The Another Try Collection

CHAPTER ONE-2

The next morning, Maddie stirred, wincing at the stiffness in her neck she’d earned from dozing off on the couch. She glanced at her watch. Six-forty-three a.m.

Madeleine looked down at the open book on her lap and saw a note lying there.

Worked late, didn’t want to wake you. I’ll see you in a week. – E.

She crumpled up and threw the note in frustration as she stood.

Stomping into the kitchen, she gave a voice to her mood, slamming kitchen cabinets and drawers shut as she made coffee. By the time she’d finished drinking it she’d decided she was just pissed off enough to attempt the longer route again on her morning jog.

She took the staircase two steps at a time and changed into her workout gear, pulling her hair back into a ponytail for the run. She locked the door, tucked her house key in her hoodie’s inside pocket, zipped up her jacket, and set out.

The morning was crisp and cold, and seemed to channel her anger to a fine point. She pushed through the first two and a half miles easily and was pleasantly surprised to find she wasn’t even breathing hard yet.

By the time she walked back into her house from her morning jog, she was tired but pleased with herself. She’d achieved another goal. This morning was the first time she’d taken the longer route of four miles she’d previously tried and not been completely exhausted when she was done.

Building up the stamina! You go, Maddie! she congratulated herself.

And she did feel good about it. She’d only taken up jogging about five months ago; the first two months had been nightmarish – she’d had no idea until she started just how out-of-shape she was. There had been so many times the last five months she’d wanted to quit but kept going, and it was paying off.

Hell, I might even run a quarter marathon before the year’s out, who knows? she speculated as she made her way into the master bathroom to clean up.

She turned on the shower, then stripped down, checking her body out in the mirror.

Not supermodel size by any stretch, but you’re doing good girl, she told herself as she shook her hair loose from the ponytail holder and brushed it out.

She’d never been svelte, and she had realized long ago that at five feet six, with a stocky build she’d inherited from her father’s side of the family, she never would be. Still, she could already tell a big difference, not just in weight, but in inches – most noticeably from her waistline and thighs.

Keep this up you’re going to have to go get smaller clothes!

She grinned at her reflection. “I definitely don’t mind having that problem,” she announced to the mirror before stepping into her shower stall.

As she reached for her shampoo, she considered calling Eric after her shower, just to make sure he arrived at the conference safely.

But he can be so hateful to me sometimes, especially when he’s working...I probably shouldn’t bother him.

She sighed as she massaged her scalp.

Truth be told, he wasn’t just snarky, and it wasn’t just sometimes. He could and did crush her soul routinely with just a few venomous words, and lately it was much more frequent.

Maddie sighed again as she rinsed out her hair.

What the hell happened to us? We’ve drifted so far apart, she realized with sorrow. And I have no idea what to do to fix it.

By the time Maddie finished her shower, she’d decided to finally confide her woes to her best friend Kathy and ask for advice. She sent a text to make sure Kathy was home and immediately received an invitation to come have coffee. They had been friends for three years, and Kathy was aware of Maddie’s tendency to keep her troubles to herself and present a happy façade to the world.

“Hell, she probably already knows how unhappy I am,” she mumbled as she finished dressing and grabbed her purse. “She’s just been waiting for me to talk about it.”

And Maddie was right. The moment Kathy’s front door opened, Kathy said, “Oh, honey. I was hoping you’d let it out at some point.”

Maddie walked into Kathy’s living room, sat on the couch, and burst into tears. Kathy grabbed a box of tissues and sat beside her, hugging her with one arm.

“I’m glad you’re here, Mad. You’ve looked so unhappy lately, and I’ve been worried about you.”

“Me too,” Maddie sniffled as she wiped her eyes with a tissue. “I just don’t know what to do.”