Devon Archer - Say It with Roses

He gave Madison a quick appraisal. She was hot, even if the chilly-weather clothing kept him from getting a good look at her body. He liked her butterscotch-colored complexion, soft brown eyes and long curly hair beneath the helmet. Yes, she had a beauty that would get any man to look twice.

Madison kept riding and he stayed with her. “So have you been riding long?” he asked. “Or did you take up the sport to fit in with our lifestyle?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “I think people across the country enjoy riding bikes just as much as Oregonians,” she said stiffly. “And, yes, I have been riding for most of my life.”

He cocked a brow. “That’s good to hear.” Was it just him or was she giving him the cold shoulder? “I ride with my daughters whenever I can,” he told her. “If you need someone to partner with sometime, just let me know....”

“I will,” she said, then quickly added, “but I prefer to ride by myself and take the time to think about my day.”

“No problem,” Stuart said in a measured tone. Actually there was a problem, but not on his end. Still, he had to respect the lady’s wishes to be left alone, even if he was merely trying to be hospitable to a new resident. “Guess I’ll see you around then.”

She forced a smile. “Sure, see you later.”

* * *

Madison watched him veer off in the opposite direction. She hoped he didn’t take her unfriendliness personally. It was just the way it had to be. At least till she had time to gain her bearings in Portland and put more distance between her and the past.

She continued pedaling, feeling weariness in her legs but determined to keep going.

* * *

Stuart caught up with his best friend and successful musician, Chad Schmidt. The two frequently went cycling and shot hoops together. They met the same year Stuart’s wife left him. Chad, who had lost his wife to cancer a few years earlier, was someone Stuart had been able to lean on in his time of need.

“What’s up, man?” Chad asked, sitting on his bike. His brown Rastafarian locks bounced atop his broad shoulders.

“I’m good,” Stuart said as they tapped knuckles.

“So who was that chick I saw you talking to?”

“Just someone who wants to be left alone.”

Chad chuckled. “Man, you must be losing your touch.”

“I lost that when Fawn left me,” Stuart grumbled.

“I doubt it,” Chad said. “Just because you’re choosing to lay low on the dating scene right now doesn’t mean the ladies wouldn’t line up in droves to go out with you. And not only because you’re a great writer, though that doesn’t hurt.”

“I’ll leave the ladies to other available men like you, for now,” Stuart told him. He gazed off in the distance and watched as Madison pedaled up a hill.

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Chad said, grinning.

“Let’s ride,” Stuart said.

Later, he arrived at the Victorian home he shared with his seven-year-old twin daughters, Carrie and Dottie. The house was more than one hundred years old, but it had been updated with all the modern features of the twenty-first century, including granite countertops, cork and vinyl flooring, new plumbing and energy-efficient windows. The house had once been shared with Fawn, the girls’ mother and Stuart’s former wife, before she inexplicably bolted from their lives four years ago, leaving him alone to raise the twins.

It was a challenge Stuart, now age thirty-three, had readily accepted for the love of his girls. It had also left a wound in his heart that wasn’t so easy to heal. He had to do what was best for his twins, and that meant he couldn’t invite another woman into his life. The last thing he wanted was for them to get comfortable with someone who wasn’t their mother, only to be disappointed if she too suddenly left.

The moment he stepped inside the huge foyer, Stuart was surrounded by Dottie and Carrie.

“Hi, Daddy,” they spoke in unison. They were light-complexioned, thin and had thick black hair, currently in braids.

“Good morning, my little angels.” He lifted them up one at a time and gave them each a big kiss on the cheek. Honestly, even with the subtle differences between the two, it was still hard sometimes to tell them apart. “Did you have breakfast yet?”

“No, we waited for you,” Dottie said.

“Yeah, Grace said we should,” Carrie added, tugging on his leg.

“Did she now?” Stuart smiled as Grace Brennan, their part-time nanny, entered the room. The twenty-one-year-old graduate student did a good job caring for the girls when he needed to do other things. Moreover, Dottie and Carrie got along with her, unlike the previous nannies he had employed.

“Good morning, Stuart,” Grace said. “How was your ride?”

“It was a great workout,” he answered. He loved the way riding raised his heart rate and strengthened his legs. He thought about how Madison Wagner and her decidedly less-than-warm attitude had put a damper on his bright morning. If she acted like that before she even got to know him, he could only imagine how she might treat his kids if they ever ran into each other. “Why don’t we all go wash up and have some breakfast,” he told the girls, and added for Grace, “You’re welcome to stay and eat, too.” He said the polite thing, but secretly hoped she would decline as he enjoyed when it was just the three of them bonding as a family.

“I’d love to,” Grace said, “but I have a hiking date with my boyfriend, so...”

“Understood,” Stuart said with a smile. “Have a good hike and we’ll see you the next time.”

“Sounds good.” Grace grabbed her bag and beamed at the girls. “Don’t give your dad a hard time.”

“We won’t,” Carrie promised, then turned to her sister. “Will we?”

“No, we won’t,” Dottie said. “Race you to the bathroom.”

“Okay.” Carrie sprinted away, giggling, with Dottie hot on her tail.

Stuart laughed, as did Grace. It gave him such joy to see them acting like girls should, rather than the way it was when their mother left and it seemed like there was a void he could never fill. While he considered it still a work-in-progress, Stuart felt he was generally getting the job done as a single parent.

* * *

On Monday, Madison drove her Subaru Legacy to the downtown offices of Rose Petals magazine. She loved the job, as she loved reading books and giving honest reviews. It was also nice to have her own column, where she could highlight books of interest and other general literary topics.

Stuart Kendall crossed her mind. She had not seen him since their run-in. She had read some of his thriller fiction after Holly had recommended she try it. Admittedly, he was talented, and she had given him high marks when doing reviews in Houston. But she saw little reason for them to crisscross at this point, as it would only remind her of things she was trying to forget.

After pulling into the underground parking garage, Madison took the elevator up to the fifth floor. She greeted the other members of the staff, then sat at her desk in her small office.

The editor-in-chief, Giselle Fortune, walked in holding a stack of books.

“Good morning, Madison,” she said. “I’ve got some reading material for you.”

“Oh, great!” Madison smiled as Giselle set them on her desk. “I can’t wait to get started.” She picked up the top book in the stack, which was a thriller by Stuart Kendall titled The Next One to Fall. “Hmm...this looks interesting, but I know Stuart, kind of. I used to hang out with his sister. I’d feel kind of funny reviewing his book, especially if it wasn’t glowing.” Maybe even weirder if it was, she mused.

“Understood,” Giselle said. She brushed aside feathered blond hair and took the book from Madison’s hands. “I’ll get Larry Wellington to review it.”