Playing for Keeps (36 page)

Maddie chuckled at Andrea, she was perfectly dressed and made up, her dark hair looked stylish and her make-up flawless. Maddie wondered if she'd looked that way when her own children were small and she'd chased them around all day. Regardless, she loved her grandchildren, and it was evident. Maddie appreciated that immensely.

"Well, let's get them home." Rob stood up with Sam in his arms. "They probably have some devil in them they need to run off."

Rob's father stepped into the room. "I moved the car seats over to the Expedition." Edward Cooper was not quite as formal-looking as his wife. Maddie thought he looked a lot like Rob might in later years. Edward had been kind to Maddie, despite their rocky beginnings. Now she enjoyed his company a lot.

"Thanks, Dad," Rob said. "Come'ere, Stace." He picked the baby up off Maddie's lap. "Mama can barely walk as it is, she can't carry you."

Maddie stood with the help of her crutches.

Andrea asked, "How are you going to get along with them, Madison?"

Rob said, "I'm staying home from work until she gets her walking cast on next week. Soph'll be back by then, and she can help out."

Maddie smiled at her mother-in-law. "If I get in a pinch, I may call you. Hopefully I'll have my energy back by then."

The Coopers walked them out and piled the children's things in the back of the SUV. Rob buckled the kids in their seats.

"Call me anytime." Andrea held Maddie's crutches as she got in the vehicle.

"Thank you." Maddie
smiled again, and they drove to Dionne's condo.

Rob went up to get Sophie. They were going to take her for ice cream before they went home.

Sophie ran down the stairs in front of her father and into Maddie's arms. "Maddie!"

"Hey, Sophie Belle! How's my girl?"

"I'm good. Wow, look at your cast!"

"Yeah, isn't it huge for one little broken bone in my foot?"

Rob opened the back door. "Hop in, munchkin. We'll go spoil your appetite for dinner."

Sophie
climbed in between the two car seats where she usually rode.

"What have you been up to?" Maddie turned to look at her step-daughter.

Sophie shrugged. "We went to the movies, and we rented some movies to watch at home, too."

"Sounds pretty laid back," Maddie commented.

Rob shot her a warning glance.

Maddie looked at him. "What? Usually they keep busy running around all the time."

"Mom just wants to hang out," Sophie told them. "I like it."

Maddie made a face at
Rob, and he grinned. "Good," she told Sophie. "I'm glad you're having fun. We just missed you, and wanted to spend some time with you before we go home."

They ate at a picnic table outside the ice cream parlor.
Rob and Maddie each held a child, and shared an ice cream cone with them. Sophie told them about the movies she'd seen, and about going shopping at the mall with her mom. Before they left, she asked, "Do you care if I miss my game Friday night? Mom and I have a date."

Rob
and Maddie exchanged glances, and he looked at his daughter. "Well, I don't know. I think you're a little young to be dating. Do I get to meet the boy?"

Sophie
giggled. "Not me, Daddy. Mom has a date, and they want to take me with them. We're going to dinner, and maybe play miniature golf."

"Are you serious?"
Rob looked at Maddie again. "I don't think I've ever seen Dee play miniature golf before." He whispered "It's not natural."

Maddie told Sophie, "You might tell her not to wear the Manolo Blahnik's."

"What?" Sophie asked.

"Fancy shoes," Maddie whispered, and
Sophie laughed and nodded.

They returned to the condo and
Rob helped Sophie out. She gave Maddie a big hug. "I love you Maddie."

"I love you, too, sugar. I'll see you Sunday."

"Okay!" She ran up the stairs with her father trailing, and he returned in a few minutes by himself.

"All right then." He adjusted his seat belt and put his sunglasses back on. He looked over at Maddie. "
Dee says Manolo Blahnik's are appropriate for any occasion, and if you want to borrow one to wear with your cast, she'll let you."

Maddie laughed and shook her head.

Rob drove toward home, and Maddie said, "So she's got a date she wants Sophie to meet. Sounds serious."

"I doubt it," he said casually.

"Your face is getting red. Are you having a reaction to the strawberry ice cream?"

"Yeah, probably." He shot her a look. "Hey, I know she dates. I don't care. I'm married, remember?"

"Oh, I remember." She nodded.

He gave her another look and drove home.

Friday, Rob told her his crew was having a 'Maddie's-got-a-broken-foot-kegger' at their house that night.

"You've got to be kidding!"

He laughed. "It's not as bad as it sounds. They're bringing food and the keg, and they're all bringing food for us to eat next week. I think Emma and Rosa spearheaded it."

"I don't feel like entertaining,
Rob," she complained.

"You don't have to do a thing, just sit. I'll do whatever needs to be done."

She shook her head. "Sounds like their excuse to drink beer and swim in our pool."

"Pretty much." He nodded, and grinned. "But I could use a few beers myself."

She started to comment and he added, "I won't drink until the kids are in bed, I promise. And I'll only have a couple. I have no desire to feel like crap tomorrow morning."

Maddie gave him a look.

Rob
had worked with the same construction crew for several years. Fred was the oldest on the crew, and one of Rob's closest friends. They'd met when Rob was building his house, and they'd worked on it together. Fred and his wife, Emma, took an instant liking to Maddie, and they were all quite close.

Smoky was Rob's other good friend on the crew. He and Rosa came over with their baby, Callie, and brought a bunch of food Maddie could put in the freezer and take out as she needed.

Doc, Shorty and Dugout were the other colorful characters from Rob's crew. They arrived with beer, girlfriends, swimsuits and a gold paper crown from a fast food restaurant for Maddie.

She sat on her porch with her leg propped up and the crown on her head, and let them wait on her. Fred and Emma loved the children. Fred pushed Sam on the swing and Emma held Stacie as she played with her baby doll.

Smoky brought Maddie some barbecued ribs, and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "All right, this was a good idea," she admitted. "At first, I thought you all were crazy. But holy cow, when was the last time I got to sit around wearing a crown and get waited on, hand and foot?"

"Last weekend?"
Rosa teased as she passed by with more food.

"I think you're right." Rob grinned at
Rosa as he rocked six-month-old Callie back and forth in his arms.

"Ah, kiss my grits, all of ya." Maddie waved at them.

Rob approached Maddie and kissed her cheek. "Look at the baby, Mad. Isn't she sweet?"

"She is." Maddie touched Callie's little hand. "She seems so tiny compared to Stace."

"I want another one," he whispered to her, and rubbed his finger across the baby's cheek. "A little one. This next one, we'll make stay tiny for a long, long time."

"Yeah." Maddie snorted. "You can breastfeed and change diapers for that one."

"I'd do it," Rob said to Callie. He nudged Maddie. "Think about it, okay?"

"Can I get my cast off, first, please?" She
smiled at him sweetly.

"I suppose." He rolled his eyes and carried Callie out into the yard.

When dinner was over, Maddie kissed the babies goodnight, and Emma helped Rob tuck them in to bed.

Some of their guests swam, but when it got dark, they all sat around on the porch sipping beers and talking late into the night. Maddie was very relaxed. She had one beer and enjoyed their friends, and the always-lively conversation.

Rob was true to his word and cut himself off after three beers, so he wouldn't regret it in the morning when he was up early with the children.

Everyone cleaned up after themselves before they left, and soon it was just
Rob and Maddie sitting in their chairs on the porch, with the dog between them. "You were a good boy tonight." Rob rubbed Bo behind the ears. He pulled a chew bone from his pocket and gave it to Bo. "There you go, that's a good boy."

Bo
nuzzled him and lay down next to them with his bone. Rob smiled at Maddie. "You were a good girl, tonight, too." He pulled something from his pocket and held it up for her to see.

"Oh my God!" Maddie squealed as she saw the marijuana cigarette
Rob held. "Where did you get that?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

Maddie clapped her hands. "I can't believe you did this."

He smiled and handed the joint to her with a book of matches. "There you go. Have fun."

"You going to join me?" Maddie struck a match and lit the joint.

Rob
smiled and shook his head. "Nah. Someone needs to be able to take care of the kids, just in case."

"Aw, you should have gotten it when they were gone." Maddie inhaled the smoke and closed her eyes.

"You needed it a lot worse then, that's for sure." He grinned at her.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "You fucker. You offered to bring me my broomstick!"

He laughed. "That was a good one, I'll admit it…"

She eyed him as she puffed the joint. "
You're
a good one. You're too good to me."

"Remember that, if that shit makes you sick.
It's not my fault
."

Maddie smoked half the joint and then pinched it out between her thumb and forefinger. She licked her hot fingers, and set the roach down carefully. "It's not going to make me sick. It
is
going to make me horny. Can I say that's your fault?"

He dropped to his knees in front of her chair. "Definitely. Whenever you get horny, I hope it's always my fault."

"Always." She leaned back, and motioned for him to proceed.

Rob started kissing the ankle of her good leg, and worked his way up.

Chapter Eight

Maddie packed her things early on December thirty-first and told her family goodbye.

"Behave yourself at that party," her mother said.

Her father added, "If someone does bring alcohol, you and Alec need to leave. Use your head, Madison, and your best judgment. You'll get by fine."

"Thank you." Maddie gave each of them a kiss on the cheek, and slid into the front seat of her car. She felt guilty about lying, but put it out of her mind. She was very excited to be going back to
Cambridge, and to Nick. "Bye!" She waved as she drove off, and cranked her radio up loud.

Back in
Cambridge, she stopped at Buckley Hall and dropped off her things. She repacked her suitcase with the type of clothes she'd be wearing, or at least start out wearing, at Nick's place. She left a note for Zoey, saying she'd be at Nick's, but would check the answering machine daily and stop by every couple of days to touch base. She tossed her stuff back into her car and drove to Nick's.

She knocked on the front door and stuck her head in.
"Anybody home?"

"Hey, good lookin'." He
smiled at her as he walked out of the kitchen. "You made it."

"Hey, baby." She dropped her suitcase and slid her arms around his neck. "I missed you!" She kissed him passionately, and he rubbed her lower back.

She pulled away. "Well…?"

"Well what?" He looked at her.

"Did you miss me?" She prodded.

"Sure."

Maddie laughed. "God, you're romantic!"

He shook his finger at her. "Don't start with me, little gal."

"I'm not." She chuckled, and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just happy to see you."

"And I am happy to see you." He grabbed her butt and squeezed.

They celebrated New Year's Eve with pizza, beer, pot and sex. Maddie thought that pretty much described their whole vacation. Not a bad way to spend a week, she decided, but even for her, it got a little repetitive after a while.

She tried to get Nick to go out and do something with her, anything, but other than going to Lost Wages, he wasn't interested. They watched some TV but didn't have the same interests, so that wasn't much fun, either. She couldn't get Nick to talk to her. She liked to talk about anything and everything, and he was quiet as a church mouse.

Maddie got her first glimpse of the future that week. She realized there probably was
no
future for her and Nick. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she pushed the thought out of her mind. She was still having fun, and didn't want to get that serious.

One thing Maddie really enjoyed was listening to Nick played his guitar. Sometimes he played alone, or he would have friends over, and three or four of them would get high and play. He said he played better stoned, but Maddie thought he sounded great all the time. She curled up on the sofa and listened contentedly for as long as he played.

He had lively conversations with his friends. They talked about all kinds of things, late into the evenings, either at his house or at the pool hall. Maddie loved watching him in that mode. He was a completely different person than when they were alone. She loved him, but wished he'd open up to her. There didn't seem to be a way to explain that to him that made sense. He looked at her like he had no idea what she meant, and Maddie eventually gave up trying.

Nick went back to work, and Maddie hung out at his house or her dorm during the day. Sometimes she'd go down to his bike shop and sit on the sofa in the corner while he worked. She was surprised to find out he owned the place, because it was called 'Dick's Bike Shop'. Nick explained that he bought it from his old boss when Dick retired. The name had a good reputation, and he kept it rather than change and have to virtually start over.

Since he owned the shop, he didn't care if Maddie hung out there sometimes. The garage was a big four-bay unit, with two garage doors and a front door, all on the same side. Nick's desk sat next to the sofa, and he'd sit there and do paperwork while Maddie read magazines, painted her toenails or tended to some other matter of similar importance.

Ty worked at the shop, and another mechanic named
Fritz. They were both cool and friendly, and as long as Maddie didn't distract them, she could stay. She felt comfortable there, and occasionally napped on the sofa. Nick often glanced over at her and shook his head, commenting how he couldn't believe that she wanted to be there. Maddie always had a smile for him, and he one for her.

Sometimes, when the shop closed up and Ty and Fritz went home, Nick would slide on to the sofa and make love to Maddie. They couldn't keep their hands off each other when they were alone.

Her school term started up, but Maddie's life didn't change much. She went to class most of the time, then went back to the dorm to study, some of the time, and check her messages. She spent her nights at Nick's, which was convenient with Ty spending most of his nights at the dorm.

Maddie took her books to the bike shop and tried to study there. She almost always ended up falling asleep. Ty suggested she should try sleeping at night like most people, and Maddie countered that didn't sound like much fun. They shared an easy banter, and Maddie was happy, for the most part, with her life.

She went home to Hartford for the occasional weekend. Her parents bugged her if she didn't come back at least once a month. Occasionally she drove with Alec, who went home much more frequently. He was friendly and someone to talk to, and though Maddie didn't discuss anything personal with him, she enjoyed having someone to
talk
with, about anything or nothing. They laughed as much as they talked, once they got going. She liked to stick her feet out the window when the weather warmed up, and it drove Alec crazy. She threatened to moon someone who flipped them off, and Alec burst into hysterical fits of laughter.

Alec
and a group of friends were going to Florida over spring break, and Maddie told her parents she was going with them. After a few days of watching TV at Nick's while he worked, she almost wished she had gone to Florida. Instead, she spent time in a local tanning booth, so she'd look like she'd gone to Florida. Some days, she lay in the tanning bed and wondered if she truly knew what she was doing. Those thoughts crept into her mind more and more often, but she continued to push them away. She was still having fun.

Her classes were easier, and she pulled "B's" without much effort.
Maybe I'll be able to show these grades to my parents.
She'd lied about her first term grades.

Towards the end of the semester she was moping around the dorm one afternoon when Zoey returned. "Hey, Mad! How's it going?" She flopped on the sofa next to her roommate.

Maddie shrugged. "Okay, I guess. I need to vent."

Zoey kicked her feet up on to the coffee table and answered "The doctor's in. Vent away."

Maddie stood and paced. "I don't know. I just keep feeling there ought to be something more."

"More than what?"

Maddie looked at her. "Nick is great. We have a fantastic time in bed. But when we're not in bed, we have, like, nothing in common."

Zoey laughed out loud, then covered her mouth. "Sorry. What did you expect? He's a middle aged man and you're a kid in your first year of college. We've been through this before. Nick is not a man you pick out rings and cakes with. This is a man you enjoy for as long as you want, and then you move on."

"I hate that!" Maddie stomped around. "What if I want the rings and the cake? What if he wants it?"

"Has he given you any indication that he wants that?"

"Not really," Maddie admitted. "But he likes having me around."

Zoey laughed again. "What man wouldn't? You look at him like he's the god-damned king of
England. You're there all warm and waiting every night. He's got it pretty good, Mad. I bet he's not sitting around worrying about where your relationship is going."

Maddie dropped into a chair. "You've seen him in a group of people. He's Mr. Personality, so happy and fun to be around. People love him. And then he's alone with me, and he's nice and friendly, but we don't talk. He won't tell me anything about his family, or his life growing up, or what he wants to be doing ten years from now."

Zoey shrugged. "Sounds like he thinks your relationship isn't going anywhere, and he's trying to hold back a little, not get too involved, you know? Guys get hurt, too, when these things end."

"I don't want it to end. I just want it to be different."

Zoey laughed out loud again. She picked up their cordless phone and tossed it to Maddie. "555-2896."

"What?" Maddie looked at her.

"That's my mom's phone number. Give her a call and talk to her about marrying a guy you think you can change. She's lived with my old man for twenty-three years. She told me she knew he liked to go to the bars and drink before they got married. She just thought once they were married, he wouldn't want to do that anymore. I hate to break it to you, but she thought wrong. When she'd finally nagged him enough about the bar, he started staying home and drinking. The added benefit to that was when he got drunk enough, he hit her every now and again."

"They're still married?" Maddie asked sadly.

"Oh sure. She loves him." Zoey shrugged. "Maybe they have rocket-hot sex. Who knows?"

Maddie picked up a pillow and threw it at her. "I hate you."

Zoey hugged the pillow to her chest. "I know. The truth hurts. I just don't want to see you in her spot in twenty years."

Maddie covered her face with her hands. "If I only had some direction. I mean, you— you know that you want to be a doctor, and you're strong enough to pursue whatever you want. Me? I'm just barely staying above water grade-wise. I have no idea what I want to do. I don't even know if I want to keep going to college."

"The first thing you need to do is cut back on the pot. It's a real motivation killer."

Maddie groaned. "God, some days it's the only thing that gets me through."

"Maddie, I think you need to make a change. This semester is almost over. Make a clean break with Nick, and go home for the summer. Spend some time with Alec and his friends. Try to get into the," she used air quotes, "traditional college experience."

"Oh God," Maddie moaned again.

"You wanted to go with them for spring break, you know you did. You should give it a try. You may like them. And if it's any consolation, I'm ending things with Ty, too."

"Why?" Maddie was surprised.

Zoey smiled. "Same reason. He was a lot of fun, but I have my sights on something, and I need to concentrate on it a little more."

Maddie growled and buried her face in her knees. She knew Zoey was right, it just hurt to think about it. Her birthday was coming up, then the end of the semester. She had a few weeks to figure out how to end things amicably.

She used finals as an excuse to pull back from Nick a little bit. She spent a few nights at the dorm, and slowly brought her stuff back from his place.

Her nineteenth birthday was on a Saturday, and she had to go home for her parent's family party. Nick convinced her to spend Friday night with him, and drive back Saturday. She agreed, and went to his place that evening after he got off work.

"What are you doing?" She asked when she entered the candlelit dining room. The table was set for two, with flowers and candles in the center. "God, I don't think we've ever eaten in here."

Nick came from the kitchen carrying a pan of lasagna. "Some people use tables to eat, not just have sex on." He grinned at her and set the pan down.

Maddie grinned back. "And candlelight? Holy smokes!"

He turned to her. "That's so you can't see the food as well. I cooked it, after all."

Maddie slipped her arms around his waist. "You did all this for me?"

"Well, a girl only turns nineteen once in her life. I wanted to make it special for you."

"You're so sweet."

"Don't let that get around."

She kissed him passionately, her tongue nudging his. He groaned and ran his hand down her back to her butt, and pulled her tightly against him. Eventually, he pulled back and shook his head. "You're one hot little number. Let's eat dinner first, we can look forward to dessert, later." He patted her butt again.

They sat at the table and ate. Nick's lasagna was very good, and she teased him about his hidden talents.

He chuckled. "We had an old lady wander into the shop this afternoon. She wanted to know if we tuned pianos."

"How did she come up with that?"

"I don't know," he shook his head, "but it took all three of us to convince her we did
not
tune pianos. Ty suggested perhaps that was a euphemism for what she really wanted."

She laughed
. "I've never heard it put quite that way. Hmmm, I don't know, you think you could tune
my
piano?"

"I'm sure, I could."
He grinned. They fed each other, and barely made it through dinner before they were peeling each other's clothes off and making love on the dining room floor.