Page 43 of Heartless
“Clementine, we have a guest,” Sylvia sounded outraged. “Could you please show some of your good upbringing? Please.”
Clem waved at us from her spot on the floor. Then her gaze flickered to Madison. “Hi.”
“Hi.” My fake date raised her hand. “Mom? Do you need any help in the kitchen?”
Clem stood up and took Daphne in her arms. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your niece?”
The horror on Madison’s face surprised me. “You know she doesn’t like me.”
“She doesn’t know you. If you play with her once in a while, she won’t cry every time you try to hold her.”
“Can I hold her?” I asked.
“Sure.” Clem extended her hands forward, handing Daphne over to me.
In my periphery I saw Sylvia gesturing, but when I looked at her, she stopped and offered a tight smile.
“I’ll go help in the kitchen,” Clem said and offered a hand to Lucas, who was now lying on the floor, exhaustion visible on his face. “Come with me.”
They all left Madison and me alone with Daphne, who looked at me wide-eyed. “You’re wondering who I am, aren’t you?”
Daphne grabbed my nose in response. Her chubby cheeks, the scent of baby powder, the weight of her in my arms, brought up a yearning I never let myself acknowledge. Knowing it wasn’t the time to dig into those emotions, I bounced the baby up and down and faced Madison.
“What’s your problem?” I frowned. “I get that you might have issues with your mother and your sister, but with a baby, Madison? Really?”
“I don’t like children and they don’t like me.”
“She’s your niece. You’re supposed to love her, not like her. Not to mention she’s so adorable. You have to be a heartless monster to resist all that cuteness.”
“And what if I’m heartless?” She pointed at herself, then at me. “It’s not like this is real. It’s not like you’re debating if I’m the right woman to bear your children, like you led my mother to believe.”
“You might want to pretend I’m debating and that you’re interested in the outcome if you want this to work for your benefit. Currently, you’re acting like you’re dating me at gunpoint.”
Voices interrupted us. The others were coming back from the kitchen and just as I was turning to face them, Madison placed her hand on my elbow, so I stopped mid-turn. She leaned in so close I could practically feel her lips on the shell of my ear. “I want it to work.”
I knew she meant the charade, the lie, but her hot breath on my ear, the scent of her perfume and the closeness of her body made me drop my gaze down to her mouth, imagining what it would be like to taste her.
“How is our princess doing over there?” Mike’s voice boomed over the others.
“A little cranky, but I will soften her up.” I tore my gaze from Madison’s face. “Daphne, on the other hand, is an absolute delight.”
Everyone laughed at my joke and I could swear I heard a brief snicker coming from my date, too.
Half an hour later we sat at the table, eating, when we heard the front door open, then slam shut. A moment later, Tyler entered the dining room.
Clem’s face lit up when she saw her brother. She stood up to give him a hug. “Hannah?” She peeked behind his back.
“She stayed home. But I couldn’t miss this dinner.” He glanced at Madison with a grin, then nodded at me. I stood up and shook his hand.
“You could have come on time then,” Sylvia scolded. “It’s rude to interrupt people while they’re eating.”
“Nice to see you too, mother,” Tyler offered her an exaggerated sunny smile. Then he approached Lucas, who was holding Daphne, kissed his niece’s forehead, and sat down next to Clem, right across from Madison.
“Hey there, monster Maddie. You brought a boy home,” he said and shook his head. “Huge mistake.”
Did everyone in this family have a bone to pick with Madison? Knowing her, it wasn’t exactly a surprise, but what had I gotten myself into?
The smile on Tyler’s face suggested he wanted to make Madison squirm, and I wanted to... I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I knew I didn’t like how the evening was unfolding.
