“She’s the one that suggested it,” he said. “I went into it thinking it might turn into an actual relationship, but she was really clear about it only being a physical one.”
“Women like that are hard to come by,” I said. I was beginning to sweat slightly from the sun, despite it being in the high 50s. I started steering the boat back toward the dock as I opened a new beer and took a sip.
“Some of us just get lucky, I guess,” he said and turned to me. “How’s your mom doing? I considered stopping by earlier but wasn’t sure if she was feeling okay or not.”
Surprisingly enough, Mom had been in a great mood lately. She had loved every minute of the aviation museum and had wanted to visit a different museum nearly once a day since then. We went to a few special exhibits at a garden festival where she mentioned I should take Maddie, and she begged me to take her to watch a marathon downtown. She’d been out of the house every day, talking about Maddie and my love life, and her energy level had been through the roof. She was happy; it was so obvious.
“She’s doing great,” I said finally. “Constantly asking to go out, and she’s been eating more lately. Like, actual meals and not just pudding and shakes.” Although I had restocked all of her protein shakes, and added a few more flavors for variety.
Ron glanced at me. “Is it because you’re dating Maddie now?” he asked.
I nodded automatically before realizing I hadn’t told Ron about us yet. “Wait, you know?” I leaned forward and tried to remember if I had given it away somehow.
“I’ve known for a few days now. I was pretty fucking surprised to hear it, to be honest,” he said. I winced, expecting a lecture. He hadn’t ever said Maddie was off-limits, but their relationship had always been more of a brother-sister one, and I wasn’t sure if I had crossed any boundaries.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I should have told you when it first happened.”
“I don’t give a shit,” he said. “My parents told me. Her mom couldn’t stop bragging to the entire world, apparently. Plus, we’ve been best friends since we were kids, and Maddie’s a good person. It helps that I know the two of you are good for each other.”
“I guess,” I said. I hadn’t realized Ron saw me as a good person, nor did I know that Maddie’s mother remembered me, much less liked me.
“Really, I’m not mad,” Ron said as the boat pulled into the dock. “Just don’t break her heart and we’re good.”
I chuckled and took another sip of my beer. “That won’t be a problem,” I said. He nodded, despite not having a clue what I meant. The only way I could break her heart was probably not paying the rest of the money. She still had $250,000 left to receive. I briefly wondered what her plans were with the money. She wanted to go to Hollywood, that much I knew. But was she going to pursue acting? Would she find another desperate billionaire and attempt to bribe him as well? She had a talent for it, it seemed.
“Have you guys gotten pretty serious?” Ron asked. I figured he wasn’t asking about sex; surely Ron wouldn’t be interested in that sort of information, but my mind automatically went back to our night together. Our relationship had been pretty serious during that night, but other than that it was purely business. Still, I couldn’t tell Ron that much.
“A few dates,” I said. “We’ve had dinner with my mom once. Maddie was well-behaved.”
“Damn, you talk about her like she’s your child,” Ron laughed. “Just a few dates though? So, do you think you’ll get more serious?”
“It’s hard to tell,” I said. I had to plant the seed carefully. “I like to think so. I like her. I didn’t think I would, to be honest, but she grew on me.”
“She’s a good person. Dedicated, hardworking, and funny as hell when she wants to be,” Ron said. “I approve.”
“I don’t need your approval,” I said. “But I appreciate it.”
I could never tell Ron my true feelings about Maddie. I couldn’t let him get suspicious and find out the truth. He wouldn’t forgive Maddie, and he probably would have judged me for even taking the offer.
“Don’t tell me it’s time to call it a day,” he whined as we got ready to walk back on land. “Our lake time is never long enough.”
“You spend your entire mornings out on the lake,” I said. “I think you get plenty of lake time.”
We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
I had just parked in front of my house when another car pulled up behind me. I didn’t recognize it at first until it parked and Maddie exited the driver’s seat. I groaned and walked straight toward my door without turning around.
“Gavin,” she said as if I hadn’t noticed her.
“My mom isn’t up for dinner tonight,” I said.
“That’s not why I’m here,” she said and stood at the foot of the front steps. I turned toward her. It had been just over a week since our last meeting, and she looked even more beautiful somehow with her hair piled into a high, messy bun and a tight t-shirt with jeans that hugged her long legs. As always, I forced my eyes away from her body and tried paying attention to only her face. “I wanted to eat with you.”
“With me?” I frowned. “Why?”
She walked up the steps and stood beside me, directly in front of my front door.
“If this is going to be believable then I’m going to need more than one picture a week. We should at least have another picture of us eating dinner together,” she said. It was hard to focus when she stood so close, and I opened the door and let her inside into the foyer.