64Dinner
Half an hour later, Matthew drove back to The Old Residence, only to find that Madison had already returned. At lunchtime, he had only noticed her smiling beautifully at another man, but now, seeing her sitting on the living room couch reading with Quentin and Hannah, he saw that she had donned a skirt.
She wore a chic outfit—a black silk top paired with a pleated black and white skirt. A silver belt accentuated her waist, and she opted for comfortable black flats instead of heels.
Immersed in picture books with the two kids, Madison looked up at the sound of footsteps and saw Matthew. She thought to herself, why is he home so early?
Hannah Garcia and Quentin Garcia also looked up to see Matthew returning. Hannah shouted, "Daddy, you're back! Mom got home before you."
Matthew walked over and picked up his daughter, asking playfully, "When did Mom get back?"
"About an hour. She's been reading to me and my brother for a while now."
It looked like she had come straight home after lunch. They hadn't gone anywhere else.
Indeed, after lunch with Nicholas and Rachel, Madison had parted ways with Nicholas and joined Rachel to head to the studio. When Rachel had an afternoon appointment with a client, Madison took a cab back to The Old Residence alone.
Madison noticed Matthew carrying Hannah and Quentin absorbed in his book. Deciding to head upstairs, she wanted to check her computer for information on the "New Riverside Gardens" properties they had seen earlier. They had scoped out the area, and she planned to visit the properties in person in two days.
The family sat around the dining table in the evening, enjoying homemade pastries.
They were pastries with dough made from scratch by Valerie, which was very delicious. Valerie had prepared several fillings, including spinach, onions, carrots, and cheese--an abundant feast.
Hannah had helped and created an assortment of oddly shaped pastries, which she carefully picked and placed on Matthew’s plate.
"Dad, I made these especially for you," she said with a grin.
Looking at the plate full of uniquely shaped pastries, Matthew was not upset. Instead, he looked at his daughter affectionately and said, "Thank you, Hannah. Dad will make sure to eat every single one."
The dinner table was livelier, with two more kids. Quentin Garcia asked his mother, “Mom, where did you and godmother go today?”
Matthew glanced at his son, the apple of his eye.
Then, he pretended to concentrate on eating his pastries while tuning in for Madison's response.
“We just checked out the kindergarten you two will be attending and had lunch with godmother before coming back.”
Madison didn't mention that Nicholas had also come along. After all, it was a whole house at Grandpa's, and she didn't want to stir up unnecessary misunderstandings. Besides, she wasn't lying. It was initially supposed to be just her and Rachel until Nicholas happened to call.
Matthew scoffed, convinced she was on a date, especially dressed up nicely, yet sticking to a story about visiting a school. His heart was heavy, but his face remained calm as he enjoyed the pastries on his plate.
Quentin and Hannah bombarded her with questions after hearing about the school. Madison knew little but answered what she could and passed what she couldn’t to Matthew.
The family finished dinner early, with Matthew's early return prompting the meal. Their kids' great-grandpa, fond of the children, suggested they stay a few more days, considering school was starting soon. Madison agreed, and Matthew stayed as well. They had no immediate plans to return home.
At The Old Residence, the children were mostly with William and only sought Madison when it was bedtime, leaving her more time to work on her house hunting.
*
After dinner, with time to spare, Quentin and Hannah went for a walk with William. Madison returned to her room, planning to call Rachel. She’d seen a few nice houses online that afternoon and, reached out to an agent and wanted to see when Rachel could join her for a viewing.
Then, a knock on the door sounded. Madison thought it might be Valerie.
“Valerie, is everything okay? Did Grandpa and the kids come back?”
No answer came from the other side. Rising to open the door, she found Matthew standing there.
Caught off guard, Madison blinked.
“Uh, is something up?”
Matthew walked past Madison and into the room. Everything looked familiar, but there were minor signs of life, like Hannah's stuffed animal on the bed and Madison's coat draped over the couch.
Madison wondered if Matthew had something important to discuss with her. After all, the house belonged to his family, and she had no right to stop him from entering any room. However, his shifting eyes made her feel he was seeing right through her, and his expression seemed discontent.
"Who did you go out with today?" asked Matthew, noting that Madison had changed into her pajamas and remained by the door since he had walked in.
"Huh? Just Quentin's godmother!" His question took aback Madison. Did he have amnesia or something? She thought she had responded loudly enough at the dinner table for everyone to hear.
"Was there anyone else?"
Madison's face was a collage of question marks. She found his persistent inquiries peculiar. Why did she need to report her every move to him?
"That guy who came to the office with you last time, who is he?"
"Do you mean Nicholas?" Madison had no idea why he was suddenly bringing up Nicholas.
"Were you at 'Homestyle Cuisine ' for lunch today?" Could he have seen them there earlier?
"No, I didn't have time to go out for lunch. Brian mentioned it to me." As Matthew saw his lie unraveling, he hastily made up another, saying Calvin had told him.
"Nicholas was in town for a visit to Horizon City and invited us to lunch after we checked out the school." Madison didn’t want to discuss the house-hunting with Matthew just yet. She intended to wait until the purchase was finalized.
"Oh."
The way she said 'Nicholas' so familiarly, it seemed they had known each other for a long time. Could it be a childhood friendship that preceded her marriage to Matthew? Instantly, Matthew pegged Nicholas as a threat.
Noticing Matthew lingering in the room without the intention to leave and seemingly lost in thought, Madison felt uncomfortable.
"If there's nothing else, I think I'm going to take a shower," she said, signaling that it was time for him to leave.
Matthew, feeling awkward, excused himself and stepped out of the room.
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