Not this girl, of course, but—Maddie’s cheeks burned as she visualized her late husband Liam’s berating if he knew her shameful thoughts.
Forget him. You’re breaking free of the past, remember?
But how to do that when her self-confidence was nil?
“I’m a peanut butter expert, ma’am.” The stranger’s smile coaxed her to respond to his joke. “Trust me, that brand tastes way better than the one the boy and twenty million others mistakenly prefer.”
“Noah.” Maddie’s heart winced when her son’s brown eyes flickered to the man, then skittered away, his face closing into its usual disinterested mask.
“Sorry?” The peanut butter expert arched an eyebrow.
“His name is Noah.” Maddie hoped the stranger wouldn’t comment on her son’s now swaying body.
“Noah—like the guy with the ark,” the man remarked. Something in his teasing tone caught Noah’s attention, Maddie noticed. “You have lots of animals?” he continued.
“A dog. Her name is Cocoa.” The swift response surprised Maddie.
“Why Cocoa?” The man looked interested, not merely polite.
“’Cause she’s a chocolate lab,” Noah clarified. “Dogs should be named by their features. It’s not a rule but—”
“It’s a good idea,” the stranger finished with a nod.
“Yeah.” Noah’s eyes widened with surprise at his agreement.
Maddie stared at her child. Noah didn’t talk or interact with strangers. Not ever.
“Chocolate labs are the best.” The man thrust out his hand. “I’m Jesse Parker.”
Though Noah hesitated, he couldn’t ignore the gesture. His father had drummed politeness into him, one of his many unbreakable rules. Sure enough, Noah finally thrust out his small hand.
“Glad to meet, you, Noah, owner of Cocoa.” Jesse’s blue gaze slid to her. “And your lovely mother is?”
“Maddie McGregor.” She liked the way Jesse included her.
“Maddie McGregor.” He said it slowly, his forehead furrowed as if he was reaching for a stray thought. Then those blue eyes widened. “Not the amazingly talented quilter named Maddie McGregor who works for my grandmother at Quilt Essentials?”
Amazing? Talented? No one had ever called her that before.
“Grandmother—?” Maddie tried to put it together while distracted by his good looks. “Oh.” Suddenly it made sense. “You’re Emma’s grandson.”
“The best one of the bunch.” He preened, then laughed. “You look shocked.”
“No, I—that is, I wasn’t expecting...” Thrown by his mischievous wink, Maddie gulped.
“Ninety-five percent of all children think their grandparents love them the best,” said Noah, who didn’t have any grandparents.
“In my case it’s true.” Jesse grinned.
“Emma always speaks of you as if you’re four,” Maddie blurted. Her cheeks burned when Jesse’s hoot of amusement rippled to the ceiling. She almost checked over one shoulder before correcting the impulse.
It’s been more than a year since Liam’s death. He’s gone. You’re free now. Free.
“I guess I act that age sometimes,” Jesse joked, and laughed again.
All down the grocery store aisle, heads turned to study him, and Maddie knew why. His laugh revealed the same zest for life that his grandmother possessed, the kind that beckoned you to join in. Maddie was pretty sure Jesse would be fun to be around.
Not that she was looking for fun. She was too old, too world-weary, too responsible for that kind of girlish silliness. Still, Jesse intrigued her.
“We have to go.” Noah frowned at her.
Maddie studied him in confusion. Noah never volunteered conversation when strangers were present. Even more unusual, his agitated arm movements had ceased.
“What’s the rush?” Jesse asked.
“Ice cream.” While Noah pointed into the cart, Maddie wondered why her son was apparently unruffled when speaking to this stranger. But it didn’t matter. Better to leave now, before something else upset Noah. Because something always did.
“Nice to meet you, Jesse. Thanks for the advice.” In an act of defiance, she grabbed the jar of peanut butter Jesse had recommended and put it in her cart. Baby steps to independence, she thought defiantly.
“Uh, Maddie?” Jesse’s amused voice stopped her in her tracks. She couldn’t help contrasting his tone with a memory of Liam’s beguiling-when-it-wanted-to-be voice that could also cut like a sword.
Immediately, her tension returned. Schooling her face into impassivity, she glanced at Jesse. “Yes?”
“I’ve been trying to reach my grandmother by phone with no success.” His sincere friendliness chased away her tension. “I’ve stopped by her house a couple of times, but she doesn’t answer.”
“No, she wouldn’t.” Maddie almost groaned as Noah mumbled statistics about meeting strangers. Hopefully, Jesse hadn’t noticed her discomfiture.
“Why wouldn’t Gran answer?” Even Jesse’s frown didn’t spoil his good looks.
“She’s not home.” Noah’s quick response surprised Maddie.
“Where is she?” Jesse glanced from him to her.
“Away.” Noah’s vacant stare returned, but his hands stayed by his sides, calm for now.
“Emma’s at a women’s retreat in the mountains of New Mexico.” Maddie was puzzled by Noah’s seeming tranquility. Prolonged grocery store visits usually upset him.
“She likes it there.” Though Noah appeared inattentive, he was obviously keeping track of the conversation.
“Emma goes every January,” Maddie clarified. “She’s due back tomorrow, but you can’t reach her cell because she always shuts it off for the retreat.”
“I forgot about her yearly retreat.” Jesse looked so disappointed Maddie felt a twinge of pity when he added, “I wanted to surprise her, but I guess the surprise is on me.”
“She’s supposed to call me at work tomorrow morning.” Maddie couldn’t stop herself from offering to help. “Do you have a number I could give her to reach you?”
“No. I don’t have a cell phone.”
Maddie blinked. She’d thought Liam’s refusal to own a smartphone made them virtually the only ones left behind in this age of technology. Of course, now that she was a widow she could have bought her own, but hadn’t yet because of inner doubts about mastering it. Battling doubts had become an ongoing war for her mind.
“The FCC says to keep cell phones one inch from the body.” Noah’s speech ended as abruptly as it had begun.
“Oka-a-ay.” Jesse, eyes wide, dragged out the word, then glanced at Maddie. “I let my contract expire when I left Colorado. I’ve been on the move for several months, so I haven’t really needed a cell phone.”
The way his voice tightened when he said that made her wonder if he’d left Colorado under unhappy circumstances. Funny, Emma hadn’t mentioned anything.
“Well, when I see your grandmother I won’t tell her you’re in town, so you can still surprise her,” Maddie promised.
“Scientific studies say unexpected pleasure is more rewarding.