Page 45 of Ever With Me

Maddie glanced at Brooks. “You want me to pick those up too?”

“You don’t need to. I have a chef coming at . . .” He nodded. “Yeah, all right. She’d probably prefer that to whatever the chef is making tonight.”

Maddie reached into her purse and took out a tissue, then held it out to Brooks. “You might want to use this on Audrey. Text me a list, and I’ll grab what you need while I’m out.”

His look was hesitant, and when his fingers brushed hers as he took the tissue, goosebumps rose on her skin. “All right.” His hand didn’t move, though. “Thank you, Madison.”

He has to stop calling me that.

She nodded wordlessly, then stepped back. “Just let me know. Whatever you need.” And before she could overthink anything else, she fled back to the safety offered with each footstep she took away from Brooks Kent.

Eight hours. I can make it to eight hours.

What Maddie couldn’t work out was why she had to do this in the first place whenhewas the one who crashed into her store. ..

14

BROOKS

“I think she’s out,”Brooks said as he rejoined Maddie in the kitchen. She was putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher despite him having told her many times that she didn’t have to clean up.

But she’d apparently done it anyway while he’d put Audrey to sleep.

By the time Maddie had returned from the store with a car seat and the two of them had installed the damn thing, Audrey had complained about being hungry. So instead of going out to the playground, they’d made her mac and cheese and hot dogs.

Maddie and Brooks had eaten the cedar-grilled salmon and mushroom risotto the chef had prepared while Audrey played with a bubble maker Maddie had surprised her with. After dinner, they’d made s’mores—another Maddie surprise.

Audrey had chased bugs on the lawn while the sun had set, then Brooks had taken her in for bedtime, which had been quick, considering it was late, and she’d played outside so much.And loved every second.

For that matter, Brooks had enjoyed it, too. And Maddie’s company.

A little too much.

Maddie glanced up from the dishwasher and shut it. “I’m not surprised she fell asleep fast. She’s four, right? I think my four-year-old niece is ready for bedtime by like seven.”

“No wonder you’re so good with her.”

She shrugged. “I have practice, but honestly, I don’t really think of myself as great with kids. It doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“What does come naturally to you?” Brooks asked, genuinely curious. Because she seemed to interact with Audrey effortlessly.

She stretched, the barest hint of her midriff showing, a slip of her tanned, flat belly. He tore his gaze away. “I don’t know. I’m not really sure I’mgreatat anything. My family thinks I’m good at running the business, but it’s not hard, either. Anyway, marketing and admin are boring. Numbers are boring. Optimizing is stab-me-in-the-eyeballs-with-forks boring. But it’s what I signed up for, so I guess that’s on me.”

She set her hands on the counter and leaned forward. “And now I’m being boring. Sorry. I don’t know why I told you all that. I talk too much.”

He could tell. And it was . . .cute.

No, you fuckwit.

But he couldn’t seem to help it.

She was smart. Pretty. Natural.

Effortlessly good at things.

Humble. Which is both rare and refreshing.

Anything but boring.

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