Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2) Page 4

  Nick frowned. “That’s not who Maddie is.”

  “Oh, right,” Cassidy said. “Maddie is too sweet to use her near-death experience to tug at your heartstrings. I forgot.”

  The more she talked, the more Nick wanted to choke her with a hard dose of reality. He refrained, though. He knew she was going to freak out, and he didn’t want it to happen in a busy restaurant. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t say nasty things about Maddie.”

  “What was nasty? It was the truth.”

  “Your truth,” Nick said. “Your truth is different from my truth.”

  “And what’s your truth?” Cassidy challenged.

  “My truth is that Maddie was stalked through the woods and almost killed. My truth is that Maddie almost drowned. My truth is not that she needed me, but that I needed to be there for her. That’s my truth.”

  Cassidy shrank in the shadow of Nick’s harsh words. “I … I didn’t mean to say anything bad about your precious Maddie.”

  “Good,” Nick said, focusing back on the hostess stand. “Good grief. How hard is it to find out if a table is open?”

  The sound of familiar bickering assailed his ears as the front door of the restaurant opened behind him.

  “I’m not saying I’m embarrassed,” Maddie said. “I’m saying that the boy who helped us load those air conditioners into the truck didn’t look happy when you told him he had a nice butt.”

  Nick couldn’t help but smile, an expression that wasn’t lost on Cassidy as her gaze bounced between her boyfriend and his best friend.

  “He did have a nice butt,” Maude said. “It was one of those round ones you just want to squeeze.” Maude mimed the movement for everyone’s benefit.

  “I … .” Maddie pulled up short when she caught sight of Nick and Cassidy. “Nicky.”

  “Mad,” Nick said. “Maude.”

  “Tell her that a young man is flattered when a woman comments on his butt,” Maude ordered.

  “I’ve always liked it,” Nick said.

  Maude patted Nick’s rear end for emphasis. “See. Nick knows how important self-esteem is. That’s nice, by the way.”

  Nick’s cheeks colored. “I … thank you.”

  “You’ve embarrassed him,” Maddie said. “Look at his poor face.”

  Maude clapped his cheek. “He has a handsome face. He always did. Even as a child he was beautiful.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever.” She shifted uncomfortably when she met Cassidy’s hostile gaze. “So, um, are you guys on a date?”

  “I told you this afternoon we had a romantic date,” Cassidy said.

  “You’re at Ruby Tuesday’s,” Maude snorted. “That’s not romantic. It’s filling and delicious, but it’s not romantic.”

  “Granny,” Maddie scolded. “I’m sorry. She … .”

  “It’s fine,” Nick said, waving off Maddie’s apology. “Maude is always going to be Maude. That’s why I love her.”

  “You’re a sweet talker,” Maude said. “So, should we all get a table together?”

  Maddie was immediately shaking her head. “That’s probably a bad idea.”

  “No, it’s a great idea,” Cassidy said, straightening her shoulders. “I would love to hear about Nick’s great rescue, and I still haven’t heard all of the stories from your childhood. I want to know everything about Nick.”

  Nick swallowed hard. “Cassidy … I … that wasn’t what I had in mind.” He shot a small look in Maddie’s direction. “I think we have some things to discuss.”

  “And we can discuss them later,” Cassidy said. “Let’s all have dinner. Together. Let’s all have dinner together. It sounds like fun.”

  Nick knew what she was doing. She was delaying the inevitable. He had no idea what she hoped to accomplish with the maneuver, but he did know if he put up a fight it would result in a scene. “Yeah. Let’s all have dinner together. This is exactly how I saw this night going.”

  “SO, what was it like to die?” Cassidy shot the first arrow, and it was aimed directly at Maddie’s heart. “Did you see your mother?”

  “What the … ?” Nick was frustrated.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassidy said, her voice full of faux contrition. “Is that hard for you to think about?”

  Since Maddie had seen her mother, the question was more annoying than anything else. “I don’t think I really died,” Maddie said. “I lost consciousness.”

  “I heard Nick had to perform CPR.”

  “I did,” Nick said, irritated. “She wasn’t breathing when I pulled her out of the water. She wasn’t dead, though. The water was frigid. It slowed her body functions down.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds exciting,” Cassidy said, nonplussed. “Did you see anything when you lost consciousness?”

  Maddie shook her head. “I … .”

  “She doesn’t want to talk about it,” Nick snapped. “Leave her alone.”

  “I thought we were just having polite dinner conversation,” Cassidy said, feigning innocence. “I’m sorry. Let’s talk about something else. What did you and Nick do as kids?”

  Maddie’s face was a mask of concern, so Nick answered.

  “We played in the woods.”

  “What did you play?”

  “Lots of things,” Nick said.

  “Cops and robbers,” Maddie supplied, a hint of a smile on her face.

  “Cops and robbers,” Nick agreed, finding solace in the smile. “We also played war and would lob pine cones at each other.”

  “I remember when you guys used to watch that crocodile man show,” Maude said. “The one who always said ‘crikey.’”

  “Steve Irwin,” Nick said, laughing. “Yeah, we got kind of rambunctious after watching that show. It was impossible not to.”

  “We went down to the lake and you wrestled turtles for me,” Maddie teased.

  “They were fearsome beasts,” Nick said, holding up his hand and displaying a small scar as proof. “They’re vicious biters.”

  “Oh, you two and the turtles,” Maude said. “Maddie tried to keep the first ten you caught for her, but they were too much work. Finally, Olivia convinced Maddie that catch-and-release was the best method for enjoyment.”

  “Then I started finding cats for her,” Nick said, smirking.

  “Yes. We had three of them before Olivia put her foot down,” Maude said.

  “Maddie loved animals,” Nick said.

  “I still do,” Maddie said. “I’ve been thinking of getting a dog.”

  “No dogs,” Maude said. “They slobber all over you.”

  “Then I’m going to get a cat,” Maddie warned. “The house is too lonely with just the two of us.”

  “Can’t you get a goldfish?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” Maude challenged.

  “You can’t cuddle up with a goldfish.”

  “They also don’t shed,” Maude pointed out.

  While Nick was charmed with the interplay, Cassidy was anything but. “So, did you guys have sleepovers?”

  Nick shifted in his chair. “What does that matter?”

  “Well, you guys are of the opposite sex. Did your mother allow Maddie to spend the night at your house?”

  “She did,” Nick said. “I spent the night at Maddie’s all the time, too.”

  “How long did that last?”

  Nick met Cassidy’s challenging gaze. “Until Maddie left for college.”

  Cassidy snorted. “Her mother let you sleep in the same room with her when you were teenagers?”

  “We slept in the window seat,” Nick corrected. “I don’t see why that’s an issue.”

  “It’s just … I mean … no offense to your daughter, Mrs. Graves, but didn’t it bother her that these two were so … connected?”

  “No,” Maude said, reading between the lines of Cassidy’s inference. “They were good kids. They read a book, and then they went to sleep.”

  “That’s what they told you,” Cassidy
said. “How do you know they weren’t doing other things?”

  She was bitter. He’d made her bitter. Nick was ashamed. In his efforts to avoid being the bad guy, he’d been the worst guy. Cassidy was so insecure, she’d turned mean and nasty. Unfortunately, her vitriol was directed in Maddie’s direction.

  “We just knew,” Maude said, her eyes serious. “You have to trust people. Nick and Maddie never once gave us a reason to doubt them.”

  “And you’re being incredibly nasty,” Nick said, focusing on Cassidy. “What is your deal?” He knew what her deal was, but he was hoping being called on her bad behavior would force her to rein it in – at least for a few hours.

  Cassidy’s face contorted. “I … I’m sorry. I have no idea why I said that.”

  Maude opened her mouth to say something, but Maddie shook her head quickly. Now wasn’t the time.

  “So, what are you guys doing over here tonight?” Nick asked, grasping for a topic of conversation that wouldn’t set Cassidy off.

  “We had to buy some air-conditioning units,” Maddie said. “The house is unbearable.”

  “How many did you get?”

  “Four. One for my bedroom, one for Granny’s, one for the kitchen, and one for the store,” Maddie replied.

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Nick said, watching Cassidy out of the corner of his eye.

  “They’re heavy, though,” Maude said. “We had to bribe the kid at the store to put them in our car.”

  “I’ll manage,” Maddie said. “I’ll do them one at a time.”

  “You’re still recovering,” Maude challenged. “The doctor said you have to take it easy.”

  “Granny, I’m fine.”

  “No, she’s right,” Nick said. “After dinner, I’ll stop by the house and help you. It won’t take me very long.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Nicky,” Maddie said. “I know you have a … date.”

  Nick faltered, the meaning behind Maddie’s words washing over him. “Right. I … .”

  “We’ll both come and help,” Cassidy said. “With three of us working, it will take even less time.”

  Nick scowled. “I can drop you off at home first.”

  “No,” Cassidy said, resolute. “This way, we can get the air-conditioning units in place and still have some time to spend together. Isn’t that what you want?”

  Nick was caught. “Um … yeah.”

  This night just kept getting worse and worse.

  Six

  “Your house is beautiful,” Cassidy said, looking around the kitchen curiously. “I’ve never seen it, beyond the store, that is.”

  “Oh, did you visit the store when my mother was alive?” The surreal situation Maddie found herself in was making her uncomfortable. Cassidy was being far too nice, and she was far too keen on conversation. Nick’s rigid shoulders told Maddie that he was struggling with the situation himself.

  “I came in a few times,” Cassidy said. “I wanted to meet your mother. Everyone I met in town kept telling me how close you and Nick were. I just wanted to see the store. I heard Nick spent a lot of time here when he was a kid.”

  “He did,” Maude said, glancing between Nick and Maddie worriedly. “He’d eat entire pies by himself.”

  “That’s because Olivia was the best baker ever,” Nick said. “She always knew exactly what pie to make me when I was in a bad mood.”

  Maddie snorted. “You would have eaten any pie she made.”

  “This is true,” Nick said, bending down to hoist an air-conditioning unit out of a box. “Blackberry was my favorite. She would send us out to pick blackberries, and when we brought them back, she would make a big pie for us.

  “Then, a few weeks later, she would always surprise me with homemade blackberry jam,” he said. “I loved summers with your mom.”

  “She was great,” Maddie said, her gaze distant. Her mother’s ghost was still hanging around, but it wasn’t the same as having a flesh-and-blood person who could hold her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Mad,” Nick said. “I shouldn’t have brought her up.”

  “No,” Maddie said, shaking her head. “I like to hear stories about her. It just made me think of her for a second. Maybe we could make some jam this summer? I’ve never done it, but she left me a whole book of recipes.”

  Nick snickered. “You can’t cook.”

  “I can cook,” Maddie protested.

  “What have you ever cooked?”

  “I cooked you pancakes a couple of weeks ago,” Maddie pointed out. “I even put blueberries in them. I didn’t hear you complaining.”

  “I stand corrected,” Nick said. “Lift that screen up, will you?”

  Cassidy’s gaze shifted between the two friends. “When did you make him breakfast?”

  Maddie faltered. “Oh, um … .”

  “What does it matter?” Nick snapped. The hurt look on Cassidy’s face told him his words were harsh, but he was so annoyed with her insistence on inviting herself into Maddie’s home he could barely think straight.

  “I was just asking a question,” Cassidy said.

  “Well, don’t,” Nick replied, grunting as he settled the unit in the window. “Hold this here, Mad.”

  Maddie did as instructed, watching as Nick fastened the unit in the window.

  “Okay,” he said. “Let it go and pull the window down snug on top.” Nick studied his handiwork for a moment. “I am awesome.”

  “Yes, you should have one of those home improvement shows,” Maddie teased.

  “Maude, I’m trusting you to stuff that foam stuff in around the edges,” Nick said.

  Maude saluted. “Yes, sir.”

  “Let’s move upstairs,” Nick said.

  “I can help carry the units up,” Cassidy volunteered.

  “There’s only two of them,” Nick said. “Why don’t you stay down here and make sure that it’s working properly?”

  Cassidy’s face was conflicted. “I … .”

  “I’ve got some nice iced tea,” Maude said. “The rooms up there are small. We’ll just be getting in their way.”

  Cassidy pressed her lips together, caught. “Of course.”

  MAUDE filled two glasses with ice cubes and tea, and then settled in one of the open chairs at the dining room table. She pushed one of the glasses toward Cassidy, who was nervously fidgeting in another chair.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Maude asked.

  Cassidy jerked her head up. “Talk about what?”

  “Cassidy, I don’t know you very well,” Maude said. “What I do know doesn’t seem to mesh with the woman I’ve seen tonight. I think you’ve got a lot on your mind. I have a feeling I know exactly what it is that’s bothering you, too. You might as well get it off your chest.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, girl, I’m too old to play games,” Maude said. “I can see you’ve got your claws out and you’re digging into Nick’s flesh like you think someone is about to snatch him away. The problem is, he’s already gone.”

  “What are you talking about? He took me out for a romantic dinner tonight. He’s not gone. He’s mine.”

  Maude sighed. “I know you’re desperate to hold onto Nick, but you can’t. Deep down, you know that, right?”

  “You’re just saying that because you want your precious granddaughter to win,” Cassidy spat.

  “Love isn’t a prize,” Maude said. “Love just … is. You have to know that Nick doesn’t love you. He never did. I’m not saying that to hurt you. It’s important that you get some perspective, though. You’re only hurting yourself by acting this way.”

  “And what way am I acting?” Cassidy asked.

  “Like a woman who has already lost and can’t admit it,” Maude said. “Just … think about it. Do you really want to try and force Nick to stay when he obviously wants to go?”

  “That is not what I’m doing.” Cassidy’s eyes were swimming with tears. “That is not what I’
m doing.”

  “BALANCE it on your thigh right there,” Nick said, grunting as he hefted the rectangular unit into Maddie’s bedroom window. “They just keep getting heavier.”

  “I thought you worked out,” Maddie said. Her tone was teasing, but she was working so hard she was dripping with sweat. Her bedroom had always been tiny, and Maude had been urging her to move to her mother’s larger room, but Maddie was reluctant to change anything about the house she loved so much.

  “I do work out,” Nick said, slipping the unit into the window. “Okay, hold it here while I secure it.”

  “Okay.”

  Nick leaned around her with the screwdriver and bolt, sucking in a breath when his mouth moved to within kissing distance of Maddie’s plump, pink lips. For a moment, he was lost in the emotion associated with their close proximity. If he moved his lips, just a little, he would finally be able to get the one thing he’d always wanted.

  “Nick.” Maddie’s voice was strained, her eyes wide as his face hovered right in front of her.

  “Yeah.”

  “I … um … my hands are really sweaty.”

  “I think we’re both really sweaty,” Nick said, his eyes boring into her lips as she nervously ran her tongue between them. “It’s … is it getting hotter in here?”

  “I really think I’m going to drop this,” Maddie said.

  “Oh,” Nick said, snapping back to reality. “One minute, Mad. One minute.”

  “I THINK you’re just saying this to me because you want me to walk away from Nick,” Cassidy said, her heart clenching with a mixture of terror and rage. “If I walk away, then Maddie will have a clear shot at Nick.”

  “Maddie already has a clear shot at Nick,” Maude said. “That’s what you don’t seem to understand.”

  “They’re friends,” Cassidy said. “They’ve always just been friends. They never dated.” Cassidy knew she was grasping at straws.

  “That doesn’t mean they don’t love each other,” Maude said. “Cassidy, I know you’re very upset, and you feel as if you’re losing something here. You’re not losing anything, though. He was never yours.”

  “We’ve been dating for seven months.” Cassidy’s voice sounded shrill, even to her own ears.

  “He was still never yours,” Maude said. “He and Maddie are like magnets. They were both too scared to admit how they felt about each other when they were in high school. They’re adults now. There’s nothing that will keep them apart. It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of when.”