Page 26 of Real Forever
Madison: I think it’s like dinner and cocktails and stuff. So, not too casual? Maybe a dress shirt and pants?
Jake: Sounds good. And thanks again for those playlists. I have been listening to them non-stop. Can’t believe I was missing out on this for all those years.
Madison: I’m so glad you like them. I’ll send you another one tonight ;)
Falling backwards onto her bed,Madison let out a tiny squeal. She had tried not to get her hopes up, in case he said no, but now that she had confirmation he was coming, Madison’s excitement bubbled over and cracked her face into a bright, beaming grin. Re-reading the messages, she squeaked again.
She flipped onto her stomach, opened Spotify and started another playlist— “Jake Murphy’s Music Education: University Edition.” Maybe they could listen to it on the drive to Robsdale.Oh my god. The drive. Two entire hours alone in the car with Jake.
* * *
The screenof Madison’s phone read 2:57 pm.Shit.Madison took one last glimpse in the mirror before grabbing her purse and garment bag and running up the stairs.
“There’s a black car outside. A nice one. Is that him?” Lauren craned her neck.
Madison lifted up on her tiptoes and peeked out the window. “Fuck. Yeah, that’s him.”
“Auntie, you’re not supposed to say the F-word.” Madison turned to see Maisie sitting at the dining table eating apple slices and peanut butter.
“You’re right, Crazy-Maisie. Auntie’s sorry. I meant to say fiddlesticks.”
Maisie scrunched her face. “What the heck’s a fiddlestick?”
“Umm…” Madison glanced at Lauren, who shrugged and shook her head. “I actually don’t know, buddy. I’ll make you a deal, though. If you can find out what a fiddlestick is before tomorrow morning, I’ll give ya five bucks. Deal?”
“Five bucks? Deal.”
Madison bent down to tug the heel of her boot over her foot, and a thick tendril of her hair fell into her eyes. She huffed at it in vain.
When she finally stood up, Lauren inspected her and smiled. “You look gorgeous, Mads.”
“Really? You aren’t just saying that because you’re my sister and you’re trying not to be a bitch?” She caught Maisie glaring at her from the table and mouthed ‘sorry’ at her.
“No, I mean it. You’re stunning. What’s with the jeans, though? Is your dress in the bag?”
“Yeah. It’s too cold for bare legs. Plus, we have a bit of a drive, so I wanted to be comfortable.”
Lauren crossed her arms. “You really won’t tell me where you’re going?”
“No.” She kissed Lauren on the cheek. “I gotta go. Goodbye Maisie, my love. Have a good night, sweets.”
“Have fun,” Lauren and Maisie replied in unison.
Madison stepped outside and the bitter cold of the wind caught her by surprise. She nuzzled her chin down into the collar of her jacket and shuffled along the driveway to avoid slipping on the ice collecting on the concrete.
She opened the back passenger side door of Jake’s car and popped her head in. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he replied.
She hung her garment bag from the hook on the roof, closed the door, and hopped into the front seat. “Thanks for picking me up. Are you sure you don’t mind? It kind of turned out to be a shitty day for driving.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m happy to. It did get shitty out, didn’t it? My weather app says there’s a storm expected to hit north of here, but we should only catch the edge. Hopefully, it won’t last much longer. Shall we?”
Madison clipped her seatbelt. “Let’s go.”
The drive to Robsdale was long, but it passed through one of the prettiest national parks in the province. Soaring aspen poplars, white birch, and balsam fir trees lined the winding highway on both sides. The fresh snow left a thin layer of sparkling white glitter on the bare branches.
Jake marveled at the rolling terrain. “Wow. It’s beautiful here.”
