Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

* * *

"Well Madeline, it was a pleasure," Mark affirmed, kissing her cheek

once more. They were standing in the parking lot, having unknowingly

used the same one upon their separate arrivals. Mark's car was just up the

ramp from her white Le Baron, beside which they lingered for a few

minutes.

"So I look forward to tomorrow; I will give you a call in the morning

and we'll go from there. Of course, if you can't get out of rehearsal, just

page me. You have all my numbers, right?"

"Uh yes," she confirmed. "But I am pretty sure Rebecca will say yes;

she's very easy going and we've practiced this routine a million times. If

we don't have it right by now, it's never gonna happen! Besides, SunFest

sounds like a lot of fun."

"It'll be a great time, I promise," he returned her smile and bid her

farewell. "Take care, Maddy. See you tomorrow!"

"Bye Mark!"

She slipped behind the wheel with renewed excitement and vigor,

hopeful that Mark Donnelly would at the very least turn out to be a good

and trusted friend. Still, when she recalled his handsome face, warm

disposition and masculine build, thoughts of friendship took a back seat

to fantasies of romance, in spite of his having kids. At 27, Maddy had

never dated anyone with this so-called baggage, but she was certainly

open-minded enough to give it a whirl. How bad could it be after

everything she'd experienced with childless men? Maybe this guy would

actually demonstrate some maturity.

Driving west on Glades Road on his way to his brother's home, Mark

wondered what he'd gotten himself into. Sure, Madeline was a cute girl,

but that was the problem-she was just a kid. And in spite of being smart,

personable and pretty, there was something just too innocent about her;

something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Then there was Gina, a

woman with whom he'd planned to spend the rest of his life as recently as

last month. In spite of the break-up, she still intended to fly down for

Memorial Day weekend as planned.

True, the visit's real purpose was to return the two-carat diamond

he'd given her, but still, it was going to be a long three days in the Keys.

Maybe there was too much going on in his life to take on anyone new,

particularly a recently relocated young woman. While she seemed fairly

self-assured, the last thing he needed was somebody else depending on

him. Maddy was a babe-in-the-woods where South Florida was

concerned; she was in for a rude awakening.