Page 6 of Stuck Together
“Glad to see you remember her.” My grandmother’s smile grew wider than length of Long Island.
Madison smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her light blue eyes turned a stormy gray. The same gray I’d seen on her when I used to irritate her when we were kids.
Madison had always been beautiful, but beautiful wasn’t a strong enough descriptor to describe the woman before me now. Her silky golden blond hair hung in ringlets almost to her waist and the navy-blue dress she wore made her flawless skin glow in the dim light of the bar. She held her eye on mine as she bit her bottom lip between her teeth.Dammit that’s hot.
She shifted on her feet and looked away. She still carried an air of innocence that made the gentleman in me want to protect her. However, the caveman in me wanted to do something else entirely.
“Yes. Of course. I could never forget Madison.” I reached out and offered her a handshake. She glared at me through squinted eyes as if to tell me she knew exactly how easy it was for me to forget her. I may have left her, but I never forgot her.
When she accepted my hand, the same spark I’d felt when we were teenagers shot through my body. I pressed my lips together and forced a smile, hoping that would hide my reaction to touching her again. It’d been so long, and I was surprised my body remembered her.
“It's been a long time. What, nearly fifteen years?” I asked.
“Yep.” She pulled her hand away and rubbed it down her side like she was wiping something off.Did I repulse her that much?I couldn’t exactly blame her with the way I’d behaved. Then again, it wasn’t like she ever contacted me either.
She wore a smile, but her face was tense. “I believe it was the night before you left for college.”
I pinched my lips into a tight line and nodded. “I suppose it was.”
Damn her for bringing that up. If she only knew how much I regretted how I left things with her. We were both so young and inexperienced. If I hadn’t left the way I did, it would’ve only resulted in more pain between us in the long run. A quick break was the best thing I could to for her.
“May I ask, what are you're doing here?” I looked back and forth between Madison and my grandmother, unable to decipher either of their expressions.
“I hired her.” Grandmother said.
I shook my head and stared at Grandmother. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I said, I hired her. She will be replacing Bill as an associate advertising executive. She starts on Wednesday and will be joining you on the trip to Vermont.”
My mouth fell open and I felt like one of those fools about to be caught on candid camera. Any minute now someone was going to jump out and yellsurprise, jokes on you. “Excuse me.”
Grandmother huffed and wrinkled her brow. “You heard me. Stop acting like you’re deaf.”
I glanced at Madison and whatever innocence I’d seen in her a moment ago was replaced with anger. Seeing her body tense and her expression harden, triggered my own anger and the desire that stirred in me vanished. She wasn’t the only one who had a right to be angry with how things went down between us. It wasn’t just me that left. She played her own part in our separation. But just like always, every time something went wrong in my relationships, it was my fault.
I took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Madison, can you excuse us for a moment. I'd like to talk to Grandmother in private.”
“Of course. I'll be over by the bar.” Madison stepped back and I watched her walk away. My eyes roamed down her back and down the soft curve of her hips. Her dress hugged her waist and accentuated her round, luscious ass. And fuck me if wasn’t the most adorable ass I’d ever seen.
Dammit. It shouldn’t affect me like this to see Madison again, but it did. I couldn't believe my grandmother hired her. What the fuck was she thinking.
I swallowed my lust and it rolled down my throat like a jagged rock. Once Madison was situated at the bar, I shifted my eyes back to Grandmother. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I'm hiring a new advertising executive.”
“But Madison Hart?” My anger was rising and even I could hear it in my voice.
She shrugged, showing zero regard toward my tone. “What's wrong with Madison. She’s more than qualified.”
I ran my fingers through my hair and grasped the back of my neck. I could already feel my neck muscles tensing up from her nonchalant attitude. “Grandmother. Don't play dumb with me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Really? We’re going to do this?” My fingers clenched and I dug them into the back of my neck. I stared at her waiting for her to admit this was another attempt to set us up. When she didn’t answer, I continued, “Don't think for a second, I don't remember you and Judy constantly plotting for Madison and me to get married. You hiring her is just another ploy to get us together.”
She tsked and her eyes widened in forced shock. She always tried to play off my accusations like there was no basis behind my words. “That was years ago. Judy and I gave up on that the moment you left for college.”
“Sure you did.”