Three Days of Rain by Christine Hughes

pushing it but she didn’t stop. He eventually eased up and they made their way back to his house, walking the last quarter mile.
    “Thanks, Jake. I needed that,” she said when they reached his front yard.
    “No problem. You want a bottle of water or something?”
    “Sure. I’ll wait out here.”
    When he came back outside, two bottles in his hand, she was stretching out her legs and he once again noticed how in shape she was. He shook off the thought. “Here you go.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Well. I gotta get back in. I told Mr. Olsen I’d put in a couple hours today.”
    “Sure, no problem. Thanks again for the run and the water. Maybe we could do it again sometime.”
    “Yeah. Maybe.”
    “See ya, Jake.”
    “See ya, Lily.”
    He watched as she jogged away while a tiny something rolled in his belly. It wasn’t until she disappeared around the bend that he turned to go back inside to get ready for work.
     

CHAPTER 7
    “Hey Jake! Thanks for coming in. The haul’s been so big this week, we haven’t had a chance to get anything properly cleaned or restocked. I appreciate you doing this for me.”
    “No problem, Mr. Olsen. I didn’t have anything planned, anyway. Just had to get my run in this morning.”
    John Olsen was quiet a minute. He knew Jake was hurting and he knew it was his daughter who had hurt him. He’d tried to take responsibility for it and gave Jake anything he could, be it overtime, small raises when he could afford it, or just alone time on the boat he knew Jake so dearly missed. Jake had changed so much since Maddie left. All of them had.
    It was a hard pill to swallow but John knew they were all better off with Maddie gone. No one had seen her in the two years since she left. She called occasionally but, for the most part, his daughter was gone. She never wanted to talk about what happened the night she left and each time he tried to bring it up, she’d hang up on him.
    The guilt he felt over the relief of her absence ate at his gut. He prayed for her everyday but knew it didn’t help. Mostly, he just felt bad for Jake. She was no good for him. John had known there would be trouble the first time he’d heard she was moving in with Jake...
    ***
    “Maddie, you sure you want to do this?”
    “Jesus, Dad. I’m just moving a mile away. It’s not like you won’t ever see me.”
    “That’s not what I meant. You barely know him,” he said, although he was really thinking, He barely knows you .
    “I’ve known him since high school. He’s a good guy, Dad.”
    “But, Maddie—”
    “No Dad. Don’t, ‘ But Maddie me.’ I’m a grown woman and if I want to move in with my boyfriend, I will.”
    “Look, I know his family. They are my employees. Jake is a good guy. I just don’t want—”
    “Don’t want what? Don’t want me to mess him up? Don’t want me to hurt him?”
    “That isn’t what I said.”
    “No. But you may as well have. You’ll see. I’m not the same girl I was, and if you don’t want to support my decisions, then you should just leave us alone.”
    “I support you. I’m just afraid you don’t think things through.”
    “Sorry if I’m not smart enough for you. Sorry if I can’t be more like Megan. Sorry I went away to college instead of settling down in this shit-hole of a town and starting a family.”
    “Madison Olsen! You listen to me. Stop blaming everyone else for your behavior. You just make sure you remember to treat people like you want to be treated.”
    Her tone was poisonous. “Jesus. You sound like Mom. You gonna start crying like her now, too?” Grabbing her suitcase, she headed for the door. She stopped and looked at him with hatred. “You ever stop to think that maybe you and Mom made me who I am? That all the crap I’ve pulled in the past was your fault? Chew on that.”
    She slammed the door behind her and he stared at the empty space that mirrored the empty hole in his heart. Maybe she was right, after all. Maybe they just didn’t