Second to None, page 6
Maddox crossed his arms over his chest. “So?”
“And I could use your help.”
“Get someone else.”
“But you’re the best.”
He smirked. “Obviously.”
“And oh-so modest.”
“It’s not vanity when it’s fact,” he said, stomping out of the lab.
I followed after him down the old hallways and out into the Savannah summer heat. It was a beautiful day. Sunny and bright. No one would guess it had stormed all day yesterday.
I grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “Look, everyone else is already teamed up. The only person available is Tuck Underwood.”
Maddox groaned. “I fucking hate that guy.”
“Yeah. Everyone does. He’s harassed every woman in the school, but daddy has big money, and there will never be any consequences. I cannot work with him.”
He cringed at my assessment. “Plus, his VFX are shit.”
“Maddox, please,” I asked, my voice wavering. I hadn’t thought it would be easy to convince him, but I hadn’t thought it’d be this hard either.
“I’m busy,” he said with a sigh. “I have my own thesis project, which I’m doing solo, except for the voice acting.”
“I can voice act,” I volunteered immediately.
He arched an eyebrow. “You’re not an acting major.”
“Maddox, come on. You know I’m a good actor. I was in all of my high school theater productions. I’ve done acting film work here at SCAD. Just because I want to be a director doesn’t mean I can’t act.”
“And I’m working on my girlfriend’s project.”
Ah.
There it was.
The girlfriend. I was surprised it had taken this long to get to this objection. Amanda Curtis and I didn’t get along. We never had. She was in the film school as well as on the producing track. A mousy, small girl who never spoke up in class when it mattered but still complained constantly.
“Well, what’s the use of that big brain of yours if you’re not working on multiple projects?” I teased.
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t try that with me.”
“What?”
“Flirting,” he growled.
“You’re mistaking charisma for flirtation.”
He looked over at me, disbelieving. We both knew that he wasn’t doing anything of the sort. But flirting with Maddox came naturally, like breathing.
We stopped in the parking lot. The building was three stories tall and home to visual effects, animation, and gaming. It contrasted with the building where the film department was housed in Adler Hall off River Street. I’d gotten used to stepping out every day to the Savannah River.
My BMW was parked next to the pickup truck he’d had since high school. We’d been the only two cars in the parking lot when I got here. A third one was parked next to Maddox’s now.
I turned back around to try to work on convincing him, but his gaze was still on that car.
“Friend of yours?”
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath.
And then we both found Amanda Curtis walking in our direction, looking pissed.
Fuck was right.
“Amanda,” Maddox said.
He took a clear step away from me as he went over to his girlfriend. Her blonde hair was cut short in a non-descript bob. Her clothes were plain—jeans, a pastel T-shirt, and Keds.
“Hey, I brought you lunch,” she said, holding up a bag from a local bagel shop. “Thought you might be working hard, like normal.”
“I was,” he said.
“With Josie?”
“Hey, Amanda,” I said with a bright smile.
“We weren’t working together,” Maddox said quickly.
“Maddox is helping me with my senior thesis film.”
Amanda’s eyes turned as big as saucers. “You are?”
“No!” he said hastily. “No, I’m not.”
“It’s that or work with Tuck Underwood, and we all know how that would work out.”
Amanda grimaced. “Tuck is a creep.”
“Right. Exactly. Maddox is a much better option.”
Maddox groaned. “Are you going to bother me until I say yes?”
“Yes,” I said definitively.
Let him save face in front of his girlfriend. I wasn’t here to be a homewrecker. As much as Maddox and I had history, I wasn’t that kind of girl.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Send me what you have, and I’ll look at it.”
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” I said, jumping in excitement.
Amanda crossed her arms. “You’ll still have time for my stuff?”
“Of course,” Maddox said gently.
“Oh, and I’ll do any voice acting you need, Maddox.”
“She’s voice acting for your film?” Amanda asked, aghast.
“Just if he needs help,” I said quickly. “Anyway, I’m going to get out of your hair now. I’ll text you. Bye. Thanks again.”
I made a hasty retreat. I could already see that Amanda was going to give him an earful. But, well … I didn’t have to work with Tuck Underwood. I got to work with Maddox instead. And that was a fair trade in my book.
9
SCAD
JULY 31, 2010,
“And to your left, you’ll find the famous Cathedral of St. John the Baptist,” a ghost tour guide began. “It has the highest twin steeples in all of Savannah and is home to the all-boys school, Holy Cross, and the girls school, St. Catherine’s.”
I skipped around the crowd in Lafayette Square, on my way to my favorite coffee shop in town that overlooked the famed cathedral. I was ten minutes late already. Maddox was going to kill me. I was shocked that I didn’t have a bunch of texts, asking where I was. He was perpetually early, and I was always late.
It was hot and overcast, and I hadn’t been able to find any parking on the streets. I’d had to park a half-mile away and hoof it in my heels. He’d just have to deal.
I cracked open the door to the coffee shop, craning my neck to look through the small crowd. It wasn’t that big. His curls and height should have been easily visible in the modern white space.
But there was no Maddox.
I pulled out my phone and scanned my messages. Nothing from Maddox. I shot him a text.
Did you forget our meeting? I’m here already. I’ll order you a coffee.
Despite Amanda’s displeasure with Maddox and me working together, it had been nothing but professional all summer. She had even hung out with us at Tybee when Marley and Lila were in town. Nothing out of the normal.
I’d gone into the studio to test out some voices for the animated short film he was drawing, designing, storyboarding, and bringing to life, all on his own. He hadn’t lied when he said that all he needed was voice actors. From what I’d seen, it was beyond brilliant. And I couldn’t thank him enough for his genius mind on my project. Something was not fitting together, and I needed to get it all in place before we could start filming next month.
I ordered both of our coffees and waited at our usual meeting table, looking out at the cathedral. I shot him another text, letting him know where I was sitting. Then returned my dad’s missed call.
“Hey, Josie. Hope you’re not busy.”
“Just waiting on someone for a meeting. What’s up?”
I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the conversation. My dad had fallen on hard times ever since I’d gone off to college. Mom wasn’t supporting him anymore since I didn’t live there, and the art business was in the gutter. He’d taken a job at an insurance company to get by, and I hated it for him.
“Had a long day, and I’m missing you. I think I’m going to quit.”
“Not again, Dad.” It was his third job in the last couple months. “I really thought the insurance company was working out.”
“How do people live like this? I was thinking of applying to one of those paint pottery shops. There’s a new one in Alpharetta.”
“Okay, Dad,” I said with a sigh. I’d had to ask my mother for extra money last month to help Dad make rent. It was a total clusterfuck and making my life a living hell. I wanted him to get his shit together, but I knew it was so hard for him to do anything but what he loved. Just … what he loved didn’t pay the bills. “If you need money—”
“No,” he said quickly. “I don’t want you to have to ask your mom again. Just calling to chat.”
“Yeah. Okay. I have to get to my meeting.”
We said our good-byes, and I hung up with a sigh. God, I couldn’t wait for Maddox to get here, so I didn’t have to think about it anymore. Where was he?
As I went through my other text messages, another one came in:
Guess what, babe?
My toes curled at the message. His name was Isaiah, and he was an officer in the Army. We’d met on River Street last weekend when I was sloshed, and we were supposed to go out tonight.
What’s that?
I got us Pink House reservations.
My heart stuttered. The Olde Pink House was my favorite restaurant in town. It was hard to get reservations there and ridiculously expensive.
I love that place! Can’t wait. See you tonight. xo
Isaiah kept up a steady stream of texts while I waited for Maddox. But there was no response, and after thirty minutes, my coffee was drained, and Maddox was a no-show.
For anyone else, I would have sent off a series of angry messages and blown them off. I needed to go home and get ready for my date. I was meeting Isaiah in a matter of hours, and I still needed to shave and blow out my hair. But Maddox was different.
Maddox didn’t miss meetings. He didn’t ignore text messages. He never played games or was anything but eternally professional.
I chewed on my lip in worry. Something must have happened. I shot out another text, asking if he was okay, but he didn’t respond to that. With a huff, I tossed his cold coffee and hustled back to my car. I was across town and at his apartment fifteen minutes later, stalking up the front steps and banging on the front door.
“Maddox Nelson, are you alive in there?”
There was no answer. His truck was in the parking lot. So, he had to be here. If he and Amanda went somewhere, they always took his truck. She never drove anywhere if she didn’t have to. I still found her insufferable to be around, but I’d managed to grin and bear it all summer.
I knocked again. “Maddox?”
When there was still no answer, I tried the knob. And to my surprise, it turned. I slowly crept the door open and peeked my head inside. “Hello?”
“Go away,” Maddox grumbled.
He was seated on the floor in front of the coffee table with an assortment of alcohol scattered on the table. My eyes widened in alarm. I’d known Maddox my whole life, and I’d never seen him drink more than one beer in a single night. He always said that he didn’t like how out of control he felt when he drank too much. Like it dimmed his genius. Well, he hadn’t said that last part, but that was what I thought.
“What are you doing?” I gasped, striding into the apartment.
He lifted a half-empty bottle of tequila in my direction. “What are you doing here?”
“You missed our meeting, Maddox. Remember? Coffee and planning at four o’clock.” I tapped my watch. “It’s four forty-five now. I have a date at seven. What the hell is going on?”
“Go on your date, Jos,” he said, slurring his words. “I’m fine.”
I slammed the door shut hard enough to rattle the walls. “You are not fine. You’re drinking tequila straight.”
“Tastes like Kool-Aid.”
I grimaced. “How much of that have you had?”
He held up the bottle. “It was full when I started. I think.”
“Jesus Christ.”
He staggered to his feet, stumbling into the table and barely catching himself. The bottle slipped out of his hand and landed on the ground. Tequila puddled on the carpet.
“Fuck, Maddox.” I scurried forward on my heels and grabbed the bottle off the ground.
He took it out of my hand and did another shot. “Thanks.”
I yanked it back from him. “Stop. Just stop for a minute.”
He chuckled. “All those times you wanted me to get wasted, and now, you’re mad that I am.”
“This isn’t you.” He reached for the bottle again, but I held it away from him. “Sit. Let me get you some water. You’re going to be sick.”
His hands came around my waist, pulling me toward him. I was so startled that I didn’t even stop him. “That’s not what I want to do with you here.”
I opened and closed my mouth in shock. “Maddox … you’re drunk.”
“So?”
I carefully extracted myself. “And you have a girlfriend.”
“Nope,” he said as he staggered backward and collapsed on the couch. He reached for one of the empty beer cans. “Not anymore.”
My face softened. “What happened?”
He shrugged. “We got into a fight. I broke it off.”
“I’m sorry.”
He snorted. “Are you?”
“Of course, Maddox. My feelings about Amanda aside, you seemed happy.”
“She was paranoid.”
I headed to the kitchen, deposited the bottle, and poured him a large glass of water. “Paranoid how?”
Maddox followed me into the kitchen and grabbed the tequila bottle. I sighed heavily.
“She thought we were hooking up.”
I nearly choked. “What? Why?”
“Because we’d dated before.”
“I didn’t even flirt with you in her presence,” I said as I passed him the water.
He shot me a disbelieving look. “Do you even know what flirting is, Josie? All you do is flirt with everyone.”
“Then, she shouldn’t take it personal,” I argued. But guilt crept into my stomach. I’d thought I was doing a good job of staying away from him, except for work.
“It’s you,” he said, guzzling half the water before setting it back down. “She wasn’t being logical about it.”
“So, she broke up with you because of me?” I asked softly.
He shook his head. “Nope. I broke up with her because I was tired of fucking fighting with her about it. I did nothing wrong. I didn’t deserve to be treated that way when we were only working together. She has trust issues because her last boyfriend cheated on her.”
“Been there.”
He took another long swig from the bottle before offering it to me. “Drink with me?”
I checked my watch again. Fuck. I had that date with Isaiah. I’d been looking forward to it, and he had a reservation. But Maddox clearly needed me here. He was a fucking mess, and if I left him, he’d drink himself into a stupor.
I snatched the bottle back from him but didn’t take a drink.
He laughed. “Never could resist a good party.”
“Better get some music going if this is a party.”
He stumbled headfirst to his computer and turned on some horrendous music. I knew he wasn’t far from blacking out. Maddox needed me more than my date. I’d just reschedule.
With a sigh, I shot a text to Isaiah.
I’m so sorry. I’m going to have to reschedule tonight. My friend is going through a huge breakup, and they need me.
His response was almost immediate.
What the fuck? We’ve had this planned all week. If you wanted a reason to cancel, just fucking say so. You don’t have to be a bitch.
I stared at his response in blatant alarm. My mouth hung open in shock. Wow. This guy had been so incredibly sweet all week. Responding to all of my messages with emojis and love-bombing me with sweet nothings. One reschedule, and the real guy came out. He sent a string of texts, calling me all sorts of terrible names. The responses growing more and more terrifying. Within a few minutes, I had to block his number. Good riddance. I dodged a bullet with that one.
“What?” Maddox asked as he came back over to where I was standing. He couldn’t even focus on my face. He looked like he was spinning.
“Just canceled my date. The guy was a jerk.”
“You deserve someone better,” Maddox said.
“Thanks. How are you doing?” I kicked off my heels and went for the water. “Drink more of this water.”
“I’m fine. Just come dance with me.”
“Dance?” I asked with a laugh. “Since when do you dance?”
“Always.” He paused and thought about it. “Or never.”
But he grabbed my hand, and we danced around his apartment. He was wasted and clearly grieving his relationship. I felt bad that it had fallen apart because of me. Or at least because of Amanda’s own insecurities about me. But I couldn’t deny that I was having fun with Maddox like this.
We moved in time to the music. It felt ridiculous, and I couldn’t stop laughing. This was probably a better time than I would have had with that jerk anyway.
Maddox grabbed my hand and swung me back into him. We collided with a soft oof, and he pulled me tight against him. His words were soft when they left his mouth. “Amanda was right.” I tried to pull back to look at his face in question, but he wouldn’t let me go. “I am still in love with you.”
My eyes closed in pain at the words. At the wasted years. And the fact that only breaking up with his girlfriend had gotten him to admit it to me. Not that he was in any condition to do anything about it.
“Maddox.”
But he crashed down on the couch and looked at me with glazed eyes. A few minutes later, he was passed out.
I ran a hand down my face. What a mess.
I rummaged through his clothes and changed into a pair of basketball shorts that I rolled up three or four times and an oversize T-shirt.
When his roommate, Andrew, showed back up around ten, he looked between us with a smirk on his face. “About time.”
