what now? What do you do now that you've finished living out the dream list?"
She'd been asking herself that question for a while. "I get a job and find a place to live, put money in the bank, do what everyone else does."
"Wrong answer."
"Really? You don't think I should focus on getting a job and straightening out my life? You? The most practical person I've ever met. Now I've heard everything."
He leaned forward, determination in his gaze. "You should get a job. But you have to keep dreaming, Maddie. If you're a chef, why are you working as a waitress at the Hanover Club? Why aren't you trying to be a chef?"
"That's a part-time job. I am hoping to get hired in a restaurant. I have an interview on Monday at a restaurant called 311 Post."
"Well, good, because it sounded a little like you'd given up."
"I don't give up. Sometimes I retreat. But I always get back out there."
"Good. I don't want you to settle."
"Why do you even care?"
"You've had an amazing life so far. You've done incredible things. I'd hate to think you couldn't come up with new dreams just because some asshole kicked you in the teeth. That wouldn't be the Maddie I used to know."
Was that admiration in his eyes? A tingle ran down her spine as she sat up a little straighter in her chair. "I'm trying to get back to that Maddie as we speak."
"Good. And by the way, 311 Post is an excellent restaurant."
"I know. If they take me on, I'll be set." She paused. "Even though I traveled for a long time, I was pretty frugal. You'd probably be surprised to know this, but I used to put away ten percent of everything I made. My father had ingrained that in me at a young age. He's a little bit like you when it comes to making long-term plans. While most of what he advised me to do didn't stick, that did. I had quite a bit of money in my accounts when Paul ripped me off. I had hoped to buy a food truck or put the money towards an ownership interest in a restaurant." She paused, feeling once again the sting of that betrayal. "Anyway, that's not going to happen now. I'm going to have to start at the bottom and work my way up again. But I want you to know that I didn't end up on the streets with no money because I didn't do anything to protect myself. I just didn't realize that the danger would come from someone so close to me."
His gaze hardened. "Did you turn Paul in to the police?"
"No. I didn't see how I could. I gave him access to my accounts. It wasn't like he illegally broke into anything."
"I think you could have made a case in some way."
She took a sip of her drink. "It wasn't the loss of the money that hurt the most; it was the breach of trust. I never thought Paul would hurt me like that. I was a fool. I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust anyone again."
"I can understand why you wouldn't, but somehow I think you'll find a way."
"Why would you say that?" she asked curiously.
"Because your instinct is to trust, to think the best of someone. That's who you are, Maddie."
"Who I used to be," she corrected. "I'm hard now. I'm cynical and jaded. I don't believe in forever. In fact, I hate that word. For me, it's about right now. Nothing else matters."
He smiled. "Right now isn't bad. But I don't think you're as cynical as you'd like to believe. I saw your face when you were riding down the beach. No one who is that jaded about life can be that happy."
"Well, I'm not cynical about horses. Anyway, that's enough about me. It's your turn to talk."
"I can't come close to your story. I've been a firefighter since I was twenty-one years old. I have fourteen years on the job. I haven't been much of anywhere, except New York, Hawaii and a weekend in Cabo."
"Do you ever want to go to Europe?"
"I wouldn't mind taking a trip someday. I have to admit my world has felt a little small the last few years."
"What was Leanne like?"
A shadow immediately crossed Burke's face. "I don’t want to talk about her."
"Come on, tell me something. It doesn't have to be
She'd been asking herself that question for a while. "I get a job and find a place to live, put money in the bank, do what everyone else does."
"Wrong answer."
"Really? You don't think I should focus on getting a job and straightening out my life? You? The most practical person I've ever met. Now I've heard everything."
He leaned forward, determination in his gaze. "You should get a job. But you have to keep dreaming, Maddie. If you're a chef, why are you working as a waitress at the Hanover Club? Why aren't you trying to be a chef?"
"That's a part-time job. I am hoping to get hired in a restaurant. I have an interview on Monday at a restaurant called 311 Post."
"Well, good, because it sounded a little like you'd given up."
"I don't give up. Sometimes I retreat. But I always get back out there."
"Good. I don't want you to settle."
"Why do you even care?"
"You've had an amazing life so far. You've done incredible things. I'd hate to think you couldn't come up with new dreams just because some asshole kicked you in the teeth. That wouldn't be the Maddie I used to know."
Was that admiration in his eyes? A tingle ran down her spine as she sat up a little straighter in her chair. "I'm trying to get back to that Maddie as we speak."
"Good. And by the way, 311 Post is an excellent restaurant."
"I know. If they take me on, I'll be set." She paused. "Even though I traveled for a long time, I was pretty frugal. You'd probably be surprised to know this, but I used to put away ten percent of everything I made. My father had ingrained that in me at a young age. He's a little bit like you when it comes to making long-term plans. While most of what he advised me to do didn't stick, that did. I had quite a bit of money in my accounts when Paul ripped me off. I had hoped to buy a food truck or put the money towards an ownership interest in a restaurant." She paused, feeling once again the sting of that betrayal. "Anyway, that's not going to happen now. I'm going to have to start at the bottom and work my way up again. But I want you to know that I didn't end up on the streets with no money because I didn't do anything to protect myself. I just didn't realize that the danger would come from someone so close to me."
His gaze hardened. "Did you turn Paul in to the police?"
"No. I didn't see how I could. I gave him access to my accounts. It wasn't like he illegally broke into anything."
"I think you could have made a case in some way."
She took a sip of her drink. "It wasn't the loss of the money that hurt the most; it was the breach of trust. I never thought Paul would hurt me like that. I was a fool. I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust anyone again."
"I can understand why you wouldn't, but somehow I think you'll find a way."
"Why would you say that?" she asked curiously.
"Because your instinct is to trust, to think the best of someone. That's who you are, Maddie."
"Who I used to be," she corrected. "I'm hard now. I'm cynical and jaded. I don't believe in forever. In fact, I hate that word. For me, it's about right now. Nothing else matters."
He smiled. "Right now isn't bad. But I don't think you're as cynical as you'd like to believe. I saw your face when you were riding down the beach. No one who is that jaded about life can be that happy."
"Well, I'm not cynical about horses. Anyway, that's enough about me. It's your turn to talk."
"I can't come close to your story. I've been a firefighter since I was twenty-one years old. I have fourteen years on the job. I haven't been much of anywhere, except New York, Hawaii and a weekend in Cabo."
"Do you ever want to go to Europe?"
"I wouldn't mind taking a trip someday. I have to admit my world has felt a little small the last few years."
"What was Leanne like?"
A shadow immediately crossed Burke's face. "I don’t want to talk about her."
"Come on, tell me something. It doesn't have to be
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