* * *
Madeline gave herself a mental pep-talk just before dialing the 609
South Jersey number, knowing there was a very real possibility of
rejection. And if he did indeed turn her down, she'd only have herself to
blame. He sounded so upbeat and positive during their short
conversation; maybe he'd already moved on with someone else-someone
who wouldn't appreciate him driving to Pennsylvania to share an
afternoon at the Vet with an old girlfriend.
Regardless, she was going ahead with it. If he did express an interest
in coming, it might be a good chance to truly heal the wounds and salvage
a friendship-or maybe something more. She closed her eyes as the
phone began to ring, comfortably stretched out on her bed.
"Hello?"
"Kenny! Hey, it's Maddy again." He felt a bolt of electricity through
his body at the sound of her voice.
"Maddy, how are you?"
"Good, thanks. Listen, we have an extra ticket to the game on
Sunday. And since I know you're also a Vikings fan, I wondered if you'd
like to go with Lori and me? You can drive to my house and we can all go
from there."
"Really?" He was simultaneously puzzled and excited.
"Yeah, really. I remember our conversation under the boardwalk
awhile back; I'm sorry it's such short notice for work and everything, but
if you can get the time off it would be so much fun! We have awesome
seats in section 242, just behind the goalpost. And we know most of the
people around us from going to the games all these years. They're really
cool. Maybe we can even tailgate if you want."
"That sounds great, Maddy! I can't promise anything, though. I'm
gonna have to do a lot of begging to get the time off. We've been really
short-staffed lately."
"Ok, I'll tell you what: make your calls and get back to me in a few
days. I can wait for you."
"Ok then sounds good. I will do my best. But Maddy, if they make
me work extra shifts I may not be able to get to your house until very late
on Saturday night."
"That's ok, Kenny. I'll stay up and wait for you no matter what time it
is."
"Ok then. I hope to have an answer for you soon."
And as they said their goodbyes, each one was filled with a mixture of
hope, optimism and nervousness.
* * *
"Well that was great, but now I'm going to bed; I'm tired. Good
night hon!" Monica Rose said, stifling a yawn as she stood up. "What time
is Kenny getting here?" They'd just finished watching The Cutting Edge, a
cute romantic comedy about two Olympic ice skaters. Now well past
midnight, Louis and Dr. Rose had already retired, along with Damian,
Laura and the twins; Lori and Greg were out at a party with their fiancées.
"Um, not until around 2 a.m.," Maddy replied. "Poor guy, he's
probably just getting off work now. He's gonna be tired after doing a
double-shift."
"Well I put fresh sheets on the guest room bed, and there are plenty
of clean towels in the hall bathroom. Also Maddy, if he's hungry when he
gets here, you can heat up some leftovers from dinner. I know how much
he likes Italian food."
"Ok Mom sounds good." Then getting up off the couch, she
announced her intention to brush her hair and reapply her make-up.
"And don't forget to put some lipstick on!" Monica teased,
prompting her daughter to roll her eyes in mock exasperation.