There was no moon, and it looked like rain, but the endless blanket of woods surrounding her was comforting. A few cars passed, but she ducked between trees when they did, in no mood to be found by any Good Samaritans who might offer a ride. She’d grown up thinking her grandparents had always hated the Holters, but in reality it had been the opposite. Her grandmother had loved Samuel Holter once, and maybe part of her still did. Yet she hadn’t waited. Was it because she was young and lonely and heartsick and her grandfather had comforted her? Wooed her away? Or did it happen spontaneously, after months of resisting, when she finally gave in, then realized much, much later she’d made the worst mistake of her life? Or was she as shallow and selfish as she was now, playing with two men’s emotions like a spoiled toddler with too many toys? No one would know. And really, did it matter? All Maddie knew was that she was done listening to the advice of someone who’d allowed bitterness to eat up everything good about her.
