Page 119 of Since We're Here
“I don’t mean not to be friendly, Patrick.” Her brow furrows and she stares intently into my eyes, those deep brown ones threatening to swallow me whole. Hearing my name on her lips, something stirs inside me.
“I know.” I shift in my chair and turn my body toward her. “You’re the friendliest person I’ve ever known. Like sunshine personified.”
Maddie laughs and her eyes light up, then the smile fades. She puts her pint down and slides it away from her, showing off the pink scar on the back of her hand.
I reach out and touch it gently with my finger, lingering on the ridges.
“Does it hurt?”
“Nah.” Our knees are touching, our thighs making a V in between us.
“Maybe you should get a tattoo to cover it up.”
“I already have one, and I might get another on this trip with my sisters. Are you suggesting a third?”
A corner of my mouth twitches.
“I forgot about your ankle tattoo.” Like hell I forgot about it. My mind immediately goes back to the bathtub event at my cottage, where her ankles were peeking out of the bubbly water, along with other parts of her body.
She turns her chair fully toward me and swings her leg up and onto my knee in a graceful movement, displaying the threetiny hearts grouped on her ankle. “I did that the night of our first fight.”
Yeah, I remember.
I lay my hand on her ankle and rub my thumb on the ink. The physical contact is shocking. It’s everything. Warmth flows from where our bodies are connected.Jaysus, the feel of her skin.The memories of our touches flood me, and I swallow roughly and look up at her, ripping my eyes from her ankle.
“I need to apologize about that.” I keep my hand on her leg and slowly move it up and down the bottom half of her calf. The movement is too much, and yet completely natural. She shivers beneath my hand. “It was all my fault, that inventory shite.”
“No, it was mine, too,” she says firmly.
“And Beth’s.”
“Huh?”
“She stopped by O’Brien’s a few weeks ago. Apologized for leaving so abruptly and said she’d been thinking about the inventory since she left but was too embarrassed to come by and explain.”
“Wow.”
“And she told me she went to New Dingle for hours that would work better with her kid.” Maddie’s leg is still lying across my knees, and I stare down at my still hand.
“She should’ve talked to you. I bet you would’ve worked with her.”
I nod. Of course, Maddie sees the best in me, even now.
“Maddie.” I look at her, and she’s already staring at me. “I found a Post-it note about the inventory buried under other paperwork on my desk. It must have stuck to something else when you put it in the inbox.”
“Oh. Good, I guess.”
The silence stretches, and I look away. I want to tell her more. Everything. I’ve missed her.
“Cara stopped by Slea Head two weeks ago.”
“What?” Maddie touches my hand with hers.
“She’s getting married and wanted to make peace with me.”
“And did she?”
“No. I didn’t let her.” But why was I so harsh with her? It’s been five years. I should’ve given her what she needed. Forgiven her. Let it all go. “She told Liam that I cheated on her. At the end. In Dublin.”
