Haunted by the past

Chapter Ten

                “So what are you going to do with it?” Cindy was staring at the cheque with wonder, then finally brought her eyes back up to meet Maddie’s.

Maddie herself sighed, she’d spent the last two days phoning around and researching, and she found that her mother’s mother had passed away five weeks earlier in a hospice near her home. That had led her to a lawyer in the same town who’d held her will. Her gran’s worldly possessions had been split in three equal shares to her mother, her sister and herself, the house had been sold to pay for her care when she had to move into a residential home, so her estate had been quite easy to divvy up. There was also a letter for her that her mother knew nothing about, and the man she’d spoken to at Carlson, Parker and Miller had promised to forward it to her as soon as possible.

                “I don’t know, I mean it’s an amazing amount of money, but then I’ve got a long life ahead of me hopefully. As much as I’d love to buy a car, have a holiday and maybe even put a deposit down on a house, I have to be sensible.”

Cindy nodded, “you do, but surely you deserve to treat yourself. When was the last time you went on holiday?”

Maddie laughed, “does three days in a caravan in Southend count three years ago?” When Cindy laughed she added “maybe I’ll go away for Christmas.”

Cindy sighed and squeezed her friend’s hand, she knew how hard that time of year was for Maddie, the last few years she’d worked and spent it alone, at least this year she could be somewhere nice. That was a huge thing for Maddie.

                “This does at least deserve a slight expense!” Maddie jumped up shaking Cindy from her thoughts, then pulled a bottle of champagne from the fridge.

Cindy swooned, “my favourite!”

A day later Evan came back and he was equally as thrilled for Maddie, and whilst he didn’t know much about her family, he knew that she deserved this nest egg. The following evening he collected her in a cab to drive to Danny and Rachel’s house in middle class Suburbia.

                “So do many people cook for you?” she asked him as they settled into the car.

He laughed, “this is the first time in ages. Apparently it’s quite daunting for people, though I don’t know why!” When she rolled her eyes he smiled, “come on, I cook for other people for a living, I rarely cook for myself and it’s amazing having a meal prepared by someone else, whatever it is.”

                “Really? Beans on toast?”

He leaned close and smiled against her ear, “as long as it’s breakfast after me spending the night with you I’m happy.”

She was still blushing as the cab pulled up at the huge gated house that was home to Evan’s best friend. As he watched her greet Rachel and Danny so naturally he could barely believe that this woman could be so confident one moment, yet blush profusely almost in the same sentence. Following her in to the house he hoped he didn’t have to protect her in front of his friends.

                “Did you enjoy that?” Evan followed her into the back of their return taxi and they both slumped into the backseat replete after an evening of excess.

Maddie nodded, dropping her head against his shoulder, it had been a wonderful night, for the first time in her life she’d slotted into a group and be accepted as an equal. She’d been there as Evan’s partner, and his friends hadn’t flinched at that, she’d fitted in, that was the amazing thing. Rachel had taken her into the kitchen and found her wine; even though heavily pregnant she wasn’t drinking herself. The men were left alone to chat and Rachel whilst checking on dinner chatted openly to Maddie and soon she’d relaxed and shared stories and anecdotes as easily as the hostess.