You’re sure you don’t want to come?” Brook asked. “After all, he’s your dad, too.” Madison shook her head. “I’m positive. I’ll visit him sometime, but not today.” She hadn’t so much as spoken to her dad in six years. And even then it had just been small talk in the hospital waiting room while Brook was in labor.
Brook sighed. “Maddie, things have changed a lot. You might be surprised.”
Madison bristled at the use of her hated childhood nickname. “Don’t call me that. And people don’t change.”
Brook frowned but didn’t say anything. She grabbed her purse from the kitchen table. “I won’t be gone long. Maybe when I get back we can go find a cache.”
Madison shrugged. “Whatever.” She watched as Brook walked out the back door. Her sister had always been close to their dad. Even when they were kids, Brook was always Dad’s favorite. Madison had been closer to Mama.
“It’s not too late to catch her, you know,” Scott said from the doorway. “I know she’d like for you to go with her.”
Madison managed a half smile. “I’m fine here.” She sat down at the kitchen table and leafed through yesterday’s newspaper.
Scott sat down across from her. “It must be exhausting.”
She froze at the coolness in his voice. “What’s that?”
“Carrying around that giant chip on your shoulder. It’s amazing that you can even walk upright.”
Madison scowled. “I know you’ve never been a fan of mine, but don’t you think you’re being a little harsh?”
“Oh, this has nothing to do with me not being a fan of yours. It has to do with the fact that I’ve stood by and watched Brook make excuse after excuse for you. While you’re off gallivanting around without a care in the world, Brook is here taking care of things. Who do you think takes your grandmother to her doctor visits? Who do you think sees to it that your dad has plenty of food to eat? Who do you think makes sure there are always flowers on your mama’s grave?” Scott glowered. “And she does it without ever complaining that everything falls on her because you aren’t grown-up enough to face what’s going on here.”
Madison pushed her chair back from the table and stood, fists clenched. “If Brook has a problem with me, then why did she insist I come and stay for the summer? I think it’s you that has the problem. I thought you and I could play nice for a couple of months for Brook’s sake, but clearly I was wrong.” She turned on her heel and rushed outside. She blinked against the bright sunlight and the hot tears that threatened to spill.
She’d just wait until Brook came back before she went back inside. She didn’t want to spend another second with Scott. She’d been stupid to come here. One of her friends from the church she attended in Atlanta had offered to let her move in while she job hunted, but she’d been afraid the job search would take too long. And Brook had begged her to come back to Missouri for the summer, so she’d caved.
At the edge of the driveway, she turned left. Maybe a nice walk would cool her down. Except that it was at least ninety degrees outside.
“Madison?” A voice called from across the street.
She looked up to see Mr. Simmons sitting on his front porch. She managed a smile. “Hi, Mr. Simmons.”
He waved her over. “Have you and Brook found any geocaches yet? Grant and I logged our first one yesterday.”
Brook had tried to get Madison to look for one yesterday, but Madison had spent the day working on her résumé. “No sir. But maybe later this afternoon.”
He grinned. “We had a good time, but I’m afraid I’m beat today. I told Grant he might be on his own part of the time.”
Madison nodded. Maybe Grant and Brook could hunt for the caches together since they were so gung ho. “That might be a good idea.”
He motioned toward the house. “Would you like to come inside for a glass of lemonade? It sure is hot out here.”
Brook could be gone for a while, and Madison had no intention of spending more time with Scott. “Sure.” She followed the elderly man into his sparsely decorated living room. An ancient brown couch sat along one wall. A series of framed photos hung above it.
Madison peered at the pictures.
“That’s me and Dorothy on our wedding day.” Mr. Simmons pointed at a black-and-white picture. “It was the happiest day of my life.”
She glanced at him and grinned. Even though she would never describe herself as a hopeless romantic, there was something very sweet about the old man’s obvious devotion to his wife. “She was beautiful.”
“Sure was. She went home to be with the Lord five years ago.” He shook his head. “I always thought I’d go first. But He had other plans.” He pointed to a picture of a small blond boy holding up a fish. “That was Grant’s first catch.”
Madison leaned forward to get a better look. “Wow, he’s so little.” Grant’s blond curls framed his face, giving him an almost cherubic look. Although from the looks of him the other day, he’d outgrown his angel phase.
“He was four. His dad and I took him. ‘Course when it came time to clean the fish and fry it, he had a fit. Cried and cried. I think he thought he could bring it home like a pet.” He chuckled.
“Kids are funny.” Madison followed him into a kitchen that made her feel like she’d stepped right into the sixties.
“How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?”
She shook her head. “No sir.” Normally she would’ve been put off by someone she’d just met delving into her personal life, but she could tell Mr. Simmons wasn’t being nosy.
“Brook talks about you a lot. It sounds like you live quite the exciting life.” He poured lemonade into a glass and slid it across the counter to her.
“I don’t know about exciting. But I travel a lot.”
Mr. Simmons took a sip of lemonade. “Travel is good. But family is better.”
First Scott, now Mr. Simmons. It seemed like everyone wanted to shove family down her throat. “I guess it depends on the family.”
He leveled his gaze on her. “I knew your mom’s parents. Your granddad and I were in the service together. Dorothy and Clarice were high school friends. We ended up living on the same street for a while.” His wrinkled face broke into a smile.
“Those were happy times. Our kids went to school together.” “So you knew my mama?”
Mr. Simmons nodded. “You look a lot like her, you know. I remember how she used to give your grandparents fits, always wanting to go to the city. We all expected her to hit the road as soon as she graduated, but she stayed put.”
It had been Mama’s biggest regret. Staying in Roach, Missouri, and marrying the first boy she fell in love with. Madison had been determined not to make the same mistake, so she’d left and never looked back.
The back door flung open, startling Mr. Simmons. He steadied his lemonade to keep it from spilling.
“Hey, Gramps,” Grant said with a grin. His gaze landed on Madison, and he furrowed his brow. “I didn’t expect you’d have company. I was coming to check on you and make sure you’d recovered from yesterday’s treasure hunting.”
Mr. Simmons shook his head. “I’m taking it easy today.”
Grant pulled the jug of lemonade out of the fridge and poured himself a glass. He leaned against the counter and eyed Madison curiously. “What brings you over?”
My brother-in-law thinks I’m pond scum, and I’m too chicken to go see my daddy. “Just a neighborly visit.”
He wore the same cargo shorts he’d had on the other day, but this time he’d paired them with a T-shirt that was the same icy blue as his eyes. Without a hat, his blond hair was shaggy and curled up at the ends. The curls added a boyish contrast to his chiseled jaw. “Well, that’s nice.” He grinned. “Have you and Brook logged any geocaches yet?”
She shook her head. “We’re still making a game plan.”
He chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?” He turned to his grandfather. “So I guess I’m on my own today then?”
Mr. Simmons looked from Madison to Grant. “Why don’t you take Madison along? Show her the ropes.” He grinned. “But don’t give away too many of our treasure-hunting secrets.”
The shadow that crossed Grant’s face was unmistakable.
Madison jumped up. “Oh, that’s not necessary. I should just wait for Brook.” She could see that Grant didn’t like the idea any better than she did. Which stung a little. She might not be interested in someone like him, but why should he be repulsed by her? She glanced down at the jersey-knit wrap dress she’d gotten at Ann Taylor just a few weeks ago. It was a cheery coral color, and she’d paired it with dark-brown wedge sandals. When she’d looked in the mirror that morning, she’d thought it was a winning combo. But Grant clearly didn’t think so.
“Yeah, I don’t want to get on Brook’s bad side,” Grant agreed. “But it was nice to see you again, Madison.”
I know a dismissal when I hear one. She managed a smile in Mr. Simmons’s direction. “Thank you for the lemonade. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.” She brushed past Grant on her way out the door.
“‘Bye,” he called.
She waved over her shoulder and stepped out onto the front porch.
Brook’s minivan was just pulling into the driveway across the street.
Perfect timing. As long as it meant a few hours out of the house and away from more of Scott’s judgment, she’d be happy to go geocaching.
Lord, please let my résumé reach the right person so I can get out of here.
“That seemed a little rude of you.” Grandpa sank into his old recliner and stared at Grant with steely gray eyes.
Grant shrugged. “Nah. I’m pretty sure she and I would kill each other if we tried to go treasure hunting together. Or anywhere else for that matter. Did you see those shoes? Besides, I signed up to spend time with you, not some hoity-toity girl who thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”
“Careful not to judge her. I happen to know a little bit about her past, and I dare say she might not be as tough as she seems.”
Grant narrowed his eyes, but Grandpa didn’t elaborate. He glanced up at the picture of himself that hung above the couch. “Don’t you think you should take that down?”
Grandpa chuckled. “Now why would I do that? It was your grandmother’s favorite. And besides, that was a good day. Changed the course of your whole life.” He took a sip of lemonade. “Have you decided whether or not to enter the Big Bass Bash in the fall?” The yearly tournament that took place on the Lake of the Ozarks was one of the biggest of the year.
Grant shook his head. “You know I’m done fishing competitively. Being a guide is enough for me now.” He’d walked away from the sport while at the top of his game, with sponsors clamoring for his business. Grandpa would never understand why, so there was no reason to even discuss it.
“I wish you’d reconsider. I’ll bet that outdoor network would still be interested in you hosting a show for them. It isn’t too late.”
But it was too late. Grant had made the decision last year and hadn’t looked back. At least not too much. “Nah. I’m happy with the way things are now. I’m home more, which means I can look in on you.”
Grandpa grumbled. “I don’t need a babysitter. And I certainly don’t want you to give up a good opportunity because of me.”
He should’ve known better than to use that excuse. “I really am happier this way. My life is much less stressful.” He’d watched enough of his competitors over the years to know that once you reached the top of your game, there was only one way to go.
“If you’re sure.” Grandpa held out his glass. “While you’re here you may as well make yourself useful.”
Grant chuckled and took the glass into the kitchen for a refill. His gaze landed on Madison’s lipstick-rimmed glass in the sink. He grabbed it and scrubbed the reddish stain from the side of the glass. As he scrubbed the glass, he realized he might be able to erase her from the kitchen, but he couldn’t get her off his mind.
And that worried him a lot more than falling down in the fishing rankings ever had.