* * *
Madeline curled up under the plush covers of the queen-sized guest
room bed in Damian and Laura's lovely five-bedroom home. Although it
was only early November, evening temperatures in Nashville had been
uncharacteristically cold, thus necessitating winter pajamas and a mug of
hot chocolate, which sat on a coaster on the nightstand. She'd just spent
the last month here, taking care of the twins while Damian and Laura
sought out the services of a qualified nanny to replace the incompetent
one they'd fired-coincidentally just after Maddy had made her big
announcement. At Damian's urging, she'd postponed her first day of
work on the new job in Pompano Beach long enough to allow for some
quality time with her youngest brother and his family.
Just as she'd expected, it had been a very difficult conversation with
her parents, although her mother had not been surprised. An astute
woman with a perceptive maternal instinct, Monica had been aware of her
daughter's restlessness for quite some time. These last few years certainly
had taken their toll, between constant GYN visits, a tense work
environment, relentless wedding activities, and of course, the lousy late-
20th century dating scene. Poor Madeline had certainly encountered more
than her fair share of toads; Monica just couldn't understand why
someone as bright and beautiful as her daughter would have so much
difficulty finding the right man.
Only Kenny had appeared to be a decent, upstanding guy, and in the
end, he broke her heart, too. It was so unfair. And as much as she was
going to miss her "baby," she acknowledged that at 27 years old, Madeline
was an adult who possessed every right to live and work wherever she
pleased. Of all her children, however, she'd never expected this one to fly
the coop.
But Madeline had never gone away to college, so perhaps this was
simply a way for her to experience another part of the country while she
was still a young adult. Problem was, Florida was stiff competition. With
annual summertime temperatures and plenty of sunshine, Monica
doubted Maddy would ever return home for good. Moreover, part of her
wished she could go along as well. Like her daughter, she reveled in warm
weather, sandy beaches and swaying palm trees, despite her northeastern
upbringing.
Dr. Rose, however, felt quite differently. Perhaps due to his own busy
surgical schedule, he'd failed to notice his daughter's discontent. He saw
her working, teaching her dance classes and taking interest in her usual
hobbies, from Eagles football to epic movies. And as a man who was
passionate about his own livelihood, family ties, lifetime friendships and
Philadelphia culture, it was nearly impossible for him to relate to
Madeline's feelings.
Mainly, his thoughts focused upon missing her smiling face everyday
and worrying about her safety. But in heated moments, all he could do
was raise his voice and insist that the Florida cities his daughter was so
enamored of were truly crime-ridden places unfit for residency. Of course,
having done her own research, coupled with the information Ken had
been regularly supplying, Maddy knew better. But she refrained from
contradicting her father, as per the habit she'd developed over the course
of her childhood. Besides, she understood where he was coming from and
his need-in fact, his right-to vent his dissatisfaction with her choice.
During those uncomfortable exchanges, Madeline would silently recall
the quote from one of her Wayne Dyer books, "If you want a place in the
sun, you must leave the shade of the family tree." She was more than
willing to give up the shade; she just wished that doing so hadn't come at
the expense of hurting the ones she loved the most. But agreeing to
accept Carmella and Frank's gracious invitation to live with them
temporarily until she found a place of her own had alleviated some of her
parents' valid concerns. And though Maddy had never actually met this
couple, their connection to her family gave her a welcome degree of
comfort.
Now that the worst was over, there was just one potential wrinkle in
her thus far perfect plan-Kenny. A few months back when she'd flown
to Fort Lauderdale to meet with Betty's contact, she'd stopped by his real
estate office to say hello, dressed in her favorite peach linen suit, a staple
of her professional summer wardrobe from the previous year. The
flattering ensemble featured side-fastening mother-of-pearl buttons on a
short, but demure skirt, and a tailored jacket. With her long hair partially
pulled back at the crown, save for a few wispy bangs around her face, she
still embodied the youthful image of an exuberant college co-ed.
And as she entered the sun-dappled, ceramic-tiled atrium of the Gold
Coast Agency, a wave of excitement engulfed her. That is, until her bright
smile and unbridled enthusiasm were met with simmering hostility and
outright rudeness. From behind a mahogany and granite counter, the curt,
middle-aged receptionist barely responded to her polite request to see
Kenny. When she finally did pick up the receiver to dial his line, she shot
Madeline a look of pure condescension, nonverbally expressing her
distaste at the gall of the young woman to simply walk through the front
door.
"You can go on back!" she ordered Maddy a moment later.
Passing by seemingly endless cubicles housing more than 20 agents
and brokers, she detected a palpable chill in the air. With the weight of
this oppressive negativity surrounding her, Maddy plowed ahead, suddenly
more anxious than ever to see Ken. When she finally caught his attention,
prompting him to quickly rise to his feet and embrace her, she felt equal
parts relief and joy. He looked as handsome as ever in a light blue suit, his
radiance even more stunning, thanks to year-round sunshine. His blond
waves displayed a richer golden hue, dramatically setting off his
aquamarine eyes and slightly tanned cheeks.
"Hey Maddy! It's so good to see you!" he'd said warmly, though his
greeting hadn't instilled much confidence. After all, they hadn't seen each
other in close to two years; a little more enthusiasm would have been nice.
And while his phone calls of late had lacked the passion and urgency of
his earlier contacts, she'd attributed that to being severely overworked.
Still, Madeline had such high expectations for this reunion; it was almost
as if his co-workers had conspired to somehow turn him against her.
Paranoid perhaps, but what else to make of this strange encounter?
"You too," she replied politely, releasing herself from his arms after a
quick glance around the room revealed that their every move was being
watched. "Uh, you know Kenny I can only stay for a minute. My
interview is in an hour, but I just had to see you. You look wonderful!"
"As do you. But that's hardly surprising," he noted with a smile as he
ushered her back toward the lobby, where he hoped to find some privacy.
They ended up in an available conference room next to the reception area.
Ken closed the door behind them as Maddy took a seat on a plush leather
chair.
"So what's the plan? Do you think you'll get the job?" he asked,
sitting down next to her.
"With Betty as a reference, I'm sure I will as long as I ace the
interview. And if all goes well, I'll be living here permanently in a month
or so. My parents' friends have been so nice about everything; in fact, I'm
staying at their place for the next few days. They have a really nice house
off of A1A in Pompano, with their own private beach. I'm sure I'll love it
there, but I don't plan to live with them for long-only until I get settled
and find a place. Can you believe it? After all this time I'm finally doing
it!" She laughed nervously as Kenny covered her hand with his.
"You are full of surprises," he noted. And though he seemed happy,
she sensed a certain apprehension in his voice. Far from being a man in
love, euphoric over his woman's return, he appeared somewhat distant
and confused.
"Ken? Is everything alright? You sure don't seem like yourself."
"Oh-yes, yes, everything's fine. I've just been really swamped
between work and school. You know, I'm still doing the landscaping thing
for extra money until I can close a few more deals. Between that and
studying for exams, I don't think I can spend any time with you this
weekend like we planned, Maddy. I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry, Kenny, I have a rental car and a private beach. I'll be
fine." She maintained a pleasant, calm demeanor in spite of her
disappointment.
"Well, stay in touch and let me know what's going on. And when you
do get here, I can help you find an apartment if you want."
"Ok, that'd be great."
And after a few more brief exchanges, Kenny escorted her back to
her car, where he wished her good luck and wondered what the hell to do
next as he watched her pull out of the parking lot.