A tension knot at the base of Madeline’s neck pulsed. She should apologize, she really should, and take Tick up on his suggestion from yesterday that they just deal with the past.She should. But she couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come and Tick’s brooding presence did nothing to coax them forward.As she steered into a left-hand turn onto Scott Street, she cast a surreptitious glance at him. He slumped in the passenger seat, thumping his thumb on his knee and glaring out the window. Bad humor emanated from him in rolling waves.Yes, that was going to induce her to talk to him.“Stop here.” He flicked a finger at the small parking lot between the old fire station and an ancient row of shops. Madeline obeyed without comment. While she’d been away, the fire station had been updated into a physician’s office and the little set of shops held an insurance agency, a trendy gift shop and a beautician’s parlor.She idled to a halt along the sidewalk. A quick glance told her why he wanted to stop.
