Page 2 of Spring Forward
“Have fun in Cancún.” What was she saying? Of course Beth and the rest of their friends would have fun.Theyweren’t headed home for a family crisis intervention.
“I’ll post pictures.” Beth wiggled her eyebrows and grinned.
“Careful which ones,” Madison warned with a laugh. “‘The internet isforever.’”
Beth’s grin grew as she tossed her things in her car. “Text me a picture of President Amazing.”
“Mr. Fabulous,” Madison corrected. “I’ll send you a before and after shot.”
“What do you plan to do to this guy?”
“Whatever it takes.”
Beth gave a nod of approval. “I’ll help you hide the body after I get back from Mexico.”
“Perfect.” It was nice to joke about the whole ridiculous situation. “See ya.”
“¡Adios!” Beth made air castanets.
Madison sat in her car for a while after Beth pulled out of the parking lot.I’m giving up Cancún.She’d been looking forward to the trip for months. But someone had to save Mom from herself. And that someone was Madison. Always.
Maybe it was the fact that she’d made the trip to fix Mom’s problems so many times, or maybe it was because she looked forward to spending time at home.Either way, the following evening as she pulled off the highway at the familiar exit, the resentment that had started to take form in the bank parking lot disappeared.
Folsom Lake didn’t change much. The same people. The same main street. The place was small enough to feel cozy, but large enough that even life-long residents didn’t know everyone. They had their own high school, a couple of middle schools, and a smattering of elementary schools. Folsom Lake even had a multiplex, choice of grocery stores, and a branch of the same bank Madison worked at in what her grandmother called “the big city.”
Madison always missed home during that first drive into town whenever she returned. By the end of her stay, though, she was always ready to leave. This time, she’d be exhausted from saving her mother from her latest romantic disaster. Watching her friends live their married lives or their I-have-a-dreamy-significant-other lives wore on her. And, though she’d managed to avoid him on her last visit, Derek McGee might get under her skin as well.
He’d smile at her the way he always had. He’d make her laugh. And for just a moment, she’d believe they could makea relationship between them work. She’d start dreaming again of happy-ever-afters and fairy-tale endings. But life wasn’t like that.
She pulled up in front of her mom’s house, bracing herself for the coming few days. At least she was taking an intervention approach this time rather than a damage-control one.
I just have to convince Mom to break it off now before the relationship implodes.
She practiced her speech by addressing the steering wheel. “Hey, Mom, I’ve come to visit. It’s time to say goodbye to Mr. Fabulous. So, what’s for dinner?”
Awkward, but doable. She’d wing it from there.
Madison pulled her little suitcase from the trunk and made her way to the door. She allowed herself only the tiniest glance down the street. Derek’s parents had once lived on the corner. Coming home always made her think of him.
That’s all in the past. This visit is aboutMom.
She rang the bell and waited. This wouldn’t be easy, but it was for the best. Preventing a mess was definitely better than trying to clean one up afterward.
Mom’s squeal upon opening the door brought a smile to Madison’s face.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” She squeezed Madison in an almost suffocating hug, bouncing up and down.
Why didn’t I tell you? So you couldn’t hide Mr. Fabulous.
“Come in. Come in.” Mom held the door open, her smile not slipping at all. “Look who’s here,” she called to someone in the next room. “Madison’s come for a visit.”
Who else could she be talking to but her latest: Mr. Fabulous. Mom took an all-or-nothing approach to dating. She probably spent every free minute with him. Of course he would be at the house.
I should have practiced longer with the steering wheel.
She pasted a smile on her face. No point tipping off the enemy that she had him in her sights. She followed her mom into the living room.
“Hey, Maddi.”
