PS01 - Tall, Dark & Lonely (22 page)

The longer he held it though the more uncomfortable he would become.

Madison looked at her grandmother and mother. “Oh, I’m sorry everyone rushed down here. I didn’t mean to make anyone

worry.”

“Just tell me you’re not pregnant and I’ll be very happy,” Candy whispered.

“I’m not pregnant, Candy. I slipped in the bathroom the other day and let's just say I didn’t land well. There’s internal

swelling.”

Both women cringed. “Enough said,” Mrs. Buckman said. “What’s this about you not having health insurance?”

Madison’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “I have to be there for a full year before I’m eligible for that benefit.”

“Oh, what about sick days and vacation?”

She looked away from Ephraim. She missed the last three days and thanks to the doctors note in her pocket she would miss

another two, but her job was protected. That was one small favor.

“No, no sick days or vacation days for a year.”

“Honey, you can’t afford to miss work. You’re still paying off your student loans, not to mention car insurance and your other

bills. Do you still have your savings? Please tell me you have your savings. I know you didn’t spend it all on that Jeep of

yours.”

“Grandma, can we talk about this later?” Her eyes darted to Ephraim. He looked oddly composed. Was he breathing?

“No, do you have savings to cover this?” She gestured to the bill in Madison’s hands.

“No, I put it towards my student loan, but it’s okay, Grandma, they have a payment plan here and it’s really not that much. Don’t

worry about it.”

Mrs. Buckman’s eyes narrowed on her. Her mouth twitched as she considered her granddaughter. She wasn’t satisfied with

what she saw there so she snatched the bill from Madison’s hands.

“Nineteen hundred dollars for a doctor’s visit?”

Madison grabbed it back. “I had to have a sonogram to see the extent of the damage, blood tests, an x-ray, an exam and then a

procedure. It adds up quickly I guess. Don’t worry about this I’ll be fine.”

“How? You’re not going to be able to pay your bills this month. I saw the note on that bill, young lady, it said no work for two

more days,” Mrs. Buckman said.

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. Even without that bill you’re going to be tight. Oh, sweetie, I wish you had come to me sooner I would have

tried to get you on my insurance.”

She quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’ll be fine. Please stop making a scene.”

Well, the women certainly did his work for him. At least Mrs. Buckman had. He knew enough. Besides his lungs were starting

to cramp from not breathing for the last ten minutes. He snatched the bill from her hands.

“What are you doing?” Madison asked.

Without looking back he walked over to the cashier and handed the bill and his bank card over.

“All on this card?” she asked. He nodded. “Sign here….all set. Thank you, Mr. Williams. Have a nice day.”

He nodded.

“Oh, wait here are her prescriptions.” He nodded again, taking the papers and walked back to the woman.

He handed Mrs. Buckman the copy of the paid bill and the prescriptions. He wasn’t stupid. If he gave it to Madison she would

go back in there and demand they credit the money back to him. Then she would go and buy the prescriptions and put herself

further in debt or worse, she wouldn’t get the medicine because she couldn’t afford it.

“What are you doing? I can take care of myself.” Madison’s voice rose.

He arched a brow in her direction and shook his head as he pulled out his wallet. He pulled out two hundred dollars and

pressed it into Mrs. Buckman’s hands.

“We’ll pick up her prescriptions on the way home. Thank you, Ephraim,” Mrs. Buckman said with obvious relief.

He nodded and gave them a small wave on his way out. He held his breath for another twenty minutes, making sure the scent of

her blood hadn't lingered on his clothes. He had a bitch of a cramp when took in his first breath.

*******

“Sweet? He just paid for my doctor’s bill. Sweet would be flowers or candy, not a nineteen hundred bill and my

prescriptions.”

“He likes you. He’s trying to help you,” Mrs. Buckman said.

She groaned. “I know…I know. I like him too it’s just that…well, it’s a lot of money. It just doesn’t feel right. I’m going to pay

him back. That’s all there is to it.”

“Hey, isn’t that Ephraim?” Candy said from the backseat of Grandma’s station wagon.

“Where?”

“Over there. He just came out of the insurance office.”

“What on earth is he doing there? The police force pays for his insurance.”

A sneaking suspicion was forming in her brain. She groaned again. This was definitely getting out of hand.

Chapter 13

Chris looked over his shoulder and groaned. “Miss. Soloman, can’t you do something? She’s really bringing me down.”

Madison looked past Chris. Jill was still sobbing loudly into the crook of her arm. Frowning, she turned her attention back to

Chris. “You’re in detention. It’s not supposed to be fun.”

“It’s usually more fun than this,” he muttered.

Jill continued to cry as if they weren’t talking about her. She had to admit it normally was more fun and today of all days she

didn’t need this.

The big two-four and everyone forgot. There was no birthday breakfast, no birthday kisses, not one word, nothing. All she got

this morning was frustration from not lying in Ephraim’s arms and this afternoon a sobbing fifteen year old sister and her repeat

offender.

“Maybe this will finally be punishment enough for you to stop acting up,” Madison said.

“What it’s making me think about is punching that puke face Seth in his face. It’s all his fault.” He ran a hand over his short

brown hair to smooth it down.

“Don’t say his name!” Jill wailed from the comfort of her arm.

“Touchy,” Chris mumbled. He made a big show of looking around the otherwise empty room. “Come on, Miss. Soloman, let us

go home. It’s obvious that Jill needs to go home and cry and you need to go apologize to Detective Williams.”

Her eyes shot up from the paper she was grading. “What are you talking about?”

He laughed. “Oh puhlease, I saw you guys yesterday at the pancake social.”

“You were at a church social?” she asked in disbelief.

He waved it off. “Free unlimited pancakes, Miss. Soloman, focus. You wouldn’t give the man the time of day. I saw the way he

watched you and the way you treated him every time he tried to talk to you. I also saw the way you reacted every time one of

those pretty little things came up batting their eyes in his direction. You were seeing red each and every time.”

“You have way too much time on your hands, Chris,” she said dryly.

With a huge grin he nodded. “Tell me I’m wrong.” When she only glowered at him he continued. “That’s what I thought.”

“Don’t you have homework to do?” she asked.

“Nope,” he made the word pop out of his mouth.

“So, what did he do to piss you off? It has something to do with last week, doesn’t it? You were gone a whole week.” His face

puckered up thoughtfully. “You know I still haven’t forgiven your for that. Mr. Darling ran detention in your place.”

“He’s nice.”

“He’s a tool.”

“Chris!”

“What? He is,” he said unashamed. “He actually made us get into a circle and express our feelings.”

She cringed. She could just imagine Chris and his friends, the usual occupants of detention, getting into that. “And what feelings

did you express?”

He shrugged. “I told him he was a tool.” She chuckled. She knew she shouldn’t.

“I’m glad you’re both having such a wonderful time when my life is over!” Jill said in high drama that would have made Candy

green with envy.

Chris snorted. “You’re fifteen. It’s high school. Get over it. It’s not love it was infatuation. He got over it sooner than you and

you didn’t take it well. Get over it. Learn from it and move on and stop wrecking detention for me.”

Madison could only shake her head in wonder. Chris was a smart kid with a great deal of common sense. If only he could

apply himself she had no doubt he would do well.

“I love him!” Jill cried.

Chris waved it off and turned his attention back to Madison. “So?”

“So?”

“So, tell me what happened.”

She sat back in her chair. “Chris, at what point did we lose the teacher and student relationship and wind up here?” She

gestured between the two of them.

He shrugged. “You don’t cut me any slack and don’t take my shit. I respect you too much to treat you otherwise.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.”

“As you should.” Chris gave her a lopsided smile.

A loud knock at the door made them both roll their eyes. “Come in,” Chris said loudly.

Ephraim walked in carrying a tray with two beverages and a white bakery box. “Detective Williams, have you come to make

an arrest?” Chris asked pleasantly.

“Ah, Chris, I knew you would be here.”

“Bullshit.”

“Didn’t I?” Ephraim pulled one of the beverages out of the tray and placed it in front of Chris. “What’s written on the cup

then?” he asked as he shifted the cup so Chris could see his name written on the side of the cup.

“I’ll be damned.” He shot a glance at Ephraim. “You spit in this?”

“Yup.”

Chris shrugged. “As long as you’re honest.” He took a sip. “Damn that’s some good hot cocoa.”

“I hear it’s the best.”

He placed the other one in front of Madison. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Yup,” Chris answered for her.

“I thought so.” He turned back to Chris and placed the box in front of him. “Eat up.”

“I wonder what you’ve brought us,” he mused. He flipped the cover open and gasped, “You are the best Detective,
ever
.”

Ephraim reached into the box and picked up a large gourmet chocolate chunk cookie and brought it to Madison. “I’m really

sorry.”

She took the cookie from him. “Now's not the time I’m at work. I have to watch these kids.” And he did forget her birthday!

Granted she didn’t remind anyone, she never did. She liked it when her brother and sister remembered on their own and made a

big deal.

Chris spoke up around a mouth full of chocolate brownie, “I don’t mind.”

She waved an annoyed hand at him. “Go offer one to Jill.”

“No way. She just got dumped. She'll eat the whole box.”

“Oh, and what are you planning on doing?”

He looked affronted. “That’s different. I’m not eating out of depression I’m eating out of starvation. I was in the principal’s

office during lunch if you’ll recall.”

“And whose fault was that?”

His expression turned serious. “It's the man’s fault. He’s keeping me down.”

She looked heavenward. “Oh, heaven help us.”

Ephraim walked over and butted fists with Chris. “Fight the man,” Ephraim said.

“Damn straight.”

“Hey, don’t encourage him!” Madison snapped.

“I don’t need encouraging. I do well enough on my own.” He devoured another brownie.

Madison looked down at her cookie and back at Chris. “Why did he get a brownie and I only get a cookie?”

“Because I love him unconditionally and you’re making him sweat.” Chris stuffed the rest of the brownie in his mouth.

Ephraim reached over and smacked Chris upside the head. “What?” he mumbled around another brownie.

“Give the lady a brownie. A good one.”

Chris mumbled something else, but did as he was told. Madison took the peanut butter brownie Chris was eying. He huffed at

her and returned to his seat. After taking a long sip of his cocoa he spoke.

“Before we were so rudely interrupted you were telling me why you were mad at Detective Williams,” Chris said in a

conversational tone. Jill sobbed louder.

“What’s wrong with her?” Ephraim looked back. Jill was still sobbing into her arm. Her red hair was spread out across her

small desk.

“Girl and boy date, think they’re in love then one day teenage boy falls for new girl in school with a big rack and her own car,

boy dumps girl, girl dumps contents of tray on said boy’s head.” He made a dismissive gesture with his hands. “Typical high

school drama, now let’s move on to the good stuff. What did you do?”

“What makes you think I did something?”

Chris snorted. “You’re the guy. Of course it’s your fault. Even when it’s not your fault, it’s your fault so dish.”

“Stop asking. He’s not going to tell you.” Madison fidgeted in her chair. He’s also not going to remember.

Chris looked expectantly at Ephraim. Ephraim reached up and loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first button of his shirt.

Madison watched with anticipation. She had to shake herself. She was mad at him.

They’d been fighting for six days. Well, she had. He just smiled and listened to her ranting. Then when she was done he had the

audacity to nod and apologize, each and every time. He only got upset when she refused to allow him to sleep in her bed.

Cuddle her ass. He wanted more than that judging by the way his eyes devoured her.

So, she started to ignore him. He didn’t like that at first. Then he just shrugged and ignored her. Now, he had the nerve to show

up while she was at work looking handsome and bringing her delicious cocoa and snacks. Damn that man.

“Well?” Chris prompted.

“Oh for god sake’s it’s nothing. He stepped up and helped her. He paid all her outstanding debt and she got mad at him because