Playing for Keeps (29 page)

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a hard, tight voice.

She shoved past him with her suitcase and food in hand. "You were expecting me to stay at the Motel 6?"

"It's a little more your style, isn't it? Now that you live on a farm and everything."

"A farm has animals. We have a house in the country with one dog and a couple of raccoons that think they belong there."

"How nice for you. You always did want to be Daisy Duke."

Maddie dropped her things on a settee near the door. "What's your problem? You said you were going home. Why did you come here? To harass me?"

He faced her. "I came here to tell you not to get too comfortable. You're not welcome here, and I don't think you'll be staying long."

Maddie snorted.
The last person who told me that was Dionne, about Rob's house…which is now my house
. She smiled. "Worried about your inheritance, big brother? Fear not. I'm not here for the money."

"It's not about money,"
Matt scoffed. "It's about family loyalty, and how you've treated our parents, these past years. You're an embarrassment to the Stewart family name."

Warmth flushed through her. "Good thing my name is Cooper, now, to save you the embarrassment. But I don't think this is about family loyalty. I think something else is rattling around in that brain of yours. Some misguided loyalty to Alec, perhaps?"

"Why would it be misguided? He was my friend."

"And I'm your sister. What happened to Alec was an accident. You're talking as if I killed him."

"Almost the same as. You lied to us, and it caused his death. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Furor raged from within, but she tamped it down, trying to speak civilly. "I've lived with that shame for nine years. Don't talk to me about what I should and shouldn't do. Life goes on. Maybe you'd have been happier if I'd have killed myself out of remorse?"

He didn't answer her question, just stared, and finally muttered, "Alec was a nice person. An innocent, naïve guy. I'd just like to see
some
sign of remorse from you, instead of the smart ass attitude you acquired in college."

"Well, guess what? I don't owe you squat, you self righteous son-of-a-bitch. Now get out of here. I'm tired and I want to go to bed."

"Alone? Or is some biker going to sneak in after lights out?"

"I wish!" Maddie grabbed her suitcase and stormed up the stairs. "I'd send him to kick your sorry ass right out of here." At the door of her old room she paused, and opened it slowly. To her surprise, nothing had changed since she was last there. The posters on the walls were just as she'd left them.
George Michael, Wham, and Richard Marx
. Her mood lightened when she looked at them, though she really didn't feel like laughing. She shut and locked the door, and cried for a few minutes on the bed.

She wanted her drink, but had left it downstairs and didn't want to risk running into Matt again.
Skip it
. She thought about Rob, and looked at the clock. It was eleven eastern, which made it ten at home. She picked up the phone by her bed and dialed the number.

"Hello," he answered in a soft voice.

"Am I ever glad to hear your voice," Maddie said, and the weight of the day's events lifted.

"Hey, baby! How was the trip?"

"It was fine. I made my connections and found my car. You did good by me there, sugar. It's a sporty little Mustang."

He laughed. "I thought you deserved it. A little somethin' somethin' to cheer you up."

She sighed again. "About the only thing that would cheer me up tonight would be you walking through my bedroom door."

"Your dad?"

"Nah, Daddy's fine. Mom's been fine. My brother, Matt, has been a total pain in the ass. He's still angry at me for things that happened years ago. He's being a complete and utter jerk."

"Want me to come up there and kick his ass?"

"Yeah, I do." Her attempt to hold back tears failed, and Maddie started crying.

"Aw, don't cry, darlin'. It's gonna be okay." She heard the heartbreak in Rob's voice. "Damn it, I should have come with you. We knew your first time home would be rough."

"What does he want from me?" Maddie asked out loud, but was really talking to herself. "He acts like I can say I'm sorry and change what happened back then."

"Ignore him. Stay away from him, Mad. Visit with your folks, and then come home. We miss you here."

"God, I miss you, too. I need you to hold me in your arms and make love to me."

"I need that, too." He chuckled, his voice sultry. "I said last night would tide us over, but I was wrong. It feels like ages since we've been together. We've never been apart for more than a night, sugar. I'm not sure I can sleep without you in my arms."

"If I was Samantha Witch you could be in two places at once."

"Ah, but then I'd have to live in fear."

She laughed. "And I'd get my way all the time."

"What's new about that?"

"Hey!"

"Just kidding. But really, I always preferred, 'I Dream of Jeannie'. She had that slinky little outfit with the mystery-navel thing going on."

"Uh oh, now he's fantasizing about somebody besides me."

"You brought it up. And damn, I am lonely."

"You should see who's hanging on the walls of my room! I swear, they haven't changed a thing in here."

"And there's a body hanging on the wall?"

Maddie chuckled. "No, silly. Posters. George Michael and Richard Marx."

Rob
laughed out loud. "Richard Marx was kind of cool. But George Michael? Jesus, Mad, I may have to rethink this relationship."

"Too late, buddy. I got you, signed, sealed and delivered."

"Thank God," he murmured, and heaved a noisy sigh.

There was a knock at Maddie's door, and her mother said, "
Madison?"

"Just a minute, Mom," she called, and turned back to the phone. "How are our babies?"

"Perfect. All nice and clean tonight, after another day at the mud hole."

Maddie snorted. "How dirty did you get?"

He chuckled. "Pretty dirty. It was fun."

"As long as it's all cleaned up before I get home, dog included."

"It's a promise. I love you, Mad. I hope you can get some sleep."

"You too, sugar. I'll call you tomorrow. Kiss all our babies for me in the morning. I love you." She hung up and went to unlock her door. "Sorry, Mom, I was talking to Rob."

Meg smiled. "Everything all right?"

"Sure." She saw her food bag and the drink in her mother's hands. "Oh! Thanks."

"It's probably cold by now." Meg handed it over.

"I lost my appetite." Maddie took the stuff and set it on her dresser. She sipped at the soda and made a face.

"Yes, I saw Matthew leaving as I pulled up. What did he want?"

"More of the same. How dare I show my face around here, blah, blah, blah…"

"I'm sorry, Madison. I didn't realize he was so angry. I guess we haven't talked about you with him for a while. It's funny, because your father and I talk about you all the time. We just didn't realize how he felt."

"It's very uncomfortable. It makes me want to turn around and go home."

Meg leaned against the door frame. "I thought you'd always think of this place as 'home'. But it's not anymore, is it?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. But my home is anywhere Rob and the kids are. And right now, that's a house in Meridan,
Oklahoma, with a mud hole in the back yard that none of them can seem to stay out of."

Meg chuckled. "Rob included?"

"He's the worst!" Maddie picked at her sandwich. "He promised they'd all be cleaned up before I get back."

"You let him shave yet?"

"No way! I love his beard. Okay, he shaves every so often, to keep it from getting too thick, but I refuse to look at him clean shaven."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Her mother turned down the bed covers and threw away the tissues Maddie had cried into.

"Yeah." Maddie pulled a picture of Rob and the kids out of her purse, and smiled. She stuck it on the mirror above her dresser. "Hey Mom, thanks for leaving my room alone. But do you mind if I pull down those posters? They're kind of embarrassing."

Meg
laughed. "I'm so used to them, now, it'll be strange without them. But go ahead. Lord, we'll probably have to paint if you take them down."

"Feel free, and decorate for heaven sakes. You don't have to leave my old stuff in here."

"Yes, we do." She smiled at Maddie sadly. "I'll tell you good night. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Mom."

Meg stopped in the doorway, and looked back at her daughter. "Thanks for coming, Maddie. It meant a lot to your father…and me."

"Any time, Mom. I love you guys."

Meg swiped at her eyes quickly. "We love you too, Maddie. Good night."

Maddie did get some sleep, and felt pretty good in the morning. She ate breakfast with her mother, and they drove separately to the hospital. Meg planned to spend the day, but Maddie wasn't sure if her brother would be there, so she wanted her car if she needed to leave.

Her father was feeling better, and anxious to be discharged, but the doctor wanted to monitor him until the next day. They talked all morning, and then her father ate lunch and needed to nap. Maddie overheard her mother talking on the phone in hushed tones, and asked her what was up.

"Your brother wanted to come up, but I told him not too, because Daddy's resting."
Maddie knew why she told Matt not to come up. "Mom, why don't I take off for a while? Matt can come up this afternoon, and I can come back this evening."

"Matt can see your father anytime."

"But this is his day off, and I know he wants to be here. I'll just go. I'll be back later."

"Where will you go? Home—" she reconsidered, "to the house, I mean?"

"Maybe." Maddie nodded. "I'm going to drive around and look at things. Don't worry about me, Rob got me a sporty little rental car. I just want to take off a while."

"
Drive carefully," her mother advised.

"Of course." Maddie gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and left. She knew exactly where she was going. It was less than two hours away.

The highway to
Cambridge felt as familiar to Maddie as her old room. Her parents had insisted she come home regularly, and at first, she had.
Later, not so much
. Sometimes, she and Alec drove back together. Her parents thought they were dating, and they liked him. He was a good cover for her.

The college campus looked the same. Maddie
drove by Buckley Hall, the dorm she and Zoey had lived in. It looked good, well maintained and clean. Maddie cruised through town and passed by many of their old haunts. The drive-in restaurant they frequented was still there, and Maddie stopped for a salad and an iced tea. When she finished, she told herself she should head back. While she was saying it, she headed south of town, to the 'bad neighborhood', and looked for the Lost Wages pool hall. She remembered the corner it was on, but it wasn't there anymore. A strip mall filled the whole block. A funny feeling formed in the pit of her stomach.

She told herself to go back to
Hartford. While she was saying it, she drove north a ways and parked across the street from Dick's Bike Shop. It was still there. As it was Sunday, the place was closed, and Maddie thought that was probably a good thing. It was hard enough seeing the shop.
What if it still has the same owner?
She didn't realize she was staring at the building, and blinked in shock when one of the shop's garage doors opened. She stepped on the gas and peeled out, and was back on the highway before she had time to catch her breath.

She stopped in to see her father again when she got back to
Hartford, and told him she'd be there to bring him home the next day. She was tired and didn't stay long. She wanted a hot shower and her bed. Once she was tucked in, she picked up the phone and called home. "Hey, baby."

"Hey, gorgeous! How'd the day go?"
Rob greeted her.

"Better. We coordinated schedules so I didn't have to see my brother. It worked pretty well. But Jesus, it's boring at the hospital! Thank goodness he's coming home tomorrow."

Rob chuckled. "Yeah, not much to do there, I guess."

"That's for sure. So what did you guys do today?"

"Oh, my. We were blessed by a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Cooper."

"Doesn't sound like as much fun as the mud hole."

"Not quite. It was okay, I guess. They were basically checking up on me, making sure the kids got fed and such."

Maddie laughed. "I don't have a worry in the world about leaving them with you."

"That's 'cause you love me," he said softly.