Page 50 of Real Forever
“Beer belly?” Cliff rubbed his hands around his stomach. “Honey, that’s the fuel tank to this love machine.”
Laughter erupted now from every table in the dining area. Even Agatha couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Cliff leaned back in his chair with a wide grin, basking in the attention.
Madison felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.
Jake:Hey. Can we talk? I’m so sorry about this morning. About my parents and about the Calgary thing. I don’t blame you if you never want to talk to me again, but I’d love a chance to explain.
Madison: Yeah, of course. I’d like to talk too. How about tomorrow? Neither of us has gotten much sleep the last two nights. We could both use an early night tonight.
Madison’s bodyfilled with electric heat as she remembered the reason they were up all night. Her skin prickled, reliving the sensations of Jake’s breath on her neck, lips on her legs, tongue on her—
“Madison!”
The shouting voice startled Madison out of her daydream so abruptly she dropped her phone with a loud clank on the tile floor. Half the customers turned to stare.
“Madison,” Agatha repeated. “Can you please get Joan a refill?” She was staring at Madison with her nose wrinkled.
“Sorry, Joan. On my way.” Madison trotted over to Joan, still tingling.
The phone buzzed in her pocket again, but Madison ignored it until she could slip into the kitchen.
Jake:I would be happy to go delirious from lack of sleep to stay awake with you.
* * *
“Laur, you home?”Madison stomped the snow and slush off her boots before untying them and tossing her gloves in the basket on the console table beside the door.
“In the bedroom,” Lauren called back.
A small basket of clean laundry and several neatly folded piles heaped on the foot of the king size bed greeted Madison when she entered her sister’s bedroom. Lauren stood in the walk-in closet, hanging a thick, knitted cardigan.
“Hey. How was work?” she asked, approaching the laundry piled bed.
Madison plopped herself down at the head of the bed, careful to not disturb Lauren’s piles. “Meh, work-ish,” she shrugged. “How was your day?”
“Ok,” she tucked the neck of a long sleeved T-shirt under her chin and smoothed the arms in across her chest. “Maisie was nuts today, but that’s normal.”
“Where’s Dave?” Madison’s tone was cautious. Lauren sighed.
“He went out. Again.” She shook her head and a few shiny tendrils of her blonde hair fell from the messy bun on top of her head.
The creases on Lauren’s forehead were difficult to read. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” she huffed, setting the shirt on top of a pile and pulling a pair of jeans from the basket. “Definitely not.”
“Well I’m here when you do, okay? I know you’re the strong sister and I’m the walking disaster, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be there for you too.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “You have to quit doing that shit, Mads.”
Madison stopped fiddling with the hem of the pillowcase and looked up. “Stop doing what?”
“Those little digs at yourself. ‘I’m a walking disaster’, ‘I’m a hot mess’, blah, blah, blah. It’s bullshit. You’re a perfectly capable adult woman and you’re every bit as strong as anybody else.”
Umm, what the fuck does that mean?Lauren’s words were complimentary, but something in her tone felt biting.
“Ok. Sorry. I’ll try not to do it so much.” Her voice carried a hint of injury.
Lauren slammed the socks she was rolling up on to the bed. “See? That. That right there, Mads. You’re not a sad little bird with a broken fucking wing.”
