The Key To Micah's Heart (Hell Yeah!) by Sable Hunter, Ryan O'Leary

it.”
     
    Madison’s Adventure Begins…
     
    Madison’s day just kept getting better and better. When she arrived home after her trip to the shelter, she was greeted by the sight of Rudy loading bags into the trunk of a cab. She ran over to talk to them before the cab pulled away. “Mom. Where are you going?”
    Sunny, already in the backseat, rolled down the window to speak to her. “Oh hey, baby. Rudy got a call from a friend of his up in Fort Worth who needs an extra hand around the shop, so we’re headed up there for a while. Rudy’s friend said we can stay in a room in the back of the shop while we look for a place.”
    As much as she hated having Rudy near, in a way, it’d been nice to see her mother again. They’d all avoided each other for the most part, but Madison and Sunny had managed a few good talks. No doubt Rudy had some type of a shady job lined up in Fort Worth. As sad as she was to say good-bye to her mother, after what Rudy said to her about Micah a few days ago, she was certainly glad to see him go. If they’d stayed much longer, Madison might have done something rash.
    He didn’t even look at her, not so much as a ‘thanks for the hospitality’ or even a nod, he just got into the backseat beside Sunny and waited.
    “Thank you for puttin’ us up, Maddie. I’ll call when we get to Fort Worth.”
    The cab was gone before Madison could kiss her mother goodbye. She watched it until the taillights disappeared, then headed upstairs to her apartment.
    “Whew!” She fanned the air. The stink was unmistakable. It smelled of Rudy, like stale cigarette smoke and engine parts. She hadn’t taken a survey of the apartment since they’d moved in, but Madison knew the likelihood that something, be it valuable or not, would be missing was strong. Rudy had sticky fingers, he’d steal the batteries out of a smoke detector if you left him alone with it for any length of time. At a cursory glance, Madison couldn’t see anything obvious missing. Of course, she’d have to count the spoons and forks and check to make sure Rudy hadn’t been rifling through her trash, trying to find her banking information. But all that could wait, right now she was too ecstatic about her date with Micah to worry about such negative things.
    Excited, Madison ran into the bedroom and jumped up onto her bed. She bounced up and down a few times before falling onto her back and settling into the mattress. The bed felt softer and fluffier than it had ever felt, as if Disney creatures from the forest had come and stuffed it with feathers and pine needles.
    After all, he’d called her Cinderella.
    This wonderful expectancy was a feeling Madison hadn’t experienced often in her life. Oh sure, she’d been on a few dates. Three to be exact and two of those had been in high school at a time when she was constantly moving around because of her mother. None of those three dates had been memorable.
    Madison sat bolt upright in her bed. “Oh my God. Where are we going?” Her head started to spin. What did Micah even have planned for their date? “Oh don’t be silly, Madison. He couldn’t possibly have something planned yet. You just exchanged numbers a while ago. There are still two days to go until Saturday.” Cuddling a teddy bear to her chest, she lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “How am I going to stand the wait?” She kicked her feet in excitement like a small child. “Maybe he needs a few days to arrange for a horse and buggy.” The thought thrilled her, but Rudy’s words crept back into her mind. “Or maybe he was just being polite and he’s going to blow me off tomorrow.” Doubt flooded her heart.
    At times like this, Madison needed someone to talk to. She picked up her cell phone to call her mother, but quickly realized she couldn’t. Sunny used cheap burner phones. Although her mother always had Madison’s number, she never knew how to contact Sunny. Sonya was the closest thing she had to a best