Page 8 of Spring Forward
He gave her a half smile. “I wouldn’t dare boss you around. You’d rip me to shreds.”
“You know it.” She ruined her show of arrogance by rolling her eyes like a teenager. She leaned in the doorway. “Hey, Mom?”
“Yeah?” came the answer from inside.
“I’m going out for a while, okay?”
“Okay. Have fun.”
Maddi gave him a “good enough?” look. He nodded approval.
“What now, Dr. Watson?” she asked.
“I have a stakeout vehicle parked at the end of the street.” He took her hand and walked quickly that direction.
“You’re putting a lot of effort into spying on your own uncle.”
“You took off work and drove across state lines to spy on your own mother.” He winked at her.
She still blushes.It was adorable. He kept her hand in his all the way to his car up the street. He held the door while she got in, then let himself in on the driver’s side.
“Do I smell spring rolls?” she asked. It almost sounded like an accusation. “Are you still in denial? Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery.”
“And what about your ‘problem’?” He tapped the plastic lid of the takeout cup in the passenger-side cup holder.
She pressed her lips together, eyes growing wide. “Is that what I think it is?”
“Twenty ounces.”
She picked up the cup. “You’re terrible.” She took a long pull on the straw. “Terrible.”
“Yup.” He reached back and grabbed the bag of Chang’s takeout he’d picked up before parking. He popped open the carton of spring rolls. “Want one?”
She nodded as she sipped, reaching in and pulling out a roll.
“We’re really spying on your uncle?” she asked.
He swallowed a bite. “You need to know your mom is happy. If following them around will set your mind at ease...” He shrugged and took another bite.
“What if we follow him around, and we find out that he’s a jerk?”
Derek just smiled.
“You’re that confident?”
“I know my uncle pretty well.”
“We’ll see.” She took a bite.
“Yes, we will.”
They chatted while they sat there. Nothing important came up, but it was good talking to her again. She clearly loved her work. Whether she realized it or not, she was lonely. He could tell. Still, he stuck to light topics and kept his distance. He’d admitted to himself that he’d gone too fast the night before.
Maddi didn’t trust anyone easily, especially men. Her dad had walked out on them when she was just a little girl. Then Mrs. Collins had gone through a long string of bad relationships. He’d have to take his time.
But she wouldn’t be in Folsom Lake very long, so time was one thing he didn’t have a lot of. He’d let her run away two years earlier without a fight. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.
Chapter Five
