“Madeline Adele?”
“I heard Miss Gail say so one day. Wasn’t sure what it meant, so I Googled it at school.” She squared her small shoulders and looked Sky in the eye. “You need one, you know. Like for when Blue don’t work and stuff. And you need a male companion to talk grown-up stuff to, stead of just me all the time.”
Shocked at her young daughter’s intuitiveness, Sky couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“You’re really pretty when we go to church and stuff, and I bet a male companion would be easy to find.” Her face suddenly went from gloomy to happy. “I bet Max would do it.”
“What a piece of crap.”
Max peeked around the corner of his house where he had just finished wrapping an outside faucet in anticipation of the early freeze.
Maddie sat on the cold ground in front of her mother’s car, a faded pink bicycle beside her, a broken chain in her hands.
“What’s a piece of crap?”
She jumped at his question, then ducked her head. “Don’t tell Mama I said that, please.”
“Why not?” He bit back a grin. Her mother probably wouldn’t approve of such language from a kid.
She squirmed on the ground, then stood and faced him. “She works really hard and wanted me to have a bike like the other kids.” The wind whipped her hair around, and she stepped toward him, voice lowered. “We got this one at the Goodwill ‘cause it was cheap.”
Long, dark curls swirled around a cherubic face, highlighted by eyes of the deepest blue. I bet this is what Elizabeth Taylor looked like as a kid.
“She’d get her feelings hurt if she knew I called it crap.”
For a moment, her earnestness stunned him into silence. “Let me see. Maybe I can fix it.”
“I doubt it. Mr. Brown fixed it three times already. I think it’s broke for good this time.”
Max inspected the bike and saw the seat needed a new pad, the handle bars were loose, and a couple of spokes were missing from the crooked front wheel, which needed to be replaced. “This may take me a few minutes. Why don’t you go inside? It’s cold out here.”
“Can’t I watch what you do? I might have to do it by myself next time.”
He started to argue, but one look at her determined face, and he changed his mind. “Well, fixing the chain is pretty involved since we don’t have the right kind of tool.”
Delicate brows puckered, and she sighed. “Well, that’s that then. Thanks for trying, Max. And for fixing Blue. It sure made Mama happy yesterday.”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t fix it. I said it would be involved.”
Immediately, those blue eyes sparkled, and a smile lit up her face. “You can fix it? Really?”
“I can.”
“What do we do first?”
The chain proved to be a pain in the butt, and the fix would only be temporary. He made a mental note to replace it with a new one as soon as possible. Without telling Sky, of course. He didn’t want her to be embarrassed again or feel obligated in any way. Even if it meant he missed out on more cookies.
Maddie wanted to help, so he let her hand him tools and hold things, but mainly she delayed the process, though he didn’t really mind. She was extremely bright with an inquisitive mind and talkative nature. She always spoke when she saw him outside or at the diner. Their conversations were interspersed with a multitude of questions on a wide range of topics. Why seemed to be her favorite word. No one was more surprised than him to discover he didn’t mind in the least.
“Max? Can I ask you something?”
She continued before he had a chance to reply.
“Are you married?”
Of all the questions he anticipated, that didn’t even make the top one hundred. Eyes focused on the bike, he shook his head. “No.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
He cut his eyes toward her and frowned. “No.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and dropped her gaze. Low voice soft and gentle, she asked, “Do you like kids?”
“Only ones like you.” He spoke without thought or hesitation. Her face brightened with a huge smile, and he was glad he did so.
“You really need a girlfriend.”
Okay, so that was certainly not something he would expect from a kid, but damned if he wasn’t totally captivated. “You got someone in mind?”
“Uh-huh. My mom needs a male companion.”
The wrench used to tighten the handle bars slipped from his hand. His eyes widened, and he stared a full ten seconds before he could form a reply. “She what?”
“I overheard Miss Gail tell her that the other day.” She handed him the dropped tool.
“I see.” Like hell I do.
