That Night with You by Alexandrea Weis

her head around, she
saw Hayden walking in beside a middle-aged couple. The man was
almost as tall as Hayden, but with thinning black hair speckled
with gray. Wearing a black tuxedo with a red cummerbund about his
thick waist, his arm was linked with an attractive blonde. She
glided along in a silk gown of azure with a cream beaded bodice and
flowing skirt. With a beautiful creamy complexion and scintillating
blue eyes, the woman was draped in glistening gold jewelry about
her neck, wrists, and ears. Her smile was warm and inviting as she
eyed Madison across the patio.
    “ Madison Barnett, this is
Pat and Stevie Martin, old family friends, and your new clients,”
Hayden announced with a flourish of his hand.
    Madison put her drink down on the
table next to her design before stepping forward. Taking Pat
Martin’s hand, she uttered, “It is a pleasure to meet you
both.”
    “ Has Mike been keeping you
entertained?” Pat Martin nodded to Hayden’s sister.
    Mike raised her empty martini glass,
giving the man a dubious smirk. The contempt in her brown eyes was
palpable. “I’ve been giving her the lowdown on your sordid past,
Pat.”
    “ Hayden has just been
telling us about your design,” Stevie Martin began, ignoring Mike,
“and I must say we are both very excited to see what you have drawn
for us.”
    “ He told us you went to UT
Arlington.” Pat Martin gestured to Hayden. “Same as Hayden. Did you
two know each other from school?”
    Madison’s eyes shot to her
boss.
    “ No, I never knew Madison
before she applied to our firm,” Hayden divulged.
    Madison was shattered. She had still
hoped that perhaps he did remember her, but as time went on, it was
becoming evident that he didn’t have the slightest clue as to who
she was.
    “ So is that it?” Pat Martin
waved his hand over the long paper Hayden had left on the patio
table.
    “ They’re wonderful, Pat,
you’ll love them,” Mike blurted out, and then pointed to Madison’s
untouched martini on the table. “Are you going to drink
that?”
    Madison gaped at Hayden’s sister, not
sure of what to say.
    “ How many has she had?”
Hayden softly demanded in her ear.
    “ Two,” Madison
mumbled.
    “ Don’t worry, big brother,”
Mike snickered. “We’re among friends.”
    Hayden picked up the drink from the
table and handed it to Madison. “Keep this away from
her.”
    “ These are quite
impressive, young lady,” Pat Martin commented, lifting the large
sheet of paper from the table with his chubby hands. “I see you’re
trying to build the house into the ridge.” He turned to his wife,
holding out the plans. “I told you that’s what I
wanted.”
    “ I didn’t think it could be
done,” Stevie Martin confided in a soft voice.
    “ It can be,” Hayden assured
the couple. “It’s just going to cost you and require a bit more
planning as far as the engineering specs go.”
    “ I like that the creek is
so close to the back.” Stevie Martin gestured to the rear of the
home on the drawing. “And these are windows?”
    Madison motioned to the plans. “All
along the rear of the atrium, tying in the entrance and the back of
the house, is one sweeping room. I have all the rooms running off
that main room in both directions, with the second story coming off
the atrium via a set of climbing stairs. That portion of the house
will be built into the ridge, but overlooks both the front portion
of the property and the rear, while the first floor rooms will only
have views of the creek. It will give you more of a secluded feel
from the street.” She glanced over at Hayden, and he gave her an
encouraging smile.
    “ I like it,” Stevie Martin
affirmed with a curt nod. “It blends in with the
property.”
    Pat Martin returned the plans to the
patio table, frowning. “Ambitious, yes, but isn’t there another
architect coming to show us his ideas?”
    Madison’s hopes were instantly
dashed.
    “ Yes, Adam Turnbull.”
Hayden glanced back at the dining