Take Me Home (The Heartbreak Brothers 1)

“What do you mean?” Maddie tried to force her cheek muscles to relax, but they weren’t playing ball.

“I mean you’re all glowy and grinning and stuff. It’s not like you. What happened?”

“Maybe I’m just smiling because it’s a beautiful day.” Maddie shrugged and gestured out of the windows. The sun was beating down on the verdant town square, bouncing off the bandstand and the white painted benches. “Is that a crime?”

“Hmm.” Laura pressed her fork into the cake and scooped up a piece. “I don’t know. What’ve you been doing?”

Maddie laughed. “Nothing. Just working the way I always do. I’m allowed to smile, aren’t I?”

For the first time since she’d stormed through the door, Laura smiled. “Yeah, you are. And you’re pretty when you do it.”

“All that sugar’s gone to your brain,” Maddie teased. “And your tongue, you sweet talker.” Behind Laura’s shoulder, she could see her sister’s Mercedes pull up in the space outside.

She watched as Ashleigh climbed out and smoothed her dress with her palms, clicking the car shut as she walked toward the diner. Suddenly, Maddie’s good mood disappeared. Replaced by a strong sense of guilt as she remembered last night.

Her body tensed. Why should she feel guilty? Gray wasn’t Ashleigh’s boyfriend anymore. Hadn’t been for years. They were two grown adults doing what adults did. It wasn’t anybody else’s business.

Even if everybody seemed to think it was.

“You okay?” Laura asked, turning to glance over her shoulder. “Oh,” she said, turning back with wide eyes. “Big sister is here.”

“Yup.”

Ashleigh pushed the door open, causing the bell to tinkle, and she looked up as though it was a personal affront. Her chest rose as she took in a deep breath of air and walked over to the counter.

“Hey,” Maddie said, trying to keep her voice light. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I was just passing.” Ashleigh smiled. “I decided to visit Gray and say hi. It seemed stupid him being back in town and me ignoring it. So I decided to be the bigger person.”

“You did?” Maddie felt any of her remaining happiness ooze away. “Was he there?”

“He was on the roof when I arrived. He pretty much scrambled down to say hi. It was kind of sweet. Reminded me of when we were at school. He could never do enough for me then.”

“Oh.” Maddie desperately searched for words, but her mind was blank.

“Does Michael know you’re visiting old boyfriends?” Laura asked.

Ashleigh turned around, her eyebrows rising up at the intrusion. “Oh, it’s you. I didn’t see you there. And since you’re asking, I didn’t tell Michael because it was a spur of the moment decision. But I know he’d support my choice. I never give him any reason to doubt me.” She turned back to Maddie. “We talked about you a little.”

Maddie’s breath caught in her throat. “You did?”

“Yeah. He said you were sweet, and he told me you were like his kid sister.” Ashleigh glanced at the gold watch wrapped around her delicate wrist. “Can I order a coffee to go? I need to pick up Carter in twenty minutes.”

“Sure.” Welcoming the opportunity to turn her back on her sister, Maddie walked over to the coffee machine and took a deep breath. No drip coffee for Ashleigh Lowe. She always ordered a skinny cinnamon latte. But even the mechanical action of filling the filter and steaming the milk wasn’t enough to push away the hurt of Ashleigh’s words. Had Gray really said that about her? Even if he was trying to throw Ashleigh off the scent, describing her as a kid hurt.

It reminded her of how it was growing up. Always in her sister’s shadow. Even now, when she finally had something good happen in her life, Ashleigh was here to remind her that he’d been hers first.

She put a lid on the cup, then slid a sleeve over it and passed it to Ashleigh, who was standing silently next to Laura. “There you go.”

“How much?”

“It’s on me.”

“Don’t be silly. I know how tight money is. Here you go.” Ashleigh pulled a five-dollar bill from her purse and left it on the counter. “Keep the change. And I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Okay.” Maddie swallowed, though there was still a lump in her throat.

Ashleigh left as swiftly as she came, the door slamming closed behind her. Maddie stood there for a moment, already missing her good humor from this morning.