Page 2 of Honey Bun
My mother shook her head as some of my brothers finished their tea and shifted to go. She nodded her approval at them. “We’ll talk about Salma later. The Ghormeh sabzi will still be an hour. Can you go and pick up the wine?”
Jumping at the chance to get out, I smiled brightly and said, “Sure. Be right back. I’m hoping you share your recipe this time, Mâmân. You add something to this I’ve never been able to figure out.”
She called out behind me as I turned to go, “It’s called a mother’s love for her children, and now, I want grandchildren to make this for.”
I hugged her and left. Mâmân loved me. She was the driving force in our lives, and her obsession about getting us married could fall on any of my eleven brothers.
As I hopped into the car and drove, I started to think. No woman I’d ever met had convinced me that I needed to stick around for more than a year. A lifetime attached to one person would end in disaster because being tethered felt stifling. I loved that I had the ability to go anywhere and not answer to anyone. Besides, I’d had my first kiss on the beaches here, and that girl had proven that even the sweetest girl will walk away.
As I made it down to the bottom of my family’s estate, I saw an older-model Honda CRV on the side of the curb. On Virgin Cove, neighbors helped if they could, so I pulled behind the car. A blond woman and her daughter were inside it.
Something about that car made my hair stand on end. When I knocked on the window to find out what was wrong, I saw the tear-stained cheeks and brightest blue eyes of the girl who had been my first kiss. She jumped, startled, then rolled down the window.
My skin felt sparks of magnetic pull, and I leaned closer. The air was fresh and rosy near her. It was as if my thoughts had brought her into reality.
“Maddie.” My voice broke over her name as she turned to face me.
“Oh my God, Arman. How are you?” She swiped her eyes and smiled. Her tearstained face and the quiver of her lip told me I had found her on a very bad day.
“Can I help you?” I asked. She stared at me for a long second, as if not certain that I was there. I lowered my head. “It’s been a long time.”
Her smile brightened. “It has. It’s so good to see you.” She turned in her seat. “This is my daughter, Aurora.”
I bent farther down to see the girl in the back seat. She was the spitting image of her mother. “Hey.” I waved.
“Hey.” She waved back.
“Well, look, let me give you a ride or call a tow.”
She covered her lip. “We’re okay. But it was really great to see you again.”
Maddie spoke in the same tone she’d used when she told me that she never wanted to see me again that day on the beach when we were children. She’d had no explanation and had been near tears then too. I squared my shoulders. No one ever denied me anything, and all I’d done was offer help, like I would with a total stranger.
I rubbed the back of my head. “Look, it’s clear you’re in trouble. I’ll call Henry’s garage.”
Her face flushed, and she shook her head. “They’re coming… we’re going to my parents.”
Her father’s opinion of me, based on the fact that my parents were from another country, still rang in my ears. He’d told me I needed to stay away from his daughter. I tapped on her car door. “I’ll give you both a ride, then, so you’re not stuck.”
Henry’s beat-up blue tow truck pulled up behind my Audi. She smiled. “No. Look, the tow truck is here. We’ll be fine.”
Once again, she was the only woman who’d ever blown me off. I reached into my wallet, found my info card, and quickly handed it to her. “Here is my business card, and that’s my cell. Call me if you change your mind or if you need anything, even if it’s just to talk.”
“Okay.” She clutched the card like I’d given her something meaningful.
Madeleine had once been the only woman I ever thought I’d love forever. She’d shattered that dream. Seeing her again, I felt the memories of childhood float back. However, she didn’t want me or my help. I waved to the tow truck and hopped back into my Audi.
Madeleine
Arman Norouzi had grown hotter with age. And he was still the exact opposite of me. As a teenager, he’d been attractive, but as an adult, he was devastating. He took my breath away.
However, I hadn’t showered in two days, as we’d been kicked out of the motel before I got a chance. I’d driven from Kansas to Virgin Cove straight through the night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d washed my hair.
I’d barely survived my last encounter with Bob since he’d found himself a new girlfriend who was superior to his broken wife—me. The bruises on my belly still stung far more than his words.
Accepting an offer from the man I’d once dreamed about scared me, and my daughter was burned out. I was too. Arman was the exact opposite of Bob in every way.Caring,rich,successful,smart, andintuitivewere words I would use to describe the first boy I’d ever kissed. He was my age with dark hair and smoldering brown eyes, and I had goose bumps when I was near him. But there was no way he wanted to do anything more than just help in a neighborly way. And besides, he was moral, and I was still technically married.
I jumped out of the car as the tow truck drove in front of me and called out, “Wait.” Henry parked the tow, and I tapped my seat behind me. “Aurora, get out of the car.”
