Page 29 of Trust Me
“I am really, really happy for you though.”
“Thanks, Holl. I’m pretty darn happy for myself right now too,” I reply with a smile.
We pack up all of Brooklyn’s stuff and head out the door. The Mexican restaurant is two blocks away, so we decide to enjoy the semi-decent October weather and walk. As we’re walking into the restaurant, my phone dings signaling a text message. After we’re seated in the booth, I retrieve my phone from my purse and see a text from Maddox.
Maddox:Make it home ok?
I smile at his thoughtfulness as I type out my reply.
Me: Yes. Just walkedinto El Toro with Holly and Brooklyn.
Maddox: Sounds good. Jake and I were just arguing about lunch.
Me: Stop by here. We just got a booth.
Maddox: Can’t tell him I’m texting you tho. Gotta make it look like his idea.
There’s a pregnant pause, and then I see him typing another reply.
Maddox: Done. Be there in a sec.
I look up at Holly and say under my breath, “Looks like we might have company. Act surprised.” Just as she starts to question me, I see her look over my shoulder as a smile of understanding stretches across her face.
“Hey, sis. Didn’t know you would be here. Hi, Brookie Bean!” Jake leans down and kisses his niece on the cheek.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask.
“Lunchtime. Jake was in the mood for Mexican,” Maddox responds with a sly wink.
Jake slips into the booth with me, which leaves Maddox to share a booth bench across fromme with Holly. I try not to make too much eye contact with Maddox because I’m afraid everyone else will be able to see my secrets written plainly all over my face. Or at least Jake will see them. He’s the only one, in fact, who doesn’t know them at this table, besides my daughter.
As we munch on homemade chips and salsa, the guys tell us about their morning calls and stops, including the one where Maddox got whacked on the head with a telephone book.
“A telephone book? Seriously?” I ask.
“Yep. We had to pick up the husband for another failure to appear. When we were heading out the door, the guy’s old lady walked up behind Maddox and nailed him over the head with the phone book.”
I glance over at Maddox, my mouth gaping open, and ask, “Are you okay?”
He chuckles and says, “Yeah, I’m fine. She caught me completely off guard with it though. She didn’t say a word the entire time we were cuffing her husband and reading him his rights. Then Jake leads him out to the squad car, I turn to follow out the door and she whacks me across the back of the head with the county phone book from nineteen ninety-three. When I turned around, a little stunned, she tried to kick me in the shins. So, we went ahead and tookher on down to the station too, for assaulting a police officer and interfering.”
Our lunch arrives and we all dive into the delicious food. I keep catching Maddox looking at me out of the corner of his eye or whenever Jake is focused on Brooklyn. It makes me feel all schoolgirl giddy, like when the boy you have a crush on is checking you out.
After lunch is finished and we’re starting to exit the booth, Jake’s radio squawks to life. “Well, lunch is over, ladies. Looks like we have a call,” Jake says, leaning in to kiss my cheek. He bends down and grabs Brooklyn, kissing her multiple times all over her face. “Who’s your favorite uncle?”
“You,” Brooklyn giggles and kisses his cheek again.
Jake starts to hand her back to me, but Brooklyn has other ideas. She reaches across Jake for Maddox, begging him to take her. “Maddox!” she exclaims. “I need a kissy.”
Maddox reaches across Jake and takes my daughter. She grabs his face and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. He returns the affection and throws in a big hug on top of it. Jake looks over to me with eyebrows raised, and says, “I didn’t realize Bean knew Maddox so well.”
“Shedoesn’t. She’s just an affectionate child,” I claim without meeting his eyes.
“Whatever. See you soon. Bye, Holly. Maddox, we gotta go,” he states as he walks out the front door.
Maddox walks over and hands Brooklyn to me. As he leans in, I feel his nose slide along my jaw. I hear him inhale as he kisses the spot just below my ear where my neck meets my cheek. “Bye.”
I take Brooklyn from him and give him a knowing smile. “Bye.”
