Page 51 of Deserving Maddie

It was very important to her that she taught her daughter the distinction. Maddie didn't want Charley growing up thinking she needed a man to be happy. It was a lesson she was forced to learn the hard way and didn't want the same for her daughter.

"But does this guy you're dating make you smile?"

"Yeah, sweetheart. He does."

Charley threw her arms around Maddie's neck and whispered, "Then no, I'm not mad."

Her heart was never so full as it was hearing her daughter say that. Half of the battle was already won. Sure, it was the easy half, but with Charley's approval, she felt like just maybe things would be okay.

"Thank you, sweetheart. Now what was it you came in looking for?"

Charley pulled away with a confused look on her face. She was about to remind her daughter how their whole conversation started when something clicked and Charley's face lit up. "Oh, right. I was looking for my lucky pink sweater. I have a test today in math and I really want to wear it."

Math was her daughter's toughest subject. Charley always struggled to make sense of equations, and the one time she wore her light pink cardigan, she had received an almost perfect score. Now it was dubbed her lucky sweater, and she refused to take a math test without it.

"It's downstairs in the laundry room. I hung it up so I could remember where it was."

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

Charley dashed off the bed and headed for the hall but came to a crashing halt just inside the doorframe.

"I hear Gabe stomping around his room. You might want to make that a quick shower before he sees what you're wearing."

Her daughter was out of the room and slamming the door before she could thank her for the heads-up. Gabriel would not be as understanding as Charley, and she wasn't prepared for that fight this morning. Not after she had such a great night with Ray.

Maddie rushed through her shower and quickly dressed. She was still ready within ten minutes of her normal routine. If Gabe commented, she could use the excuse she slept through her alarm.

As it turned out, she didn't need an excuse. Gabriel was more quiet than usual as he ate his breakfast and got ready for school. Her son hugged Kat extra hard, and didn't give anyone trouble all morning. Maddie should've been grateful, but something felt off, and she didn't know what it was. She made a mental note to ask him about it later that day.

Dropping Kat off at the airport was an emotional mess. Her friend purposely booked a flight in the middle of the day; it would give Maddie time to put herself back together before she had to pick Gabe and Charley up from school. All three of them were close to Kat, but Maddie would never let herself show as much emotion around the kids. She would've tried to put on a brave face for their sake. Kat knew all this and took it into consideration.

Now that her best friend was gone once again, with no return date booked, Maddie felt empty. It was like those weeks just after she moved to Texas. Kat was her other half. She was more than just a best friend. She was the one who would swear on a bible that Maddie was innocent but at the same time be right by her side when she actually committed the crime.

Maddie's phone dinged and for one second she almost considered it was Kat changing her mind, but then remembered she watched the plane take off using the tracker app they shared.

Ray: Hey, baby. How are you holding up with Kat leaving?

A puddle of goo. That was what Ray turned her into when he reminded her just how considerate he really was. She thought back to her conversation with Kat that morning. Ray listened when she told him over desserts how much she missed her best friend when she wasn't around.

Maddie: I hate when she leaves. I took the rest of the day off, but now I'm regretting that decision. At least if I was at work, I would have something to distract me.

Ray: So what you're saying is you are free until the kids get out of school and you need something to do. Did I hear that correctly?

A laugh bubbled up her throat.

Maddie: I guess that's what I'm saying.

Ray: Oh thank God. I have a few annoying co-workers who won't leave me the hell alone until they meet you. Any chance you wanted to grab a coffee with me and then I could take you to the range?

Maddie: The range?

Anthony refused to allow her to use a weapon. The chauvinist asshole felt a woman's role was to stay home and cook. He would constantly make comments about the females he worked with and how they were ruining society.

Ray: Yeah, we have one at work. Both inside and out. The teams will be rotating through there today, so I figured it would be a good time to meet everyone and see more of where I work. But we can do something else if you want to.

She didn't need to think about it.

Maddie: Nope. I would love that.

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