Patricia folded her arms. "Veronica, what brings you here?"
The sound of her voice made them both jump, and Jared"s blush deepened. He stood. "Um, Veronica, I"d like you to meet Madison, my fiancee." He rushed over and put his arm around her waist.
Veronica closed the yearbook and stood. "Aw, she"s adorable." Her gaze flickered over Patricia. "Good to see you again, Patty."
Patricia stiffened.
Veronica fanned herself. "Jared, I"m a bit hot. Do you mind being a sweetie and getting me a gla.s.s of ice water?"
"Sure." Jared left the room.
Veronica meandered over to Patricia, doing a perfect hip-swaying thing. Long red fingernails adorned her hands, which she rested on her hips. "You look good, Patty. Love the haircut. Have you lost weight? You looked a little porky last time I saw you." Her gaze turned to Madison. "And Maddie." She said it like she might address a child. "You"re nothing like I thought you"d be. Jared usually goes for the more...sophisticated type."
Patricia"s lips tightened into a thin line. "Veronica-"
"Don"t worry. I won"t get in the way of your wedding plans. I know you have lots to do, with such a rush and all." She eyeballed Madison. "I"m sure there"s a good reason for the quickie wedding." She patted Madison"s belly, tsked, then crossed the room.
Madison was too stunned to make a sound, her throat closing. Red flamed Patricia"s cheeks. "That"s not why-"
"You don"t have to explain to me, hon."
Jared came back with a gla.s.s of ice water and gave it to Veronica. "Here you go."
She took a small sip. "Thank you, darling. You"re a life saver." She brazenly kissed him on the cheek. "I must be going now. I"ll show myself out." She handed him the gla.s.s and sashayed out of the room.
Everyone seemed to be in a trance until the front door slammed.
"Of all the..." Patricia rounded on Jared. "Why did you let her in here?"
"Don"t be rude. Just because you don"t like her-"
"Don"t like her? You should have heard what she said. She"s mean, Jared."
He frowned. "She was pleasant. You shouldn"t let past quarrels get in the way of how you treat people."
Patricia huffed. "Why was she even here?"
Irene came into the room and set her purse down on a chair. "I take it that was Veronica?"
Jared cleared his throat. "Yes. She stopped by. I guess she saw me out shopping so she knew I was in town."
Patricia rolled her eyes. "Great. I suppose you invited her to the wedding?"
"What was I supposed to do? She"s an old friend."
Patricia muttered something under her breath and stomped out of the room.
Jared looked so uncomfortable, Madison decided not to ask any questions. It wasn"t like she really was his fiancee, anyway. None of her business. So what if he was into this Vanessa, or whatever her name was. She didn"t care.
She peered up at Jared and noted his strong jawline and high cheekbones. He really was a handsome man. And he deserved to find happiness. There was no reason he shouldn"t be involved with someone.
Then why did she feel this unbearable jealousy streaming through her?
Chapter 9.
Jared stood at the sink, brushing his teeth. The bathroom door was closed, the only thing separating him from Madison. She was in the guest bedroom changing into some of Irene"s silky nightwear. He tried not to think about it...just kept scrubbing away. After he had the cleanest teeth in town, he rinsed, spit, and dried off his face.
Was she done changing? He didn"t want to barge in on her. He paced the bathroom for a minute, then tentatively knocked on the door.
"Come in," her soft voice called.
He opened the bathroom door. She was in the bed, the covers tucked up to her neck, and laying so close to the edge she had to have one cheek off.
He suppressed a laugh. "Don"t worry. I"ll sleep on the floor."
Relief flooded her face. "Thanks."
The closet contained a quilt and an extra pillow, which he plopped down in the floor next to the bed. He smoothed out the quilt, then sat down. Not very comfortable, but it was the honorable thing to do.
"Nice pajamas," she said with a giggle in her voice. She was peering down at him over the edge of the bed, her hair falling forward, a cute half-grin on her face.
Jared looked down at the dark blue material. It wouldn"t be so bad if it didn"t have orange fish with kissy lips all over it. "Yeah. I"m sure Dad gave me these to embarra.s.s me."
"Where does one even purchase fish pajamas?"
He chuckled. "Off the half-price rack, I"m sure."
Her laughter bubbled up, and Jared realized he liked the sound. She didn"t politely twitter like many of the girls he"d dated. She wasn"t afraid to let it loose. The sound comforted him. Let him know she wasn"t trying to hold back. She was being real with him.
He climbed under the blanket and tried to find a comfortable position on the pillow. She propped her head up with her hand, her elbow on the bed. Her gaze flickered over him.
"What?"
"Nothing. Just wondering what you were like as a kid. You"re so serious most of the time. Surely you weren"t always like that."
"I"m not serious. I"m practical. There"s a difference. And yes, I was practical as a kid."
She crinkled her eyebrows. "You didn"t do regular kid stuff? Sledding down the monster hill up the street? Playing tag? Dancing in the rain?"
"Sure, I did regular kid stuff. I went sledding and played tag. But I can"t say I"ve ever danced in the rain. That"s stupid."
"Oh, you"re missing out."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Sounds like an idiotic thing to do."
Madison got a faraway look on her face. "There"s something freeing about being outside in nature, gentle drops falling from the sky, and letting yourself go. You find the rhythm of heaven."
"Hmm. And here I thought you"d just look like a nutcase to your neighbors."
She laughed, then reached over and turned the switch on the lamp. Darkness filled the room. "Good night."
Soft sounds of her getting situated in the bed came to him. Then silence.
He stared at the ceiling, or at least, what would have been the ceiling if it wasn"t pitch black. It was odd, staring into nothing. And odd to know a couple of feet away from him lay Madison.
He felt a weird giddiness thinking about her. What was wrong with him? She was not like any girl he"d ever known. She was kind, yet feisty and witty. She made him want to be around her. When he touched her, there were definite sparks. They had chemistry, no doubt. But something more than the physical attraction was there. He genuinely liked her. That hadn"t happened in a long time. It made him want to get to know her better.
"Madison?" he asked, softly.
"What?"
"Tell me about your family."
More rustling came, and then silence. It stretched so long, he thought maybe she"d fallen asleep. Then she spoke. "My mother abandoned me when I was a baby."
When she didn"t say anything else, he rolled onto his side. "So, you"re adopted?"
A bitter laugh. "No, my mother would never do anything as n.o.ble as letting a family adopt me."
More silence. He got the feeling this was hard for her to talk about. But he wanted to know, so he probed again. "What did she do?"
"She p.a.w.ned me off on Grandma. Just left me there. Said she was going to the store. Didn"t come back."
He felt sick. Having dealt with his own abandonment issues, he knew what it could do to a person. "Why did she do that?"
"The party life was too appealing. Didn"t like to be tied down. Having a child cramped her style."
"You never saw her again?"
"I wish. At least that would have been tolerable. I"d see her every few months or so. She"d come around when she was out of money. Wasted, and smelling like cigarettes and cheap booze. She"d pretend to be happy to see me. Fawn all over me, hugging me and telling me how proud she was of me. But I knew. She hated me. I could see it in her eyes. I had ruined her life." Emotion tinged her words. "And Grandma could never say no to her. She"d always give her money, and as soon as she got what she wanted, she"d be gone again."
Jared tried to imagine what it would be like to have a parent like that. Of all the stepmothers he"d had, none of them ever showed him anything but kindness. Even when he was terrible to them. "What about your father?"
"I never knew him. I doubt my mother even knows who he is."
"Do you and your grandmother have a good relationship?"
"She died when I was sixteen, but yeah, she made things bearable. She taught me to look on the bright side of life. But she was old, and she had health problems. After she died, I spent a couple of years in the foster care system. My own mother came to court and signed away the rights to me. Like she was selling an old piano she didn"t want anymore." Her voice broke, and he knew she was crying.
An incredible urge to put his arms around her and hold her overcame him. But he couldn"t. So he lay there instead. "I"m sorry." His words sounded hollow.
He heard movement. Maybe she was wiping away tears. "Don"t be. I"m better off without family. My mother"s probably sprawled out on someone"s kitchen floor right now, too stoned to know what day it is. My father doesn"t even know I exist. Another party animal, I"m sure. No, I"m fine the way I am. I worked my way through college. Even got some acting experience. And after I get a job and save up some more money, I"ll go back to Hollywood and try again. You"ll see me in the movies someday. I"ll make something out of my life."
"I know you will." He had no doubt about it. "You"re ambitious and tenacious. You"ll succeed at whatever you put your mind to."
"Thanks, Jared." Her voice was so low, he almost couldn"t hear it. "That means a lot to me."
He rolled over and pulled the blanket up to his chin, ignoring the feelings her words were stirring in him. He barely knew her. There was no reason for him to care for her.
And she was crazy, he reminded himself.
So, why did his lips tingle with the memory of her kiss? Why did his arms long to pull her close? It made no sense. He needed to get his mind off her. This whole fake wedding was playing tricks on him. She wasn"t his real fiancee. He simply needed to stay focused.
He closed his eyes, and images of her smiling face came into view. She was beautiful, he had to admit. And funny. Smart. He sighed, no longer feeling tired.
"Good night," he whispered.
Her even breathing answered him.
Madison awoke the next morning feeling refreshed. The guest bed was comfortable. And large. King sized, probably. She stretched and peered down at Jared.
He lay cramped up in a little ball, the quilt covering only the top half of him, his legs and bare feet sticking out the bottom. Her heart went out to him. That was very kind of him, to offer to sleep on the floor.
She left him sleeping and crept into the bathroom. A steamy shower sounded perfect. She set the clothes Irene had loaned her on the marble counter and undressed. The hot water cascaded down on her.
She"d had crazy dreams last night of Jared"s kisses, his warm touch radiating through her. She had to get a hold of herself. The wild fantasies weren"t making it any easier to be near him.
The body soap smelled like almonds and vanilla and was luxurious on her skin. She washed her hair with some fruity shampoo and matching conditioner, which was a treat. Usually, she picked up whatever was on the discount table, and that meant they rarely smelled the same, most of the time not even being the same brand.
She dried off with a soft, fluffy towel, feeling like she was at some fancy resort. Irene"s designer clothes fit her nicely. She blow-dried her hair and ran her fingers through it to comb it out. It wasn"t ideal, but it was presentable. And no makeup. Again. She shrugged. Oh, well. Jared might as well see her real self. They were getting married in two weeks.
A giggle escaped, and then she silently reprimanded herself. That wasn"t something she should be thinking. Getting all googly-eyed over him wasn"t going to be of any help to her. In fact, it could get her into a lot of trouble.
She went to the door and knocked, in case Jared was changing in the bedroom. No sound came, so she peeked into the other room. The floor was empty, and the bed made. No sign of Jared.
The house was quiet as she made her way down to the kitchen, but as she neared, she heard voices.
"Your aunt Sh.e.l.ly is thrilled you"re moving up the wedding. I wasn"t sure you were going to go for it, for a minute there." Irene"s airy voice.
"Yeah? Why not?" Jared"s deep baritone.
"You were uncomfortable with the idea, I could tell. But if you know she"s the right girl, then there"s no reason to wait."
Silence.
Madison decided to rescue him from the conversation. She walked around the corner and smiled. "Good morning."
Irene, dressed in a long colorful robe, was taking clean dishes out of the dishwasher and putting them away. "h.e.l.lo, Madison. How did you sleep?"
"Fine." Her gaze traveled to Jared, still in the ridiculous fish pajamas, sitting on a stool at the island. He was eating a bowl of cereal. His disheveled hair made him look incredibly s.e.xy.