Read Online Finding Madelyn by Suzette Vaughn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Suzette Vaughn
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in the good memories. It was still another time, another life, almost another Maddy.
Frank stopped by for dinner, but didn’t distract her enough to stop her from burning two pork chops. They went in the trash with the five hamburgers from lunch.
She put her lunch and dinner for the next two days in a bag, with a few extra meals, just in case someone else was around and hungry, and locked the door for the weekend. She’d hardly made it halfway down the block when she heard him behind her.
“Want someone to walk with you?”
She turned and he was circling his hat around his fingers. Some things never changed.
“Where have you been all day?”
“Spent most of it in my room. Thought it was safer.” His face said he’d been wrong.
“Did you at least eat?”
“Yes. There’s a really nice diner in town that has orders to go.”
She smiled. “I didn’t even notice how many of those I did today.”
“A little pre-occupied I assume.” His eyebrow rose .
“You could say that.”
He stepped forward. “Madelyn. . .”
“Not tonight, Galen. I expect to see you at my house early tomorrow.”
He stepped back and let the look of hope fall, “Fine by me. How do I get there?”
“Go to the water and head north.” She turned around and started home.
“Be careful, Madelyn.”
Galen watched her until he couldn’t see her shape anymore. He’d hoped they could talk tonig ht. At least start to talk; instead, he would go b ack to his room and be left with his thoughts.
There had to be a better way to spend the night. He took a deep breath and turned around, coming directly in contact with a hard object to the face.
“Hit him again, Frank.”
He recognized the laughter of Hollis.
“I plan to.”
Galen checked that his nose wasn’t bleeding and did his best to dodge the two shapes around him. “I don’t want to do this.”
“I do.” Frank slurred the words just a bit, and fell a little sideways.
“It’s not a fair fight if you’re drunk.” Galen laughed.
“There’s two of us.” Hollis objected before his attitude became more jolly. “And we ain’t drunk. Just feeling good .”
Galen pushed Hollis away when he tried to take a swing. “Good, show me to the bar.”
“What?” Frank stumbled into the gutter and fell.
“I’d rather drink with you than fight with you.” Galen held his hands out. He’d spend enough of his life fighting.
“What you think, Hollis?” Frank was still flat on his back and breathing heavy.
“I think we’re feelin’ a little too good to be dancing around in the streets.”
Galen waited as they tried to get up then helped them when he saw they couldn’t exactly do it alone.
The bar was across the street from Maddy’s diner and shocked Galen that it wasn’t an absolute hole in the wall. There were a few couples dancing to the music, but mostly it was men sitting at the bar.
Hollis le d the way to a table on the far side of the bar and sent a few hand signals to a waitress, consisting of the number three and a point to the table. Apparently, Galen would be drinking what ever made these two stumble through the streets.
He was happy to see it was simply beer. There was no problem with that, verses some of the things he’d drank across the ocean that could make you forget a week at a time.
“I’m too drunk to beat you like I planned, so we have to find some way to settle this.”
“There’s nothing to settle.” Galen helped the waitress pass the drinks around the table.
“Sure there is. I can’t have you hanging around her or thinking you’re gonna take her back west.”
“No one’s made Maddy ever do anything she didn’t want.”
“I can see that. Everyone can see that.”
“Not my father.” Fredrick never saw anything that everyone else could see. Most of all he never saw what Maddy was to him.
He took a long drink of the cool liquid, listening to his father’s voice ringing in his ears.
“You won’t see
Frank stopped by for dinner, but didn’t distract her enough to stop her from burning two pork chops. They went in the trash with the five hamburgers from lunch.
She put her lunch and dinner for the next two days in a bag, with a few extra meals, just in case someone else was around and hungry, and locked the door for the weekend. She’d hardly made it halfway down the block when she heard him behind her.
“Want someone to walk with you?”
She turned and he was circling his hat around his fingers. Some things never changed.
“Where have you been all day?”
“Spent most of it in my room. Thought it was safer.” His face said he’d been wrong.
“Did you at least eat?”
“Yes. There’s a really nice diner in town that has orders to go.”
She smiled. “I didn’t even notice how many of those I did today.”
“A little pre-occupied I assume.” His eyebrow rose .
“You could say that.”
He stepped forward. “Madelyn. . .”
“Not tonight, Galen. I expect to see you at my house early tomorrow.”
He stepped back and let the look of hope fall, “Fine by me. How do I get there?”
“Go to the water and head north.” She turned around and started home.
“Be careful, Madelyn.”
Galen watched her until he couldn’t see her shape anymore. He’d hoped they could talk tonig ht. At least start to talk; instead, he would go b ack to his room and be left with his thoughts.
There had to be a better way to spend the night. He took a deep breath and turned around, coming directly in contact with a hard object to the face.
“Hit him again, Frank.”
He recognized the laughter of Hollis.
“I plan to.”
Galen checked that his nose wasn’t bleeding and did his best to dodge the two shapes around him. “I don’t want to do this.”
“I do.” Frank slurred the words just a bit, and fell a little sideways.
“It’s not a fair fight if you’re drunk.” Galen laughed.
“There’s two of us.” Hollis objected before his attitude became more jolly. “And we ain’t drunk. Just feeling good .”
Galen pushed Hollis away when he tried to take a swing. “Good, show me to the bar.”
“What?” Frank stumbled into the gutter and fell.
“I’d rather drink with you than fight with you.” Galen held his hands out. He’d spend enough of his life fighting.
“What you think, Hollis?” Frank was still flat on his back and breathing heavy.
“I think we’re feelin’ a little too good to be dancing around in the streets.”
Galen waited as they tried to get up then helped them when he saw they couldn’t exactly do it alone.
The bar was across the street from Maddy’s diner and shocked Galen that it wasn’t an absolute hole in the wall. There were a few couples dancing to the music, but mostly it was men sitting at the bar.
Hollis le d the way to a table on the far side of the bar and sent a few hand signals to a waitress, consisting of the number three and a point to the table. Apparently, Galen would be drinking what ever made these two stumble through the streets.
He was happy to see it was simply beer. There was no problem with that, verses some of the things he’d drank across the ocean that could make you forget a week at a time.
“I’m too drunk to beat you like I planned, so we have to find some way to settle this.”
“There’s nothing to settle.” Galen helped the waitress pass the drinks around the table.
“Sure there is. I can’t have you hanging around her or thinking you’re gonna take her back west.”
“No one’s made Maddy ever do anything she didn’t want.”
“I can see that. Everyone can see that.”
“Not my father.” Fredrick never saw anything that everyone else could see. Most of all he never saw what Maddy was to him.
He took a long drink of the cool liquid, listening to his father’s voice ringing in his ears.
“You won’t see
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