Chapter Twelve
The bell above the door clanged, interrupting Justin from his spreadsheet. He’d taken advantage of the quiet morning to analyze last month’s sales. He couldn’t focus on the numbers, though. His mind kept wandering to images of Maddie, her smile, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed, the way she’d looked in that sexy dress on their date.
As much as he’d wanted her, he was glad he’d said goodbye at the door. They needed to rebuild their relationship slowly. They hadn’t even talked about what had driven him away from home in the first place. He wasn’t sure when he’d be ready to discuss their infertility. He had to figure out how he felt about things before he could put them into words. All he knew was that if the ache in her gut over not being able to get pregnant was anything like the shuddering feeling that washed through him any time he thought about not having a little girl to complete their family, he could fully understand her grief. He loved Aiden but he’d always pictured a big family. It was something he and Maddie had in common, and not being able to give that to her was tearing him up.
He’d forgotten about the clanging bell until Maddie was standing in front of him, a knowing smile on her face. Did she know he’d been thinking about her?
“Hey.” Her voice was small, like she was testing the waters.
He circled the counter, slid his arms around her, and pressed his lips to hers. Just a quick kiss, nothing like what he wanted to do. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Her shoulders visibly relaxed and an easy smile graced her face. “Me, too.”
He grabbed her hand and led her around the counter. “Hey, Chris, we’re going to be working in the back for a while. Hold down the fort and let me know if you need anything.”
Justin didn’t wait for the smirk his employee would surely throw him before he practically dragged Maddie into the back, grabbing his laptop on the way. He didn’t let her go until he reached his office. He rounded the desk, motioning to one of the chairs in front of it. His body was a live wire right now, just being near her. Hopefully the desk between them would help.
He took a chance to really look at her after he got settled in his chair. Her hair was pulled off her face and hung in gentle waves on her shoulders. Understated makeup highlighted her big doe-like eyes that had always drawn him in. In general, she looked fantastic. Perhaps it was because her features were relaxed and the smiles came easier than they had. “So how have you been?”
“Good. I took Aiden to the park yesterday and he played with Katie Howe. I don’t know if you remember—he and Katie went to preschool together. Her mom, Alison, and I are going to have lunch next week.”
That was one of the biggest changes he’d noticed in Maddie in the past week. She was leaving the house. Staying home had to be depressing, compounding her other reasons for being down on life. Getting out definitely agreed with her. “That sounds great. And now you’re here.”
“And now I’m here. Let’s talk about what’s going on with the store.”
He sighed. He hated that the business was struggling, that he didn’t know how to turn it around. It was his responsibility to provide for his family, and he wasn’t doing a very good job of that right now. “Our sales are down almost eight percent over this week last year. I just don’t know what to do to combat the discounts the other stores can offer.”
Maddie whipped a notepad out of her purse. “I took all those napkins that we brainstormed on the other night and expanded on some of those ideas.”
She wasn’t kidding, if the scribbling that filled the page was any indication. He had missed having Maddie around the store, and he hadn’t been sugarcoating the situation when he said they needed help, so he was doubly thankful to have her sitting across from him right now.
“I was thinking about Sports Day. You could hold it at the park where they have that huge picnic pavilion and all those fields. If you could get the local youth leagues involved, they could play some exhibition games. It would help their leagues, too, I would imagine, by bringing out new families who may register to play their sports.”
Justin just sat back and watched her mind at work. Her entire face lit up when she talked about something she loved. Her creativity always impressed him, her ability to look at something in a way he would never imagine.
“It would take a little bit of work, but you could have some inventory on hand for them to purchase real-time. I’m thinking mostly soccer and lacrosse because the equipment is easy to haul.”
His eyes shot up and he rested his hand over his heart. “You wound me, Madeline. No baseball?”
She waggled her eyebrows and winked at him. “And baseball, of course. I was just wondering if you were listening, because your eyes were glazed over.”
He leaned forward. Now he wished he’d sat beside her instead of behind this desk. “I heard every word you said.”
Pink crept up her cheeks. He loved making her blush. Besides, she’d started it.
“Well, then, as long as you’re listening. I was thinking you could maximize sales right then by taking advantage of having eager kids on hand. Maybe you could offer coupons for some percent off of a future purchase if they buy a certain amount. I know kids would love to go home with their first baseball mitt or lacrosse stick that day.”
“And because of the discount, they’re more likely to come back for their next purchase.”
“Right.” She scanned her notebook, marking a few items and then flipping the page. “Have you started a customer mailing list yet?”
He groaned. “No. There just hasn’t been time for me to research what to do.”
“If you’d like, I can get things started for you. As far as for the event itself, maybe you can bring some of your high school players out that day, have them walking around with tablets, getting people to sign up. You could offer an incentive for them to join your mailing list, something like a coupon that’s emailed to their inbox. I was also thinking if you teamed up with some of the other vendors in town, this could be a big event. Maybe the diner could set up a concessions tent, something like that.”
Maddie waved her hands as she spoke, and her energy was contagious. By the time she had finished laying out her plans, he was feeling better about his prospects for the future than he had in a long time. And not just concerning the store. Their relationship, too. They had always worked well together, when they weren’t mired down by everyday stresses. “These plans sound wonderful, Maddie. You’re really good at this.”
“Thanks.”
“You know, I’m sure I’m not the only business in Cedar Hill that struggles with the competition in Philly. You should consider setting up your own marketing business. It’s something you could work part-time while Aiden’s in school.” She had that sparkle in her eye that he’d fallen in love with all those years ago. If coming up with ideas put that gleam in her eye, he’d do anything possible to help her keep it there.
“I’ll think about it. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until you mentioned the store. But once I started brainstorming ideas and researching current trends on the internet, it all came back to me. I forgot how much energy I gain from formulating ideas. It hardly felt like work. But in the meantime, we have a lot to do to get Sports Day going.”
“When were you considering holding this fantastic event?”
She hesitated. He wasn’t going to like this, was he? “The second weekend in April.”
“That’s only three weeks!”
“I know, but you want to hit the beginning of the spring sports season. It’s gonna be a lot of work, but I think we can pull it off.”
He raised his eyebrows. It sounded like she was in for just more than ideas. “We?”
“Of course. You didn’t expect me to throw all these ideas at you and then hang you out to dry, did you?”
Well, kinda. And he couldn’t exactly blame her. He had moved out. She could have wanted nothing to do with him. Thank God that wasn’t the case. For the first time in a long time, he had hope that they could find their way back to each other.
She leaned in closer. “You did, didn’t you?”
“Not really. But I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, I left you.”
“Wait right there. You may have been the one to leave, but that just means that you were the braver one. There’s plenty of blame to go around, and I only wish I had seen what was going on sooner. That I hadn’t allowed us, or myself, to get to that place.”
“You’re doing better. I can already see it.”
A huge smile broke out on her face. “Thanks. I’m trying really hard. Getting out of the house more. Doing some of the things that I have neglected.”
“And what about…” He left his question hanging out there. He wasn’t sure how to ask in a way that wouldn’t upset her. It was a dance he had danced frequently the last few months of their marriage.
“I try not to look at the calendar so much, but…” A tear pooled in the corner of her eye.
He couldn’t stand it when Maddie was upset. He rounded the desk and folded her into his arms, tucking her head beneath his chin, and it felt right. Like that was where she belonged. She did. They had just lost their way, but they were finding it again.
He wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, his breath matching hers as they held each other. She finally pushed up and he let her go. She swiped under her eyes and then steeled her shoulders like he’d seen her do so much recently. He recognized the tactic as she was physically putting on a strong face to protect herself from the hurt.
“I’m sorry. I think I’m doing better and then something comes up that reminds me.”
He tucked his hand under her chin and tilted her face up until she met his gaze, her eyes wide. “You don’t have to apologize to me. We’ve wanted a baby for a long time. Right now, you’re mourning the fact that you haven’t gotten that dream. I get it. I really do. I want to help you through this.”
“While you’re living somewhere else, though.”
He grimaced. Yeah, he wasn’t ready to move back home. They had a lot to work through before that could happen. “I know it’s hard with me not there. But you have to admit that we’re getting along better since I’ve been staying at the cottage.”
“You’re right. It’s just hard sometimes. Just because you’re staying somewhere else doesn’t mean you can’t spend time at the house, though. Spend more time with Aiden. He misses his Daddy. You could come to dinner tonight.”
Crap. There was nowhere he’d rather be. But he’d already made plans for his sisters to come by the guest house tonight. It had taken a lot of coordination to get everyone’s schedule to synch up and he couldn’t reschedule.
She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry. I guess you’re not ready yet.”
“Maddie, it’s not that. The girls are coming over tonight. We have to talk about Rachel.” There, he’d said her name without a burn in his throat. Just the thought of his half-sister made his rage with his father flare. How could Dad do that to Mom? And how could he then abandon the girl, never to see her again? He would never understand how a man could do that. That was why Justin was working so hard to save his marriage. He might have lived in a broken home but he was determined that his son wouldn’t. “But how about tomorrow night?”
Her head popped up at that. “That sounds great. But I’m not going to tell Aiden until right before dinner.”
“I’ll be there, Maddie. I promise.”
She chuckled. “Oh, I know that. But he’ll be unbearable if I tell him any sooner.”
He laughed and pulled her against him. This hug was not one of comfort, and his body quickly responded. Her breath hitched as her gaze locked with his, and her pulse beat rapidly in her neck. She was having as much trouble as he was with being close together.
He lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. Once, and then again. He tilted her head, shifting so he could deepen the kiss—
A throat cleared behind him. He huffed out a breath and lifted his head, not letting go of Maddie. She was in his arms and he wanted her there as long as possible. “What is it, Chris?”
“You’ve got a delivery from Spaulding. The driver insists on speaking with you before he’ll drop the shipment.”
“Tell him I’ll be right out.” He turned back to Maddie. “Duty calls.”
She nodded. “That’s okay. I need to be going anyway. We can talk about the next steps for Sports Day at dinner tomorrow night.”
“That’s a deal.”
He yanked his T-shirt out to cover the bulge in his jeans. Maddie raised her eyebrows in question.
“You did that to me.”
She smiled at him and gathered her papers. As he was walking her out to the front of the store, she stretched up and whispered in his ear. “You have no idea what you did to me.”