Long-time friends bound by secrets. That’s a tougher nut. “Does Danielle have a favorite charity?”
“Um, are you trying to buy my friends and family into liking you?”
“Of course not,” I say with a hearty, fake laugh. “So houses? What do you like about the properties that Blossom showed you?” I ask, desperate to change the subject. Thankfully, Maddie plays along and starts to talk about the gardens and the sunrooms and the big kitchens with the marble and granite. But after touring three properties, her excitement wanes. I feed her some lunch at a cute café in hopes of reviving her spirits, but by the time we finish out Blossom’s itinerary, she’s exhausted.
“Anything you liked?” I ask as we drive back to the city.
“They’re all nice.”
Nice is a word like fine. “Which place would your sister like the most?”
“I don’t know. She’s kind of a beach person. She spent a fortune to live in this tiny shack in Venice Beach and can’t even see the water, but, on a good night with a breeze, you can smell the ocean. And she can walk there. It’s not too far.”
There’s a longing in her voice that I haven’t heard before. She misses LA. Perhaps that’s why none of the places that we’ve looked at today no matter how high the price tag, no matter how big the house, no matter how many tennis courts, swimming pools, horse trails and stables were attached, nothing excited her. Maybe it’s not the property, but the location. She can’t see the water from here. Her family is so far away.
“I’m getting sick of the cold,” I say, feeling her out. “What’s it like in LA during the winter?”
“Cold. I wear a jacket, but there’s no snow. Snow is really pretty. I think I’d like to have a white Christmas for once instead of the usual gray ones in LA. What do you do for Christmas?”
“We eat ham on Christmas Day and exchange presents, but only small ones. No more than fifty bucks.”
“Only fifty?” She’s shocked. “For your family?”
“Christmas isn’t supposed to be about the presents, right? It’s the thought that counts.” Mom started this tradition a long time ago, to make us learn about the value of the dollar.
“What’d you get Blossom last year?”
“A karaoke microphone. I had to buy it in the toy section because the real ones were too expensive. She uses it in the office.”
Maddie bursts out laughing. It’s a real laugh, too, not one of those fake ones that people try out at dinner parties. Her whole face lights up and her shoulders shake and she looks happier now than ever. I’d do anything to see that smile again, including moving to LA.
Chapter Thirteen
Madeleine
I lie in bed alone, thinking about how yesterday turned out better than I expected. It was the most that Oliver and I have talked since I’ve been here. I tried to act as though everything was okay as he guided me around to see all the homes in the portfolio, but my heart hadn’t been in it. It is hard to imagine living in a home with someone when you don’t know what their feelings are. Most of the homes were breathtaking, but I want more than just a home. I want the whole package, including Oliver. There’s not a glimpse of the man that I met in the bar. He’s put up some wall and I don’t see it coming down anytime soon. I fear he resents me for not having told him about the baby earlier. I should have gone looking as soon as I found out but fear had me stalling.
This morning looks to be the same as the day before. Me and the baby alone in this bed. He is still insisting that we sleep together. The bed is giant. You could fit a few more people in it if you wanted to. Oliver makes use of the space by sleeping as far away from me as he can get.
I reach my hand out to rub my belly because that always makes me happy. A smile comes to my face knowing that today’s the day that I’ll see the little nugget that’s been growing inside of me and find out if I’m having a boy or a girl. It doesn’t matter to me which one, as long as the baby is healthy.
A slight knock breaks me from my thoughts as Oliver starts to push open the cracked bedroom door.
“Maddie?” Oliver’s deep voice rolls over me, causing me to get excited. These pregnancy hormones are really doing a number on me. Or maybe it’s Oliver that’s doing it. He has an effect on me like no one else ever has. Hence why I gave him my virginity the day I met him in that bar and after only knowing him an hour.