Maddie knew Linda wouldn't understand. How could she? She'd gone straight from college to marriage and babies. Her goal in life was to not get pregnant. Women like Linda didn't need schedules and plans, they ran on chaos and nervous energy, tossing from one thing to the next but still managing to have a great life and look beautiful.
Maddie needed deadlines. She needed order and patterns. Without them, her life fell apart and every day was like a bad hair day. If that made her a freak then so be it. That's the way she was and she couldn't operate if things didn't go the way they were supposed to.
Right now, things were far from being where they should be. Maddie could cope with being thirty and not having a husband and children but that was because she had her career. Now she didn't have anything except bills to pay and a future that yawned before her like a barren desert. Who'd employ someone who'd been fired from their previous job? Not any company she'd want to work for.
Maddie left when Pete arrived, but not before he gave her the third degree over what she'd done to Sam. Why did everyone blame her? Pheramour was definitely her fault, but he'd called her a nerd. So what if it was fifteen years ago, it still hurt like it happened yesterday. Anyway, they wouldn't feel sorry for him soon. Once she saw him again and he realized he wasn't in love with her anymore, she'd be the one needing their pity.
Because her love wasn't going to fade after a few more showers.
***
The phone was ringing when Maddie arrived home. She snatched it up. Maybe Sam...
"Hello?"
"Maddie? It's Beaker."
"Oh."
"Miles told me what happened after you left. Why didn't you come back to the lab and say goodbye?"
Because I didn't want everyone looking at me like I'm a loser. "I hate goodbyes."
Silence, then, "Yeah, me too." Beaker paused and Maddie rolled her eyes, wishing he'd get it over with so she could crawl into bed with a tub of ice cream.
"Hey," he finally said, "there's something you should know."
"Miles has contracted a rare penis shrinking disease?"
Beaker chuckled. "You're not bitter or anything are you? No, Miles is okay, for someone who might be out of a job soon too."
"Miles is getting fired?"
"Maybe. Pheramour's not working on Fred and Wilma anymore. They can't stand each other. I'm beginning to think it never worked."
"It does! I'm living proof."
"Are you sure? When I used it, only Annie responded. None of the women at the lab found me more attractive."
More attractive? Maddie couldn't help smiling.
"And you've only got that Sam person. One response is not conclusive proof."
"There were others at the market. Honest. Men kept looking at me."
"Were you wearing something different? Maybe you had your hair down. You do look, well, um, hot when it tumbles over your shoulders. And you've got a great body, so if you wore something tight..." He sucked in a breath. "I think I better shut up now."
She frowned. "You're delusional, Beaker."
"Am I? What about Sam? Maybe he's smitten."
"Sam Hennessy has never been smitten with anything in his life. Except maybe with his car."
"I gotta go, Maddie, but think about it. Pheramour is definitely not working and now that Hillary What's-Her-Name knows it, she's going to be advising her company to pull out of the deal. Miles made us all stay back late to save his bacon but I don't think we can." He sighed down the line. "We're all screwed."
When he hung up, Maddie plopped on the couch because the living room was spinning and her head felt like it would explode.
After a few minutes she got up again because she couldn't think clearly without ice cream. She plodded to the kitchen, opened the freezer door and stuck her head inside. The shock of the cold blast startled her brain into action and she breathed deeply for the first time since hanging up from Beaker.
Oh God. What the hell was going on?
If Pheramour didn't work, then...
"Sam actually likes me." Wow. Now that's not something a girl gets to say every day. She sat at the kitchen table, spoon poised above the chocolate chip ice cream and burst into laughter. Sam Hennessy liked her and she was eating ice cream! Why was she wasting time?
She ran into the living room and dialed Linda's number. Pete answered.
"What's Sam's phone number in Sydney?"
"Maddie? Is that you? You sound different. Desperate."
"I am and stop stalling. Give me his number."
"So you want to speak to him now, do you?" He sounded annoyed. "You've changed your tune since yesterday."
She counted to five and let out her breath slowly. "Pete, I know you're upset on Sam's behalf, but there's really no need. I want to talk to him. It's all okay now." She tried to sound perky which was difficult when she wanted to reach through the phone and strangle him.