Chapter 10
"I've been good." Trina replied, her pale grey eyes studying Madisyn carefully, noting the wrist. "What happened?" She asked, gesturing to the taped appendage, seeing the fresh tears and passed over another tissue, gathering it was related to whatever Madisyn wanted to talk to her about. "Go ahead and cry if you want too, I do it all the time; it can help." She said softly. "I'll go finish lunch and give you a moment to collect yourself, alright?" Crying was good for the soul, not so much if the person doing the crying didn't want to do it in front of others.
Once Trina came back with lunch, Madisyn had composed herself somewhat, though a few tears still fell from her eyes while eating her sandwich, or nibbling it rather, not hungry in the slightest. "I'm in love with Mark Calaway." She blurted out suddenly, swallowing incredibly hard and could feel Trina's eyes bulging out of her head, causing Madisyn to groan out loud. "Sorry! I didn't mean to just come out like that...I just...I thought living in LA would've stemmed my feelings for him and as soon as I moved back, they all came rushing back..."Madisyn cringed when she said the word rushed and immediately crossed her legs.
"Well," Trina said after a moment, recovering from her shock at hearing that. "Our minds tend to trick us into thinking everything is...gone, or suppressed, until we're confronted with the issue again. In your case, you thought you weren't in love with Mark, or you were capable of dealing with it, but..." She tapped the side of her, smiling crookedly. "People tend to talk themselves into something, so much and so well, we begin to consciously believe it until the subconscious rears its ugly little head. Have you talked to Mark about this?" She already knew the answer to that one, but had to ask. "Or hinted at it?"
"No and I never will." She stood up from the couch, running a hand through her hair while using her used tissue to dry her eyes whenever tears started up, staring out the window. "We're business partners and...If I told him I feel about him, how I've felt about him for years, he'd laugh in my face and walk away. I know Mark, Trina. He doesn't feel the same way about me; he's simply putting up with me because of my father. They were very close and it hurt Mark to lose him, I know it did. That's why I've been thinking about moving back to LA and selling my half of C & S to him to pursue my photography." Not to mention the distance would make those feelings for Mark stem and hopefully disappear forever.
Trina had a feeling she was not getting the entire story, and set down the trays with their lunch on the coffee table before settling herself back on the couch, drawing her legs beneath herself comfortably. "How do you know he doesn't feel the same way, Madisyn?" She asked quietly. "If you've never told him how you feel? Has he ever given you any sign that he doesn't have feelings for you?" When Madisyn just shook her head, she frowned thoughtfully. "What happened to your wrist, Madisyn? Honestly."
"I punched Mark in the face." Again, she blurted it out without realizing it, putting her head in her hand, rubbing her temples and never walking away from the window. "We got into a fight because I wanted to hire more help for the funeral home and he refused to train the new hire in everything. He doesn't want a new apprentice and he hasn't been helping me run the place at all. I got frustrated and told him he needed to get his head out of his ass and just help me. He yanked me by the front of my shirt roughly and scared the shit out of me. I thought I was going to piss myself, Trina, and called me a self-righteous bitch, telling me if I wanted someone else doing his job that I would have to learn it. I told him never to touch me again and I was leaving, that he could run C & S how he wanted and when I went to walk up the stairs, he grabbed my arm. I just reacted...I swung and socked him in the face..." She sniffled a little, remember the bellowing that quickly followed and she could hear it even out to her car as she rushed out of there.
"Well... as a psychiatrist, I'll tell you that violence is never the answer." Trina said seriously before smiling impishly. "But as your friend, you go girl." She was rewarded with the tiniest hint of a smile and got up to go stand by Madisyn, reaching out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "You two have a serious conflict of interest, Madisyn." This was nothing Madisyn didn't already know. "You need to figure out what you want to do with the business; you two have decide what your roles are, whether they are joint efforts or separate and focus on that. You two are partners, but that partnership isn't going to work if you both feel like you're stepping on each other's toes. You both care about Jack and the business he left behind. Though, I would also advise a mediator to keep things peaceful between you for awhile."
"That's why I'm thinking of just handing the entire business over to him and moving back to LA. I was happier there, my life wasn't this complicated." She refused to talk about the fact she'd started her monthly while straddling Mark's lap without panties on the night her father had been buried. It just wasn't happening, Madisyn had limitations. "I have to get going; I'll see you again soon. Thanks again for the talk, I'll figure it out." She hoped at least and hugged Trina before heading out, popping three ibuprofens since her hand was killing her. Pulling out of Trina's driveway, Madisyn headed home to contemplate what to do about C & S and Mark Calaway.
'That girl is in a class all her own.' Trina thought as she watched Madisyn's car pulling away, smiling slightly and shook her head, hoping her friend did indeed 'figure it out'. "Hey! She didn't eat her lunch!"
~!~
Randy was sitting on the steps leading up to Madisyn's condo, a styrofoam cup of coffee in his hand, sipping it as he watched traffic. Mark had come up from the basement with a bloody nose and a temper that had sent both Randy and Nick running for the hills. Mark had closed the doors and booted them out, saying he would handle all calls and the body downstairs, just 'get the fuck out'. Tomorrow would be back to normal, minus the bloodshed, though the idea of Madisyn nearly breaking the big man's nose...if she hadn't actually broken it...He smirked at the thought.
What the hell was Randy doing here?
Madisyn blinked and pulled her Mazda into the parking garage of her condo, her hand really bothering her. Nothing a little hard liquor and a bubble bath couldn't fix. She cut the ignition and stepped out, heading up to the steps where Randy sat, wondering what he wanted. Mark probably kicked him and Nick out of the funeral home, snorting at the thought, her hand throbbing indicating that was the reasoning.
"Orton, this is an unexpected surprise." She said from the side, walking over to stare at him, folding her arms in front of her chest. "What can I do for you?"
Randy stood up, smiling awkwardly at her. He got the impression she didn't really care for him. No doubt because when she had first met him, he was giving his favorite line to a customer on the phone and had basically patronized her in her own funeral home. In his defense, he hadn't known who the hell she was at the time. Randy had gone home and changed out of his slacks into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that hugged his muscular arms. He couldn't always look so stiff and solemn; he was still young and vital.
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He admitted truthfully. "And say you have a great hook."
"Thanks..." She really wasn't sure how to feel about him waiting for her on her porch step, but Madisyn sort of liked it, immediately shoving that thought from his mind. "I'm fine, just a sprained hand." Madisyn held her bandaged hand up to show him, smiling tentatively. "Sorry about what happened earlier, that was unprofessional and it won't happen again."
Madisyn noticed for the first time how huge Randy's arms were, how the shirt stretched across his muscular chest. The man definitely had a body that any regular man would kill for, not to mention stunning blue eyes and baby face dimples whenever he smiled. Every woman's dream except Madisyn's.
He personally felt that today had been...lively and his dimples deepened as his smile widened, grinning at the joke he had just made. Lively, a funeral home, he cracked himself up. "No need to apologize to me, I found him coming up with a bloody nose kind of amusing." Randy admitted openly. He had been tempted to clock Mark on a number of occasions, but refrained because one: the man embalmed people for a living and two: he needed a job. He had bills to pay after all. "Just a sprain, eh?" He examined the bandaging, having thought she might have fractured or broken something, that punch had had a lot of force behind it. "You alright?" He asked softly.
"Yeah, it doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. Then again, I took some ibuprofen a little while ago." Madisyn answered, feeling his fingers gently take her hand, which felt nice in a weird way. It'd been a long time since Madisyn had sex and Randy was no doubt gorgeous, but Madisyn couldn't be sleeping with anyone she worked with. Those blue eyes looked concerned and began melting her, Madisyn sucked in a breath as her eyes closed when he touched a tender spot. "I'm on my period." She blurted out; wishing she would stop doing that and felt him instantly release her hand, turning beat red. "Uhhh good night!" Madisyn felt like dying as the door slammed shut behind her, deciding maybe holing herself up in her condo would be best.
Randy could only stare after her, wondering if she was insane. Then again, she had just informed him she was on her period and suddenly it all made sense. Everyone knew women went a little crazy when that time of the month came around. Rolling his eyes and still grinning he bent down to scoop up something that had fallen from her purse when she bolted, he followed her, lightly knocking on the door.
"Madisyn," He called through it, his shoulder shaking from trying to hold in his laughter. This woman was not like any other, he could not for the life of him recall a woman every just blurting that out. "You dropped something, and I think you'll want it."
She was mortified again!
What the hell was going on with her mouth running away with her brain? Madisyn needed professional help and groaned when she heard Randy's voice through her door, refusing to answer it. He could stand there all night; she didn't care, refusing to embarrass herself even further. What woman in their right mind not only started their period while straddling the man they secretly loved, but also blurted it out to an employee?! Slowly, the door opened just a fraction and a hand shot out, fingers spread out silently.
Randy held up the bottle of pamprin, just out of reach as she tried to grab it. "Look, I don't care that you're on your period." He informed her. "I mean, it's not like I'm out to get up under your skirt or anything. I mean, not that you're not beautiful and I wouldn't think of it, or haven't but... I-" He groaned, smacking himself in the forehead with the bottle. Talk about his mouth taking a cue from her and just blurting shit out. "Here." He handed it to her. "You...get to feeling better." Though now he realized what Mark had been talking about when he had said 'surviving death', which added a whole new spin on things.
Randy thought about getting up her skirt? Madisyn chewed her bottom lip and snatched the bottle of pamprin from his hand, even more embarrassed than before. "Thanks, good night Randy." She muttered, shutting the door abruptly and locked it before pressing her back against it, shutting her eyes. Madisyn had to admit, only to herself, that Randy's rambling had been rather adorable, especially when he groaned, about getting up her skirt. Walking away from the door, Madisyn stripped out of her clothes and started a hot bath to soothe her cramps and wired mind.
Randy snapped his fingers dejectedly as he walked back down the stairs, not believing he had pulled a 'Madisyn' and said something that hadn't needed to be said. "Smooth move, Orton." He muttered, stepping out into the sunshine and then grinned. He hadn't been so good about apologizing verbally, but...he could still recover from this. Bouncing down the sidewalk towards his car, he began whistling.
An hour later, flowers started arriving at Madisyn's apartment, along with a 'comfort' gift basket of white chocolate, Dove milk chocolate, various bubble baths, chick flicks, and a few candles.
Madisyn blinked, having just gotten out of the bath and signed off for a basket full of everything a woman in her condition needed. They were from Randy; Madisyn couldn't help smiling and picked up one of the candles from the basket, inhaling the scent of lavender, which was very soothing. Shutting her front door, Madisyn immediately lit one up, took the bag of Dove chocolate and lit the candle, setting it on her coffee table before popping in The Ugly Truth. She would definitely have to thank Randy for this, curling up and for once felt completely relaxed since returning to Houston, Mark the furthest from her mind.