Page 50 of Joy to Noel
Madison scoffs. “I’m surprised you noticed.”
I blow out a measured breath. “Look, I’m sorry about the other night. You caught me by surprise, and I didn’t handle it well. Could I have a turn cooking dinner tonight?”
She raises an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because I’m trying to find the exit from jerk territory, okay? Making you dinner seemed like a nice gesture,” I answer.
Madison stares at me for a long moment without answering. “I already have dinner plans with Clara and Clark,” she says, gathering her stuff and throwing it into an oversized tote bag. My chest tightens, but then she adds, “If you really want to get out of jerk territory, you’ll think ofonepersonal thing you could share about yourself tonight. Just one, Suits. I’ll be home around eight o’clock. You have all day to prepare yourself.”
She doesn’t say the words aloud, but her subtext is crystal clear.“This is your last chance.”
ME
You almost home? Weather radar isn’t looking great.
MJ
Yeah, it’s getting really windy. I’ll be there in ten.
I pace the room while I wait for Madison to arrive home. Hamlet is mimicking my motion, meowing in his whiniest tone. I’m not sure if he’s picking up on the threat of severe weather in the air or my anxious energy.
I’ve thought all day about what I could tell Madison that would be enough to pacify her need for personal connection without handing over vulnerable information she could use against me. It’s been my least productive day in a long time because I can’t seem to focus on anything but the inner turmoil I’ve felt since her ultimatum this morning.
Headlights momentarily light up the dark sky—unnaturally dark for a little past eight on a summer evening. I’m relieved that Madison has made it home safely, even if it means my time is up. Hamlet is glued to my ankles as I walk to the entryway to wait for her. When she opens the door, I realize it’s pouring rain. Her long hair is dripping water as she toes off her shoes.
“Shoot, I should have moved my car earlier so you could park in the driveway tonight. I didn’t know it was going to start raining this early,” I say, stepping toward her.
Madison waves me off, but I see her shivering from the cold rainwater. “No, no, I’m the one who insisted you park in the driveway. Since you’re the paying renter and all.”
“You want a towel or something?” I awkwardly ask.
“Yeah, I’m going to change clothes real quick and wring out my hair,” Madison says. When she meets my eyes, hers are filled with mischief. Between that sassy look, the water glistening on her face, and the half-smile twisting her lips, my lungs stall out at how beautiful she looks. They freeze altogether when she closes the distance between us and points a finger in my face.
“Don’t think you’re getting out of share time. I’ll be out in a few minutes ready to hear every detail of your life story,” she says. I give her an annoyed look. “Okay, okay,” she amends. “To hear one solitary detail of your life story. It better be good.”
I retreat to the kitchen as she closes her bedroom door. I’ve already eaten dinner and washed all the dishes, so there’s nothing for me to do but stand here. Her bedroom door opens, followed by the sound of the bathroom door closing. Hamlet meows at my feet, so I lean down to pick him up. He nuzzles his face against my chin, as though trying to calm my nerves.
“Maybe I should tell her about the day I met you. About the animal shelter adoption drive when you were the last kitten left, cowering in the corner of your cage, hissing at anyone who came close to you. Maybe she’ll think that’s personal enough. If I tell her that I saw myself in you and knew I couldn’t leave that day without you coming home with me—would that be enough to satisfy her curiosity?” I muse to Hamlet as I rub beneath his chin.
“It’s a start.” Madison’s voice startles me so completely, I literally jump. Hamlet hisses at her in response, and I swivel to see her smirking at me.
Flustered, I mutter, “Maybe we should ship you off to Langley for CIA training.” Hamlet leaps out of my arms and runs to my bedroom.
“I guess I could stop calling him ‘Devil Cat’ now that I know your history,” she says. “But that doesn’t count as your personal insight of the night since you weren’t intentionally telling me.”
“If we’re going to be friends, we need to axe the eavesdropping,” I say with a mild glower in her direction.
“I won’t have to eavesdrop if you just start telling me things,” Madison counters as she saunters closer. She’s wearing an oversizedsweatshirt with shorts—a combination I’ve never quite understood. Either it’s cold enough for a sweatshirt or hot enough for shorts. Not both.
The combination on her, however, is making my tongue swell in my throat. I swallow hard.
A booming clap of thunder interrupts the moment, causing both of us to jump. Madison’s brow furrows, and I move to look out the window to the backyard. Tree branches are wildly dancing as rain continues to pound.
Suddenly, the distinctiveplink, plinkof hailstones sounds, mere seconds before the blare of tornado sirens.
When I turn back to Madison, her face has gone white. Her muscles are tensed, and she suddenly starts pivoting in every direction with frantic energy. “Where do we go?” she asks in a warbled tone.
“Aren’t you from Nebraska? And Kansas City? They have tornadoes there,” I say.
