1 Hot Scheming Mess by Lucy Carol Page B

understand what it was she needed to say. She heard a few locks turning and the door opened up. Toonie stood there towering, her hands on her hips, and her stern face considering Madison.
    “Toonie.” she began and stopped. “I’ve been a weird neighbor, and I don’t know how to fix it. I suppose my actions have been confusing. Well, nothing is making sense to me right now but I don’t want to be that person who doesn’t give a shit about their neighbors. I do care. This morning I felt like an ass to realize you were probably sick last night when I was yelling and drilling, and… Are you feeling better?
    “Young lady, you have a way of pissing me off and endearing yourself to me at the same time. Kind of like having kids, I guess. Yeah, I’m better. It ain’t no virus. I think my new blood pressure medication doesn’t like this new diet.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, running back and forth in the hallway like your hair is on fire.” Toonie sighed and said, “Wait here.” She disappeared from the door for a moment and returned with a plastic baggie with some cookies in it. “This is my own recipe. People beg me for it, but I don’t give it out.” She held the baggie up in the air. “Now if you ever want some of these again, and trust me you will, you will behave yourself around here.” She handed the baggie to Madison. “And whatever it is you’re going through, don’t go making emotional decisions. Make smart ones.”
    Madison pressed her lips together hard as she smiled and fought new tears. She took the baggie with cookies. “Toonie, I’d kiss you if you weren’t so tall.”
    “Humph. I’ve heard that from a few men over the years.” She looked off in the distance and murmured, “But eventually they couldn’t help themselves.”
    Madison put the baggie into her tote. “I have to go.”
    Toonie said, “Last night when you were yelling out the window, you said you were an accident. What did you mean by that?”
    “I wasn’t supposed to be born.”
    “Aw, now, your mama don’t feel that way.”
    Madison was quiet for a moment. “Honestly? I don’t think I was a good idea.”
    *****
    Madison pulled up in front of Spenser’s home, a brown two-story house in the suburbs. Before heading to Spenser’s front door, she sat in her parked car taking a moment to consider what her next move should be. She decided to stick with her earlier plan of calling her mother, Ann, about getting together for coffee today. Not only did she need to face her mother about the adventures in Fight Cabaret last night, she needed more information about her grandfather’s friends, the ones from his past. There was no way she was going to wait around for him to explain himself. Someone was helping her grandfather at this very moment and she needed to find that friend and make them tell her what the hell was going on. Her mother was the best chance she had of figuring out where to start, but Madison had to be careful not to tip her off that anything was wrong. Grandpa’s mandate to Madison was to hide the box, but he had also said to go about her normal life. Normal? She wondered for a moment if he’d forgotten who he was talking to.
    She called up her mother and held her breath while she heard the phone ringing on the other end. A quick voice, all business answered, “Ann Cruz.”
    “Mom? Mom, it’s Madison. Do you have a minute?”
    “Oh.” There was a pause. “Well, hello! Uh…” She gave a small laugh. Madison recognized her mother’s nervous chuckle. “I’m sorry but you caught me off guard. I had no idea it would be you.”
    “I’m sorry, Mom. Calling you at work like this.”
    “No, no. It’s okay. I just had to get in a different head space. Believe me, hearing your voice is much better than what I was expecting.”
    Madison tried chuckling back. “What were you expecting?”
    Silence, then, “I’m sorry, honey, you know I’m not allowed to talk about