Maddy's Oasis (14 page)

Jake clenched his jaw and stepped on top of a
small pile of bricks to watch.

She'd been set up, no doubt by Mark.

Nigel’s face flamed with anger. He faced the
smaller woman, his voice nearly audible even at Jake’s distance.
Madeleine, silent, looked from him to the ground as he shouted.

“Jake, we need to stop this before it falls
down completely!” Toni called.

Jake reined in the instincts urging him to
assist Madeleine rather than the building. Toni tapped his arm, and
he went. It took two grueling hours to stabilize the crumbling
structure so nothing damaged the expensive marble flooring. Jake
worked his men hard and was pleased when Eric joined in to assist
in preventing the ceiling from caving in. By the time they
finished, all but the catering tents and one black Lincoln had
gone.

Jake joined Toni and Eric beside a stack of
water bottles presumably left by the caterers. He accepted a bottle
and poured water over his head before drinking another.

“That’ll do until tomorrow,” he said, turning
to admire the haphazard work. “Incredible.”

“I didn’t know that could happen to a
building,” Eric said with a frown. “What happened?”

“Someone on y’all’s staff put twice as many
chairs as the structure could hold,” Jake said. "That just happened
to be the one spot that could bring down the whole thing."

“Who knew about the capacity?” Eric
asked.

“I told Madeleine and Mark,” Toni
responded.

"Mark," Eric repeated, red creeping up his
face once more.

“Where's Madeleine?” Jake asked. All three
looked toward the office.

“Probably pleading for her job right now,”
Eric said. “She’s still being yelled at by Mr. Howard's staff.”

Jake looked at his watch. “Christ.” He waved
at several of the workers headed toward their trucks and wiped his
face.

“Thank god it’s tequila night,” Eric
whispered.

“Starting early tonight,” Toni grunted. “You
gonna rescue your boss?”

Eric ducked his head and hesitated. He
turned, half-heartedly heading for the office.

“We’ll go with you,” Jake offered, plagued by
a sense of guilt for Madeleine’s predicament. The three walked
toward the office. Toni glanced at his watch and then at Jake.

"Bar opens in about an hour. You want to go
directly over?”

“I’ll drive you guys over from here,” Eric
volunteered.

“Definitely staying ’til close,” Jake said.
“I’ll be in tomorrow. Maybe take Monday off instead.”

“We’ve got a lot to do,” Toni said. “Eric,
why don’t you occupy Madeleine away from the site for a day? Take
her mind off things?”

Jake almost objected; if anyone spent a day
with Madeleine away from work, it should be him. He held his
tongue. Eric was delayed answering by the emergence of two of Mr.
Howard’s staff from the office. Eric relaxed as the two departed
toward the waiting Lincoln.

“We can go now,” he said.

“I need something out of the office,” Jake
said, his gaze lingering on the window nearest the desk. “Come,
Duke.”

He entered the darkened office and nudged his
sunglasses up, eyes seeking Madeleine. He paused just inside the
door and closed it behind Duke.

Her head was bent, her forehead supported by
her palms. Her frame was tense, her appearance one of utter defeat.
Jake considered leaving in silence until she looked his way with
red-rimmed eyes.

“You all right?” he asked.

She wiped her eyes and cheeks hastily but met
his gaze. Her nose was red, her face flushed. His instinctive
reaction would've been to take the fragile woman in his arms. He
clenched his jaw instead, aware his actions would probably equate
to an act of war with the difficult woman.

“Thought you might like Duke to stay. We’re
headed to Lucky’s,” he said.

She looked to the dog, her
face softening. She nodded without speaking. Unable to handle the
sight of her suffering without doing
something
, Jake crossed to the small,
rank bathroom and tugged free a few tissues from the box. He strode
back to her desk and handed them to her.

“Thank you,” she said in a tight voice.

He braced himself for yet another rejection
before saying, “You’re welcome to come.”

She looked away.

“Thank you,” she repeated.

Jake forced himself not to respond as he
wanted to. The woman was already upset. She'd seemed interested in
him sometimes and even worn his boots on the day that mattered
most. Yet she continued to refuse him. He didn't understand it.

“Yeah,” he drawled. “Have a good night.”

He left, angry once again at her, but also at
himself. As much as he tried to tell himself it'd never work
between them, he found himself falling for her.

* * *

She waited until everyone was gone then left
the site alone with Duke. She'd cried all she could; her mouth and
eyes were both annoyingly dry. She returned to her hotel, hiding
out in the hot bath for a couple of hours, until the hot water
forced her body to relax. She refilled the bath with hot water
three times, watching out the hotel window as it grew dark. She
wrapped a towel around her and flipped on two lights as she paced
to the bed. A bag of junk food-- candy bars, cookies, and
pastries-- awaited her. She'd worked her way through half of her
normally off-limits food and found them to be as comforting as her
bath.

She flung herself on the bed and stared at
the ceiling. As fatigued as she was, she didn't want to sleep,
didn't want to end the worst day of her life crying next to a bag
of chocolate.

She rolled and flipped open the phonebook to
the restaurant entries. She read through the different types of
restaurants, finding all unappealing. She had no appetite, but she
needed something decent to eat. Her last hot meal had been at
Jake’s.

At the thought of the man, her gaze fell to
the small advertisement for Lucky’s Bar.

If she'd known Mr. Howard’s visit would be
the end of her career … well, she couldn't say she wouldn't have
taken this job. Despite the disastrous ending, she didn't feel
nearly as devastated as she expected. She was doomed. Her career
was over. She'd have to find a way to pay off Mama's medical
debts.

She'd failed.

Maybe there was some sort of release in
knowing none of it mattered anymore. Or maybe she realized the rest
of the world hadn't stopped despite her day. It was still Lucky's
Bar night, and everyone normal in the world was doing what they
always did. For once, she wanted to be one of them. She debated for
another tired moment, wondering if that was good or bad.

At least she was given one small reprieve:
she would finish the project before being pushed onto the street.
Nigel said Mark had begged for her job on her behalf, and of
course, he'd decided to listen.

She wanted to kill Mark, but she had better
things to do. She needed to take the time Nigel allowed her and
find another job, not sit here looking for restaurants. She
sighed.

Her phone rang. She debated not answering
until she saw the number was from her mother's nursing home.

"Hey baby," her mother's warm tone said as
she answered.

Madeleine felt like melting out of shame. Her
eyes blurred with tears.

"Hey, Mama. How are you doing?" she
asked.

"Very good. The food here is great, the other
sickies fun, and the nurses sweet," her mother said. Her voice was
strained but cheerful, as always.

"I'm glad you're doing okay," Madeleine said
with relief. "The doc says you have another surgery scheduled."

"Should be an easy one. Removing another
tumor. How're you doing, baby?"

"Good, really good," Madeleine lied. "The
project is interesting. I should be done here in a few months. I'm
thinking of switching jobs."

"I thought you liked it there."

"Well, I kind of need to grow a little, I
guess."

"It's your ex, isn't it?" her mama asked,
voice hardening. "I told you he was a weasel."

"And you were right, as always," Madeleine
said with a chuckle. "Yeah, he's making life at the office a little
difficult. I need a change anyway, Mama."

"You work too hard. Your eyes will wrinkle up
and your hair turn silver by the time you're thirty."

"Gee, thanks, Mama."

"I'm serious! I know I'm as much of a burden
as your job."

"No, never, Mama," Madeleine said quickly. "I
want you to be healthy, and I can make that happen. When you're
better, maybe we can move someplace else."

"Like Texas!" her mother said eagerly. "You
know I've always wanted to live in the southwest."

"Eh, not sure you'd like it here, Mama,"
Madeleine replied. "It's nothing but desert and some hills."

"But lots of room. No cement stretching for
miles, and I bet you can see all the stars!"

"Yes, you can."

"When I'm better, we'll move to the
southwest."

Madeleine's heart ached at the words. The
doctors weren't sure if her mother would ever be well enough to
live an unassisted life. With her seizures and cancer, she needed
constant medical attention, and Madeleine hadn't seen a hospital
anywhere near where her hotel was.

"Ok, Mama," she said softly. "We can do
that."

"I'll do some online research and tell you
where we're moving."

"Sounds good, Mama," she said. "I've gotta
get back to work."

"Love you, baby."

"Love you, too."

She hung up, both heartened and tormented by
her conversation with her mother. She wasn't sure how to tell her
she'd completely failed, that the next operation was the last she
could pay for. Once Nigel fired her, she'd have to declare
bankruptcy and pray there was another way to pay for her mother's
medical issues. She pushed the ugly thoughts away. She had time to
figure out something-- and she would, even if it meant working
multiple jobs.

Duke whined from his position resting on the
small hotel couch. Madeleine looked at him and smiled, pleased the
dog was back. She hadn't noticed how much she enjoyed not being
completely alone until Jake reclaimed his dog two days prior.
Duke’s return was a small token that reminded her Jake was at least
somewhat concerned, or he wouldn't leave his dog with her.

Her gaze fell to the boots, and she pushed
herself up.

She'd never been to a real bar, never been
drinking with anyone. She'd drunk plenty during business socials
but never just to do it. She debated which she wanted more: a good
night’s rest or not to be alone with her depressive thoughts.

“What do you think, Princess?” she asked,
hesitating.

The dog didn't answer. She stood and dressed,
seeking some excuse not to go but feeling as if she needed a drink.
In jeans and short-sleeved blouse, she paused once again before
pulling on her boots. Duke stretched and hopped from the couch as
she started toward the door.

"Stay, Duke," she ordered. He sat and panted.
"You're the only man worth knowing anymore. If Mark comes by, eat
him."

She left him with the television on to keep
him company and walked to her rental car. A short ten-minute drive
later, she pulled into a crowded parking lot. Lucky’s Bar was what
she imagined it would be: crowded, smoky, and large. The bottom
floor was split between an indoor bar area and an outdoor deck with
a barbecue pit surrounded by tables, chairs, and even some sagging
couches.

She felt out of place in the
bar. It was loud, boisterous, and
packed
. A sign marked “Pool” pointed
toward the second floor while another marked “Beer” pointed toward
a large bar. She maneuvered through the crowd, seeking any faces
she recognized. There was standing room only at the bar. She made
her way to it and assumed the spot of a large man
leaving.

“Vodka cranberry!” she shouted at one of four
bartenders. A smile indicated he heard as he deftly exchanged money
and drinks with the people beside her.

“Tab or cash?” he shouted back at her.

“Cash!”

She reached into her pocket and pulled free a
few bills, then twisted to look around behind her again. She saw no
one she knew. Her eyes drifted to the second floor, whose balcony
overlooked the fire pit. It appeared to be less crowded.

“Five!”

She turned at the bartender’s shout and
passed him a ten, waving to refuse the offered change. He tipped
his hat and moved on. She turned her back to the bar and leaned
back, sipping her drink.

She watched the crowd. Despite the raucous
environment, she felt herself relax. The people distracted her dark
thoughts while the alcohol warmed her from the inside out. She
finished her first drink within a few minutes, and twisted around
to the bar again. Bartenders bustled to and fro as she waited
patiently before one stopped to take her order. Her gaze went from
him to the buzzing BlackBerry. Nigel's number flashed. She sighed
but answered.

“Madeleine Winters.”

“Madeleine, it’s Nigel.”

She slumped.

“Hello, Nigel.”

“Listen, Madeleine, we need to-- ”

The phone was plucked from her ear. Startled,
she turned face the interloper, ready to deck whoever stole her
phone. She went still as she realized it was Jake. He gave the
phone a look of complete disgust and turned it off, tucking it into
his back jeans pocket. He lifted her pink-tinted drink.

“This yours?” he yelled above the crowd.

She nodded.

“Jim, tab!” he bellowed to the bartender, and
turned without awaiting a response. “C’mon!”

The moment he stepped away, he was swallowed
by the crowd. She waded through the mass of people until she
reached the empty stairwell where Jake awaited her. He flashed her
a small smile, one that made her pulse quicken, and started up the
stairs.