door when I walked back into the kitchen with Maddy.
She looked up from cutting onions. “What was that all about? Did he find the guy who robbed you last night?”
“No, he pretty much admitted that wasn’t going to happen. He’s looking for Josh, and without realizing it, I happened to tell him that his son skipped school today.”
Maddy laughed. “He shouldn’t get too high-and-mighty about it. I remember Kevin missing a day or two himself.”
“I reminded him myself, but he seems to have forgotten all about that,” I said.
“Parenthood probably does that to you,” she said. After a moment’s pause, she asked, “Do you ever regret not having kids with Joe?”
It was a serious question from out of the blue, and for a second, I froze.
Maddy must have seen something in my face. “I’m so sorry,” she said as she put down the knife in her hand. She started toward me, no doubt to wrap me in one of the embraces she reserved just for me.
I took a step back, and she immediately understood.
After a moment, Maddy said, “Sometimes that gear in my head between thinking something and saying it breaks down.”
“You know, it’s not like we never talked about it,” I said, suddenly feeling like talking about it, much to my own surprise. “But we were remodeling the house right after we got married, and then we were opening the Slice. It was just never a good time, and then he died so suddenly.”
“I’m so sorry,” Maddy said.
I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying until I felt tears tracking down my cheeks. I wiped them with my hand, then asked, “How about you?”
“That’s a funny thing,” she said. “I loved every last one of my ex-husbands, but never enough to have children with any of them. I’m sure that has to say something about me, doesn’t it?”
“Or your ex-husbands,” I suggested.
“Good, I like that. Let’s blame it on them.”
Maddy picked up the knife again and started chopping. I composed myself, and started cleaning up the prep area around her. I knew it drove her crazy, but I couldn’t help myself.
When the kitchen door opened, I expected to see Josh, but I was surprised when Greg Hatcher came in. He wasn’t working the early shift, but he was scheduled to come in later that night.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and then I noticed his bloody nose.
“What happened to you?” I added as I wet a washcloth and handed it to him.
“That’s what the chief wanted to know,” Greg said as he took the damp cloth from me and held it to his nose. “There’s a little good news. I don’t think it’s broken.” He took the washcloth away, looked at the blood on it, and then reapplied it to the tender spot.
“Eleanor asked you a question,” Maddy said.
“I don’t guess either one of you would believe I ran into a door, would you?”
My sister and I shook our heads in perfect unison.
Greg laughed wryly. “Yeah, I don’t think Chief Hurley believed me, either. Fortunately, Josh showed up the second after I walked in, and he had something more immediate to deal with than my nose.”
“We don’t,” I said. “I’m just going to ask you one more time. Who hit you?”
“This is nothing,” he said. “I’m fine.”
“Who punched you in the nose?” I repeated.
“Hey, you said you were going to stop asking.” When he saw that neither one of us was amused by his reply, he admitted, “Wade did it, okay?”
“Your own brother hit you?” I asked.
“Are you kidding me? He’s been beating me up since we were kids. This is nothing new.”
There was an odd expression on his face, and if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn he was smiling.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“This is the first time I ever hit him back,” Greg said.
“Violence never solves anything,” Maddy said.
“You couldn’t be more wrong,” Greg said. “You should have seen the look on his face when I stood up to him. I just discovered that it’s the
She looked up from cutting onions. “What was that all about? Did he find the guy who robbed you last night?”
“No, he pretty much admitted that wasn’t going to happen. He’s looking for Josh, and without realizing it, I happened to tell him that his son skipped school today.”
Maddy laughed. “He shouldn’t get too high-and-mighty about it. I remember Kevin missing a day or two himself.”
“I reminded him myself, but he seems to have forgotten all about that,” I said.
“Parenthood probably does that to you,” she said. After a moment’s pause, she asked, “Do you ever regret not having kids with Joe?”
It was a serious question from out of the blue, and for a second, I froze.
Maddy must have seen something in my face. “I’m so sorry,” she said as she put down the knife in her hand. She started toward me, no doubt to wrap me in one of the embraces she reserved just for me.
I took a step back, and she immediately understood.
After a moment, Maddy said, “Sometimes that gear in my head between thinking something and saying it breaks down.”
“You know, it’s not like we never talked about it,” I said, suddenly feeling like talking about it, much to my own surprise. “But we were remodeling the house right after we got married, and then we were opening the Slice. It was just never a good time, and then he died so suddenly.”
“I’m so sorry,” Maddy said.
I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying until I felt tears tracking down my cheeks. I wiped them with my hand, then asked, “How about you?”
“That’s a funny thing,” she said. “I loved every last one of my ex-husbands, but never enough to have children with any of them. I’m sure that has to say something about me, doesn’t it?”
“Or your ex-husbands,” I suggested.
“Good, I like that. Let’s blame it on them.”
Maddy picked up the knife again and started chopping. I composed myself, and started cleaning up the prep area around her. I knew it drove her crazy, but I couldn’t help myself.
When the kitchen door opened, I expected to see Josh, but I was surprised when Greg Hatcher came in. He wasn’t working the early shift, but he was scheduled to come in later that night.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, and then I noticed his bloody nose.
“What happened to you?” I added as I wet a washcloth and handed it to him.
“That’s what the chief wanted to know,” Greg said as he took the damp cloth from me and held it to his nose. “There’s a little good news. I don’t think it’s broken.” He took the washcloth away, looked at the blood on it, and then reapplied it to the tender spot.
“Eleanor asked you a question,” Maddy said.
“I don’t guess either one of you would believe I ran into a door, would you?”
My sister and I shook our heads in perfect unison.
Greg laughed wryly. “Yeah, I don’t think Chief Hurley believed me, either. Fortunately, Josh showed up the second after I walked in, and he had something more immediate to deal with than my nose.”
“We don’t,” I said. “I’m just going to ask you one more time. Who hit you?”
“This is nothing,” he said. “I’m fine.”
“Who punched you in the nose?” I repeated.
“Hey, you said you were going to stop asking.” When he saw that neither one of us was amused by his reply, he admitted, “Wade did it, okay?”
“Your own brother hit you?” I asked.
“Are you kidding me? He’s been beating me up since we were kids. This is nothing new.”
There was an odd expression on his face, and if I didn’t know any better, I could have sworn he was smiling.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“This is the first time I ever hit him back,” Greg said.
“Violence never solves anything,” Maddy said.
“You couldn’t be more wrong,” Greg said. “You should have seen the look on his face when I stood up to him. I just discovered that it’s the
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