Page 3 of The Glass Dolphin

She went into the garage as Ben held the door for her, the scent of sugar floating on the air. “Someone’s definitely here,” she said.

Ben darted in front of her and said, “Let me check it out.” He went up the few steps to the landing outside the house and then opened the door. The sugar turned to frosting, and Maddy moved slowly as her boyfriend went inside the house fully.

The spring-loaded door slammed shut, sealing Maddy in the dark garage. She expected Ben to open it again immediately and tell her everything was okay, but he didn’t. She couldn’t hear any yelling or laughing beyond the door either, and she wasn’t sure if she should go in or stay hidden in the garage.

She hadn’t heard of much violent crime in Five Island Cove, especially out here on this furthest north island, but it was a holiday, and this less-populated part of the cove could be a good target for thieves for all she knew.

Maddy hadn’t quite committed to entering the house yet when the door opened again. Her daughter stuck her head out and said, “Mom, get in here and see what I made for you.”

Joy exploded through Maddy, and she said, “Chelsea,” before hurrying toward her. “What are you doing here?”

Her daughter laughed as Maddy flew into her arms, and they entered the house together. She hugged her tightly in the mudroom again, and then hung her purse over a hook while Chelsea went into the kitchen, chattering about how she was glad Maddy had a few staples here at the house.

Maddy followed her, coming to a complete stop when she saw Kyle and Bea there too. They stood in front of the countertop, both of them holding a sugar cookie the size of their hands. Chelsea skipped over to them and picked one up as well. She faced Maddy, whose heartbeat had started jumping like water droplets in a screaming hot pan.

The sugar cookies weren’t shaped like turkeys or pumpkin pies, the way Maddy expected them to be. Fall leaves, maybe. Something with brown frosting, or oranges and yellows.

Kyle and Bea held pure white frosted cookies that Maddy suspected were wedding bells.

Chelsea lifted a treat that was frosted in fall colors—gold. It was a diamond ring, with blue lines for the facets of the gem on top of the gold ring, which had been cut out expertly.

“What is going on?” she asked. Ben entered the kitchen from around the corner that led into the living room, and he carried a black box.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“Madeline,” he said, oh-so-serious as usual. “I’m in love with you. I’m crazy about you. I want to spend my life with you.” He spoke in that sexy,I’m-in-control-herevoice he often used, almost like he wasn’t nervous at all. Maddy knew the man in ways others didn’t, and she watched his pulse flutter in his throat.

He was nervous, and that only made Maddy’s anxiety increase.

Ben arrived in front of her and got down on both knees. He slowly opened the black velvet box in his hand to show her the ring. He looked at it, and then up to her, and Maddy beamed down at him. “Will you marry me?”

Maddy looked over to her children and back at him. “Did you ask my kids to come here just for this?”

“Yes,” he said. “I needed the help, and I figured you’d like to have them here for Thanksgiving. So I asked them to come.”

Tears filled her eyes. “You’re amazing.” She loved him, and they’d been talking about marriage and weddings and an engagement for months now. She loved having him in her life, and in her children’s lives.

“Is this Maddy-code for yes?” he asked. Those gorgeous blue eyes searched hers, and Maddy decided she didn’t need to torture him.

“No,” she said. “That’s not Maddy-code for yes.” She took his face in her hands and leaned down, almost touching her lips to his. “Yes, I’ll marry you. No code necessary.”

He kissed her, and Maddy kissed him back while her kids cheered. So many emotions ran through her, she couldn’t categorize them all. She pulled away from Ben and held out her hand so he could slide the diamond onto her finger.

She’d never thought she’d wear another wedding band. She’d never thought she could love another man as much as she loved Ben. She’d never thought her journey in life would lead her here.

Ben stood and took her into his arms. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too,” she whispered just before her squealing daughter arrived. Maddy hugged her again, laughing with her. Then she gripped Kyle in her arms, tears filling her eyes the way they had when he’d come to her for help when he and Bea’s wedding venue had flaked on them.

She hugged Bea last, saying, “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Of course,” she said, grinning. “Kyle and I love the cove.”

“Where’s my grandbaby?” Maddy asked, just now realizing that Knox wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

“Asleep in his crib,” Kyle said. “Come on, Mom. Try the cookies and tell us which ones you like best.” He cast a look over to Chelsea, and Maddy sensed a competition between them. She took a bite of the wedding bell, and it was flaky and moist at the same time. There was a bit too much frosting for her liking, but she grinned at her son.

She took a bite of the diamond, and this frosting was too weak. She would never say so, and she said, “They’re both amazing.”

---