madiwhooo

“Of course, of course,” he said with a quick wink and smile. It humored him to think how when he was in middle school he used to have a bunch a hundred crushes on all of his sister’s friends. How’d he tried to obnoxiously swoop them off their feet with their humor. But all in all they would simply pinch his cheeks and move on to the hot shot guys in their grade. “You my friend are the lucky one. A smoothie sounds great right about now,” he said allowing her to take the lead, before wrapping his arms around her shoulders as they walked down the sidewalk. “So what’s new with the wonderfully amazing Madison Beckett?” 

“Must be my lucky day then, I should go buy a lottery ticket or something,” Madi joked, the smile on her face making that apparent. She slid her arm across Ben’s back as they started walking and she felt his arm around her shoulders. “Boy, you need to stop sweet talking me like that, I might just believe your words,” she teased, shaking her head as she nudged him gently. “Smoothies are new. I need to cut back on all the caffeine I’ve been drinking and try something healthy for once. I might regret it, but at least I’m already expecting the worst so that whatever happens isn’t as bad. Does that make sense? Or am I just talking nonsense? Anyway, what’s new with you?”

“i could never give up on you.” he said with a smirk looking at her in her beautiful blue eyes. sean wrapped his arm around madi’s waist gently as they left the bar. “So I would suggest we go on my motorcycle but I don’t want to get you killed. “ he joked as he looked at his motorcycle waiting for him outside. “How far is lake from here?” He asked as he raised his brow.

“i mean who did this to you? like why would you not believe that? i mean i get it — i’ve been there thinking i don’t deserve that good guy. but you? you deserve them all.” she said with a grin. “that i know, same goes to you. i always told you that if i was gay i would ask you to marry me long time ago.” she joked with her friend. “i hope it won’t happen with matt.”

Kiara listened to the woman talk about her family, genuinely interested to know about it. Coming from a big family herself, she sympathized for Madison not being that close to many of her relatives. Kiara’s family life might be messy, but they all typically were a tight-knit group. “Oh-for sure. Everyone’s different. People have their own things. there’s not shame in that.” She assured her friend as they spoke with each other. At the mention of Kiara’s siblings again, she nodded. “Absolutely. With the help of my uncle and other relatives in my life-I had to do a lot to help raise my brothers. We lost our mom a long time ago and our dad isn’t really in the picture, so we’re really co-dependant with each other.”

“Yes, I just don’t understand how we could be close growing up but be so different as adults, you know?” Madi pointed out, still referring to her twin. She always wondered what went wrong with them since twins were supposed to have a one of a kind bond. Maybe it was just in their DNA to be that way considering how the rest of them were as well. Of course she didn’t want to sit there and analyze her family which is why she turned the conversation back on Kiara. “That is amazing. I’m sorry about your parents. It must have been rough but made you the strong woman you are today. Which is something to look up to,” she reassured her friend with a smile.

        “Isn’t hard when someone as gorgeous as yourself does it so effortlessly,” he insisted, the same smile present. “It’d be weird if I didn’t, right?” Rhetorical, obviously. She was all-around beautiful and the night called for a change from the same old, same old. He had high hopes for the rest of this conversation. “Definitely a switch-up from the usual. Most people don’t want to feel.” Maybe that was just him. “Nolan. Pleasure’s all mine, Madison.”

“You certainly have a way with words. That’s dangerous,” Madi teased, wiggling her brows at the man. She was no stranger to compliments but definitely liked them coming from this person specifically. “Well, I am not like most people. Stick around long enough and you’ll find out. I promise I’m worth it,” she pointed out, a smile on her face as she took a sip from her drink. “Definitely a pleasure. Please, call me Madi. You bought me a drink, we are no longer strangers.”

“you little runaway need to stop running when good things happens to you. i mean take you own words, you deserve all the happiness. but gotta tell you if you runaway and the other person isn’t chasing is becasue they aren’t a fighter, which you deserve a guy who will chase you down even if you’re walking through fire.” beth said leaning down the sofa. “and thank you, i try to not explode. i tend to runaway too.”

“You really are,” Thomas agreed, giving a vigorous nod of his head. “So if no one snatches you up in the next decade or so, I’m your guy.” He grinned, his tone teasing but the statement holding some truth. “Deep dark secrets, huh?” He wondered what Madison had to hide, though everyone had something they were keeping hidden. “Trust me. I’m a guy who cuts into people for a living,” he pointed out. “I think I can handle a lot.” In a way, surgery was all about digging into people’s deepest, darkest secrets, diving into the recesses of their anatomy. “Are there any skeletons in the closet I need to worry about?”

Madison narrowed her eyes at him and smiled. “You’re already my guy, just so you know. But I know what you mean. Likewise and be expecting me to take you up on that offer. Because I doubt anyone’s snatching me up anytime soon, or at all,” she pointed out with a shrug. She smirked, letting out some laughter, “You already know most of my secrets. And the ones you don’t know are what are keeping you around. I’m a heartbreaker, did you know that? Most of your patients are there because of me,” she joked, her last words more in a whisper.

“Well then, in that case, I am honored to be in your presence,” he said over dramatically with a small bow. He was certainly a character and many in town knew him to be such a way. Ben hardly ever took anything seriously and tried to live life as carefree as possible. Especially when his own professional career created the absolute opposite atmosphere for him. “Eh, I’m here. Nothing new. Just walking around until I find something to occupy me. Where you headed to?”

“in that case? you should always be honored to be in my presence,” madi responded teasingly, with a smile. she definitely like being around the presence of ben which made her last words ironic. there was never a dull moment when she was around him, which made her enjoy herself more. “sounds good. any luck yet? or am i the lucky winner?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising a brow. “i was heading over to grab me a smoothie. want to join?”

                         “guess so,” venice says. “i’ll just, uh, go put in my two weeks notice. actually, i’ll just leave, they don’t need me to train you; you got this. i’ll just get you a name tag and see myself out.”

“madison fun beckett. sounds nice.” he teased with a smirk. “oh don’t worry i’m betting all my money here that you could drink a whole bottle with me.” he said to her. “i’ll keep up with you anytime.” he said taking another shot. he took his wallet placing the money on the counter. sean looked over to the bartender and when he turned around sean stood up and took the bottle of tequila from inside the bar with his arm. “let’s get out of here.” he said taking sip from the bottle. “let’s keep up the fun.”

“can’t argue with you there. it does sound nice,” madison agreed, a smirk on her face as she nodded. “i assure you i can. and i hope you do keep up. it’d be a shame if you gave up on me,” she responded, watching him take his last shot and grabbing a whole. She knew that meant they were in for a long but fun night and she was not going to oppose to it. “let’s go. lead the way,” madi insisted, determined to live up to her new middle name and proving she deserved it.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I don’t really borrow these to anyone who I know wouldn’t take care of them properly, so don’t worry. Plus, I’m sure you’ll find them extremely helpful and useful” she said with a big smile and nodding at Madi’s next words. “Ah, yes. I totally get your point, why have something of your own if you’re only going to pay attention to it when you feel like it? Still, i’m sure you’ll be a great garden owner. Taking the first step is the most important part and you’ve done it already.” Maggie added. She felt as if Madi’s words were tinted with some sort of negative emotion or connotation but she didn’t feel like she was in the right position to ask or pry. “It’s fine, we all have different ways of relating things to others.” the blonde explained and then proceeded to place some of the gardening tools Madi would need on top of the counter. “I’m glad you came too, it’s always nice to have company. So, shall we look into what flowers you want? Or do you need some more time to look at the tools?” 

“Well, I am very flattered you trust me with these. I will most definitely take care of them. There is always a lot to learn from books, which is why I love them,” Madi said, tapping the books with her index finger and smiling. Something about escaping in books and stories eased Madi in a way she couldn’t quite explain. Even if said books for just for skill building. “Thank you! I am very excited to start this new journey and hopefully can carry it through. If I ever start doubting myself, I know who to call to make me feel confident again. “Please, let’s get to the fun part of choosing. I definitely want some tulips for sure. Maybe some daisies too,” she brainstormed out loud, smiling at Maggie and waiting for her opinion.

A grateful smile came to Kiara at the woman’s response. It was nice to hear someone understood where she was coming from. At the question, she softly nodded. “I have two younger brothers, we’re all very close.” She responded. She loved her brothers to the end of the world, they all had to be strong for each other. Kiara being the one who had to be the strongest of the trio. “We went through a lot before moving here, so there’s a lot of co-dependency the three od us have for each other.”

Madison nodded and offered a smile, “That is amazing to hear. I am a little jealous though. I have a big family since my parents divorced and remarried and all that. But I’m really not close to any of them. The half-brother I am close to used to live here but he’s traveling, which is good for him but I miss him. I mean, I’m a twin and he and I were close growing up but have different interests now. My point being, it’s nice to see such close knit siblings.” She sighed, not meaning to go on about her life. “I’m sorry you went through a lot but it made you guys stronger so there’s that, right?”

within her first few days of owning and working at what the book, violet had noted one very key difference in her work as an agent and her work as a bookstore owner. being an fbi agent didn’t exactly lend itself to having friends outside of the job and that worked wonderfully for violet as she struggled with them all her life, on the other hand, working at the town bookshop pretty much invited every second person to try be friends with you. violet found it a little bizarre and somewhat of a culture shock. madison was one of such people to try and try and never quite succeed. yet, she never did give up as was evident by the greeting violet received as the blond entered. “it isn’t like i work here after all,” she responded a little dryly, but with a smile accompanying said try tone. “i’m good and you? looking for anything specific today?”

Violet’s tone in her response came as no shock to Madison. She was used to the woman’s responses by now, and paid no attention to it. “You’re very much right,” she responded, a more serious tone within but also offered a smile. She had no idea why the woman was obviously putting up a barrier between them, making it impossible to befriend each other. However, it did take a lot more than that to get rid of Madi. “I’m good myself,” she added on after a moment, looking around, forgetting what she had originally gone in for for a minute. “Oh yes, gardening. Do you have anything on gardening? I could use all the help I could get.”