14 Valentine Place (20 page)

“Two weeks from today.” Krystal answered. “It’s probably just as well that she didn’t get the tickets. She wanted me to go, but as it turns out, I’m going to be out of town that weekend.”

“Wouldn’t she have gone with Jeffrey?” Dylan asked.

That produced a chuckle from his mother. “Good heavens, no. Jeffrey will do just about anything for Maddie, but he draws the line at country music.”

So no dancing and no country music. That was good as far as Dylan was concerned. The less they shared, the better.

“As much as I’d like to stay and listen to more of your stories, Mom, I think I’ll leave you two to finish your tea. I’m going to make a few phone calls,” Dylan said as he rose to his feet.

“What about your shoulder? Do you need me to help you with your exercises?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No, I’m finished for today. You sit and relax.” He turned to Krystal. “Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” she said with a knowing grin. “And Dylan, good luck.”

Luck was something he definitely needed if he were going to accomplish his goal. Back in Jason’s room, he pulled out his laptop and accessed the Internet. In a matter of minutes he’d found what he was looking for. Two tickets to the Shania Twain concert to be held at the Excel Center in Saint Paul. They were expensive, but worth every penny.

F
OR TWO DAYS
Maddie managed to avoid running into Dylan. It helped that on Monday the plumber finished working on the second floor bathroom, which meant she no longer had to shower downstairs.

On Wednesday morning, however, he was seated at the kitchen table reading the newspaper when she went in for breakfast. Maddie’s heart thumped like crazy at
the sight of him in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt. She thought about backing out of the room before he noticed her, but she was too late. He glanced up and smiled, which made her heart beat even faster.

“I was hoping I’d see you today,” he said, folding the paper and putting it aside. “I have something for you.”

She didn’t want to ask him what it was but found the temptation too great to resist. “And what would that be?”

“Come sit down and I’ll show you.”

They were words that reminded her of another time, when he’d encouraged her to sit beside him on the love seat in her room. Her body warmed at the memory.

“I’m going to toast myself a bagel. Would you like one?” she offered.

“No, thanks. I’ve already eaten. But you go ahead.”

She could feel his eyes on her as she moved around in the kitchen, first getting the bagel from the refrigerator, then popping it in the toaster.

“I haven’t seen much of you the past couple of days,” he said as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

“I’ve been busy,” she said, deliberately keeping her back to him.

“With Jeffrey?”

“No, work,” she said as the bagel popped up. She spread cream cheese on it, then took it and her glass of juice over to the table, where she sat down on the chair that was furthest away from his.

“I’ve been busy, too,” he said.

He reached into his jeans pockets and pulled out a small folded piece of newsprint. “This is what I wanted to show you.” He slid it across the table in her direction. She stared at the paper for several seconds before reaching for it.

“Go on. Look at it,” he instructed her.

She picked it up and unfolded it. Inside was an advertisement for the Shania Twain concert that was going to take place at the end of January.

“I have two tickets to her concert at the Excel Center.”

She stared at him in disbelief. “How could you get tickets? They’ve been sold out for months.”

He lifted his brows. “Guess I got lucky.”

Suspicious, she asked, “Lucky how?”

“I went on the Internet and…” He spread his hands. “Found two just like that.”

She released a long sigh of envy. “I didn’t think about the Internet. I almost entered a lookalike contest to try to win tickets. I figured with my hair I’d have a chance, but the other part—having to sing in front of a mall full of people…” She shook her head. “Not me.”

He leaned closer to her. “What about getting all dressed up and going out with a guy with a bum arm? Would you do that to get to see the concert?”

She was about to take a sip of her orange juice, but paused with the glass in midair. “Are you asking me to go with you?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head and set the glass back down on the table. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You know why not.”

“Don’t say because of Jeffrey.”

She lowered her eyes to the bagel on her plate. “I don’t want to discuss him.”

“Good, because I don’t either. I want to talk about taking you to see a concert. Two people, riding in one car, sitting next to each other at the concert hall so they can enjoy the music together,” he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

It was tempting and if it had been anyone else asking her, she wouldn’t have hesitated. She had a pretty good idea that he wasn’t going to the concert because he liked Shania Twain’s music.

“What’s your favorite song of hers?” she asked, a challenge in her eye.

He gave her a choirboy’s smile and said, “I like all of them.”

“Who are you discussing?”

Maddie turned at the sound of her landlady’s voice.

“I’m glad you’re here, Mom. You can help me convince Maddie that she must accept my thank-you for all the cooking she did for me while you were gone,” Dylan stated easily.

So that’s what it was? A
thank-you
for taking care of him? Maddie didn’t believe him for one minute. After all, that was supposed to be the purpose of the flowers. Maddie would have mentioned them, but she didn’t want Leonie to know that Dylan had given her the beautiful bouquet.

“And just what is your thank-you?” Leonie asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

“I managed to get two tickets to Shania Twain, only Maddie doesn’t think she should go,” Dylan explained. “She thinks Jeffrey will object.”

“I don’t see why he should,” Leonie said taking the chair next to Maddie. “He’s made it clear that he’s not interested in the concert. Jeffrey doesn’t strike me as the type who wouldn’t want you to go simply because he doesn’t appreciate country music, would he?”

Maddie could see that Leonie was going to be no help in this discussion. “That’s not the reason I don’t think I should go,” she began. “Those tickets cost a lot of money. I can’t accept such an expensive thank-you, not when I really did very little to help him.”

“She helped me with my exercises and she didn’t just feed me. She fed Jason, too,” Dylan countered.

Leonie put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Then you must accept, Maddie. Be gracious and say yes. You love Shania Twain.”

She did love the country singer’s music. And it might be good to spend an evening with Dylan. She could see if the attraction she felt for him was more than the leftover remains of a schoolgirl crush.

“If you’re that concerned about how Jeffrey’s going to react, why don’t you just call and ask him if he’d mind if you went,” Dylan suggested.

“I don’t need to ask him for permission,” she scoffed at the idea.

“Of course you don’t,” Leonie agreed. “But if you’d feel better discussing the matter with him first,
I’m sure Dylan will understand, won’t you?” She looked at her son with a query in her eyes.

“Absolutely,” he said, amused by the whole conversation. He knew exactly what kind of response his suggestion would evoke in Maddie and he was enjoying every moment of her indignation.

“I don’t need to discuss this with Jeffrey. I’ve already made up my mind. I accept your generous gift,” she told him in a voice that sounded to her own ears very prim and proper.

“Smart girl.” Leonie patted her on the arm. She didn’t see the gleam of satisfaction that entered Dylan’s eyes, but Maddie did. It frightened and excited her at the same time.

She took another bite of her bagel but found she no longer was hungry. It was as if she were fourteen again and just being in the same room with Dylan could make her lose her appetite.

Fortunately, he decided he had something to do and excused himself. Maddie thought, as he exited the kitchen, he looked like a cat who’d just found a bowl of cream. To Maddie’s relief, Leonie didn’t appear to notice.

“I’m glad you’re here this morning,” she said over the rim of her coffee cup. “We haven’t had much time to talk since I’ve been back from California.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but I’m been really busy,” Maddie told her, wondering what her landlady would say if she told her the truth. That she’d deliberately stayed away because she hadn’t wanted to see Dylan.

“Are you sure that’s all it is?”

Maddie could feel Leonie’s probing eyes on her. “What else would it be?”

Leonie continued to hold her gaze. “You do know that you can talk to me if something’s bothering you, don’t you?”

Maddie reached for her hand. “Of course I do.”

Leonie gave it a gentle squeeze before releasing it. “Good. It helps to talk. I can listen without giving advice.”

Maddie smiled. “I know that. You’ve done it often enough for me.”

Leonie took a sip of her coffee, then asked, “
Is
something bothering you, Maddie?”

She hesitated, wondering if she should confide in her. She didn’t need to bring Dylan’s name into the conversation, but she could tell Leonie the concerns she’d been having lately about her relationship with Jeffrey.

“Yes. It’s about Jeffrey,” she began, wondering just how much she should tell her landlady.

“Is everything all right between the two of you?” she asked, worry furrowing her brow.

“I wish it were,” she said soberly. “You know we’ve been good friends and I’ve been hoping that in time we would take our relationship to the next level. Well, I’m not sure there is another level for us. It’s been over six months, yet nothing’s changed.”

“Love doesn’t have a timetable, Maddie.”

“I realize that.” She wanted to ask Leonie how long she should have to wait before her heart beat faster when Jeffrey walked in the room or she would ache with longing just thinking about him.

That had only happened with one man. And that man was Dylan. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something she could discuss with her landlady.

“Has Jeffrey said something to you that indicates he wants something more?” Leonie asked.

She shook her head. “All he can think about right now is his thesis.”

“Ah.” Leonie nodded in understanding. “That’s what the problem is. He’s spending so much time working that you haven’t had time for your relationship.”

She could have said,
No, the problem is your son has me questioning my feelings for Jeffrey.
Until Dylan had come home, she and Jeffrey had been plodding along— She stopped herself.
Plodding?
It wasn’t a very romantic description.

But she feared it was accurate. For so long she’d been content to have a comfortable, nondemanding relationship. How many times had she told herself she wasn’t ready for a passionate relationship, that she needed to figure out what to do with her life before she got seriously involved with a man?

Dozens, if not hundreds of times, she answered herself. Because she thought she knew what she wanted in a relationship. Only now Dylan had her wondering if she was wrong.

“I’m not sure this is about the amount of time we spend together, Leonie,” Maddie admitted to her dear friend. “I’m concerned about the future. What if we continue seeing each other and later I discover he’s not the right man for me?”

“That is a possibility, but on the other hand, you
could end your relationship and then a few years down the road realize that you let Mr. Right get away,” she pointed out. “Maddie, love takes time. Some of the world’s greatest romances began as friendships. Didn’t we have this discussion when you first starting dating Jeffrey?”

She nodded. But back then, Dylan hadn’t been around, stirring all sorts of feelings inside her. “In my head I know you’re right. Jeffrey’s my intellectual equal—that’s important.”

“Yes, it is. You know I’m very fond of both of you. I’d like nothing better than to see things work out.”

“And if you didn’t know both of us, if I were one of your clients, and I said I’d been seeing this guy for over six months hoping that a friendship would turn into something more, but so far nothing’s happened…”

“I’d say don’t give up. He’s a terrific guy. Steady, reliable and one who’s not going to run out on you when the water gets a little rough. He has staying power.”

Something Maddie was pretty certain Dylan didn’t possess. Not that it made a difference. He’d made it clear what his intentions were. He was looking for someone to have fun with over the next few weeks.

Maddie wasn’t so sure that she didn’t need the same thing. Instead of listening to her head, she could follow her instincts. Go with the bad man so that when the right man came along, she’d recognize him.

“Thanks for listening, Leonie,” she said to the older
woman, giving her a hug. “I think I know what I need to do.”

YLAN’S POSTOP VISIT
to the orthopedic surgeon didn’t result in his getting rid of the sling as he’d hoped. One of the activities the doctor said he would allow, however, was driving, as long as he only used his hand and not his shoulder. Tired of being chauffeured around like an invalid, he managed to convince his mother to let him drive them home from the clinic.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Leonie remarked as he navigated the city streets.

“That’s because I’ve been thinking.”

“About your work?”

“About a lot of stuff,” he said, evading her question. He didn’t want to tell her that ever since he’d accidentally overheard part of her conversation with Maddie that morning, he’d been troubled. As much as he respected his mother, he couldn’t help but feel that she’d given Maddie the wrong advice.

If he thought there was a way he could have told her she was wrong without arguing with her, he would have. It wasn’t right for his mother to encourage her to stay in a relationship that obviously wasn’t working.