Page 58 of Fall at Once

She turned to me. “Um, thank you, Madi. I was freaking out, and you were right there when I needed to get away from her—I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here. I probably would have just kept on running.” She laughed as she wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater.

“Hey, you’re welcome. I’m glad I was able to be here for you.”

She hugged me and went inside, leaving Cole and me standing in the street.

“Madi,” he said. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Of course. I mean, anyone would have?—”

“Oh, yeah? Her own mother didn’t care enough not to hurt her.”

“Oh god. I’m so sorry, Cole.”

“It is what it is when it comes to her. The slap was new, though.” He shook his head. “And now I’m in the middle of thestreet, covered in soap, wearing a towel. No one will be talking about the kiss in Bookers now.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You look hot.” I brushed a lock of his shampoo-y hair back from his forehead with a smile. “Plus, I forgot to tell you I threw tequila all over Ross’s favorite suit last night. Maybe that will eclipse your nudie booty towel stroll in the street.”

A startled laugh escaped him as we exited the street to stand on the sidewalk in front of his house. “Jesus. Thanks for making me laugh. Maybe I should have knocked him around for you last night. I’m kind of known for that around here.”

“We make quite the pair, don’t we? So much scandal.”

His eyes burned into mine. “Yes, we do. I better get in the house. Talk later? Yeah?”

“Absolutely.” I took his hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. I’m just going to throw this out there. My mom used to let me skip school from time to time if I was going through something rough. I’ll be at the Confectionery all day, baking brownies, among other things. Natalie and Evan are welcome to join me there. Baking with Gigi has always been therapeutic for me, ever since I was a little girl. It might take their minds off things until you can all talk it out together.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me. “I’ll take you up on that. I’m on shift at the station, and I can’t skip it. Can I drop them off later this morning?”

“Absolutely.”

“I’ll try to join you there after lunch. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Maybe I’ll teach them the secret family brownie recipe.”

He dropped a kiss on my forehead. “Thank you. You’re an angel.”

I headed back to the porch. Gigi joined me a couple of minutes later.

“What a mess,” she muttered. “Cole has his hands full with that ex of his. I’m so disappointed in her. I can hardly believe what happened.”

“It was—definitely shocking.”

“Hopefully, she can turn it around. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Not that I’m aware of, at least. I used to babysit Natalie and Evan from time to time over the years if their daycare provider was sick or for a date night here and there. I would have sensed something off, don’t you think?”

“You sense everything, Gigi. So, yeah, I think you would have noticed if something bad was going on with them. Cole would have too. And based on what I know of him, he’d never allow that kind of thing.”

“Good point.” She relaxed. “I hate the thought that I could have helped somehow. But you’re right. He absolutely would not have allowed such things in his home. And Sherry is self-centered, but she loves her kids. She’ll come around. Hopefully, this is just a phase, and once she’s settled into her new life, things will calm down.”

Did thirty-eight-year-old women have phases? I had my doubts about her but kept it to myself.

“I invited Natalie and Evan to bake brownies with me today. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it is. You’re a good girl, Madi. You have a heart of gold. I hope you know that. Cole knows it. Doesn’t he?” Her smirk was knowing.

“Maybe he does,” I confessed. “But I got it from you. That, and the belief that while delicious baked goods may not solve your problems, they make them easier to think about.”

“You got that right. Operation Cheer Up the Sutter Kids is the mission of the day. Let’s make today a better memory for them.”

Chapter 18

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