Return to Paradise by Laina Villeneuve

Author:Laina Villeneuve [Laina Villeneuve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594935107
Amazon: 1594935106
Barnesnoble: 1594935106
Goodreads: 29563519
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2016-09-27T03:00:00+00:00

* * *

As the evening wore on I waited for Madison to suggest that we drop in on Charlie. She didn’t mention it before dinner, and after Bo slipped off to his office and Ruth dismissed my offer to do the dishes, I couldn’t hold back my thoughts any longer.

“I saw Charlie’s Dodge earlier.”

Madison nodded, refolding her cloth napkin.

“Did you want to say hi?”

“I don’t need to. Did I tell you that Ruth is letting me have her mother’s headboard and dresser for my room? I was telling her how I haven’t found anything I like as much, and she said it never gets used here, and I’m welcome to it. Isn’t that amazing?”

I wondered if she realized the significance of Ruth’s gift, that it was one a mother made to her daughter to make sure that heirlooms stayed in the family, but I didn’t want to lose track of the conversation I’d started. Ignoring that I’d spoken with Charlie earlier, I said, “I’d like to meet him.”

Madison glanced at the clock although she had mentioned that Charlie hardly ever slept. “Okay.” She stood and took my hand and paused at the kitchen doorway to let Ruth know we’d be back shortly.

Ruth’s eyes bounced down to our joined hands and back up again. She dried her hands on her apron. “Hold on a minute. I’ll make a plate for you to take over. That man doesn’t feed himself properly.”

Since she hadn’t introduced me as her girlfriend, I was surprised by how much Madison touched me. Waiting for Ruth, she wrapped her arm around my waist, pulling me flush against her body. If that didn’t announce couple in neon lights, I didn’t know what did. I was already buzzing with pleasure at the contact with Madison and flushed all over again when Ruth smiled warmly at me when she returned.

With a foil-covered plate we walked in silence across the drive toward the trailer. She pulled back the screen and held it in place with her body and rapped on the door. She waited for Charlie to answer it, and the two didn’t hug when she stepped inside.

“Ruth sent this,” was the first thing Madison said as she handed the plate to Charlie.

He nodded and walked to the kitchen to set it down on the counter. They seemed more comfortable with the counter between them.

“This is Charlie,” she said, standing a few feet from me. She introduced me and reminded Charlie that she’d stopped at my shop the first trip up to Quincy, and we all three stood there staring at the plate of food.

I didn’t know what to say or do and felt the awkwardness press in on the small space. Dark curtains hung on dark paneled walls. He had a low bookshelf stuffed with books and a tiny TV in the corner. A tattered couch big enough for two took up one wall, and two old stuffed chairs faced the bookshelf with a table and lamp between. A book sat open on the table, and I wondered what we had interrupted.

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