Grave Concerns Read online

  “Don’t you even consider finishing that sentence,” Sharon warned. “You’re right. I do love Maddie. I have loved that girl since she was five years old and Nick brought her home for a play date. That doesn’t mean that she’s not the best thing that ever happened to your brother.

  “Have you looked at him recently, Kelly?” she continued. “I think you should give it a shot. That’s what happiness looks like, my dear. That thing he does every time he looks at Maddie? That’s called smiling. The way he wants to touch her every second of the day? That’s called love. That girl is his entire heart. She always has been. His heart is finally complete because they’re together.”

  “Oh, that’s the sappiest thing I’ve ever heard,” Kelly snapped. “Nick is going to get his heart broken again. I’m the only one who apparently sees it because I’m the only one looking out for him.”

  “You’re not looking out for him,” Sharon argued. “You’re making things harder for him. You’re unhappy and you want everyone else to be unhappy. It makes me sad. You’re still a young woman, Kelly. Your marriage didn’t work out. These things happen.

  “You could go out and find your own happiness if you put your considerable efforts behind the task,” she continued. “Instead you want to rip happiness away from your brother … or whoever else irritates you on any particular day. Enough is enough. Focus on yourself and stop worrying about what everyone else is doing.

  “You’re not helping anyone by fixating on Maddie,” Sharon said. “All you’re doing is proving to the world that you’re miserable and you want everyone to be miserable with you. Don’t say another word. Just think about what I said. This is our family, and you’ll always be a part of it. You need to make some hard decisions about whether or not you want to be a part of it, though. The way you’re acting makes me think you don’t want us in your lives. If that’s the case, you’re doing a bang-up job of pushing Nick away from you forever.”

  “LET’S eat on the patio,” Maddie suggested, inclining her chin toward the romantic enclosure to the right of the quiet restaurant. “It’s nice out.”

  “That sounds good to me,” Nick said, bringing their joined hands to his lips so he could brush a soft kiss against Maddie’s knuckles.

  The hostess sighed as she grabbed two menus.

  “Is something wrong?” Maddie asked, confused.

  “You two are just so cute,” the hostess said. “I want someone that handsome one day.”

  “I definitely recommend it,” Maddie said, her eyes twinkling.

  Once they were settled and placed their orders, Maddie turned her somber eyes to Nick. He’d been largely quiet since returning to the cabin after his showdown with Kelly. She was almost afraid to ask how it went.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Nick shifted his eyes from the quiet expanse of Lake Margrethe and focused on Maddie. “I’m really sorry for all of this.”

  “I wasn’t asking for an apology.”

  “I know. It’s just … .”

  “Nicky, I know you didn’t purposely leave me,” Maddie said. “I’m not upset. I feel a little stupid for thinking Darrin was going to try and feel me up or something, but I’ll get over it.”

  Nick smirked. “I think part of you was worried that I did leave you,” he said. “It might’ve only been for a split second, but I know you, Mad. Your heart did that flopping thing it’s prone to do.”

  “My heart did the flopping thing because … well … I was trying to figure out how I was going to get back to the campground and I was worried it was going to involve hitchhiking,” Maddie said. “I have a feeling if that was the case someone was definitely going to try and feel me up.”

  “Oh, love, I’m the only one who gets to feel you up.”

  “Tell me about what happened with Kelly,” Maddie prodded. “I know you don’t want to upset me and I promise it won’t, if that’s what you’re worried about. You’ve been quiet since you got back, though.”

  “Nothing happened.”

  Maddie arched a challenging eyebrow. “Okay, mostly nothing happened,” Nick conceded. “I … well … I laid down the law.”

  “Oh, this should be good.”

  Nick ignored the jab. “I told Kelly that I wasn’t going to put up with one more thing from her,” he said. “I told her that if she wanted to keep going after you that we could part ways here and now.”

  “Nicky, she’s your sister,” Maddie countered, her face twisting. “You can’t just cut your sister out of your life.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Mad. That’s exactly what I’m going to do if she does one more thing.”

  “I’m not sure that’s fair to her,” Maddie pressed. “It probably seems to her that you’re picking me over her. That has to hurt.”

  “She already thinks I’m picking you over her.”

  “You told her that wasn’t true, right?”

  Nick shook his head. “I am picking you over her.”

  “Oh, Nicky, she’s going to hate me even more now.”

  “Kelly doesn’t hate you,” Nick said. “She wants to hate you. You make an easy mark because you have everything she’s ever wanted … well, except she wants it with a guy who isn’t her brother.”

  “Whew. That’s a relief.”

  Nick grinned. “Kelly needs to get over herself. The truth is – and I told her this tonight – I’m not just picking you over her. I’m picking myself over her. I want to be happy, Mad. You’re my happiness.”

  “Oh, I definitely recommend everyone get one of you,” Maddie said, her eyes shining under the moonlight. “You’re my happiness, too. You know that, right?”

  “I do,” Nick said, squeezing her hand. “I feel it every minute we’re together. You kind of … melt … when you cuddle up next to me. We fit together. We always did. I’m not willing to put my happiness on hold because Kelly doesn’t want to accept that we’re together.”

  “I think she’s going to come around,” Maddie said, reaching for her glass of wine.

  “I think you’ve always had an optimistic heart.”

  “I think you’re angry enough at Kelly that you don’t want to admit that you believe she’ll come around, too,” Maddie countered. “She’s your sister. She loves you. She’s going to find happiness of her own one day. I have faith. You should try it.”

  “I have faith in you, love,” Nick said. “I have faith that we’re going to be happy. I have faith that this life is going to give us everything we’ve ever wanted. I have … hope … that Kelly can get past her issues and find the same thing one day.”

  “That’s my Nicky.”

  “You’re the only one I belong to,” Nick agreed. “It’s you and me forever, my Maddie. I waited too long to get my happy ending to let someone else ruin it for me. Either way, if Kelly tries one more thing … .”

  “You’ll yell at her and then find a way to get over it,” Maddie finished.

  “Hey, I can hold a grudge,” Nick countered. “Look how long I was angry with you.”

  “Yes, you put up a brave fight,” Maddie said, patting his hand. “You hated me for three days when I got back to town and then we made up.”

  Nick smirked. “I told you I could hold a grudge.”

  “If you play your cards right, I’ll let you hold something else when we get back to the cabin.”

  “And that’s why I love you, Mad.” Nick impatiently glanced around the patio. “Where is our dinner?”

  Fourteen

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  Nick lit a match and touched it to the edge of the newspaper, puffing his chest out as the fire began to build … and then almost immediately flamed out.

  Upon returning to the cabin, Nick suggested going to bed early. Maddie countered with cuddling by the fire and making s’mores. She promised to make it worth his while if he pushed off their bedtime.

  Twenty minutes later, Nick was still struggling with getting the fire going.
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br />   “Do you have any idea how many campfires I’ve built?” Nick asked, his hands landing on his hips. “I earned a badge for it when I was a boy scout.”

  Maddie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

  “I have built so many fires I could be an arsonist if I wanted to be one,” Nick added. “I would be a good one, too.”

  “You’d be a great arsonist,” Maddie agreed, pushing herself up from the lounger and leaving the blanket she wanted them to cuddle underneath behind. “How about letting me try? I haven’t started a fire in years. I could use the practice.”

  “Don’t placate me,” Nick muttered. “You think you can start this fire and I can’t, don’t you?”

  “I think that … you are the most wonderful man in the world and I need practice starting fires,” Maddie countered. “We still have a few months of camping weather in front of us, Nicky. I shouldn’t leave all the work to you. It’s not fair.”

  Nick ran his tongue over his teeth. He knew darned well what she was doing. Finally, he took a step back and extended his arm in a sweeping arc. “Go nuts, love.”

  “You don’t have to sound so sarcastic,” Maddie said, knocking Nick’s tower of logs down so she could reposition them.

  “I’m not being sarcastic. I believe you can do anything you set your mind to.”

  “Except getting this fire going,” Maddie said.

  “Oh, no, I’m not falling for that one, love of my life,” Nick said, chuckling as he took over Maddie’s seat on the lounger and watched her work. “I think you can do anything. I think you can even make it rain glitter if you want.”

  Maddie stilled, shifting so she could meet Nick’s amused gaze. “I … you remember that?”

  Nick smiled. “Are you asking me if I remember fourth grade and the time when you told me that you could ride a unicorn and make it rain glitter? If so, the answer is no. It completely slipped my mind.”

  “I … Nicky, I know I say this a lot, but I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “I still have the bottle of glitter you gave me,” Nick said. “You told me that you collected it as it fell from the sky and I had to keep it and use it on something I really wanted … otherwise the magic wouldn’t work.”

  “You kept it?”

  “I’m keeping it for a special occasion. I already have all the magic in my world I ever wanted. I have you.”

  “You’re going to get really lucky tonight,” Maddie said, turning back to the fire. “As soon as I get this fire going, I might even let you start getting lucky under that blanket.”

  Nick watched her work, enjoying the determined tilt of her head as she struck another match and touched it to the newspaper. She repeated the process at different spots around the fire and then climbed under the blanket as he lifted it.

  Maddie rolled to her side, snuggling close to Nick as they both waited to see if her fire would take. “You’re my magic, Nicky,” she whispered. “I don’t even need to bottle you.”

  Nick’s eyes were heavy-lidded as he lowered his mouth to Maddie’s petal-pink lips. “Maybe we’re magic together, love. I think that’s something I could definitely believe in.”

  “YOU have to say it.”

  “No.”

  “You have to,” Maddie said, extending a warning finger and fixing Nick with what was supposed to be a stern look. Unfortunately for her, he found it adorable.

  “Fine, Mad,” Nick conceded. “You’re a better arsonist than I am.”

  Maddie giggled as he tickled her. “I’m a better fire builder than you. You have to say that.”

  “I can’t say that, love. If I say that they’ll take away my man card.”

  “Your man card? What’s that?” Maddie was puzzled.

  “Think about it,” Nick prodded, slipping his hands underneath her tank top so he could rub the soft skin around her ribcage.

  “Oh,” Maddie said, realization dawning. “Are you saying your man card is more important than me?”

  “You don’t play fair, do you?” Nick’s eyes twinkled, the roaring fire illuminating his love. “Fine. You’re a better fire builder than I am.”

  “I knew that would work,” Maddie teased, kissing his chin. “You’re putty in my hands.”

  “I’ve been putty in your hands since kindergarten,” Nick said, flipping Maddie over so he could roll on top of her. “Now I’m going to make you putty in my hands.”

  “What about the s’mores?”

  “I’ll feed you chocolate for breakfast.” Nick pressed his lips to Maddie’s, sinking into the kiss as her body melded to his and her hands drifted to his back. He was trying to figure out how open she would be to romance under the stars when the sound of someone clearing their throat grabbed his attention. He edged to his side, scowling when he saw Kelly, Sydney, and Hayley approaching. “What are you doing here?”

  Maddie shifted beneath Nick, her cheeks burning as she realized they had an audience. “Oh … um … .”

  Nick reluctantly moved so Maddie could sit, cracking his neck as he situated himself in the chair next to her.

  “We came to apologize,” Hayley announced, clasping her hands together and nervously hopping from one foot to the other.

  “You mean Mom made you come and apologize,” Nick corrected.

  “Grandma didn’t make me do anything,” Hayley said. “I wanted to come on my own, but everyone said you guys were out to dinner earlier. I … did you have a nice dinner?”

  Nick took pity on his niece. He didn’t blame her for what happened. Kelly and Sydney were another story. “We did have a nice dinner, Hayley,” he said. “We had prime rib and crab legs. We were just about to have s’mores. Do you want one?”

  Hayley nodded. “That sounds great. Um … can Mom have one, too?”

  “No,” Nick replied, climbing off the lounger so he could rummage through the bag of goodies sitting on the nearby chair. “Come on, Hayley. Grab one of those pokers and start roasting marshmallows.”

  “I’ll help you,” Maddie offered, moving to Hayley’s side.

  Hayley’s expressive eyes searched Maddie’s face for a hint of malice. “Aren’t you mad at me?”

  “Why would I be mad at you?”

  “Because I helped my mom and Sydney play that joke on you,” Hayley replied. “I … I really didn’t mean to do it. It was wrong. I knew it was wrong. It’s just … .”

  “I’m not mad,” Maddie said, gracing Hayley with a genuine smile. “Come on. I’ve been dying for a s’more.”

  “Nick said you went through an awkward period when you were my age,” Hayley said, completely oblivious to Nick’s slouching shoulders. “He says that I don’t need makeup because you’re prettier without it and you went through an awkward period so I still have hope to develop boobs.”

  Maddie pursed her lips to keep from laughing. “I think you and Nick had quite the talk this afternoon, didn’t you?”

  Hayley nodded.

  “I did go through an awkward stage,” Maddie conceded. “I was a total geek. Sometimes I think I’m still a total geek.”

  “You don’t look like a total geek.”

  “I think geekdom is a state of mind,” Maddie replied, doling out two marshmallows. “Why do you think you’re a geek?”

  “Because I want to wear makeup and Mom won’t let me,” Hayley replied. “I’m just so … boring … to look at.”

  “You’re not boring,” Maddie countered, glancing at a mute Nick and Kelly as they stared each other down. “You have a very interesting face. You have high cheekbones and your eyes are beautiful. You just have to give yourself time to grow into your looks. It will happen. Don’t worry about that.”

  “How long did it take you to grow into your looks?”

  “Um … .” Maddie cast a mental cry for help in Nick’s direction.

  “She grew into her looks when she was seventeen,” Nick answered.

  “Nicky!”

  Nick ignored the scolding. “It’s different for e
veryone, Hayley,” he said. “You have a lot of time to grow into your looks. When it happens, it might be something that occurs out of the blue. Maddie did all of her … growing … in one summer. It took me a little longer to notice.”

  “Don’t you think the growing would be easier with makeup?” Kelly asked, pointedly addressing Maddie.

  Kelly opened her mouth to say something and Nick silenced her with a look.

  “I don’t think you need makeup, Hayley,” she said. “Makeup is something that enhances … when it’s time. You definitely don’t need it now. When you need it, your mom will tell you.”

  “Did your mom let you wear makeup?”

  “My mom … didn’t really care about makeup,” Maddie answered, smiling. “She was kind of a bohemian hippie. She thought people were better in their natural state.”

  “I agree,” Nick said. “Get to roasting those marshmallows, ladies. I’m dying for a s’more.”

  “SO, what restaurant did you go to?” Kelly asked twenty minutes later, munching on her s’more and trying to make conversation as she shifted back and forth on one of the metal chairs that was situated around the campfire.

  “Um, it was some little place on the lake,” Maddie replied. Even though Nick declared Kelly and Sydney couldn’t have s’mores, Maddie ignored the admonishment and gave them one anyway. She was trying to make things better, but it wasn’t going well.

  “It was the Lake Margrethe Grill,” Nick said. “The food was great. It was a nice change from hot dogs and hamburgers.”

  “That sounds nice,” Kelly said. “I … um … .” She was clearly at a loss for what to say. Maddie was sympathetic to her plight. She knew the only reason Kelly was at the cabin was because Sharon made her come. Still, Maddie wanted to leave the door open for reconciliation … or at least a modicum of understanding.

  “It was really nice,” Maddie said. “Nick loves prime rib.”

  “Yes, and you really put up a fight when you were inhaling my crab legs.”

  “You only ordered the crab legs so you could give them to me,” Maddie countered. “You don’t even like seafood.”