember the birthday party for my thirteenth? That woman
