Page 56 of Someone Like You
“That’s just it.” Maddie looked deep into his eyes. “I’m not sure who I am now. All my life I’ve thought I was blood related to my family, and now I know I’m not. So am I more a part of Louise and Larry? Would London have been my best friend? I feel … disconnected from everything back home.” She raised one slim shoulder. “I’m not sure how long I’ll feel like that.”
“So … you and your parents …” He tried again. “Things aren’t good?”
“No.” Her single laugh was empty of any humor. “We aren’t talking, really. They know I arrived here safely. That’s about it.”
Dawson let the reality work through him. How awful for her parents back home. He would make a point of bringing this up later. Maddie couldn’t hate her parents. Embryo adoption was cutting edge back then. Most people still didn’t know about it. How would you tell a child she was adopted when she was formed in her adoptive mother’s womb?
After coffee they stopped at the store for flowers. Maddie’s idea. They were having dinner at Louise and Larry’s again and she thought a bouquet would be a nice touch. “Yes!” Maddie seemed to know what she wanted from the florist. She skipped ahead to a pretty display. “Yellow roses. They’re my favorite.”
His heart missed a beat and he blinked. Because for a few seconds he could only see London, delighting over a bouquet in this very store. How could they be so similar? When they’d never even met? He took the spot beside her. “Yellow roses were London’s favorite, too.”
Maddie reached for the flowers and stopped. She turned to Dawson again. “Thank you. For telling me that.”She took hold of the bouquet and faced him. “I would’ve been good for her. I believe that.”
No question, Dawson wanted to say. If London had been close to Maddie, maybe she would’ve understood Dawson’s faith sooner. He let the thought pass. It was all speculation, at this point. Maddie would’ve been younger, and maybe she would’ve been as wild and free spirited as London. That’s how it worked with younger sisters.
The night was less awkward, less emotional. They played spades after dinner and when Dawson took Maddie back to her hotel, they laughed about how long they’d stood at the falls. “My shirt was damp for an hour.” Dawson kept his attention on the road. He hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.
Maybe ever.
They made a plan to ride the Jet Skis the next day. Dawson parked in front of the hotel and faced her. “When do you leave?”
“I’m not sure.” Again, she didn’t look away. “I didn’t buy a return ticket.”
The news shocked Dawson. “But … your family. Your job.”
“I know.” She smiled. “I just need to be here. I’m not sure how long.”
His heart beat a bit faster. “Okay.”
“I asked Louise and Larry if I could stay with them for a while.” She looked up at the hotel sign. “This is my last day at the Hilton.”
Dawson nodded. “All right, then. I guess the tour’s going to last a little longer.” He climbed out of the truck and got her door once more.
When she stepped out she grinned up at him, andthen, without hesitating, she eased her arms around his neck and hugged him. Not for too long, and not in a way that was inappropriate. But for Dawson, the feeling lasted long after she let go.
She smiled. “Thank you.” The temperature had dropped, and she shivered in the cold night air. “For today, Dawson.” She seemed to look straight to his soul. “It was a gift from God. More than I could’ve imagined.”
He only hesitated a moment. “For me, too.”
“And you don’t have to be my tour guide after today.” Her laugh was easy and light. Now that he’d had a full day with Maddie he could tell the sound was her own.
“You’re firing me?” He had to be careful. There was no room for mixed signals. Not when the situation was already so complicated. “What if I like the job?”
Again she tipped her head back and laughed. As if he were the funniest guy she’d ever known. “I didn’t say I don’t want to hang out.” Her eyes sparkled. “I just don’t need a tour.”
“Okay.” Dawson felt his smile fade. What was she saying? And how come she looked at him that way? “I guess you should … you know, go in and call your fiancé.”
The reminder seemed to put her off. She took a step back. “I guess so.” She held up one hand. “Thanks again.”
He watched her walk through the doors. When she was gone he stepped back in his truck and drove away. Maddie West was the most wonderful girl he’d ever spent a day with. They’d had no fighting about God, no jokes about Dawson being a monk. No hopes dashed once again.
Maddie believed the same way he did.
Every minute of the day had been unforgettable. By the time Dawson got home he had to work to rememberhis own words.Maddie wasn’t London. She was only here for a short time and then she would go home to her fiancé.But none of that changed the way she had looked at him. Not once but throughout the day.
When he turned in that night he couldn’t wait to see her again. Whether she went home in a few days or a few weeks, he would enjoy the time he had with Maddie West. She was her own person, and Dawson wanted only to be with her again. She wasn’t London. But in the craziest, most uncanny way she was someone like her.
And as he fell asleep Dawson couldn’t imagine going a day without her.
