Page 21 of Full Circle

The tone in his voice must have caught Mr. Madden’s attention because he leaned back on one foot and stopped typing on his phone to gaze at Daddy. He pulled his sunglasses off and fixed Daddy with a stern expression, sizing him up.

“And you are?” he asked.

“Doug Hendricks, sir. I’ve been helping Ms. Shirley here take care of your boy for almost two years now. Wesley’s like a part of my family.”

My heart threatened to burst from the pride in Daddy’s voice. I felt Wesley relax in my hand and snuck a glance up at him. His eyes were on my daddy, trying hard to block the tears brimming along the edge.

I knew instantly from Mr. Madden’s face that this was the wrong thing to say. His eyes darkened with anger and he straightened his back to exaggerate the couple inches in height he had on Daddy.

“Well, Mr. Hendricks, your services are no longer required. Wesley is my son and it’s not your place to decide what happens to him. Shirley, if you weren’t up to the task, you only had to say so.”

Mr. Madden turned abruptly and started back towards the door, sliding his aviators onto his face in one fluid motion.

Wesley stayed rooted to the spot, my hand still holding onto his arm. His face had the same intense determination as his dad’s as he glared at him, the blood now completely drained. No one else could tell, but I knew my best friend like I knew myself, and he was terrified of leaving right now.

“For how long?” Wesley snapped.

“Excuse me?” Mr. Madden turned back, his phone once again in his hand and posed to type.

His son didn’t flinch at his father’s harsh tone like I did. Mr. Madden wasn’t used to being questioned, especially by Wes.

He held his ground, though. “For how long? I want to come back here. I am not returning to Atlanta permanently.”

Mr. Madden shook his head. “Of course not. You’ll be attending Montmeri Academy in the fall.”

“No.” Wesley’s voice rang out angrily through the restaurant, making the other diners turn and face our way. All other conversations died out and I saw one of the guys from the baseball team hold up a cell phone so he could record the exchange.

The billionaire business mogul must have noticed it, too, because he blanched before nodding at Wesley. “Then you’ll join me for the summer. I’m going on a tour through South America for Madden Markets; it’s time you start learning the ropes and preparing for your role in the business.” He didn’t give Wesley a chance to respond as he swept out the door towards the shiny black Rolls Royce Phantom idling in front of the restaurant.

Wesley exhaled loudly from holding his breath in anticipation. I could feel the tension leave his body as mine began to tremble. He was leaving…for the entire summer. The next few months suddenly looked bleak as the prospect of not spending every day with him loomed imminent. What if he couldn’t come back? What if I couldn’t ever see him again?

He turned to me with his megawatt smile, grasping both of my shoulders so I faced him. “It’s going to be okay, Celeste,” he promised, rubbing soothing circles with his thumbs. “We have him on camera promising that I can come back. It’s only for a few months.”

The tears started to fall despite my desire to rein them in. My upper lip quivered because no matter what Wesley said about the situation, I didn’t feel it was as likely. A teenager with a cell phone in River’s Run was hardly going to be enough to change Benedict Madden the Third’s mind.

“Wesley’s right, sugar bee,” Daddy said. He and Marla both looked somber while Ms. Shirley was on the verge of tears herself. Maggie was speechless for once, eyeing us with her mouth agape. No one really knew what to do or say.

“I’ll write and call as much as I can.” Wesley leaned down so he could hold my gaze and indicate his sincerity. My heart was breaking, but I couldn’t let that be Wes’ problem. He didn’t have a say in this anymore than I did.

I settled for hugging him fiercely, my arms locked around his neck as he pulled my waist into a vicelike grip against him. The tears kept falling as I buried my face into his neck but I managed to choke down my sobs. I would save those for later in my tower with Maggie.

“Come on, now, honey, your daddy’s waitin’,” Marla chided us. She pulled Wesley away to give him a tight hug herself. Daddy clapped him on the shoulder.

“Mind your manners,” Daddy reminded him. “Just because your daddy lets things slide doesn’t mean you can forget what we taught you here. Respect goes a long way.”

Wesley nodded and shook my daddy’s hand. “I won’t let you down, sir,” he promised. He pulled his great-aunt Shirley into a hug as she tearfully swore to keep his room just the way he liked it. With a final smirk and a wink for me, Wesley followed his father outside and into the car.

I couldn’t hold back anymore and a strangled cry escaped my throat. I sank into the booth beside Maggie as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder from behind.

“We’ll get through this summer together, Cee,” she whispered. I nodded and squeezed her arm in thanks, but inside it felt like I was dying. Wesley had become like a shadow for me and I didn’t want to face three whole months without him. If Mama’s death had taught me anything, it’s that a lot could go downhill in 90 days.

CHAPTER 9

ALL THE CHANGES

WESLEY

Three Months Later

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