Chapter 5

The next day, Maddie decided to do some laundry while David went out for a run. She was walking through the living room with a basket of clean clothes when she heard a knock on the door. 'David must have forgotten his key again,' Maddie thought as she walked to the door. When she opened it, she saw Sam standing there not David.

"What do you want?"

"To come in."

Maddie thought about making some snappy reply and saying no. But she figured it's better than arguing on the front step. She stepped aside and let him in.

"I'm leaving town…"

"The townspeople rejoice," Maddie said flatly.

"Maddie don't be like that. I'm leaving town for a bit. But I will be back. I'll be back for you. I'll be back for us," Sam said.

"There is no us, Sam. There never will be again."

"Maddie come on. This is the life you want? Sitting around doing laundry? Being with a guy who wears a shirt that says medicate me?"

Maddie listened to him and shook her head. "What happened to you, Sam?"

"What do you mean what happened to me?"

"The Sam Crawford I knew was a sweet, nice, great down to earth guy. I don't know this Sam Crawford. I don't know this arrogant ass standing in front of me. I don't know this man who feels like he has to tear someone down to build himself up. I don't want to know this man, and don't want to be with him."

"I can give you the life had before. Relaxing while your household staff did all this household stuff. Eating at fine restaurants. Getting to sit around a relax. Not having to work."

"Sam that might work on some flight attendant in Chicago, but not on me. Believe it or not I grew to like doing this household stuff and having to work."

"I know you better than anyone, Maddie. This isn't you. Doing chores. Working a nine to five job. You don't enjoy that stuff. And I know that you want to be with me and not someone like David."

"You really don't know me at all do you?"

"What do you mean? I don't know you Maddie? I've known you practically our whole lives. I certainly know you better than David Addison does."

"No, Sam. You don't know me. Just like I don't know this Sam Crawford. You expected me to happily marry you after three days, the last time you were here. And now jump back into your arms the second you show up on my doorstep, but you don't know me at all. You need to leave. I have things to do." Sam turns to walk out of the door.

"I'll be back for you."

"Do us all a favor and don't." Maddie said as Sam walked out.

"Ugh that man." Maddie said out loud as she stormed up the stairs with the basket of laundry. "And I thought only David Addison could get me that mad." Maddie walked into the bedroom, and was grumbling about Sam and his arrogance as she was putting away laundry. She opened up the top drawer that held David's shirts. She put some of his shirts away, and suddenly she froze. There is something other than shirts in that drawer. As soon as she saw it, her anger, for Sam dissipated. There in the drawer was a small red velvet box. Maddie didn't need x-ray vision to know what was in there.

Half an hour later, after Maddie put the laundry away, she sat in the living room, staring at the box that was now sitting on the coffee table.

"Hey hey Maddie!" David said as he walked in the house. He froze when he walked in the living room and saw what was on the coffee table. "Oh boy. You weren't supposed to find that."

"I figured," Maddie said. "Is that what I think it is?"

"It is," David said as he down next to her

"When did you buy this?"

"I bought it when you were in Chicago."

"When I was in Chicago? When I was pregnant? You had this all this time?"

"Yeah," David said. "I planned on asking when you again came back from Chicago. But that plan came to a screeching halt when..."

"…I came back with Walter..."

"Yeah. And then the craziness of everything that happened with Walter, and with Terry, and the baby, and then the loss of the baby. And I thought we were working our way back to a point where I felt it was the right time to ask you. And then that mess happened. And it just was never a good time."

"Well, no time like the present," Maddie said smiling.

"Really? Right now? I was hoping to do this in a more romantic setting. Not sitting on the couch with me all sweaty."

"I think we're past the whole big romantic proposal after everything we've been through, and the fact that I knew this has been coming for a while."

"And the fact that this is the second time I've asked."

"But David, you haven't asked yet," Maddie said smiling.

David opened the box, took out the ring and put it on Maddie's finger. "Will you marry me?"

"I think you know my answer." Maddie said as they kissed. "You smell awful by the way."

"Well this is just hilarious, since we've known each other, most of our biggest moments have happened when I stink."

"Well maybe I could help wash my fiancé's back," Maddie said grabbing him by the hand and starting to walk upstairs.

"And which fiancé would that be?"

"Hm let me think. What's your name again?" Maddie asked.

"Oooooh I'm gonna get you for that one," David said as he chased her upstairs, both of them laughing

Over the next month, Maddie and David had been working on getting Blue Moon Investigations restarted under a different name, New Moon Investigations. They hired everyone back. Got the furniture back, with a few improvements. They wanted everything the way it was with one big difference: Maddie and David would be equals this time. David and Maddie try hard to keep the engagement quiet. Maddie had been careful not to wear her ring when they would be around people they knew. But people around them noticed a difference between them. Sure, everyone knew they were living together. But this was different.

Agnes noticed a big difference the first day she was around them. She and Bert were helping Maddie and David set up stuff in the office ahead of their grand opening. Agnes sneakily stood outside of one of the offices watching David and Maddie laugh, chat, and even flirt a little as they set up inside the office. "Pssssst. Bert," Agnes whispered as she motioned Bert to come over to her.

"What is it, Snookums?" Bert happily whispered back.

"Mr. Addison and Ms. Hayes are acting strange," Agnes said still watching them.

"Mr. Addison and Ms. Hayes all act strange."

"No but Bert this is different. This is a different kind of strange. This is Kolchak, Twilight Zone, and Unsolved Mysteries all rolled into one big ball of strange."

"That's one big ball of strange." Bert said.

Just then, Maddie called for Agnes.

"Yes Ms. Hayes?" Agnes said walking into the office.

"Can you please bring this box to the other office?" Maddie said as she handed Agnes a small box.

"And this," David said putting another small box on the box Agnes was holding.

That's when Agnes noticed it. She tried to hide the excitement of her realization. "Of course. No problem," Agnes said as she quickly walked out of the office. "ome-cay ith-way em-ay." Agnes said to Bert as she passed him out in the waiting area.

"What?"

"Et-gay in-yay ere-hay." Agnes said.

"What?"

"Just get in here!" Agnes angrily whispered. Bert got the hint and followed her in.

"Sweetness what's wrong?"

"I think Mr. Addison and Ms. Hayes are engaged!" Agnes excitedly said in a hushed tone.

"What?!" Bert said a little too loudly.

"Shhhhhhhhhh. I don't think they want people to know yet."

"How do you know?" Bert asked.

"Well, when they both handed me boxes, I noticed a slight tan line on the left ring finger of Ms. Hayes, but I didn't notice one on Mr. Addison's left ring finger. And I know I'm no detective, but that usually means there was a ring there." Agnes said.

"I don't know about this Agnes."

"Bert think about it. They've been in that office all day setting up. Have you heard a single disagreement, argument or door slam all day?"

"Well no now that you mention it."

"And have you seen them go a single day without any of that since you've known them? I haven't."

"Loveliest, I think you're right. We should tell them we know."

"No Bert. I have a better idea," Agnes said whispering in Bert's ear.

A few weeks later, New Moon Investigations officially opened. Maddie and David were too focused on their grand opening and each other to notice what was happening around them. They didn't notice the obvious signs that Agnes, Bert and the rest of the staff were all up to something. The way the staff would suddenly get quiet, or that the little hushed huddles broke up when Maddie or David came in the room went unnoticed by them.

One morning, David and Maddie walk into the office that was unusually quiet, and empty. "Where is everyone?" David asked as they looked around.

"This reminds me of that time you and the staff were hiding in my office to surprise me for my birthday." Maddie said. They both looked at each other and realized. They quickly walked to Maddie's office. They thought it was weirdly quiet at first when they opened the door.

"SURPRISE! CONGRATULATIONS!" The staff shouted as they popped up behind Maddie's desk and out of her bathroom. They had a banner and balloons. Bert pulled out a small tape recorder. He pressed play and Chapel of Love by The Dixie Cups started playing. "What's this?" Maddie asked smiling.

"Congratulations on your engagement," Agnes said as she ran up to hug them as Bert ran out of the office.

"You told?!" Maddie and David said to each other in unison.

"No. Nobody told me. I figured it out on my own." Agnes said.

"How?" David asked.

"I did pick up a couple of things working around detectives for all of these years. When you both handed me boxes a few weeks ago, I noticed a tan line on your left ringer Ms. Hayes, but not one on yours Mr. Addison. And I just connected the dots."

"Wow. Looks like we have a future investigator among us," Maddie laughed. As she said that, Bert comes in with a big cake in the shape of an engagement ring.

"Woooooow. That's amazing. I almost don't want to eat it," Maddie said as she and David smiled looking at the cake.

Maddie, David, and the rest of the staff laughed chatted ate cake, and had coffee for an hour. "Ok kids. Recess is over. Back to work all of you," David announced. The staff went back to work. Then, it was just Maddie and David alone in her office.

"Well, I guess I don't have to hide this in my bag anymore," Maddie said taking the ring out of her bag putting it on.

"Definitely not." David said leaning over her chair to kiss her. "But there is one more scary thing to deal with: telling our families." David said with a slight nervousness.

"Do we have to?" Maddie asked.

"If we want them at the wedding we do."

"Ugh," Maddie groaned in frustration.