grab something at the house before we left, but then we had that whole thing with Maude.”
“I’m hungry, too,” Maddie said, fidgeting a little as Nick paused outside the library door.
“You look beautiful, Mad,” Nick said. “Stop doing … whatever it is you’re doing.”
“Stop hovering,” Maddie countered. “Nothing is going to go wrong this weekend. Everything is going to be absolutely perfect.”
Nick pushed the library doors open, greeting a few curious faces with a welcoming smile. The smile froze in place when he recognized two figures standing near the drink cart in the back of the room. “Oh, crap.”
“I totally jinxed us,” Maddie said.
“I … why?”
Marla, her attention drawn to the new guests due to the sudden silence in the room, grinned evilly when she saw Maddie and Nick. At her side, Cassidy Dunham – Nick’s ex-girlfriend – shift uncomfortably.
“I’m not joking,” Maddie said. “I jinxed us. I’m not the princess, but there are my evil stepsisters. Someone had better call for my fairy godmother.”
Seven
“Hey, we were starting to think you guys weren’t going to come down.” Aaron moved away from Marla and Cassidy and crossed the room. “Do you guys want a drink? Dinner won’t be ready for at least a half hour.”
“Um … .” Nick glanced down at Maddie, unsure.
“A drink sounds great,” Maddie said, forcing a smile and squaring her shoulders.
“Are you sure?” Nick asked. “We can go upstairs and pack if you want.”
“Why would you pack?” Aaron asked. “Is something wrong?”
Nick shifted his gaze to Marla and Cassidy momentarily, and then back to Aaron. “I wasn’t aware that Marla Proctor was invited,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Her name was never brought up in all the conversations we had.”
“I didn’t invite her,” Aaron said. “Apparently she and Max hooked up last night. He invited her.”
“Max invited her to your house?” Nick asked dubiously.
“Max practically lived here with me when he was a kid,” Aaron said. “It’s kind of his home, too. I don’t understand why this is a problem.”
“It’s not,” Maddie said.
“No, it is,” Nick countered. “We’ve had a few … problems … with Marla over the past two months. She’s been less than welcoming to Maddie.”
“She’s a bitch,” Aaron said, not missing a beat. “She’s always been that way. Can’t you just ignore her?”
“It’s not just her,” Nick said. “I … um … .”
“Okay, you’re going to have to spit it out,” Aaron said. “I’m not a mindreader.”
“You don’t need to be,” Christy said, slipping between him and Maddie and handing the willowy blonde a glass of wine. “Drink up, Maddie. I think you’re going to need something to take the edge off.”
“Will you tell me what’s going on?” Aaron asked.
“Well, let’s see,” Christy said. “How can I explain this in a way you’ll understand?”
“Try English.”
“When Maddie came back to town, Nick was involved with someone else,” Christy said.
“Of course he was. He had a six-month cycle,” Aaron said. “What? My mom keeps me up on all the gossip. Since she’s only here six months out of every year, I have no idea how she keeps up on everything twelve months out of the year, but she does.
“Trust me. I know about Nick’s cycle,” he said. “I was actually pretty impressed with it. I tried to implement it into my own dating life, but I found I was the one who kept getting dumped. I’m starting to think it’s me.”
Maddie pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Aaron was a lot wittier than she remembered.
“Not everything is about you,” Christy said, patting his arm. “Anyway, Nick was just getting ready to end his cycle when Maddie breezed back into town. Since everyone was waiting for him and Maddie to throw down and get busy in the middle of town, Nick decided not to break up with his girlfriend right
“I’m hungry, too,” Maddie said, fidgeting a little as Nick paused outside the library door.
“You look beautiful, Mad,” Nick said. “Stop doing … whatever it is you’re doing.”
“Stop hovering,” Maddie countered. “Nothing is going to go wrong this weekend. Everything is going to be absolutely perfect.”
Nick pushed the library doors open, greeting a few curious faces with a welcoming smile. The smile froze in place when he recognized two figures standing near the drink cart in the back of the room. “Oh, crap.”
“I totally jinxed us,” Maddie said.
“I … why?”
Marla, her attention drawn to the new guests due to the sudden silence in the room, grinned evilly when she saw Maddie and Nick. At her side, Cassidy Dunham – Nick’s ex-girlfriend – shift uncomfortably.
“I’m not joking,” Maddie said. “I jinxed us. I’m not the princess, but there are my evil stepsisters. Someone had better call for my fairy godmother.”
Seven
“Hey, we were starting to think you guys weren’t going to come down.” Aaron moved away from Marla and Cassidy and crossed the room. “Do you guys want a drink? Dinner won’t be ready for at least a half hour.”
“Um … .” Nick glanced down at Maddie, unsure.
“A drink sounds great,” Maddie said, forcing a smile and squaring her shoulders.
“Are you sure?” Nick asked. “We can go upstairs and pack if you want.”
“Why would you pack?” Aaron asked. “Is something wrong?”
Nick shifted his gaze to Marla and Cassidy momentarily, and then back to Aaron. “I wasn’t aware that Marla Proctor was invited,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Her name was never brought up in all the conversations we had.”
“I didn’t invite her,” Aaron said. “Apparently she and Max hooked up last night. He invited her.”
“Max invited her to your house?” Nick asked dubiously.
“Max practically lived here with me when he was a kid,” Aaron said. “It’s kind of his home, too. I don’t understand why this is a problem.”
“It’s not,” Maddie said.
“No, it is,” Nick countered. “We’ve had a few … problems … with Marla over the past two months. She’s been less than welcoming to Maddie.”
“She’s a bitch,” Aaron said, not missing a beat. “She’s always been that way. Can’t you just ignore her?”
“It’s not just her,” Nick said. “I … um … .”
“Okay, you’re going to have to spit it out,” Aaron said. “I’m not a mindreader.”
“You don’t need to be,” Christy said, slipping between him and Maddie and handing the willowy blonde a glass of wine. “Drink up, Maddie. I think you’re going to need something to take the edge off.”
“Will you tell me what’s going on?” Aaron asked.
“Well, let’s see,” Christy said. “How can I explain this in a way you’ll understand?”
“Try English.”
“When Maddie came back to town, Nick was involved with someone else,” Christy said.
“Of course he was. He had a six-month cycle,” Aaron said. “What? My mom keeps me up on all the gossip. Since she’s only here six months out of every year, I have no idea how she keeps up on everything twelve months out of the year, but she does.
“Trust me. I know about Nick’s cycle,” he said. “I was actually pretty impressed with it. I tried to implement it into my own dating life, but I found I was the one who kept getting dumped. I’m starting to think it’s me.”
Maddie pursed her lips to keep from laughing. Aaron was a lot wittier than she remembered.
“Not everything is about you,” Christy said, patting his arm. “Anyway, Nick was just getting ready to end his cycle when Maddie breezed back into town. Since everyone was waiting for him and Maddie to throw down and get busy in the middle of town, Nick decided not to break up with his girlfriend right
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