Page 94 of Her Summer Hope

The morning sun streamed through the window, casting a warm yet harsh light over her chest and arms.

She hadn't eaten since the news of Helen's stroke, and her empty stomach mirrored the hollow feeling of hopelessness inside her.

Madison's mind unwillingly drifted to Kyle, to the way he had looked at her sometimes, as if she was something special.

With a sigh, Madison finished the dishes and picked up her phone to check her bank account. To her surprise, she found her paycheck had been deposited, and it was way too much. Confusion flashed across her face as she scrolled through her transaction history.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

Her thoughts raced with the implications of accepting the money.

Should she contact Kyle?

She hesitated. The uncertainty of their relationship, combined with the dwindling supply of food in the house, weighed heavily on her mind. It was just another thing she had to spend her emotional energy on figuring out.

"Momma?" Jackson called from the other room.

"Be there in a sec," she called back, forcing a smile into her voice.

With a deep breath, she made a decision. She would keep the paycheck, at least for now, and pay Kyle back later when things were more stable.

"Alright, kids," she announced, pocketing her phone and turning to face her children. "We're going to need groceries soon, so let's make a list."

The morning passed in a blur of routine and chores. Madison was wiping down James, who had been more clingy than usual since Helen's stroke, when the doorbell rang.

She propped Emmie on her hip and opened the door, only to be met with the looming, imposing figure of Murdock.

"Never open the door without checking, and never without having at least two weapons on you," Murdock grumbled as he stepped inside.

Madison raised an eyebrow, her tone dry. "Well, thanks for the safety tips, Murdock. Didn't realize my home had turned into a war zone. How did you get here?” she asked, peering around him to the driveway where only Helen’s car sat.

“Walked.”

“All the way from the house?! That’s like—”

“Ten miles,” he said. “If you go through the hills.”

Ellie’s eyes widened as the large man strode through the house and went unerringly to the kitchen. She pretended to go back to reading, but Madison noticed she never turned the page. Jack and James crawled out from under the other end of the table.

James tiptoed over to Murdock, with exaggerated steps. The gruff soldier regarded the young boy, his usual scowl softening slightly.

"Hey, kid. I'm Murdock."

James tilted his head. "You’re big."

Murdock let out a rumbling chuckle. "Yeah, I'm big. Helps for my job."

"Job?"

"I fight bad guys, blow shi—uh, stuff up."

Madison hid a smile, thankful that he hadn’t given the boys a new word to parrot.

“What’s your name?” Murdock asked, leaning his elbows on his knees and getting on James’s level.

“James.”

Something dark shifted behind Murdock’s eyes. It was faint, but she caught it.

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