Page 88 of Joy to Noel
MJ
I need some time to think. Time to cool down from being defensive and angry so I can thinkclearly.
ME
Ok. You can have time.
If I call, will you please answer? I need to say something to you not over text.
There’s a short pause, but then the phone rings.
“Yes?” Madison says when I answer.
“I just need to explain one thing,” I say. “Iamworried about what this job offer means for us. Iamanxious about what it might mean for me because I don’t want to loseyou. But, MJ, I’m upset about this job offer primarily because you deserve better. What they did to you was an unjust way to treat one of their most reliable employees. You shouldn’t have to go back just because they’re crawling to you on their knees now that they lost clients and realized they screwed up. You’re worth more than that, love.”
There’s silence on Madison’s end aside from a quiet sniff.
“Please think about that as you’re taking time to think, okay?” I plead.
“Okay,” she replies quietly. “Bye, Liam.”
The call ends.
Chapter thirty-six
Madison
“Idon’t know why you’re still thinking about this, Maddie,” my mom says. We’re in the kitchen at the farm, mixing up side dishes while Dad and Caitlin’s husband are out back deep frying the turkey. Chris and his wife will be over in a few hours to eat dinner together.
Mom scoops the niblets of corn she cut off the cobs into the slow cooker, where butter and cream cheese await to completely cancel out any nutritional value of the vegetable. “It seems pretty obvious that you should take the job. You already know exactly what to do there. It’s financial security and insurance—none of which you have with this side hustle,” she continues as she adds salt and pepper to the corn mixture.
I mash the sweet potatoes more aggressively. “Does it not matter at all that they fired me in the first place? Maybe I don’t want to bail them out. Maybe I don’t want to move back to Kansas City.”
Mom perks up at my statement. “If you’ve decided you don’t care for big city living, why don’t you move back here? We’d love to have you closer to home! It could be just like old times having you help out with harvest and—”
“No, Mom!” I cut her off, frustrated. “I’m not moving back here. If I don’t accept the job, I’m going to stay in Noel with Clara and Liam.”
Shetsks. “Are you sure you’re still going to have a boyfriend to go back to? Especially after you threw that temper tantrum? That’s exactly what happened with Arthur your senior year of high school. You needto learn to get a tighter rein on your tongue if you’re going to make a relationship work.”
Gripping the potato masher tighter, I hold in the choice words I’d like to yell. I officially regret telling my mom about my fight with Liam.
“Can we not talk about this anymore, Mom? I’d like to enjoy Thanksgiving instead of having my mistakes rubbed in my face.”
“Now, Maddie, I’m not trying—”
“Please, Mom? Just stop,” I beg, a hint of tears edging my voice.
Mercifully, JoJo comes into the kitchen asking for a snack. I abandon the sweet potato casserole and sweep JoJo into my arms, carrying her to the fridge to look for some fruit. Mom takes an aluminum pan outside to my dad, so I take a second trying to corral my emotions in the cool air of the refrigerator. Caitlin comes up beside me.
“Mom?” she quietly asks. An entire one-worded question that we both understand.
“Just meddling with her always-right opinions,” I mutter under my breath.
Caitlin pokes me in the side. “You had to get that opinionated nature from somewhere,” she teases.
I roll my eyes but crack a smile.
I’ve filled her in on everything that transpired with Liam—with much more detail than I volunteered to my mom. “I don’t know what to do, Cait. Going back to WritInc is entirely unappealing, but I tried doing my own thing, and it’s not working. At this point, it seems pretty irresponsible to turn down a stable job.”
