What Remains by Sarah Brocious

Author:Sarah Brocious [Brocious, Sarah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, Contemporary, Women's Fiction, Contemporary Women, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
Amazon: B01CBW4JCO
Published: 2016-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8 Out Of The Mouths Of Babes

By the end of my first day, I was already waiting the counter. I was a quick learner, and the lunch and dinner crowd was far busier than Mrs. Winston had anticipated. Was I perfect? Nah, but I was willing to make mistakes to learn. Lucky for me, my old towns folk cut me some slack.

I was wiping down the counter when he appeared. I’d been looking forward to it all day. He arrived with little Madeline in tow.

“My mom was feeling under the weather,” he explained her presence. He sat down in the stool before me and lifted the child up in his lap. She was too small for a stool of her own.

I smiled at the happy beaming face. “Hey, Mady.”

“Hey, Hadley,” she chirped.

“I’m almost done,” I promised. “Mady, do you want some chocolate milk?”

The child’s smile grew and she nodded.

“What do you say?” Max whispered in her ear.

“Yes, please,” she belted out.

I smiled and went for the milk. It was still so strange to see Max Brandon as a dad. But it suited him well.

I handed the child a cup with cap and crazy straw. She happily clasped it to her chest and took a sip. I got another grin from her dad, too.

“Mady,” he prompted gently.

“Thank you,” Madeline said sweetly.

“Take your time,” Max hurried to assure me. His hazels lit. “I’m fine with watching.”

My cheeks warmed and I couldn’t help my smile. I hurried to clean up what remained of my day. I wanted to be walking beside this man, not being watched by him. My nerves wouldn’t be able to take it.

After turning in my apron, I followed Max and Madeline out into the warm summer evening. It was a little too warm.

“To late for a swim, I suppose,” I said thought fully. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a hair band and lifted my hair from my neck.

“Not too late,” Max argued. “Best swim is at night.” I saw the teasing in his eyes. “Remember?”

I felt the butterflies. “Maybe.”

He chuckled. “Well, maybe you need a reminder.” His eyes were full of promise.

“Yay, swimming?” Madeline cried. She grasped her daddy’s hand as we crossed the street.

Max laughed. “I was teasing, doll.”

I blew out a breath, glad for the distraction.

Madeline frowned and reached her other hand for mine. It was such a sweet and trusting gesture. I allowed the little hand to cling to mine.

I peaked up at Max and he looked pleased.

We poked around slowly as we walked down the street toward our homes. We were in no hurry. Madeline’s happy chirping was refreshing. She went on about a story grandma read to her about a girl in a red coat and a wolf with shiny sharp teeth. It was innocent and it was all that was necessary. Max’s presence and Madeline’s voice was all that I needed to end this amazing day.

We stopped in front of my house and Max hesitated. I could see he wanted more time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.