Somewhere Only We Know (21 page)

Had she come home? Or was she just resting in between flights?

"I don't know," she said, finally answering his question. "I guess one day I'll find out."

Chapter Fourteen

Burke bit into Scott Heller's flank steak with real enjoyment. Maddie's father definitely knew how to grill meat. Cooking was a talent that obviously ran in the family, because Louise had contributed not only a salad but also a variety of grilled asparagus, squash and green beans. "This is excellent good," he said. "I've eaten really well since Maddie came back into my life."

Louise smiled. "Maddie was always a better cook than I was. She loved making food from the time she was a toddler. Whenever I started dinner, she was always by my side, so curious, so excited to taste everything." Louise gave her daughter a loving smile. "We had a lot of fun in the kitchen."

"We did, Mom," Maddie said. "Cooking dinner with you was my favorite time of the day."

"Since you're a firefighter, you must know how to cook," Scott interjected. "Do you take turns at the firehouse?"

"We do, although we try to pawn that duty off on the rookie of the moment. Our last rookie was a fantastic cook, but he got transferred a few months ago. Since then, we're back to the basics—spaghetti, chili, pizza, nothing too adventurous. But the guys got a treat yesterday. Maddie dropped off some food for everyone. She was a big hit. My crew is hoping she'll be a frequent visitor."

"Didn't you have an interview yesterday?" Scott asked his daughter.

Maddie nodded. "Yes. I had actually prepared some food earlier in the day so I could practice some recipes and hone my rusty techniques. That's why I had extra food on my hands and decided to share it with Burke's crew."

"Well, tell us how the interview went," Louise said.

"It was all right. The restaurant is very high-class. The executive chef didn’t seem overly impressed with me. He said he'd be in touch if they wanted me to come in for a second interview, but I'm not holding my breath."

Louise looked disappointed at Maddie's news. "I'm sorry. I was hoping for better."

"Me, too, but Chef Partaine did not seem to like me much."

"Then he's an idiot," her mother declared. "Who couldn't love you? You're delightful."

"Thanks, Mom, but I think you're prejudiced."

"No, she's right," Burke said. Maddie was the kind of person who could charm a stranger in five seconds. He'd seen it at the stables, at Nicole's party and at the firehouse. She had a natural, warm charm that drew people to her, and not just the men but the women, too.

"Well, we'll see what happens," Maddie said. "I'm still looking into other opportunities. Burke's cousin has a friend who might need someone to run his food truck for a while. We're going to try to talk to them later today maybe."

"A food truck?" Scott asked, his brows pulling together in a frown. "Is that safe?"

"Sure, of course. They're very popular," Maddie answered.

"But it's not like working in a restaurant," Louise said. "Why would you want to cook in a truck? They're small, cramped, and I can't imagine you can be as creative as you'd like."

"Sometimes you can be more creative, because you have more freedom."

"Yes, but a restaurant will look better for the long term," Louise argued. "It has more prestige, and the hours would be longer, the customer base would be more stable."

"Exactly," Scott said, following up on his wife's words. "Food trucks are risky. You can face potential lawsuits if health standards aren't met. And you're out on the street. You run the risk of getting robbed."

"Well, it's just an idea," Maddie said. "I haven't decided anything."

Burke was beginning to see that while Maddie's parents adored her, they also tried very hard to get their opinions heard. He didn't know if they'd always been like that or if recent events, like their daughter getting all her money stolen, had pushed them into taking a more proactive role in her life.

But Maddie was going to do whatever she wanted. He knew her well enough to know that.

"We want you to be happy, Maddie," her mother continued. "But we'd also love to see you settle into something more permanent in San Francisco. Then you'll be close enough to visit more often. We've missed you, honey."

Maddie's expression softened at her mom's words. "I've missed you both, too. But we're together now. And you don't need to worry about me. I'm like a cat; I always land on my feet."

"Not always," her father said, clearing his throat. He set down his fork and clasped his hands together. "We need to talk about Paul."

"I know," Maddie said.

Scott glanced over at him. "I wonder if you would give us some privacy, Burke. If you're finished."

"Sure."

"No, you don't have to go," Maddie told him, waving him back into his seat. "Burke knows everything. I told him about Paul, the money, the loan shark and the threats. You can speak freely in front of him."

"All right," Scott said. "Paul left several disturbing messages on your mother's phone saying you were both in trouble and that you needed money. He indicated that you didn't realize how much danger you were in."

"You didn't call him back, did you?" Maddie asked.

"No, we wanted to talk to you first, honey," Louise said. "What kind of danger are you in? What is Paul talking about?"

"He thinks that the people he owes money to will try to use me for leverage. He wants to scare me into getting him more money. I told him I was broke, thanks to him. So he asked me to talk to you. I told him I wouldn't. I don’t know how he got your phone number."

"How much does he need?" Scott asked.

"It doesn't matter," Maddie said. "I'm not going to let you give him money."

"We don't want you to be in danger," Louise said, a worried look in her eyes. "If it's not that much—"

"It is too much," Maddie said, cutting her off. "And I doubt that whatever we gave him would be enough. He'd keep coming back for more."

Burke was happy to see how realistic Maddie was about Paul's need for money. She might have been blinded by love for a while, but she was seeing clearly now.

"I thought you would be safe in San Francisco," Louise said, exchanging a quick look with her husband. "Maybe you should come home for a while. You don't have a job yet. You don't need to be in the city."

"I do need to be in the city so I can get a job."

"I think you should talk to the police, Maddie," her father said.

"I am talking to the police now. Burke's brother-in-law is a detective with the SFPD. He's looking into the situation for me."

"Good," Scott said with an approving nod. "I thought you were going to argue with us about that. You're always so stubbornly independent, but sometimes you have to let people help you."

"I'm going to be okay. Just don't talk to Paul and delete his messages if he calls either of you again."

"I'm watching out for her, too," Burke put in.

Her father looked really happy to hear that. "Thank you, Burke."

"I can take care of myself," Maddie protested, shooting him an annoyed look.

He ignored her, as did her parents. Instead, he said to Louise. "Do you still have the voicemail Paul left earlier?"

"Of course. It's on my phone," she replied.

"If you could get it and play it for me, I can record it and talk to my brother-in-law about it."

"I'll get my phone." Louise stood up. "Can I get you anything else to eat or drink while I'm in the house?"

"Not for me," he said. "I'm stuffed."

"Well, there's still dessert, so I hope you left a little room. Scott, do you want to get the pie while I look for my phone?" Louise asked her husband.

"Sure. We'll be back."

"I hate that they're getting involved in this," Maddie said as her parents left them alone.

"Paul made that happen, not you."

"I'm going to call him back and tell him to stay the hell away from my family."

"I'm not against that idea, but you should make the call with Max listening in."

"I really don't think your brother-in-law wants to make my problems his full-time job."

"It's only going to take a few minutes. We'll touch base with Max when we get back to the city." He paused. "By the way, I like your parents."

Her tension eased. "They're great, aren't they?"

"It must have been hard for them to lose a child."

"They did everything they could to save Dani's life, and when they knew that wasn't going to happen, they made sure she was happy, comfortable, surrounded by love."

"How was it after Dani died? Did they cling to you, Maddie?"

She hesitated. "We all grieved in different ways. I don't know that I remember what they did. I know they tried to be there for me, but you have to understand I'd been left on my own a lot while Dani was sick. It wasn't their fault. They couldn't be there for me when she needed so much more than I did. I think some of my independence sprang from those years when I had to look out for myself. Then I just kept doing it."

"That makes sense."

"Good. I finally make sense," she said lightly.

He smiled. "Your parents must have missed you when you started traveling the world."

"We missed each other. But they loved hearing my stories. And when I got a little lonely, I knew they were only a phone call away. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. We're a close family. We're just not always geographically close." She paused. "By the way, my parents like you as well, maybe a little too much."

"How can it be too much?"

"They're going to start building a relationship between us in their heads, and they'll be disappointed when it doesn't happen."

"Who's to say it won't happen?"

Her eyes widened. "Well, me, for one, and you, for two."

He laughed. "Speak for yourself, Maddie."

"Come on, Burke. It wasn't an hour ago that you said I was a butterfly. Do you really want to spend time chasing a butterfly?"

It was a good question. It wasn't the chase he minded, but having to let that butterfly go—that would be a lot more difficult. Fortunately, Maddie's parents returned to the table, saving him from having to come up with an answer.

* * *

They left Portola Valley to return to the city around three o'clock in the afternoon. Maddie was a little sorry to leave the beautiful property that had truly felt like an escape from reality. But she was also eager to move forward with her life. She was hoping to talk to Burke's cousin, and then she had an apartment to see and a possible roommate to meet later in the day. She supposed at some point she'd also talk to Max, but she didn't want to spend much more time dwelling on Paul. She really wanted to put him behind her.

"What are you thinking about?" Burke asked, as they drove down the beautiful highway by Crystal Springs Reservoir.

"Whenever someone asks me that question, I can never remember what I was just thinking, but then things tend to pop in and out of my brain rather quickly."

"That doesn't surprise me."

She'd actually been thinking a lot about their kiss in the hayloft, the easy way Burke had fit in at her parents' house, how much she liked talking to him, being with him. She also kept hearing his challenging words in her head about having a relationship—
who's to say it won't happen?

The idea that Burke would consider a relationship with her was both exciting and terrifying and she didn't really know what to make of it. Had he just been teasing, joking, playing along with her parents' obvious approval? She really didn't know. She couldn't read Burke that well. He was good at keeping his private thoughts private.

And a relationship…well, that was a mind-boggling thought. It didn't feel like the right time—for either of them. She had Paul and his problems to deal with. Burke was caught up in a three-year-old mystery. They both had a lot of baggage still to unpack.

What would happen when they finally emptied all those bags?

A shiver ran down her spine. Maybe they could finish one of the really excellent kisses they'd started.

She jolted as Burke's cell phone suddenly rang through the car's speakers.

"It's my cousin," he said. He pushed the button to answer. "Hi, Kate."

"Hi Burke. Dylan told me that you have a friend who is an amazing cook and might want to help Joel out in his food truck, so I'm calling to tell you that Joel loves the idea and really wants to meet your friend. Can we set something up?"

"Absolutely," he said, shooting Maddie a quick look. "What's good for you?"

"How about today—around four? I know it's short notice, but that works best for us."

Maddie gave a nod, excited about seeing the truck and maybe having a chance to work in it.

"That will work," Burke said. "Where shall we meet you?"

"Go to my parents' house. Joel's truck is temporarily parked across the street."

"Okay, see you at four." He ended the call and smiled at Maddie. "Looks like you're going to get a shot at working in a food truck."

"We'll see. I'd love to know what kind of food he serves."

"I should have asked."

"I'll find out soon enough."

"Are you at all concerned about committing to help out on the truck and then possibly getting a second interview at the restaurant?"

Trust Burke to be always thinking two steps ahead of her. "I don't think I'm going to get that second interview."

"But you might."

"Then I'll figure it out. One step at a time. I don't like to get too far ahead of myself." She gave Burke a thoughtful look, suspecting he had reservations about the food truck just as her parents had. "Do you think I'm making a mistake? Should I be focused more on a restaurant job?"

"It depends on what you want, Maddie."

"I want a career as a chef, the opportunity to make enough money to live comfortably, and I want to be able to cook dishes that inspire me."

He laughed. "And here I thought you weren't that clear on what you wanted."

"I think losing everything, including my apartment, has really given me a new perspective on my life."