A Beauteous Flower Ch. 17

Strangely, even amid her troubles, the germ of a crazy idea entered Madison's mind. At first, she tried to dismiss it as a ridiculous long shot, but the more she thought about it, the more sense it made, and it brought a smile to her face. Madison wasn't much of a matchmaker, but it seemed to her that Burt might just be the perfect guy, odd as it might seem. Madison filed the crazy thought away for later, if she managed to pull her marriage out of the dive.

As she contemplated this, Madison's phone clicked to indicate a new text. Burt was as good as his word and the contact information for "Alina Despoina" was in the text along with Burt's gentle encouragement to her.

"Never forget, Daniel loves you, Madison. Do right by him."

Madison nodded in gratitude and typed Alina's number into her phone. As it rang, Madison tried to remember if she had ever met Alina.

"Hello, this is Alina Despoina."

"Hi, Ms. Despoina, this is Madison."

Madison listened to silence as Alina crunched data to place her name.

"Daniel's wife?"

"Yes."

"Well, it's nice to finally make your acquaintance."

That answered Madison's first question.

"Same here," Madison answered. "Daniel talks about you a lot."

"Does he? I'd rather have him talk to me than about me."

Madison didn't know what to say to that, so she kept quiet. Alina took that as her cue to get down to business and from Alina's solid and direct tone, Madison could tell that Alina was pretty much all business all the time, with robotic efficiency.

"So, you're the one, eh?" Alina questioned.

"One what?"

"The one who has injected so much romance into Daniel's writing."

This revelation stunned Madison. She effected Daniel's art?

"I am?"

"Sure. I can always tell when my male authors fall in love. They get sappy."

"Oh."

"It's not a bad thing. It just means that the audience for his stuff will shift a little."

"Shift? In what way?"

"Oh, in his case towards horny housewives with bags of sexual frustrations and young adult to twenty something women who are full of hormones."

"Oh. I'm sorry?"

"Don't be. He's written enough stuff for teenage virgins with delusions of Sci-Fi and Fantasy grandeur. It's about time he pushed himself."

Again, Madison didn't know quite what to say and so she simply waited. Alina had a very direct and frank approach. It was one of the things Daniel liked most about Alina and, true to form, she broke the awkward silence with directness.

"Several questions come to mind."

Madison recalled another thing Daniel had said about Alina. He liked her because she had an incisive mind and asked good questions. Madison braced to hear a few.

"I have a few for you too, Alina. How about you go first."

"OK. How did you get my number?"

"Daniel's friend, Burt, gave it to me."

"Burt, eh? He's a big mouth. Is Daniel OK?"

"Yes."

"Is his family OK?"

"Yes."

"That's good. I haven't heard from him in almost two months. I was worried."

"He's been busy."

"Busy like a bee on that new novel, I hope. He's got a deadline soon."

"Oh."

"Yeah, please tell him he needs to call me. It's the usual drill. The deadline is close, the publisher is nervous, the publisher calls me, I reassure the publisher and put them off, but I won't be able to keep them at bay much longer. Daniel's never missed a deadline before, but I'd like an update so I don't have to tap dance anymore. Tell him to call me, will you?"

"Sure."

"Well," Alina said. "That's all I have. Now what questions can I answer for you?"

"I... I need some help. Some help with Daniel."

Madison distinctly heard Alina's mind shift into another gear.

"I thought you said he was OK."

"He is."

"Well then why do you need help?"

Madison took a deep breath. Alina did ask good questions and she was very astute. Rather than hedge, Madison just told the story. It was appropriately truncated, but the pertinent facts were in it. When she finished Alina let out a low whistle.

"Well," Alina finished her whistle.

Madison waited and braced herself for the judgment to roll in.

"No wonder I haven't heard from him," mused Alina.

"He's holed up in the cabin."

"Figures. Ran for his safe space."

Madison hesitated and then asked her next question.

"Has Daniel ever had another...."

"Another what? Another woman? Yes."

Unbidden Madison's jealous bone heated up, but before she could ask her next question, Alina anticipated and headed it off at the pass.

"No, not me. I'm old enough to be his... oldest sister."

"No, no." Madison scrambled to cover he unseemly assumption and move on. "I mean has he ever... been... in love before?"

Alina crunched data on the other end of the phone.

"If you mean like he loves you, no. Not that I'm aware of."

Madison's jealous bone relaxed a bit.

"Why? You concerned there is another woman? That he might feel justified to stray?"

Madison's bridled with distaste at this suggestion, but she didn't express it. She needed information and a few bruises on her ego wouldn't stand in the way.

"No."

"I don't doubt that either. He's a one at a time type."

"Oh. Well then, I suppose you can't shed any light on... well... how he..."

"How he what?"

Madison decided it was time to just say it.

"Does he go in for second chances?"

"You mean is he the forgiving type?"

"Well. Yeah, I suppose."

Again, Madison waited while Alina processed.

"I can't rightly say, Madison. As far as I know, the relationships he's had in the past have been pretty superficial. The closest he ever came to a real relationship since I've known him was some woman from around the Atlanta area. He met her at a convention or a book signing, I think. Nothing really came of it. Too much distance."

"Oh." Madison's jealous bone ramped up again. When was the last time Daniel went to Atlanta? Then she caught herself and pulled back into the conversation as Alina tendered information that Madison didn't necessarily want to hear.

"As far as second chances, he doesn't seem to be a believer."

"He's not?" Madison sagged.

"Again, I don't know about romantic relationships. I can tell you this though. I wasn't Daniel's first agent."

"You weren't?"

"No. He had another one. Eric Cardinal. Eric is a really good literary agent, actually. Very sought after. He only works with the best. A Scott Boras type, if you know who that is. Daniel left him and came to me."

"Daniel says you're the best agent around."

"I'm glad he thinks so."

"So, what does this have to do with my question?"

"Ah, right. You must have noticed how Daniel has two cell phones?"

"Sure. Yes."

"Well you must also know that one is for business and acquaintances, which he never answers. He gives that number to everyone and calls them back if they leave a message and the spirit moves him. The other is for very few people, only family and friends, and he always answers that one."

Madison nodded and then remembered Alina couldn't see her.

"Yes?"

"Eric's office once called Daniel on his private family and friends cell phone. They needed to get in touch with Daniel for some reason and some overzealous intern called Daniel's private cell. Eric had that number in his computer under Daniel's contact information. He never used it, because he knew not to, but this intern didn't and there was no notation in the file not to use it, so the intern used it."

Madison knew how strict and fussy Daniel was about his cell phone numbers and email addresses. In fact, all his contact information was at least doubled up to insure Daniel's privacy. He was fanatical about it. Alina continued.

"When Daniel picked it up and found out it was a business call on his private number, he hung up. Immediately thereafter, he called Eric and told Eric that he was fired."

"Whoops."

"Yeah, whoops. Daniel hired me the next day. Eric is a friend of mine, so I urged Daniel to call him and work it out, but Daniel wouldn't hear of it. He was intractable and said that Eric should have been much more sensitive to his wishes for privacy. To this day if I have a party or event of some kind, Daniel asks if Eric will be there and if he is, Daniel won't come. When my son got married, Daniel sent my son a lovely card and a three-week honeymoon at a resort in Bali, but Daniel didn't come to the wedding because Eric was there. Daniel felt that strongly about it. In Daniel's mind Eric had violated his trust in a very deep way."

"I see."

Alina kept a polite silence so Madison could absorb the story. The overtones left Madison with a queasy pit in her stomach.

"You still there?" Alina prompted.

Madison shook her head to snap out of her doldrums of doubt.

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry."

"You quit breathing."

"Yeah. Well, it's a... I don't know."

"Doesn't fill you with a lot of hope, does it?"

"Not really," Madison conceded.

Alina tutted and offered Madison a little hope.

"Don't take it to heart, Madison. That's business. I'm sure Daniel feels differently about you."

"Are you? Sure, I mean."

Alina recomputed.

"Clever girl. OK, so I won't blow sunshine up your ass. Daniel is a master at ending relationships. I've never seen anyone better at it. Up until now, when I've seen him end one of any kind, it's a sharp, clean break with no looks back."

"Great," answered Madison ruefully.

"Aw, hang in their kid. Look at it this way. You're still there, right? If he wanted it over, it would be over by now. Maybe you've inspired him to turn over a new leaf?"

"I... I hope so."

"All I know is that since you've been in his life, he's written some of his best stuff. You've had a big impact on his work. That probably means you've had a big impact on his heart too. I'd put some stock in that if I were you."

Madison brightened a little.

"Thank you, Alina."

"Frosty."

"OK, Frosty," then Madison's curiosity struck.

"Alina, why does Daniel call you "Frosty"? No one else does."

"Google my last name and it will make sense. Daniel nick-named me "Frosty" the minute he heard my last name. It's kind of our thing."

"I've noticed he's pretty smart."

"Have you now?"

Madison bobbled her head in concession. She loved Daniel's intellect, but until she ran afoul of it, she had never considered it as anything except benign, like a parlor trick that charmed her. Now Madison had to admit that Daniel's mind was nothing to be trifled with.

"I've gotten a pretty stiff dose of his intelligence lately," Madison admitted.

Frosty's laugh barked out of the phone.

"Hope it works out for you kids. Otherwise, Daniel might get mopey and go Edgar Allen Poe on me. Do me a favor and sort this thing out, OK?"

"I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit. Tell Daniel to call me."

"OK. Bye Frosty."

"Ciao."

Madison put her phone down and considered all she had heard so far. What she had learned was important, but it didn't fill her with a lot of hope. The good news was that Daniel gave her a second chance, but it also brought home the point that she had to be careful. She also knew that Daniel loved her. She never doubted it, but the fact that those who knew him best had noticed encouraged her. Then Madison checked the clock. She still had one more call to make, but it was almost time for supper time and the next step in her plan. Her last call would have to wait.

*****

For supper Madison called Uber Eats to bring them McDonald's chicken nuggets and French fries for so that they would eat with their hands and lick barbecue sauce from their fingers for a flirty vibe. During dinner she shot Daniel coy sidelong glances as she picked at her food, lavishly licked stray drips of barbecue sauce off her lips and fingers and nibbled at small pieces of chicken with flouncy giggles. Daniel warmed to her flirtation nicely and soon Madison got him to eat out of her hand. Daniel seemed like he was into it too, and Madison fed him a few more pieces of chicken to accentuate the flirtation.

After supper, Madison suggested that they take a walk down to the lake to watch the sunset. Daniel looked out of the kitchen window and suggested that she bring a jacket, but Madison's wardrobe was non-negotiable for proper execution of this phase of her plan, so she pretended not to hear him and flounced out the door. Daniel followed after he donned a hoodie and locked the back door.

Her white t-shirt and powder purple short shorts would result in a chill when the sun went down, but Madison had factored that in as part of her plan. She took Daniel's hand and swung it merrily as they strolled out past the pool. To ensure maximum skin exposure, Madison kicked out of her sandals and they set off, hand in hand, down the path towards the lake.

The path was well worn, and oak and pine trees towered on either side and the lake shore was about a ten-minute walk at the amble pace they set. As the forest closed around them, Madison released Daniel's hand and skipped out ahead of him to hide behind trees and coquettishly peek out at him as he walked along. From time to time, she stopped her merry prance to pick up something and she always bent at the waist to prominently display her scantily clad bottom. After she straightened up, she would look over her shoulder at Daniel and smile a half-hidden smile from behind some stray strands of hair. Daniel for his part watched her skip from place to place with a smirk.

When they reached the lake shore, Madison ran to the old dock and sat down. Initially she dangled her toes in the water as Daniel sat down next to her, but the water was a little too cold, so she tucked her legs up lotus style and scooped up Daniel's hand to hold while they sat. Daniel was big and warm next to her, and Madison pressed into him as she caressed his hand. When he didn't object, she leaned closer until her cheek rested softly against his shoulder. Not much later, the sun sank low on the horizon and left pink and purple swirls in its wake. Another few minutes and it vanished from view and left behind the evening stars and the cool onshore breeze. Just as she planned, Madison shivered against Daniel.

"Told you to bring a jacket," Daniel clucked at her.

Madison responded with a radiant smile and another little shiver.

"Did you?" Madison teased lightly. "I thought you said you'd keep me warm."

For emphasis she snuggled petitely against his upper arm.

"You're so warm!" Madison cooed contentedly.

Daniel looped his arm around her and hugged her against his side. There she fussed a bit and eased her butt up onto Daniel's knee so that her back pressed into his chest and his right arm surrounded her from behind. A few minutes later, Madison scooched a little more and nestled into Daniel's lap. He kissed her on the forehead for a few seconds too long and that encouraged Madison to wriggle her butt into his lap. In response, Daniel snuggled her against him, put his lips to her ear and whispered.

"A sloop of amber slips away

Upon an ether sea,

And wrecks in peace a purple tar,

The son of ecstasy."

Daniel's warm breath tickled her ear and Madison bent her head to her shoulder and gave a breathy giggle.

"That is grand," she admired.

"That's Emily Dickenson."

"It sounds so good when you say it."

After a few more moments of pleasant snuggles, Madison made her move. She turned her head to Daniel and placed a kiss on the side of his lips. She felt him shiver, so she kissed him again, slow and languid. Daniel turned to her and met her lips. Madison gave a passionate sigh to encourage Daniel and he responded as she had hoped. He cradled her head into the crook of his arm and planted a gentle and exploratory kiss on Madison's lips. Madison moaned into the kiss and drew him closer as their kiss deepened with suppressed passion. Madison felt a giddy spin as Daniel's chest heaved in a sigh of desire. When their lips parted, Madison nuzzled the hollow of Daniel's neck.

"I love you, Daniel," she whispered to him. "I love you."

"I love you too, Madison."

Madison pulled back and looked into Daniel's eyes.

"Take me home. Right now," she cooed while she toyed with his hair.

Daniel gave her another deep, search of a kiss and then they stood up. Draped in his hoodie, Madison climbed onto Daniel's back piggyback style to rest her chin on his shoulders as he carried her back to the house. She took the opportunity to tug his earlobe with her lips and urge Daniel towards the house with whispered promises of the lustful delights she had in store for him, but as usual Daniel's face betrayed nothing. He strode along, steady and strong, and maintained a slow and stoic pace, but the rush of excited blood Madison felt as she kissed Daniel's neck belied his calm. Madison thrilled with impending success. All she wanted to do was get him in the house, shut the door and let nature take its course and hopefully it would take its course all night. However, when they stopped so Madison could retrieve her sandals, Madison instantly knew the plan was about to go sideways.

"Damn it," Madison cursed under her breath.

By some insane bad luck Madison had left her sandals under the exact lounge that she had shared with Steve the Oaf. For a second, she hoped Daniel wouldn't notice, but one look at him told her that was a forlorn hope.

"Damn it!" she thought through clenched teeth.

"Madison," Daniel's voice was husky, but flat. "I want to write a little before I go to bed. I've got a deadline and I need to get my first draft done."

Madison's libido roared with frustration and anger. Thirty seconds. She was that close. Thirty seconds more and they've have been naked and tangled up like a pretzel. She had been so close, SO close, only for the evil spirit of that cursed party to haunt them yet again. Madison clutched at Daniel's hand and gave it a hopeful tug, but Daniel would not budge. However, where old Madison would have pitched a fit until she got her way, new Madison knew how to accept defeat a little more gracefully and respect Daniel's wishes.

"I understand," she intoned with barely contained disappointment. "I spoke to Frosty today and said she hadn't spoken to you in almost two months. She asked me to tell you to call her. She said the publisher is concerned you might miss the deadline."

"You spoke to Frosty?" Daniel asked suspiciously. "She didn't call me."

"Yeah, I spoke to Frosty, but I called her."

Daniel's eyes narrowed with mistrust and Madison wanted to sob. Would they never be free of this? Had this whole nightmare party incident damaged his trust in her that badly?

"You called Frosty?"

Madison thought a minute. It would have been easy to lie and make up a reason, but Madison decided that she should be honest with Daniel, especially since she knew he would probably call Frosty and Frosty probably would not keep up a charade for Madison. Frosty knew how fanatical Daniel could be and Frosty was too sharp to risk her business with Daniel to protect Madison's relationship with Daniel.

"I called and asked her about you," Madison said with a direct look into Daniel's eyes. "I hoped she could help me. Maybe give me a clue to find a way back into your heart."

Madison looked hopefully into Daniel's dusky green eyes and waited. At first, she thought Daniel might get angry at that pronouncement, but instead he brushed Madison's cheek with his hand. His unexpected touch warmed her heart, and she gushed a smile back at him.

"You're in my heart," he reassured her.

Madison went all fluttery with relief and she took a shot in the dark.

"Then come inside with me!" Madison plead. "Come home with me!"

Struggles flashed in Daniel's eyes. Madison could see that he wanted to be with her, but he didn't trust himself or her or their relationship. Then he mastered himself and Madison saw his eyes go blank. It crushed her, but she did not let herself get angry. Instead, Madison nodded sadly and made a piqued mental note to have all the patio lounge chairs burned. Daniel squeezed her fingers softly.