Second to None, page 7
I snorted. “He and Amanda broke up. I didn’t think he should get drunk alone. Can you help me carry him to his bed?”
Andrew nodded, and together, we got him into his bed. I never would have been able to do it on my own. Even with Andrew, I’d barely been much help.
“Thanks.”
“Anytime. And, Josie,” he said before he left Maddox’s room.
“Yeah?”
“I was always rooting for y’all.”
I laughed. “Uh, thanks.”
He tipped his head at me and then disappeared.
I should probably go home. Maddox would wake up, hungover, and he’d deal with all of that on his own. I could call to check on him. But I found that I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to sit here in his bed and watch the easy rise and fall of his chest. To see that he was safe.
I tucked my legs under the covers and turned on my side to watch him sleep. I brushed a strand of his curls off his forehead. It immediately flopped back down into place. But he reached out for me, finding my hand and pulling it against his chest, as if I belonged there, as if I were precious.
So, I lay there with my hand against his chest until I succumbed to sleep.
10
SCAD
AUGUST 1, 2010
When I woke, there was a body pressed against my back with a strong arm around my waist. My eyes fluttered open as I returned to consciousness with alarm. I rolled over in bed and found Maddox still fast asleep.
My body relaxed back into the bed as the night before returned to me. I’d momentarily forgotten that I’d fallen asleep in his room. The fact that he was still asleep was a good thing. I could probably slip out before he ever found out that I’d spent the night.
Except when I tried to move out of the bed, his arm tightened around my waist and dragged me back into place. I laughed softly. So much for that plan. Even hungover and asleep, Maddox didn’t want me to go.
I nudged his shoulder lightly, and his eyes blinked lazily open. Then, he saw me lying in bed with him.
“Oh fuck,” he ground out, jerking backward. He clearly regretted that decision because he groaned and leaned forward, hands to his head. “Fuck. How much did I drink?”
“Three-quarters of a bottle of tequila and at least a half-dozen beers. Before that, I’m not sure.”
“You’re … in my bed,” he said slowly.
“Yeah. When you missed our meeting, I came over to check on you, and you told me about Amanda.”
“I missed our meeting? Shit. Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“Did we, uh …” He gestured to the bed.
“Sleep together?” I shook my head. “No. You were obliterated before I even got here. I stayed to make sure you didn’t die in your sleep.”
“Uh … thanks.”
“Tequila Maddox was a good time though,” I said with a teasing grin. “You’ve been holding out on me.”
He groaned again. His cheeks flamed. “What did I do?”
“You insisted that we were having a party, we danced to ridiculous music, and, well … you confessed that you still loved me.”
Maddox winced. “I did?”
“Yeah, but it’s no big deal,” I said quickly for his benefit. “I know you were just drunk.”
“Yeah. I was … really drunk.”
“We all say and do stupid shit when we’re drunk.”
“This is why I never drink at parties. Fuck.”
“Well, I stayed to make sure you were okay. I’ve never seen you like that before.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been that drunk before.”
I laughed. “I have. And I know how you must be feeling. Go take a shower, drink some water, and grab a few Tylenol. I’m going to make breakfast.”
“You’re going to make breakfast?” he asked in confusion.
“I don’t think you can stomach more than eggs and toast, right?”
His hand went to his stomach as it gurgled. “Oh God, the thought of food makes me sick.”
I tried to hide my laugh. “As I thought. I know how to take care of drunk people. Take your time.”
I scurried out of bed as quickly as I could and padded out to the kitchen. I hadn’t been able to take the look of discomfort on his face. As if admitting how he’d felt about me had broken some code. I’d pretend that it had all been a stupid, drunk joke if he wanted. That was fine. Easier even.
A half hour later, Maddox walked into the kitchen, his curls still wet. There were thumbprint bruises under his eyes, but he looked better than when he’d first woken up. He dropped into a seat at the kitchen table, and I set a plate of eggs in front of him.
“Thanks for this.”
“No problem.”
He took one bite and groaned. “These taste like Gran’s.”
“Well, that’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one.” Gran was the best cook I’d ever met.
He shoveled more eggs into his mouth, and I shook my head.
“Take it easy. You don’t want to get sick.”
He slowed, but the eggs were decimated in a matter of minutes regardless. “Did you say that you had a date? Or did I make that up?”
“Oh,” I said softly. “Uh, yeah. I canceled.”
“Fuck, Jos, I’m sorry. You didn’t have to do that.”
“The guy was an asshole after I did it and called me a bitch.”
“What?” he asked in shock. “For canceling?”
“Rescheduling even.”
“What a dick.”
I shrugged and pushed my eggs around my plate. “I blocked his number. It was for the best, I guess.”
Maddox took a long sip of his water before responding again. “I really appreciate you taking care of me last night.”
“Of course. Anytime.”
“But, uh …” He looked down at his plate and then up at me tentatively. “I didn’t lie when I was drunk.”
I met his gaze. Those dark eyes trying to say everything he couldn’t now that he was sober.
“I know,” I whispered.
“You do?”
“Yeah. I mean, I assumed at least.”
“And you …” he began. “How do you feel?”
“I canceled my date and stayed the night to make sure you didn’t die,” I told him bluntly.
“Go out with me.”
I blinked in surprise. “What? You broke up with Amanda yesterday and then got so fucking wasted.”
“I know that. None of it changes how I feel about you.”
“It didn’t work freshman year. I’m still a party girl, and you’re still the introvert.”
“Who cares?” he said with the first hint of a smile. “It’s one date. If you hate it, then we can go back to being professional.”
He said that as if it were a real possibility. But Maddox Nelson had been in love with me since we had been kids. One date would change everything. It was dangerous, especially considering how it had all fallen apart freshman year, just like Marley had warned me. But I couldn’t deny that I wanted him. I’d always wanted him despite our differences.
“You know it’d never be that easy.”
He reached across the table and took my hand, drawing circles on my palm. “And I want to try anyway. Jump with me, Josie.”
So, I jumped.
11
SAVANNAH
PRESENT
Two weeks into filming Academy, and everything was rolling smoothly. I was used to the long days. At first, I’d missed them, and now, it just felt like work again. Amazing work that I desperately wanted to be doing, but work nonetheless.
When I wasn’t needed on set, I’d lounge in my trailer and pull out my mother’s book. It was taking me forever to get through. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because I had to come up for air a lot. My mother sounded like … me.
In the first quarter of the book, it was page after page about how she’d met my dad and she was so in love. Even some sexy passages that I would have rather gouged my eyes out than read, but here we were. There was a brief mention of my mother’s husband, Edward. It was more of an after thought than anything. Just something that said he was one of my dad’s friends, which I’d never known. Nor had I known that they’d both been Holy Cross boys.
I yawned and turned to the next page. My fingers stilled on the page. Well, well, well, Edward Montgomery had officially made his appearance. I skimmed the next two pages. All about how my dad had gone out of town on a family vacation to Florida and my mom spent the week with Edward while bored. Except it was clear, at least from my estimation, that Edward was both in love with her and jealous that his best friend had gotten there first.
My eyebrows rose, and I closed the book. Maybe I’d finish those salacious details later.
I pulled out my phone as I popped a gummy bear in my mouth and shot a text to my dad. I’d told him last week that I was reading my mother’s journal. He’d told me to take it all with a grain of salt—it was my mother, so obviously. But he’d never told me Edward was his best friend.
Excuse me, sir! Edward was your best friend?
I could practically hear my dad sighing as he read the message.
That didn’t seem relevant.
Pretty relevant. Mom married your best friend! What the fuck?
Maybe you don’t need to read that journal after all.
Mom said she had nothing to hide.
The past is in the past, Jos. I love you, but I’ve left it where it belongs. So should you, and so should your mother.
Fine. Fine.
I love you too.
I took a sip of water. Neither my mom nor my dad ever talked about what had gone down. It was kind of nice to get details about it, but maybe I should leave my dad out of it. It sounded like he had gotten the short end of the stick. I didn’t want to hurt him by bringing it up.
I reached for the journal again to keep reading just as my computer started ringing. I pressed to answer the incoming video chat. Marley’s face appeared on the screen.
“Josie!” she said cheerfully, her dark curls bouncing with excitement.
“Hey, Mars. What’s up?”
“I wanted to check in on the movie. My movie-star friend.” Mars rolled her eyes. She loved my celebrity status as much as she found it ostentatious. I’d always be the Josie who had crashed in her bedroom on the weekends.
“It’s going great. Two weeks in. Four more to go and then reshoots if we need them.”
“That’s good to hear. Derek and I are going to come into town next weekend for the holiday. He’s actually taking Memorial Day off. So, we’ll be free.”
Derek’s face appeared behind her, looking exasperated. “I take time off all the time.”
Marley made a face at him. “You’re a workaholic.”
“Who are you talking to? Pot, meet kettle,” he argued.
“Don’t argue with my lawyer, Mars,” I said with a laugh.
He grinned and gestured to me. “Listen to your friend.”
“Arguing with him is the greatest pleasure of my life.”
I snorted. Man, she wasn’t wrong. And honestly, Derek liked it anyway. He rolled his eyes and went back off the screen.
“Derek wants to sail,” Marley continued, unperturbed. “Maybe we can go to the beach.”
“You want to go to the beach?”
She sighed. “Well, no. I don’t want to burn to a crisp, but I know you love it.”
“True. Are Lila and Cole coming too?”
“I invited them, but they have Falcons training camp coming up.” Marley glanced back at Derek and dropped her voice. “Plus, I think Derek wants to hang with Ash. Probably better to make a separate girls’ trip.”
“Probably. It’s not like we want a Lila-Cole-Ash drama-fest.”
“Exactly.”
“I have actually seen our lovely friend James,” I said with a smirk on my lips.
“Oh God, did y’all kill each other?”
“We did not. But”—and it was my turn to lower my voice—“I think he might be seeing Amelia.”
“What?” she squawked.
“She claims that they’re not, but …” I shrugged. “You be the judge. They’ll probably come to the beach with us for Memorial Day.”
“Well, that should be interesting. I don’t know if it will be more fun to warn Derek or to watch him explode when he realizes his best friend is going after his little sister.”
“Oh, certainly the latter,” I said, and we both burst into giggles.
“So,” Marley said, changing the subject, “what do you think of Gran’s house? The renovations are amazing, right?”
I bit my lip and leaned back. “Well, uh, about that. I haven’t been.”
“What? Why not?”
“Maddox and I are …”
Marley tipped her head back on a sigh. “Again?” she groaned.
“You have no room to talk! You and Derek were the definition of toxic!”
She snorted. “Yeah, we were.”
Our eyes met, and we said at the same time, “Are.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. I felt so lucky to have these best friends. I wished that Lila could come in town for Memorial Day too. Navigating her past relationships was a full-time job. And sometimes, I wished we could all go back to when it had been easier.
“Anyway, whatever is going on with you and Maddox, that isn’t an excuse. I didn’t give him my half of Gran’s house and let him renovate our childhood home for him to refuse to show it to anyone.”
“Mars, it’s fine.”
But there was a glint in Marley’s eyes that I knew all too well. “It’s not. I’ll fix this.”
The camera flashed black. She’d hung up on me. Oh Lord. This was going to be … interesting.
I flopped back onto the couch, bringing the diary with me. I should probably go find Maddox and apologize for whatever Marley was about to do. But after what had happened with him on River Street, I didn’t have it in me.
Fifteen minutes later, a knock sounded on my trailer door.
“Come in,” I called.
The door creaked open, and Maddox Nelson stood in the doorway. He was in the black jeans and gray T-shirt he practically wore as a uniform to set. He’d had another haircut since I’d last seen him, taming his dark curls into a semblance of order. It was so short and professional that it made me ache for the wild and unruly youth he’d been.
“Hey.”
He nodded his head at me. “Mind if I come in?”
“Sure.” I scooted over on the couch and set the diary down on the coffee table.
He stepped into the trailer and pulled the door closed behind him. “So, I have been properly chastened.”
I laughed. “What does that mean?”
“Mars called and yelled at me for not showing you Gran’s house yet.”
“I did not put her up to that.”
He held up a hand. “Trust me, I know my sister. No one can tell her what to do.”
“That is a categorical fact.”
“So … you could come over if you wanted to see it. Gran sort of raised you too,” he said, his voice catching on the word.
“She did. I miss her.”
“Yeah. Me too,” he said softly.
There was a moment of silence between us at the recognition of the loss. I hadn’t been able to be here for Gran’s funeral and still regretted it. She had been a miraculous woman.
“But you don’t have to show me the house if you don’t want to. I know … we aren’t exactly on great terms. And I wouldn’t want to impose. It was Marley’s idea.”
“Do you want to see the house?”
“Well, yeah …”
“Then, you can see it. It’s Gran’s house still, and she never knew a stranger. She’d be pissed at me for not offering proper hospitality,” he said with a slight smile. “She told me once that nothing was more important than Southern hospitality, except for people who didn’t like sweet tea. They didn’t deserve it.”
I burst into laughter. “God, that sounds just like her.”
“She always had those wise phrases that were full of compassion to a point.”
“She loved unconditionally.”
“And was the best cook.”
I smiled. “Her biscuits and gravy. I still dream about them.”
“Tell me about it. I cannot get the gravy to thicken like she used to.” He ran a hand back through his hair. “And most of her recipes are like, add a dash of this and a hint of that. No measurements, all intuition. And it turns out, I have no intuition in the kitchen.”
“Oh, Gran.”
I personally wanted to see those recipes. I’d always been a pretty good cook. I got good at it when Dad was too engrossed in his current sculpting or pottery project to remember to put dinner together. But for that year of isolation, I’d really invested in my cooking and baking skills. I’d even had a sourdough starter. Yes, even I rolled my eyes at myself.
“So, are you going to come over?” Maddox’s dark eyes met mine, and I wasn’t sure what to read in them.
Once, he’d been such an open book. I’d known that he loved me forever. Then, something had shifted, and like a dropped glass egg, it’d shattered into a million pieces. Now, I couldn’t tell exactly what he wanted.
I thought he’d made himself clear when he told me we were too different. This was going nowhere. Even our friendship was tenuous since it was based entirely on our shared history. A tense and tangled mess of a history.
It was entirely possible he was doing this because Marley had asked him to. But was it wrong for my heart to hope that it meant something more?
When it came to Maddox Nelson, I could only ever hope that we’d jump one more time.
So, I nodded and said, “Okay. Sure. I’ll come by after work.”
12
