Page 70 of The Seven Month Itch
“So, what brings you to my neck of the woods?”
He opens his mouth to answer, but his eyes land on something behind me and light up. “She does.” He stands and greets Madison with a kiss.
Wait. Time-out. Preston and Madison area thing? Since when? My eyes flicker between the last two people I expected to see together. He takes her hand to guide her to the table.
“Hello, Justice,” she says, to which I smile and nod. Preston has yet to take his eyes off of her, and the heat in his gaze is enough to fan myself.
“So.” I point between the two of them. “You and Madison?” He kisses her hands and smiles.
Madison fixes her gaze on Preston, and it’s clear something happened. They look…familiar with each other. Like they didn’t just meet for the first time months ago. Madison doesn’t live in Austin, but, given her job, it’s not uncommon for her to pop up.
He turns his attention back to me but never drops her hands. “Remember our dinner, when I told you about a young lady I fell in love with but never found? That was Madison, or Heather Franklin, if I remember correctly.”
I scrunch my face at the name. “Heather Franklin? Wasn’t she a cheerleader whose parents had a ton of money?”
Madison nods, and—dare I say—her cheeks turn a little pink. “Heather and I were good friends in college. She signed up to study abroad in France but had a last-minute emergency. Since it was nonrefundable, and I was penniless at the time, I took her place.”
Her eyes land on Preston, and there are tears in them.Actualtears. “I met Preston during a trip to the museum. He asked me out, and that’s when our love affair began.” She pauses and looks down at their joined hands as if reliving an unpleasant memory. Her voice becomes a whisper. “We were from two separate worlds and had every odd stacked against us. I never told Preston my name because I thought we wouldn’t see each other again.” She takes a breath. “His family found out and put an end to it. When my time in France was up, I knew I had to leave that piece of me behind.”
Madison and I share a look, and in that moment, understanding passes between us. We both lost time with themen we love—only in her case, it was well over a decade ago. In the years I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her so emotional.
Did he choose family and status over love?
“So, wait a sec. How did you two reconnect?”
Preston smiles. “At the singles’ retreat. The night we had dinner, I saw Heather—sorry,Madison—walk in and couldn’t believe it.“ His gaze drifts back to her. “I thought I dreamt it until I had security pull footage to get her hotel room. Heather Franklin didn’t have a reservation, but Madison Monroe did. I went to see her the next day, unsure if itwasher after fifteen years. But when Madison opened the door, I knew without a doubt she was the one who got away.”
“I should’ve told you who I was.” She leans over the table for a kiss.
Who freaking knew that a singles’ retreat would reunite not only me and Terrence but also Preston and Madison? You couldn’t script this. Well, maybe you could, but it’s stillwild.
I hate to break up such a touching story, but there’s something I need to know. “If Preston is your person, why did you spend the last fifteen years fixated on Terrence?” She winces at the question. It stings, but I need answers.
Madison brushes nonexistent wrinkles out of her emerald dress and sighs. “Justice, I know my behavior was…inexcusable. And I’m sorry. When I left France, I didn’t expect to find love again. I was hurt, and the only person who accepted me for me was Terrence.” She squeezes Preston’s hand. “I thought I’d lost the love of my life. I knew he’d never find me since I used Heather’s name, and I tried to block the pain of never seeing him again. Terrence showed me once that I was worthy of love. I didn’t want to lose that. What I did, what I’ve done, isn’t right. I can’t apologize enough, Justice. I am truly sorry.”
I sit back in my chair and look between them. I’ve got nothing. Deep down, I’m happy that she found her person. I won’tpretend to know what makes her tick, but I don’t want to go on with my life hating someone for what they did in the past.
It’s time to move on.
I give them a smile. “This is—“ I shake my head and replay everything they said. I turn to Madison. “Thank you for your apology. It means a lot. I wouldn’t have gone about things the way you did, but I’m glad you two found your way back to each other. I don’t know Preston well, but I can tell he’s someone special. Plus, he’s super loaded, so you’ll never have to worry about buying all your designer labels again.” We laugh but know it’s true.
Twenty minutes pass before we part ways. I give Madison a hug—something Ineverexpected to do—and embrace Preston before they walk out hand in hand. He has a business tour in Europe soon, and Madison will be by his side every step of the way.
The ride home is short but consumed with thoughts about Madison and Preston. I can’t believe those two dated fifteen years ago and have a second chance at love. Terrence will flip when he finds out.
His black Camaro comes into view when I turn into our driveway. We recently added vines over the garage that drape down the side of the house closest to our front door. There was a home onHouse Huntersthat had it, and I fell in love, so my man made it happen. Terrence’s handiness with a tool belt is undeniable. Did I mention he looks like aMagic Mikeextra wearing it and nothing but a pair of jeans and Timberlands?
Our neighbor across the street always keeps her blinds open whenever he’s outside with his shirt off. Ms. Agnes might beseventy-three, but the woman has no shame. Can’t say I blame her.
I have to squeeze out of my Jeep to keep my door from scratching his. No amount of reminders will get this man to stop parking his car like he sleeps in bed: in the center, with no care or consideration for the person next to him. The garage door is another lost cause. Terrence leaves it open whenever he’s in a rush. Ten bucks says I find him in his office.
I close the garage and head to the front door. The sight of our house makes me fall in love with it all over again. The perennials look majestic on the short walk. Light blues and pink florals pop against the beige bricks and hickory-colored shutters of our corner home. We spend most of our evenings on the front-porch swing watching the sun set.
Terrence and Miles spent weeks on renovations to extend the back of the house for an outdoor kitchen. They added floor tiles, a grilling space, a wine refrigerator, a sink, a fireplace,anda flat-screen television so they can watch college football. These two pushed each other on platform carts at the home-improvement store and skipped through aisles with linked arms like kids. Miles hops from city to city because of his job, and Terrence was more than happy to play host while they worked on their “special project.”
They see each other throughout the year and text more than Emma and I do, and that says a lot. I want Miles to plant roots in Austin, even if I want to throw him from a building on occasion.
I close the front door, drop my keys in the drawer of our foyer table, grab the mail on top, and put my shoes in the closet. Plush carpeting masks my approach to our home office. I don’t want to interrupt Terrence if he’s in a meeting.
