Page 53 of Someone Like You
No one hurt more over London’s loss than her parents and him. “You would’ve loved her.” He stared again at the gray sky overhead. “After today you’ll know that a little better.”
“Thanks.” She settled into her seat and looked out the window. “It means a lot, Dawson. That you would do this.”
And there, in that moment, was the first major difference between Maddie and London. Dawson smiled to himself. Maddie was more polite. London was sarcastic, something Dawson had always thought would soften someday.
He worked to keep his head clear. “Let’s start at University of Portland. That’s where London went. She graduated with a business degree.”
“Business …” Maddie’s voice trailed off.
“Yes.” It was hard to know where to begin with Maddie. She knew nothing about London, not the reasons she attended business school or her hopes and dreams.Nothing. He understood how Maddie must feel. Hungry for anything that would help her know London.
He would spend the next few hours seeing to that.
On the drive to the university Dawson kept stealing glances at her. Maddie was stunning, so like London. But she had a beauty all her own, too. He focused. “London grew up here. All her life.” The zoo exit was coming up. “Her dream was to work with animals. The two of us … we were at the zoo a while back. She was ready to throw away the coffee business and start working with monkeys.”
“So … she loved animals.” The news seemed to hit Maddie hard. She looked out the window and watched as they passed the sign. Then, as if she were talking to the memory of her sister, her voice fell to a whisper. “I wish we could’ve talked about that.”
Dawson waited a few minutes. Maddie needed time today, space to process everything she was learning. All she had missed out on. As they pulled off toward the university, he picked up again. “London loved working with her mom at the coffee shop. It was something they did together.” He stopped at the light at the bottom of the off-ramp. “They were planning to open another one in Vancouver, across the river. Because the shop in Portland is so popular.”
“Can we go there?” Maddie sounded hopeful. “Later today. I bet we liked the same coffee, too.”
“We will.” He chuckled. “It’s on the itinerary.”
“Perfect.” They climbed out of his truck and she fell in beside him as they walked. “I have a feeling you’ll be a very good tour guide.”
He smiled and the sensation was wonderful. More like his old self than he’d felt in far too long. Just then the suncut through the clouds, and Dawson lifted his gaze. “Don’t be alarmed.” He grinned at Maddie and switched to a mock tour guide voice. “If you look up just overhead, that’s the sun.” Another laugh caught him by surprise. “People in Portland are often frightened when the sun makes an appearance.”
“I jumped a little. Yes.” She played along as they walked, peering up at the sky. “The sun. I believe I’ve heard of it.”
“I wondered.” Dawson grinned and joy filled his heart. Who was this delightful young woman? And why couldn’t he have met her before? He pushed the random questions from his mind and they continued down the pathway. Maybe today wouldn’t be so sad and heavy after all. Losing London wasn’t something personal to Maddie. The two never knew each other so for her, it was okay to have a little fun on the journey.
“Oh … I read up on Portland.” Maddie’s eyes sparkled as she turned to him. “Is it true you have two seasons here? Winter and August?”
“Nice.” He allowed a quiet chuckle under his breath and he winked at her. “Which … is why it was kind of the sun to show up. Just for you. God lets that happen sometimes … when we have a special visitor to the city.”
“I see.” She did a slight curtsy. “Very kind.” She glanced up. “Thank you, God.”
London wouldn’t have said that. Dawson studied the girl walking beside him. No, London would’ve teased him.There you go. Always talking about God, Dawson. The sun is always in the sky, not just for one person.How often had London said things like that? He glanced at Maddie again.Whatever ways she was like London, there were clearly many more ways she wasn’t.
The sun streamed through the evergreens that lined the path. Any rain in the forecast must’ve moved on. God truly was giving them a day fitting for remembering London. All sunshine and blue skies.
Dawson walked Maddie to the business building where she pointed to a bench near the front entrance. “Could we sit, please?” Her pretty face reflected the light. “For a few minutes.”
“Sure.”She’s engaged,he told himself.Keep your distance.He let her take the lead. When Dawson sat down, he was careful to keep a few inches between them. He ran his hand over the bench. “I bet London never sat here.”
Maddie turned to him. “Why not?”
“Because.” He looked at Maddie. “Your sister never … she never stopped moving.” He could see her again, hair flying behind her as she ran. “London was a free spirit. She didn’t always make great choices, but she loved big.”
So big, he told her, that the last time he had visited her on campus they had shared lunch in the cafeteria across the lawn. “She stayed with me till the last possible minute, asking about my work and telling me how she wanted a London Coffee shop in every city on the West Coast. Then she was going to expand to New York City.”
“Ambitious.” Maddie raised her eyebrows. The breeze caught her long blond hair and she tucked it behind her ear. “I can be that way. But not always.”
“That’s just it. The conversation wasn’t so much about ambition … as it was about her heart.” Dawson leaned back and looked across the campus. “She was so busysharing her dreams with me, she almost missed class. When she left, she had to run to make it.” He pointed to the sidewalk they’d just come up on. “I still see her, sprinting across the path, racing into this building.”
“Mmm.” Maddie nodded. “Which is why she probably never sat here.”
“Right.” Dawson pulled his North Face jacket closer around his body. “It’s cold.”
