“Actually, he’s a little younger than I am.”
Maddie applied a thick coat of dark purple lipstick that looked quite hideous, but Ryn didn’t dare say anything.
“Is he weird?”
Ryn laughed. “I don’t know how to answer that. I’m not sure how your generation defines ‘weird.’”
“Well, what kind of car does he drive?”
“A PT Cruiser.” Ryn’s voice bubbled with amusement.
Maddie paused mid stroke, wide eyes looking at Ryn’s reflection in the mirror. “You’re kidding.”
Ryn shook her head.
“Oh my God, only old people drive those things. Is he short and suffering from male-pattern baldness? He wears plaid pants pulled up to his armpits with a bowtie and a fedora, doesn’t he? Oh, Mom, you can do better than that.”
“He’s good looking. Just keep an open mind, okay?” She slipped into her black heels.
“Have grandma and grandpa met him?”
“No. This will be their first time meeting him as well.”
“I’m sure they’ll love him because he sounds nothing like Dad, which is unfortunate because all my friends think he’s hot. It’s pretty weird hearing that because he’s my dad, but it’s kind of cool too.”
Ryn bit her tongue, she always did—but she wouldn’t forever. Maddie’s days of believing her father walked on water were numbered.
“So where is he taking us for dinner?”
“I don’t know. Some place fancy I assume since he insisted we dress to the nines tonight.”
“He’s paying?”
Ryn nodded as they walked down the stairs with Gunner in tow.
“Is he rich?”
“I don’t know anything about his bank account.”
“Well he teaches piano lessons for God’s sake, he can’t be that rich.”
“Money isn’t everything, my dear child.”
“Clearly it isn’t to you, or you wouldn’t have left Dad.”
Another dig that kept getting harder to ignore.
“Oh my God, Mom!” Maddie called looking out the front window. “It’s not just a PT Cruiser … it’s a purple PT cruiser with wood panels. It’s totally like Barney meets National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
“Be nice, please.” Ryn grabbed her purse and kissed Gunner on the head.
“Oh. Fuck …”
“Madison!” Ryn scolded.
“Sorry but … he … he just got out. No way … no freaking way.” Maddie plastered her face and both hands to the window.
Ryn opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Jackson grinned as he met her with a dozen red roses.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He bent down and kissed her, keeping it PG … maybe PG-13.
“Thank you.” She smiled back, reaching up to rub the pad of her thumb along his lips to wipe off the transfer of lip gloss. “Let me just put these in water. Maddie!” She jerked her head toward the door when she saw her daughter still gawking in disbelief out the window.
Maddie peeked around the door.
“Maddie, this is Jackson Knight. Go say hi and be nice while I put these in a vase.”
“Nice to meet you, Maddie.” Jackson offered his hand.
Maddie took it and whimpered a little when the arm of his suit coat rode up enough to share a glimpse of a tattoo. “H-hi,” she stuttered.
He released her hand, but hers stayed frozen in midair for a few seconds.
“You look beautiful in your dress as well, and you have your mom’s eyes.”
She nodded. It seemed as if that’s all she could do. Maddie looked like a younger version of Ryn except with her dad’s dimples. Maddie’s pin-straight blond hair cascaded to her butt. She looked and carried herself with a model’s posture, yet Jackson’s eyes stayed on Ryn. Falling never felt so good.
“Ready?” Ryn asked, shutting the door.
Jackson offered one arm to Ryn and the other to Maddie, escorting them both to the car.
“Maddie’s disappointed you’re not balding or wearing a bowtie and fedora.”
“Mom!” Maddie shrieked as Jackson opened the back door for her.
He chuckled. “At one time I had my head shaved. I considered getting a tattoo on the back of it, but it never happened.”
Ryn had never seen her daughter stunned into complete silence. It was kind of nice for a change. Jackson shut Maddie’s door and walked Ryn to the other side.
“Your dress is going to put an end to my celibacy,” he whispered in her ear before opening her door.
She gulped, thankful for the pantyliner she decided to wear because only the hottest women wore them on dates.
“So be prepared.” He pecked her cheek.
“O-kay.”
That one word stutter of a response brought a seductive grin to his face as he opened her door. She couldn’t stop thinking about that promise—a promise of sex—her age, her body, his past, his expectations, her minimal experience, his expertise. It overwhelmed her.
“So, Maddie, what made you want to become a lawyer?” Jackson asked.
After a few seconds of silence Ryn looked over her shoulder at Maddie in the backseat. “Maddie, he asked you a question.”
She closed her unhinged jaw and swallowed, eyes still glassy. “Uh … money. And I like to argue.”
Her mother smirked. “She won quite a few awards on the debate team in high school.”