At first, I was beyond nervous about the rumors of our relationship having gotten back to Loretta. How could they not? In hindsight, I knew now I’d also been beyond delusional to believe we’d be able to keep what was going on from anyone. The whole town was still abuzz about it.
Madeline was now the first thing I thought of when I awoke and the last thing on my mind before I passed out—usually to dream of her. So at this point, I was more worried about her mother putting restrictions on how often we could see each other. I’d since looked further into the whole age-of-consent thing, and my dad was right. Loretta couldn’t come after me legally. But technically, Madeline was still a minor, so her mother would still have the right to make our lives hell if she chose to. Though Madeline still insisted I let her handle her mother.
“Her bark is worse than her bite. Trust me.”
Only reason I chose to trust Madeline about this was because I had no other choice. It was either that or break things off, and at this point, that wasn’t even a consideration. Just a few months into this and I already knew Madeline had a hold on me like no other girl ever had—like no other girl ever would. But she did agree that holding off telling her mother until she was eighteen might be for the best.
Despite my family’s reservations about how serious this had gotten so quickly, I’d already made it clear to them that backing away from Madeline was no longer an option. We were going forward with our relationship, and Madeline was just as adamant about it as I was. Though she was far more sure of being able to handle Loretta than I was. She laughed it off any time she saw the dread in my eyes whenever she mentioned her mama having questioned her or her sister about us again.
Madeline had mentioned being close to her grandmother more than once. It seemed they had a special bond. For years, she’d been able to share things with her grandmother she didn’t even share with her mom. It already made me nervous that her mother had seen fit to ask her about us again despite Madeline having been adamant that everything getting back to Loretta was just rumors. We were out on the abandoned pier again when she hit me with another stomach-dropping admission.
“I’m thinking of just telling Grandma about us.”
“What? No way! Why?”
Of course, she laughed as she popped an M&M in her mouth. The kind with peanuts was her favorite. It was our thing. I always brought her a bag when I came to see her, ever since that first day at the theater when she told me about how growing up she and Maggie had told people often that the candy had been named after them. “We had a lot of the kids going in grade school.”
Ever since, I couldn’t see the damn candy at a store without thinking of her and buying some for her. It’d even become my pet name for her. She was my peanut now, and I was like an addict who lived to please her. Anything to see her smile as big and as beautiful as she always did when I arrived. But if you asked her, the giddy smiles I was greeted with had nothing to do with the candy.
At the moment, though, I could barely manage not to groan as she continued to laugh. “Grandma’s so bored in that hospice, and from the looks of it, she might be in there a while.”
I didn’t have the heart to remind her that hospices are usually meant for those not expected to ever walk out alive. Her grandmother’s diabetes had reached the amputating degree, and she’d already lost partial sight in one eye. She was in there supposedly so they could monitor her more closely to avoid having her lose any more limbs. She was already down a foot and a few toes on her other one. She was also on daily dialysis now, so it was just more convenient for her to be there for her treatment.
Both Maggie and Madeline spent a lot of time visiting their grandmother, but it seemed Madeline was there more often. Though if I’m being honest, it was my selfish ass missing time with my girl.
“It’s so weird.” Madeline explained to try and assuage me further about her considering telling her grandma about us. “As alike as Mama and Grandma are, they butt heads on a lot of things. How strict Mama has always been with us is one of them. Grandma’s always sided with us girls or rather”—she giggles again— “with me since I’m the one who always gives Mama a harder time about the things she’s being so pigheaded about. She’s even gonna help me talk Mama into letting me get a Volkswagen Beetle.”
“A Beetle?” Suddenly, my worry about her telling her grandma about us was overshadowed by a new worry. “You mean you want one of those little bugs? Why?”
“Because they’re the coolest and cutest.” She immediately tapped away at her phone screen then glanced up at me. “Not just a regular Beetle either. I want a convertible. Can you imagine Maggie and me cruising around with our tops down?”
She smiled wickedly then yelped when I spanked her ass. “No, I can’t imagine that.”
“Top, I meant top,” she clarified, still smiling playfully, and handed me her phone “Look. This one is just a few towns away and totally in my price range. Mama already said she’d match whatever I have saved up, and I have almost twenty-five hundred saved up.”
I stared at the photo of what looked like a newly repainted original convertible VW Bug, not the new ones Volkswagen started putting out a few years ago. “Peanut, the newest one of these out there is over fifteen years old.”
She leaned into me to look at several photos of it posted on the Autotrader website. “But isn’t it the cutest?”
I kissed the top of her head but shook mine. Just like a girl. All she was concerned about was how cute it looked. “Just because it looks nice doesn’t mean anything. They don’t even list the mileage, and that’s probably for good reason.”
“It says it runs great.”
Now I couldn’t help but laugh. That had her giving me the hairy eyeball. Even when she did that, she was incapable of looking anything but adorable. “I’ve always wanted one, Nico. And it’s not like I’m planning any long-distance trips. It’ll mostly be to get Maggie and me to and from school, and to work. And so we can finally not have to count on Shelby’s mama’s car whenever we want to go out.”
“You don’t have to already. You can count on me for that.”
Madeline looked up at me with that look that said it all. “You know, good and well, it’s gonna be hard enough to convince Mama once I’m eighteen that, like it or not, you and I are just meant to be. Telling her I’ll be on your bike all the time will only make it harder.” She stopped and smiled big. “But I’ve been thinking. If I have my own car by then, and assure her I’ll be in it and not on your bike when we’re together, she might give in more willingly. It’s the one thing she keeps harping on the most. I think, deep inside, she knows talking about you being bad only makes things worse.” She laughed, running her hand through my hair, then leaned in and kissed my forehead three times. As usual, it instantly calmed my altered nerves. “I know Mama as well as she knows me. She’s a sly one. If she reminded me of all your tattoos, the Cortez rep, and whatnot too often, on the off chance that maybe the rumors about you and me are true, she knows it’ll only make me more stubborn about proving you’re not a bad guy at all. So she’s mostly mentioned how dangerous motorcycles are.”
That brought back my anxiety full circle. Her mother wasn’t the only sly one. I’d picked up on a few things about Madeline. As far as I knew, she’d never lied to me. In fact, as uneasy as she knew anything about her mama made me, she was always honest and upfront as she had been every time she’d told me her mom asked her about the “rumors” again. Just as she did today when she openly admitted she was considering telling her grandma about us, she cleverly changed the subject to talk about the bug, so now, if she ever did tell her grandma, she could in clear conscience say, “I told you I was going to.”
“Baby, you’re not worried about your mom and grandma having a secret pact?” I stared at her nervously, even as she smirked then peered at me admonishingly for even suggesting it. “I’m serious. It’d make perfect sense that they’d be in cahoots. You said it yourself. You’re the one who gives your mama the hardest time. Maybe, for your own good, it’s how they keep tabs on you.” She was already shaking her head like I knew she might. “It’s not that unreasonable a thought.”
Madeline sat up and straddled me, cradling my face then kissing me softly. “I’ve already told my grandma about you. Not us,” she added quickly when I stiffened. “She knows as much as Mama knows. That we chat and I’ve gotten to know you. She thinks it’s admirable that you and your brothers are staying put to help your dad run his business and aren’t just planning on leaving town now that you’re adults like so many of the other town’s youngins.”
She smiled big, sprinkling kisses all around my lips, and I wrapped my arms around her waist tightly, already knowing I’d be giving into her. Jesus, would I ever be able to say no to her?
“The other day when Mama made a snide remark about not liking the rumors she kept hearing about me and that Cortez boy, Grandma countered that maybe she should hope I end up with one of them. That way I wouldn’t be leaving Huntsville.”
This had me raising my brow and smiling. Her mom making a snide remark about me was no surprise anymore. But her grandma may have been onto something. Maybe this could be a good selling point on our relationship. Though I already knew it wouldn’t take much for Madeline to convince me to move out of town if she really wanted to.
“Grandma knows me too well,” she whispered, smiling at my obvious appreciation of her grandma’s comments. “I’d never leave Huntsville if it meant leaving my soul mate behind. As long as I’m with you, I could stay in Huntsville forever and live happily ever after.”
Sliding my hands in her shorts from behind, I groaned as I buried my face in her neck then kissed my beauty mark like I always did. “Tell your grandma, I guess.” She squealed in delight as if she actually thought I wouldn’t be giving into her. So I pulled away to look at her. “You really think I could ever say no to you? Even that stupid bug. I don’t like it. I don’t think it’ll be reliable, but if it’s what you want, if it makes you happy, baby, I’ll even drive out with you to get it.”
Our marathon kissing started up again, and I already knew there was no way we were leaving there without me making my peanut blissfully happy in every way.
It was obvious now I wasn’t the only one who lived to see Madeline smile. For as big a hard ass as Loretta could be, she, too, was a pushover when it came to her daughters. Madeline had already told me the story more than once, and even showed me photos of her and Maggie’s sweet sixteenth birthday present from their mama. A trip to New York. For a woman from a small town making a modest living working at a feed store, I could only imagine such a trip must’ve taken years to save up for. But it was Madeline’s dream to visit the art galleries of New York, and with Maggie’s interest in the culinary world, she was just as excited about visiting some of the world famous restaurants there. So Mama delivered.
Now just a few weeks after our bug conversation, Madeline was in heaven driving around in her new convertible Volkswagen. It still made me nervous because, as expected, it had a ton of miles and was not in the best shape. Though its fresh coat of baby blue paint made for a very “cute” Beetle. So I checked it routinely to make sure everything was running on the up and up.
Madeline tried to call it their car—hers and Maggie’s. It was what her mom called it when they got it. Only just like everything else the twins were polar opposites about, while Madeline got her license first chance she got when she turned sixteen, Maggie had yet to get hers.
“The very thought of getting behind the wheel,” Madeline had explained when she first told me Maggie still didn’t have her license, “makes her really nervous.”
It was why Madeline did all the driving, and with the bug being a stick shift, I seriously doubted Maggie would be working up the nerve to learn to drive any time soon. But as Madeline put it, “Maggie doesn’t have to worry. She knows she has her very own chauffeur right here, who’ll gladly drive her around until she’s good and ready to get her license.”
As things got more serious between Madeline and me, it was like we both knew, no matter how much her mother protested, there was nothing that’d keep us apart now. We’d even started talking about the future. Between her artistic talents and my family’s embroidery business expanding little by little, we’d started talking about designing our own leather motorcycle apparel. We’d been doing custom designs for as long as I could remember, but with our resident artist, Nolan, looking to eventually become a tattoo artist and open up his own separate shop, we’d be in need of another artist to design our new stuff. Of course, I couldn’t think of a better person for the job.
The ultimate goal was to expand the business and sell the restored Harleys once we had enough. But for now, Madeline was excited about the possibilities. “I’m not like Maggie,” she said as she sketched a few designs in the back room of the shop. “She has these passions she knows she can make a career out of: either become a chef and open up her own restaurant or become a nurse. Mama thinks nursing is the safer route, but I think Maggie loves cooking way more than she’s into nursing.”
“What about your painting? That’s your passion. Why wouldn’t you be able to have a career doing that?”
She shrugged, glancing up at me. “I like to paint and draw and all that, but the only way to really make a career with that is if I leave Huntsville. I’d have to go to a big city: New York, London, Los Angeles.” With a single crinkle of her nose, she had me smiling big. “I’m not a very worldly person. I’ve thought about just taking some business classes and opening up a small gift shop here in Huntsville and trying to sell my own paintings there and online. But this idea of working side by side with you and still indulging my passion is even better.”
We talked some more about the details of how we could design a logo for the online shop we had now and maybe even build off to the side of the shop where there was plenty of empty land. “We’ve actually had a few contractors come out and draw up some plans and have started getting estimates.” I got up when I remembered. “We have the plans here somewhere. We got two different quotes.”
I started toward the door that led out front to the shop and Madeline followed. As if she weren’t perfect already, her excitement over this topic had me smiling from ear to ear. I couldn’t resist stopping just as we walked into the front of the near empty shop and sneaking in a quick kiss.
Out of habit, I turned to the lone customer in there. “Have you been . . . helped?”
Midway through my question I realized who she was, and my stomach plummeted. America’s eyes were on Madeline and then on me. “No actually . . .” Her eyes once again bounced from Madeline to me, and I could only pray she saw me kiss her and picked up on the fact that Madeline was my girl. “I’m here to pick up an apron and a shirt I had embroidered.” She glanced at Madeline again then me. “It should be under my name, America Beasley.”
If Madeline recognized her from that night she and her friends showed up, she didn’t seem upset or anything by it. I nodded, pulling out the folder with the plans for the addition to the shop from the top drawer and handed it to Madeline. “Give me a sec,” I said, handing Madeline the file.
Madeline took the folder, more interested in that than she was in America. “I’ll go get your stuff,” I said to America then walked back to where Madeline and I had just come from.
I tried to stay calm because, so far, America seemed cool. Since I made things official with Madeline and changed my number, I hadn’t heard from America. But she had tried reaching me in other ways like my email, which I could only imagine she got from Facebook or something. But after the second email, I labeled her email spam and hadn’t gotten anything since.
It wasn’t as if things were ever serious between us anyway. I’d slept with her a handful of times, and there were never any promises made. No biggie. I checked the boxes with ready-to-go finished orders and pulled out the bag with her name on it. I froze when I saw the printing on the shirt and apron.
Huntsville Feed & Supply
It was their work uniform, and America’s name was now embroidered on the apron and shirt. Good Lord. Did this mean she’d moved into town and would now be working alongside Loretta? What else could it fucking mean?
Squeezing the damn bag as I walked toward the front of the store again, I could only pray now that, like Madeline, Loretta wouldn’t recognize her either. It had been dark in that alley. She couldn’t have gotten too good a look at her, and that had been a long time ago.
Thankfully, America took her items, which had been pre-paid so there was minimal conversation between us, and she was on her way. Madeline and I went over the estimates for the expansion. She was as excited about it as she was earlier, but unlike earlier, it was hard for me to smile as genuinely with thoughts of America now working with Loretta.
After much thought, I decided to keep anything more about America to myself. It was in the past and meant nothing even then. Only thing that would come from it was awkwardness should we run into her again, which in this town was inevitable.
I found out how inevitable it was just a few nights later. Friday evening Madeline had to work. Nolan had only been back a month, so I decided it’d be a good time to catch up. I took him and Xavier up on their bowling challenge. Madeline’s shift at Little Caesars was over at nine. She was picking up Maggie when her shift let out at the Dairy Queen then supposedly hanging out at Shelby’s until late. But with Shelby’s mom working the night shift, I’d be picking Madeline up there, and she’d hang with me instead.
It had been a while since I’d been to the bowling alley, but I figured it was safe. Madeline had never actually said it, but I knew she might not be thrilled about me going out to the lake or river on a weekend evening without her. I sure as hell wouldn’t want her out there without me.
My time away from the bowling alley showed in the outcome. I came in dead last three straight times. It was getting close to nine, so we wrapped it up and headed out. Just as we were walking out, America and a couple of other girls were getting out of their car in the parking lot. Before I could even try to pretend not to see her, she spotted me and smiled big. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath.
“Is that Tracey?” Xavier asked as we walked down the stairs of the entrance.
“Who?” I glanced at him and realized he was looking and smiling right at America and her friends.
Fucking great.
I vaguely remembered the girl he was talking about: Tracey something or other who went to school in Huntsville but moved away a while back. Apparently, she was back.
We walked toward them because clearly they were waiting for us to approach them, and Tracey immediately hugged Xavier. “Oh my God,” she said, pulling away to look at him. “Look at you. You’re all grown up.”
“It’s only been what?” Xavier glanced back at me as if I knew. When I shrugged, he turned back to her. “A year?”
“Yeah, about that long, but you’ve gotten so much taller and bigger since then.”
“You look good,” Xavier said with a smile, as he openly took her in from top to bottom.
America greeted me with a hug then didn’t totally back away as if I weren’t already feeling unnerved. Even more unnerving, it seemed we’d been paired off. Xavier got busy catching up with Tracey while Nolan struck up a conversation with Rebecca. As if it weren’t bad enough that people kept walking in and out of the bowling alley doing double takes when they saw me hanging with America, Loretta’s minivan pulled into the parking lot.
I was immediately scrambling, saying I had to go. Of course, tonight would be a night we decided to drive down in the shop’s van, so I couldn’t just jump on my bike and leave them there.
“What’s the rush?” Xavier asked, giving me a sideways look.
“Yeah, it’s only twenty to nine,” Nolan added with a similar look. “You have time.”
I tried to sneak in a telling glare so they’d know I needed to get out of there now, but both my damn brothers were too busy turning on the charm to notice.
“You headed to the lake tonight?” America asked with a timid little smile—so unlike the girl I bagged in an alley, despite the interruption.
“Nah.” I shook my head and felt my stomach drop when I turned to see Loretta almost at the stairs where we were standing. “I have other plans.”
My only hope about being seen hanging out with America by my girlfriend’s mom, was maybe America hadn’t actually started working at the feed store. No way would Loretta remember her from that night in Kings Falls. I’d already convinced myself of that the day America walked into the shop.
“America,” Loretta said as she reached the bottom of stairs then turned to look at me, unsmiling. “I hope you’re behaving yourself tonight.”
The comment was obviously meant for America, but she looked right at me when she said it. She turned back to America, who flashed her a mischievous smile. “You know me.”
My heart had officially begun to race, and one glance at my brothers told me they now got why I wanted to leave. But there was still hope. Just because I was standing here in a very public and lit parking lot talking to America didn’t mean it was anything to write home about. Obviously, America had started working, and that was how Loretta knew her name.
With her mouth twisting to the side in response to America’s comment, Loretta nodded my way and then at my brothers. “Boys.”
“Evening, Ms. Hellman,” I said, failing at trying not to sound too overly polite.
My brothers nodded but didn’t say more. Without slowing or responding back at all, Loretta continued walking into the bowling alley.
“Maybe we should get going,” Xavier said, looking at me ruefully.
You fucking think?
“Yeah, I have that thing with Dad I have to do,” Nolan added but was quickly exchanging numbers with Rebecca.
Xavier did the same with Tracey, which made it awkward as shit for me, but no way was I exchanging numbers with America.
“You changed your number,” America stated not asked.
“Yeah. I got a new phone recently and just decided to change my number.” Nolan started toward me, and I started down the stairs, barely looking America’s way. “I gotta go,” I said, and I was off. Xavier could just catch up.
“So she saw you talking to another chick,” Nolan said, keeping up with my long rushed strides. “Big deal. Maddie’s still denying any of the rumors are true, right?”
I nodded, staring straight ahead. I could only hope it really was no big deal. But I was in no mood to explain why it might not be. I didn’t even know if America had already made the connection with her pretentious older co-worker and Madeline or not. But it seemed like something she might’ve mentioned as soon as Loretta was out of hearing range. So I was still hopeful.
Xavier caught up soon enough. “Where’s the fire? Or did Ms. Hellman light one up your ass.”
Both my idiot brothers thought that was hilarious and only laughed louder when I scowled at them. “Why you sweating it?” Xavier asked as we all got in the truck. “You were just talking to the chick. You said Maddie’s mom wasn’t happy about the rumors about you two. If anything, this should make your mother-in-law happy. If she mentions it to Maddie, just tell her the truth. We ran into an old friend and her friends as we were leaving the bowling alley. Remind her, her mom probably wants it to seem like you were doing more in case those rumors hold any weight.”
Nolan scoffed at that. “How can she not know, dude? The whole fucking town does. She really thinks it’s all made up?”
“There have been some pretty nasty rumors spread about Ms. Hellman for years,” I explained as we drove the hell away from that bowling alley. “Maddie just reminds her of that and how untrue those stubborn rumors are, and she says that shuts her up every time.”
“Ah, small town gossip,” Xavier said, looking out the window. “Gotta love it.”
I dropped the van off at home, freshened up a little, and took off on my bike to Shelby’s. Madeline’s bug was already there. She walked out the front door just as I pulled into the driveway, but she looked completely engrossed in something she was reading on her phone. I gulped, praying it wasn’t a text from her mother.