Page 104 of Say You Remember Me
“Thank goodness.” I exhaled sharply, the tension I’d been carrying for days finally easing. “That’s…that’s great news.”
Mom studied me, her blue eyes sharp but warm. “You really care about Maddie, don’t you?”
I froze for a beat before rubbing the back of my neck. “Yeah,” I admitted quietly. “I really do. A lot.”
Mom tilted her head, waiting for me to continue.
“And I’m worried I’m going to screw it all up,” I confessed. The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “She’s been through so much already. She’s a single mom raising an incredible kid on her own, and she deserves…everything. But what if I’m not what she needs? What if I just make things harder for her?”
Mom’s gaze softened and she reached across the desk, resting a hand over mine. “If you want to pursue this, Ian, you need to be careful. Maddie isn’t like any of the girls you’ve dated before. She has a son. And I’m not sure how much you remember about when your dad and I took a break before we got back together, but it was really hard. You can give her the world, Ian. You can swoop in and change everything for her and Grant. But you can also hurt them.”
Her words landed heavily, and I nodded slowly, the weight of what she was saying sinking in.
“You’ve only known her a few weeks and…I just want to make sure you’re sure before you get their hopes up,” she continued. “And I know it’s a two-way street, so if she’s what you really want, then I hope she feels the same way.”
I swallowed hard, the knot in my chest tightening. “I don’t want to mess this up.”
“Then don’t,” she said simply, her smile gentle but knowing.
An idea flickered in my mind, and I leaned forward. “Has anyone moved into Vaughn’s cottage yet?”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “It’s still empty. Why?”
“Maddie’s looking for a house,” I said, the words coming quickly now. “And since I’m trying to be good and not just invite her to move in with me—” I gave her a wry smile. “—I was wondering if I could offer her the cottage. It would be perfect for her and Grant.”
“That’s a great idea, Ian.” Mom’s smile widened, her approval evident. “I think she’ll love it.”
“Thanks.” A small flicker of hope warmed my chest. “I just…want to make things easier for her.”
“And that’s a good place to start,” she said, squeezing my hand briefly before standing. “Now, go make it happen.”
“Will do,” I said, watching her head toward the door. Then, picking up my phone, I added, “Just after I let Maddie know the board’s decision—and that we’re both in the clear.”
“Good idea.” Mom winked and then left to head back to her office.
38
MADDIE
The scentof coffee lingered in the air as I sat cross-legged on my dad’s well-loved couch, my laptop balanced on one knee and Ian’s emails open on the screen. It was Saturday, and technically, I wasn’t on the clock, but I didn’t want to let anything slip through the cracks. I needed to prove I was a good employee—someone who could handle her job despite the mess of headlines and gossip.
My phone buzzed beside me, interrupting my focus. I glanced at the screen to see Ian’s name and an attachment. My heart gave a little flutter as I opened the message.
Ian: I finally got a chance to drop by that place I was telling you about and took a few photos. What do you think? Does it look like a place you and Grant could live in?
Swiping open the text, I studied the attached photo. It was a charming little house with white siding, a dark shingled roof, and a neat, welcoming yard. My gaze lingered on the swing set in the corner, a detail that immediately tugged at my heart.
It was perfect. Too perfect. My chest tightened with longing as I stared at the image, already imagining Grant playing on that swing set or running barefoot through the grass.
But just as quickly as the image formed, reality doused it because a place like this was probably way out of my price range.
Ian lived in an entirely different stratosphere than I did. He probably didn’t realize that regular people couldn’t drop thousands a month on rent without breaking a sweat.
I sighed, setting my laptop aside. Glancing at Ian’s calendar to make sure he didn’t have a random Saturday-morning meeting, I decided to video call him. Yes, I could probably just text him back about the house, but it had been a week since he’d gone back to Eden Falls and I had missed seeing his face.
The call connected, and Ian’s image appeared, looking as sharp and effortlessly handsome as ever in what looked like his living room.
He wore a sleek golf shirt, his tan skin glowing like he’d just come off the course, and his dark hair was freshly cut. The sight sent a flutter through my chest, though I tried to tamp it down.
