Wounded Grace (3 page)

She was sure he was thinking about Gwen. With a quick glance in her direction, he dove into the lasagna.

“Wow, this is really good. Please be sure to thank the lovely ladies donating all this food. I've eaten like a king since I've been here.”

Madison turned back to her sink full of dishes. “Actually, I made the lasagna.”

He didn't say anything, and she turned around to see him frozen, a surprised look on his face. “I thought you didn't cook.”

“I never said I didn't cook. You all just assumed.”

“But you never brought anything to our dinners, never offered up dishes you prepared. You always brought the beverages or purchased a bakery sweet.”

“What was the point?” She shrugged. “Vivian and Gwen were practically gourmet cooks. Why would I even try to compete with that?”

Did her tone sound as inadequate as she had felt? A quick glance at Lance's startled face assured her it did. Releasing another heavy sigh, she pulled the plug on the dishwater and dried her hands.

“Vivian and Gwen were good at…everything. I was younger and inexperienced. I always felt just a little short of the mark.”

Now his facial features expressed real shock.

“Short of the mark? Gwen and I thought you were the brightest kid we'd ever met. You were so full of life and excitement for the future. We thought you were going to take the world by storm. That's what made it so difficult when Tony showed up. You became so ambitious and cocky, so full of yourself and your conquests; we could hardly stand to be around you.”

Madison shook her head. “It was a façade. I never felt I measured up. And that's what I liked about Tony. He showed me how to act, how to pretend to be something I wasn't. In the end, though, it was all a pretense.”

“I heard he divorced you while you were still in the hospital. I never thought he was good enough for you.”

“For the record, Tony didn't do anything to me I didn't let him do. I was the author of my own destruction.”

He carefully placed the fork down. “Viv told me you lost the business and had to sell the house to pay off Tony in the divorce.”

“Well, I'm sure you would agree, the clients weren't really mine to keep in the first place.” It was the wrong thing to say. It gave him the opening.

“No, they weren't. They were Viv's.” His tone was hard.

“Look, I'm not justifying what I did. It was wrong. But I worked hard to bring in a good number of those clients. They were mine, too, and the business was all I had. Viv was busy with her husband's cancer, and she seemed content to let it slip away. I couldn't. It was all I had.”

“You had Tony.”

“Yeah, we saw how that worked out.” Madison heard the bitterness in her own tone. It seemed to echo around the room and call her to her senses.

In spite of all her resolve, she's slipped back into old habits. She let Lance get under her skin and resentment had risen like a sleeping dragon. She refused to succumb to it and took a deep breath.

“It's all water under the bridge. The new Mrs. Harper is very happy with her new house and new husband. Tony dotes on her. She's fresh out of law school, pretty as a newborn colt and just as ambitious as he is. I hope it all works out for them.”

“You really mean that, don't you?”

She glanced over at Lance. His fork was half-way to his mouth. She'd surprised him again.

“Yes, I do mean it.”

He was staring at her, puzzlement written over his features. She needed to finish this conversation and get out of the kitchen before she said something even more revealing.

“I knew what I was getting when I married Tony. He didn't pretend to be something he wasn't. That was me. I'm the one who tried to fit in with his life and one day, I just couldn't do it anymore. Now he's got what he wants, and I'm free to be myself. We've both grown. I hope Tony's learned from his mistakes with me and will treat his new wife differently. I know I've learned from mine.”

Lance gave a shake of his head. “You have more faith in him than I do.”

Madison studied him for a long moment, wondering why he had more resentment for her ex than she did. Maybe he just had more bitterness, period. When had he become so doubtful, so angry?

“Let's just say I have faith and leave it at that.” She hung the dishtowel on the rack beneath the sink. “If you don't mind, will you wash that plate when you're finished? Tomorrow's going to be another long day, and I need to get some rest.” Without waiting for his reply, she let herself out the back door and hurried to the peace and safety of her bungalow.

 

****

 

Lance woke the next morning to birds chattering outside his bedroom window. Sun peeked in through the cracks beneath the blinds…a beautiful spring day. Andy would have loved that little smile from God, on this, his Celebration of Life day. But somehow, it didn't make it easier for Lance to crawl out of bed. The smell of coffee drifting down the hall finally roused him.

Good. Viv was up already. He'd had horrible dreams about dragging her, asleep, half-comatose, and hysterical to the ceremony. He was glad they were just dreams. Running a hand through his hair, he padded to the kitchen in his plaid pajama pants and T-shirt. But the room was empty.

The coffee maker was bubbling. A hot plate of cinnamon rolls sat on the counter and right in the middle of the room was a laundry cart. Hanging from the top rack was a plastic covered dress and Lance's freshly-pressed suit.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Vivian said from behind him. “I completely forgot to pick up my dress.” She walked over to the rolls. “Madison even thought of this.”

She gestured to Lance. “I don't think I can force a bite down, but you should have one while they're hot. Bless, Madison, for thinking of everything,” she said as she poured a cup of coffee.

Lance fingered one of the warm rolls, hesitating even though its yeasty smell made his stomach grumble with hunger. “I have to say, she's been kinder than I would have thought.”

“Kind!” Viv paused, her cup poised at her lips. “This isn't kind. Kindness flees in the face of suffering, Lance. This is love. Unconditional love. Madison's overflowing with it.”

His doubt must have shown on his face because Vivian let her cup rest on the counter. “What?” she asked, using the big sister tone she always used when she wanted to pry information out of him.

He shrugged, “I guess I'm having trouble understanding how you found it so easy to forgive her after what she did to you.”

“Maybe I understood her reasons better than you did.”

“You must have.” He gave a shake of his head. “Because I can't understand, for the life of me, why the girl who had everything turned into the girl who wanted more, no matter what it cost her.”

“Don't you?” Vivian asked, her blue eyes wide and sincere. “Don't you even have a clue?”

“No, I don't. One day Madison was our friend, almost like family, and then she was just…gone…and we were all…relieved.”

Her unwavering examination made him uncomfortable. At last she turned away. “Well, maybe Gwen understood.”

“I'm sure she did.”

“She probably had to point out Madison's changes to you.”

He shrugged. “She always understood these things better than I did.” He took a bite of the roll before a thought occurred to him. “Wait a minute…are you saying Gwen unjustly…”

“Don't be ridiculous. Gwen would never unjustly accuse anyone. And I would never say she would. I adored Gwen. She was like my sister…”

The tears that hovered perpetually on the edges of her voice finally forced their way in. Suddenly, Lance remembered why he was here and what day it was. Remorse hit him square in the chest and he hurried around the island counter to pull Vivian into his arms.

“I'm sorry, Sis. I should have my block knocked off for bringing this up, today of all days.”

“No, no,” she said again, reaching into her housecoat pocket for a tissue. “It's time we talked about these things, brought them out into the open.”

With a delicate sniff, she blew her nose, then patted his chest. “But not today. Just not today.”

A ghost of a smile flitted over her lips and she pushed out of his arms. “I better get started. I think it's going to take me a long time to get ready.”

Lance watched her pause, long enough to lift the plastic-covered dress off the rack before she shuffled out the door. His tall, graceful sister, shuffling like an old lady bent in pain.

What was wrong with him? He was supposed to be helping Vivian, supporting her and instead, he was causing her more pain. He couldn't seem to control himself…and all because of Madison Harper.

He didn't understand how she'd managed to waltz back into his life and create such confusion and resentment, but it needed to stop. He would keep as much distance as possible between himself and her. Turning, he threw the half-eaten roll into the garbage.

 

 

 

 

4

 

A breeze lifted the crème colored sheer away from the window and floated it across Madison. The fresh air felt good, pleasant in the stuffy room full of people. Nearly two hours after Mr. Hart's service and the house was still full. People continued to stream through the door to pay their respects and to pass on their concern for Viv.

Madison had set out the food and moved through the house, serving and cleaning up, all the while avoiding Lance. What on earth had set him off today? Any time she got close to him, thunderclouds rolled over his features.

She chose to avoid any conflict. This little corner of the room was perfect and peaceful. Two dark-green, wing back chairs were situated close together for privacy. Madison hid behind them and opened the window a crack for some fresh air. The sheers that blocked out most of the hot afternoon sun wafted over her and hid her even more. She gave a little sigh of relief and then looked outside.

She had a clear view of the planter where she and Mr. Hart had been working when he collapsed. Crocuses and grape hyacinths still waited in their tiny trays, along with several pony packs of purple pansies. The gardeners kept the flowers watered, but they were so busy preparing the place for Kaci and Ryne's wedding, apparently no one had put the flowers in the ground. Madison had tried once to plant them. Floppy hat in place and gloves in hand she'd walked out, only to see the shadow that had frightened her still in place. Shivering, she'd hurried back inside.

Was it her imagination or was the shadow that had covered them that day still there? Was it an optical illusion created by the sheers floating in the breeze? She leaned forward for a better look, but turned when she heard someone walking toward her.

Madison had never seen such lovely, long blonde hair. It reached nearly to the young woman's waist. She wore a beautiful, flowing skirt of lavender and gray sprinkled with yellow flowers…the colors of the garden—the exact colors Kaci had chosen for the upcoming wedding.

But of course, this lovely young woman could only be Zoe Manning, a friend of Kaci's and a former resident of Heart's Haven. Madison had heard many stories about Zoe and her gift of “knowing.” She'd recently married another resident of Heart's Haven and moved away, but she still had many close connections here.

“Hello.” Madison held out her hand. “You must be Zoe.”

A surprised smile flitted over the young woman's lips. “And you're Madison Harper.”

Madison nodded and gestured to Zoe's skirt. “It's beautiful.”

The lovely lips curved further upward and Zoe fingered the fabric, fluffing it slightly. “I wondered if I should wear these bright colors, but I knew Mr. Hart wouldn't have wanted me to wear black.”

Now it was Madison's turn to smile. “No, he wouldn't. He always called you one of his ‘sunshine girls'.”

“Hey, I thought that was my name for her.” A handsome young man in an impeccable dark suit came to stand beside Zoe.

“Well,” Madison said, “I think she has plenty of sunshine to go around.”

“Yes, she does.” The look Zack Manning gave his young wife melted Madison's heart.

“I'm Zack, just in case you didn't figure that out yet,” he said with a slight laugh. “Zoe and I wanted to tell you how much we appreciate all you're doing for Miss Vivian. She's a special lady to us.”

“To us all,” Madison replied. “I'm just glad I could be here.”

Zack nodded and turned to Zoe…who gave him a pointed look. “Oh.” He winked at his wife and backed away. “I'm interrupting. Guess I'll go have a word with Gabe.”

They were suddenly alone in the room, and Zoe grasped Madison's hand. “I need to tell you that everything will be OK.”

The abrupt change threw Madison. “I'm sorry?”

“Everything at Heart's Haven will turn out OK,” Zoe repeated. “Our Lord wouldn't have called Mr. Hart home unless He knew Heart's Haven was in good hands.”

Heart's Haven. Madison never doubted that this special community would be covered by prayer. Her real question was whether or not
she
would make it through. She'd been so happy, so content here, but now that situation was about to end.

She'd just received a letter stating that Tony's lawyer was contesting a minor point in the financial settlement. Well, minor to Tony, but it meant Madison's finances would be strained and she would have to go back to work…in Dallas. Not enough interior design work existed here in Angel Falls to support her.

Not to mention the fact that Lance showed no signs of going home. He was determined to stay as long as Viv needed him, and there was no way Madison could withstand much more of his unexpected and resentful attacks.

Her doubts must have shown on her face because Zoe squeezed her fingers and said, “I promise. Everything will work out.”