Romantic love story

Chapter Twenty-two: Love Finds Terry

Okay, she could survive this. It was possible. She could sit and smile at the Doyles whenever they tried to include her in the conversation, she could even nod or shake her head to "yes" or "no" questions without falling apart. People were still gossiping about them, but it wouldn't matter to Emily. Emily would know Terry didn't kiss anyone without being married to them, so it didn't matter if people talked. Before John had gone outside with Terry, John hadn't made any faces at Madison for getting Terry mixed up in gossip, and neither had Izzy. No one had yelled at her, and the world had kept spinning. It kept spinning, going round and round and making Madison dizzy with sadness. She wanted off. Or at least to hide in the bathroom with a knife until she would be dizzy with pain, instead of this cutting grief.

Since Terry hadn't kissed Madison, it only stood to reason he hadn't kissed Emily, either. Not yet. It was the lone ray of sunshine in Madison's storm-tossed, hurting heart. Though you couldn't hurt what you didn't have. The Dragon had sliced out her heart long ago, had taken what she'd never given, and had left a great big bloody hole that would never be filled.

Inch by inch, she was dying inside, but it didn't matter. She would survive. She would go on living and breathing and wishing she could be someone else, and Terry would marry the perfect Emily, and that would be that. This Mr. Darcy was marrying someone else, and no amount of wishing would make it any different.

Breathe, Madison. Just breathe and pretend it doesn't matter.

"And how about you?" The conversation must have swung back in Madison's direction, for Sara Doyle was looking at her with a smile. "I hope you haven't caught the flu, yet?"

Madison shook her head.

"That's good. Just because it's going around, doesn't mean you have to come down with it, too. Last year, Dick brought home a nasty cold, so I doubled up on my ginseng and Vitamin C, and sailed through without a sniffle."

Having no idea what to say to that, Madison nodded, and hoped it would be enough.

The front door opened, and John came inside with Terry. Oh, Terry. She watched Terry carefully and noticed he kept his eyes from her side of the couch.

"Is it still raining?" Dick asked.

"No, thankfully, the sun's coming out." John took off his coat as Agatha got up to leave.

The women hugged and parted with goodbye talk, and all the while, Terry looked to John, then Dick, then at the carpet before finally casting a sidelong glance at Madison.

Oh, how she wished Terry would kiss her, instead of Emily.

He glanced away, turned and went down the hall.

Terry. Her insides tugged after him, and she pushed aside the blanket covering her legs.

She came to the hall and found the office door standing open. She moved closer to see inside. Beside a solid looking desk, Terry pulled off his coat and slung it on the back of a chair. She couldn't know what he was thinking, but whatever it was, it consumed him entirely. He stared at the floor, not noticing her, and not making any move to sit down. Just that long, studied look at the carpet.

With an inward sigh, Madison leaned her head against the doorjamb and soaked in his presence. His cropped brown hair had been tousled from the walk outside, and she found herself envying the wind.

As he pulled out his cell phone, she could see the outline of a white T-shirt under his long sleeved white shirt. His muscles were thick, and she wished he didn't work out so much. A strong hand rubbed the back of his neck, then ruffled his hair before pulling out the chair and falling into the seat.