Surrendered: A Collection of Five Works Page 5

  “But I’ll make him tea and serve crumpets too!” Madison’s lower lip started to tremble.

  “I would like to thank you for finding Madison and keeping her safe until I caught up. I certainly understand if you’re not available. But if you want to come by after work or whenever, I could cook dinner.”

  Matt felt a chill run up his spine as his eyes met the blue havens starting back at him. He wasn’t sure how long he could stand under her gaze without completely melting.

  “I have to eat…” he began.

  “He said yes! He said yes! We’re getting married. Yes. Yes. Yes!” Madison let go of Matt’s hand for the first time in what seemed like an eternity and began spinning circles up and down the boardwalk.

  Matt watched for a moment before returning his attention to Jesse.

  “She’s a handful, but she grows on you.” Jesse shook her head.

  Matt smiled. Madison certainly was persistent, he had to give her that. He wasn’t exactly keen on kids, but there was no harm in dinner with Madison since it seemed to be the only way to get to Jesse. And he was definitely interested in learning more about her.

  “When do you want me?” he asked.

  “We’re going to hit the giraffe complex and then head back to the house. I’ll try to get Madison to lay down for a while.”

  “Because she seems so tired.” Matt watched her spin on her toes until she fell over from dizziness.

  Jesse smiled and nodded. “I know, right?” She pulled a slip of paper and pen from the bag on her shoulder and wrote down an address. “Here’s where we’ll be. We usually eat around 6.”

  “Great.” Matt couldn’t think of anything else to say. She was looking at him with those eyes again.

  “Thanks again for your help. I was a complete mess when I turned around and she was gone.”

  “Not a problem. That’s what I’m here for.” It wasn’t and he knew it, but he liked basking in the glow of her praise.

  “See you tonight, then.” Jesse waved her fingers as she backed away and attempted to wrangle Madison.

  “It’s a date!” Madison called as she skipped away, her sticky hand folded into Jesse’s palm.

  “A date,” Matt muttered under his breath. He hadn’t had one of those in over a year.

  *

  Jesse twisted her hair up into a haphazard bun. The handsome architect was coming over for dinner and she had cupcake batter in her hair. Such was baking with Madison’s help. Oh well. It wasn’t like it was a real date or anything, though the sight of Madison’s hand clasped in his made her heart pound in her chest. And the way the drab khaki zoo shirt clung to his biceps caused her to feel a bit faint.

  Jesse applied a coat of clear lip-gloss and made a face at herself in the bathroom mirror. It would have to do. She had to stir the spaghetti before it got sticky.

  The doorbell rang as Jesse approached the stove. “I’ll get it!” Madison threw herself across the room and flung open the front door. “Hello, handsome!”

  Jesse cringed. She was going to need to have a talk with Madison about her over friendliness with strange men. Matt seemed like a decent guy, but not every stranger Madison approached was.

  Jesse leaned back and caught a glimpse of Matt through the kitchen’s half wall. The khaki shirt was gone, replaced with a coal gray polo that brought out his tan skin.

  “Smells good in here,” Matt said.

  “Hey!” Jesse called. “Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. Good timing.” She watched as Madison dragged Matt down the hall to her room. Lego’s. She was no doubt describing every creation she’d made in the last four years. Jesse shook her head. She invited Matt over to thank him for his part in finding Madison. And because Madison seemed to like him. Plus she wouldn’t mind getting to know him herself. But if Madison had her way, Jesse wouldn’t get a word in edgewise.

  Jesse grabbed the boiling pot of water from the stove and threw the noodles into a strainer in the sink. The spaghetti was done and the sauce was simmering. “Supper time!” she called down the hall. She hoped Madison wasn’t being too much of a nuisance.

  Little feet scampered back down the hall and Madison’s curls were in full motion, even after she sat at the table. Matt followed at a much slower pace.

  “Sit by me! Sit by me!” Madison chanted.

  Matt glanced at Jesse and gave her a half-smile.

  “Go ahead, have a seat. I’ll bring the plates in.” Jesse put generous portions of spaghetti on three plates and added slices of buttered bread to each. After several trips, the plates were on the table, everyone had water and she sat down on the other side of Madison.

  Jesse smiled when Madison threw her arm into the air and began to sing.

  “Thank you God for giving us food. For the friends that we meet, for the food that we eat, thank you God for giving us food.” She swished her arms back and forth in the air. “Come on, Matt, like Superman!” Madison’s arms sped up.

  Jesse whistled as Matt gingerly put her arms in the air and waved them around.

  “Perfecto,” Madison exclaimed. “Now we can eat.” She grabbed her fork and scooped up way too many noodles for any four-year-old to handle at once.

  Jesse caught Matt’s eye. “Dig in,” she said. “Madison might even pipe down for a few minutes while her mouth is full.”

  “Mmpfh!” Madison proclaimed.

  “See?” Jesse giggled. “How long have you worked as an architect?” she asked. She saw her chance and she was grabbing it.

  Matt chewed his first bite and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “This is good.”

  Madison’s curls bounced as she nodded her head in agreement.

  “Thanks.” Jesse took a bite and waited for his answer.

  “You know, I think I wanted to be an architect for as long as I can remember. Instead of joining the other kids at the ball field, I would sit in the dugout and draw the field. Complete with an imaginary building off to one side.”

  “You were born for it,” Jesse agreed.

  “I still had to go to school and learn all the techniques. But I’ve been out in the real work working as an architect for the past 6 years.”

  Jesse nodded and sucked in a noodle. “Must be a pretty cool job. You even get to double as a zoo keeper some days, huh?”

  “You mean you don’t work at the zoo?” Madison’s eyes widened as a meatball fell from her mouth into her lap.

  “Well, I work for the zoo,” he replied. “I’m designing a new building for some of the animals.”

  “Wow, so you’re going to build them a house just like this?”

  “Maybe not exactly like this, but that’s the idea.”

  Madison grunted as she took another bite.

  “It must take a lot of creativity, coming up with designs like that.” Jesse admired the arts and appreciated the idea that he designed functional buildings. That required a lot of forethought and motivation.

  “Feed me like a bird. Chirp! Chirp!” Madison spun herself in her chair until she was laying on her back with her head in Matt’s lap.

  Jesse made a face. “She wants you to fold a noodle into her mouth. Probably not our best habit, but we seem to eat spaghetti better that way.” She watched as Matt extracted a short noodle from Madison’s plate and placed it gently into her mouth. Madison slurped the noodle in, striking her nose with some sauce on the way by.

  “She’s the messiest bird I’ve ever fed.” Matt laughed.

  “Yes, but how many birds have you fed?” Jesse grinned.

  “Good point.”

  “More! More!”

  Jesse watched as Matt spent the next twenty minutes feeding the bird. With Madison happily slurping up noodles, they were able to talk more about his past jobs in architecture. He even told a funny story about a toothpick bridge he built in high school.

  Jesse didn’t want to admit it, but she was thoroughly enjoying the company. Madison was a hoot, but she was four. It was nice to have an adult around. She had missed that
in the past six months.

  After a round of cupcakes, Jesse did her best on Madison’s face. “All right you little sticky monster. What do you say to a quick bath before bed?”

  “Do I have to?” Madison whined.

  “Unless you want to wear your pillow all day tomorrow because it’s stuck to your face, then yes, I’d say you have to.” Jesse shot a knowing look in Matt’s direction.

  “Oh all right, but I was going to show Matt the rest of my village.”

  “He can come again another time,” Jesse promised, keeping her fingers crossed that he would. “Head on up and pick out some PJs. I’ll be right there.”

  Madison threw herself into Matt’s unsuspecting arms and climbed his legs like a tree until her legs were wrapped around his torso. “See you soon. Next time, let’s set a date for the wedding, kay?”

  Matt chuckled. “We’ll see. Have a nice bath.”

  Madison slid down his body and scampered down the hall as Jesse folded her arms across her chest. “Thank you so much for helping us at the zoo. I know it wasn’t your job to reunite lost children with their companions.”

  Matt shrugged. “It was really no problem. I’m the one who should be thanking you for the delicious meal. It’s been a while since I had home cooked fare like that.”

  “You don’t cook?”

  “I wouldn’t call warming up soup cooking.”

  “But you would count boiling noodles?” Jesse flinched. She wasn’t exactly a gourmet chef.

  “Well, when you compare the two, yes I would.” Matt laughed.

  Jesse paused a beat and took in the sound of his laughter. She could hear Madison’s feet pounding in the background.

  “Ever wonder why they call it the pitter patter of little feet?” she asked. “It’s always sounded more like a herd of elephants to me.” She stared down the hall.

  “I can’t see Madison doing anything quietly.”

  “She even talks in her sleep.”

  “What does she say?” he asked.

  “I’ll tell you another time.” Jesse grinned. She needed a hook to bring him back around again. “Do you have your phone on you?”

  Matt drew his cell phone from his pocket and waved it in her direction. “Right here.”

  Jesse grabbed it from his hand and deftly created a new contact with her name and number. “Maybe you can give us a call if you get hungry again.”

  Matt’s eyebrows raised. “I might just do that. Or…”

  “Or what?” Jesse’s heart raced with anticipation. Was he going to ask her out on the spot?

  “Or I could stay a bit longer. Madison will be in bed soon, right? It would give us a chance to talk more.”

  *

  Matt’s blood pressure had to be through the roof. He had no business inviting himself to stay longer. It was obvious Jesse thought the evening was over now that Madison was hitting the bath and bed. He held his breath as he waited for her to answer. He took a small step toward the front door, expecting to head that direction shortly anyway.

  “That’d be nice.” Jesse smiled.

  “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. It’s been a while since I had some adult interaction. It’ll take me a bit to get Madison squared away, but if you don’t mind waiting, I’d love to have you stay.”

  “I don’t mind at all.” Matt exhaled. Maybe he could finally get the scoop on this woman who made his toes tingle with a mere glance.

  “The remote’s on the coffee table. Help yourself to another cupcake if you want.”

  “Deal.” Matt watched her walk down the hall with a short backward glance in his direction. He was going to be alone with that beautiful creature…finally. He wasn’t sure it classified as a real date, but it was closer than dinner with a four-year-old. He shook his hands by his sides and stretched his neck. It was time to get back into the dating game. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Marlin,” he whispered.

  Matt plopped down onto the couch and grabbed the remote. He turned the small flat screen TV above the fireplace on and leaned back. The family channel glowed before him with a re-run of America’s Funniest Home Videos. It would do. It was better than Jesse catching him watching some strange sci-fi show that would disgust her. Matt watched as dogs fell off couches, men rode little bicycles and injured themselves, and people surprised each other by popping out of trashcans. When a young child came on the screen, whining and crying over a melted Popsicle, he failed to see the humor.

  It wasn’t that Matt had anything against kids, really. He just didn’t plan on having them in his life anytime in the near future. Maybe once he found the right woman, got married, and enjoyed traveling for a decade or so he’d feel ready. But until then…?

  A sappy movie came on next and Matt rested his head against the back of the couch.

  “Sorry I was gone so long.” Matt startled and sat up.

  “Oh, did I wake you?”

  Matt shrugged. “Life is busy. You got to get your sleep in where you can.”

  “Boy don’t I know it.” Jesse slumped into the couch next to Matt.

  Matt turned toward her. She was close enough that he could smell the lingering shampoo on her skin. Whatever soap Madison used for her bath was amazing on Jesse.

  “Madison kept asking for you, but I told her you were a guest and we were not going to subject you to her bedtime ritual just yet. She says you’ll have to learn eventually because you’ll be tucking her in once you’re married.”

  Matt swallowed the lump in his throat and forced a laugh.

  “What are you watching?” Jesse asked.

  Matt glanced at the TV and took in a couple gazing deeply into one another’s eyes. “I have no idea.”

  “That good, huh?”

  “Must be.” He shifted on the couch. He didn’t want this to be awkward. How could they cut the small talk and get to know each other better? The photos that lined the half wall between the living room and kitchen caught his eye. “Is that Madison’s father?” he asked as he took in a burly man with the holding the girl upside down in one shot.

  Jesse smiled and nodded. “That’s him. He’s such a goof ball.”

  “Looks like it.”

  Matt scooted closer. Was it too soon to take her hand? He hesitated before settling his palm in his lap. Yes, it was definitely too soon. He didn’t know anything about her.

  “I feel like I don’t know much about you,” she echoed his thoughts. “Madison takes center stage without even trying. It’s hard to talk around her. I’m really glad you suggested staying so we could chat more.”

  “Me too.” Matt slung his arm over the back of the couch, inadvertently touching the hair at the nape of her neck.

  The small smile on her face told him she didn’t mind. “What do you want to know?” he asked.

  “Hmm,” she said. “Let’s play two truths and a lie.”

  “Interesting.”

  “You tell me two things that are true about you and one lie and I’ll guess which is which.”

  Matt stroked his chin with his free hand. He wanted to come up with some juicy items, but he was more interested in her turn. “Okay, here goes.” He dropped his hand into his lap. “I played football in high school. I love chocolate chip ice cream more than any other food. And I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment we first met.” He started down at his lap, not wanting to meet her eyes after his bold proclamation. He was moving fast and he knew it. But it had been years since he’d met a woman who drew him the way Jesse did. Even despite Madison’s nearly constant presence.

  Jesse giggled. “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?”

  Matt steeled his courage and shifted on the couch to face her. “What do you mean? You’re not even going to make it hard on me to guess which one is the lie?”

  “It’s that easy?”

  “You already told me when the other kids were out on the ball field, you were sitting in the dugout drawing.”

  Matt slapped himself on the forehead. �
�I did, didn’t I? I blew the game big time.” He felt Jesse’s soft fingers ease over his knee.

  “It’s okay, let’s skip your turn so I can show you how it’s done.”

  Matt wondered about the kiss, but decided to play along. “Okay, go ahead.”

  Jesse sighed. “I’ve always wanted to be a nurse. I like the smell in the zoo aquarium. And I’d let you kiss me if you tried.”

  Matt smiled and took a moment to enjoy her beguiling eyes. This woman hit him out of left field. He hadn’t expected to meet anyone while he was working at the zoo. But things happen when they happen and he was trying to take it all in stride. He leaned forward until their faces were inches apart. “Wait a second, please tell me you don’t really like the smell in the aquarium.”

  Jesse giggled and shook her head. “You mean that fishy scent? Not my favorite.”

  “Good,” Matt replied. “Then that means…” He leaned in further and tentatively placed his lips upon hers. Her mouth was soft and he pulled back to look into her eyes again. The sparkle there told him all he needed to know. She felt their connection too. He moved his arm from the back of the couch and placed a hand on her shoulder to draw her closer. When he kissed her again, warmth shot up the back of his neck as she ran her fingers up his back and into his hair.

  Matt felt like a teenager having his first kiss. It certainly wasn’t his first kiss, but it was the first time Jesse and he had kissed. And he had to admit, it was the best kiss he’d ever received. When he finally tore himself away, he felt a little breathless. “Wow,” he said.

  Jesse blushed. “My sentiments exactly.”

  Matt sat back against the couch. He didn’t move his arm from her shoulder, but he needed to cool things down for a moment. After all, there was a little girl asleep down the hall. Jesse settled into his side. “So I have your number now. Do you want mine?”

  Jesse chuckled. “I think it would be safe to assume that I do.” She leaned over and grabbed her cell phone from the edge of the coffee table. “Put yourself on speed dial.”

  “I’m going to have to tell people about that,” he said.