CHAPTER EIGHT-2
407 Words
Mason laughed, and the sound turned her to warm jelly.
“Yeah,” he replied, running a hand self-consciously through his hair. “I had one last growth spurt while I was going through basic training.”
Well, it looks good on you, she caught herself thinking.
Behave, Madeleine.
“Army, right?”
“Yep,” he confirmed as he sat down cross-legged on the dock. “What about you? Last I knew, you were headed off to college.”
“I did,” Maddie answered as she sat down beside him. “Wound up getting my MBA.”
“Nice! What do you do?”
She ducked her head and stared out into the night. “Nothing. At least, not yet. But I have a plan.”
“What’s wrong?” he asked before he could stop himself.
Maddie sighed heavily.
“Everything.”
“Was it the news broadcast?”
She blanched. “Saw that, huh.”
“Talk to me, Maddie,” he said gently. “I want to help.”
And his tenderness undid her. Before Maddie even realized what she was doing, she’d scooted over so close that their thighs were touching, leaned her head on his shoulder, and began to cry.
Mason responded by pivoting his torso and picking her up with no effort at all, swinging her over into his lap then folding his arms around her and holding her as she wept.
“Hey,” he whispered against her hair. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay, Maddie.”
She clung to him, face pressed against his chest, and cried even harder as he stroked her hair. He fell silent, letting his actions soothe and comfort her in a way that words could not.
After a while, she lifted her head and whispered, “Sorry.”
“Don’t be, Maddie. Don’t you ever say sorry, honey. Not to me.”
“You probably don’t want to hear about my troubles,” she sniffled.
“I absolutely do,” he responded. “Whatever you feel comfortable sharing. Might help to talk it out.”
“Okay,” she said shakily after a long silence. “But not out here. It’s getting cold.”
He nodded, and gently set her off to the side again, then stood and helped her up.
“The pole’s not going anywhere,” he pointed out. “No need to stay out here with it.”
She nodded. “Let’s go.”
They trudged up the dock toward her cabin.
“Want something to drink?” Maddie said. “I’ve got wine.”
“I’ve got whiskey at my place,” Mason offered. “And a fireplace. We could dry your wet clothes.”
“You know what? Yes,” Maddie decided. “My cabin doesn’t have one, and I think this is gonna call for something stronger than wine.”
She paused at her cabin long enough to scoop her wet clothes up into a plastic bag, and said, “Lead the way.”
***
- Writer
