“What?”
“Look, I’ve known her a long time. She’s harmless, I think,” he tapped his chin with his fingertips, “but I’m not a huge Sam fan. Just . . . keep an eye on that one. Max has this sense of obligation to her or some shit, which I understand, considering the circumstances. But she’ll walk all over you if you let her.”
“Uh, Cane? Did you forget who you’re talking to? No one will walk all over me.”
He winked. “Good girl. Just keep that in mind when you deal with her. She’ll chew you up and spit you out if you don’t watch it.”
I nodded, thinking back to something he said that didn’t settle with me. “What did you mean about ‘the circumstances’?”
“Fuck,” he muttered and shook his head.
“What?”
The bartender arrived to take our order. She took one look at Cane and began batting her false eyelashes, pressing her cleavage together. He completely ignored all of her innuendos, barked out our order, and turned back to me. She stomped away in a huff at being outright rejected.
“Look, Kari. Max feels some sense of obligation to Sam. It’s a long story and not my story to tell. I just fucked up mentioning it, probably. Imagine that. But it’s nothing for you to worry about, just water under the bridge that still causes a few ripples.”
“Fabulous,” I groaned, taking two of the drinks the bartender sat on the counter. I waited as Cane paid and then followed him back to the table.
I always suspected there was something between Max and Samantha, something that had changed the dynamic between them from “family friends” to something a touch more. It’d never seemed inappropriate, just more intimate than I would’ve expected. Than I would’ve liked. It bothered me a few times when Max seemed to almost cater to her or go out of his way to help her with her car or something. He always eased my nerves and blew it off, but now Cane had piqued my curiosity.
What was it?
Isa was telling a story when we got back to the table and had everyone cracking up. I gave Brielle, who had taken the chair next to Cane, her drink. She gave me a half smile and turned back to Isa. I walked around Samantha and Max and took my seat on the other side of him. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, sitting it on top of the table.
“Max, are you still living in Guadalupe Estates?” Samantha asked sweetly.
“Yeah,” he said, taking a drink of his beer. “Why?”
“I was looking at a house over there. It’s the perfect location being so close to everything, but it’s so expensive! You don’t need a roommate, do you?” She laughed as if she were joking, but she wasn’t.
I took a deep breath and looked at our hands, trying desperately to not lunge across him and knock that blue eye shadow off her face.
It’s my hand locked with his. It’s my palm he’s running his thumb across. Stay calm.
I turned my head to look at Max, before Isa caught my eye. She just winked and pressed her lips together. I knew she wanted me to mark my territory but I was too angry at Sam’s blatant come on that I couldn’t think straight.
Max chuckled. “I do need a roommate, actually.”
Sam looked delighted and my blood singed my veins.
“But I can’t seem to get Kari to agree to move in,” he said, turning to look at me with a lopsided grin. “I even promised to sleep naked and not watch The Discovery Channel in bed.”
“You probably scared her off with the sleeping naked bullshit,” Cane offered.
“Fuck you, Alexander,” Max laughed and squeezed my hand again.
“There’s nothing Max can do to get you to say yes?” Isa asked, a glimmer in her eye.
I pretended to think about it. I needed to look amendable to the offer so Samantha wouldn’t smell an opening, but I didn’t want to agree on the spot because that would be obvious. All the while, I needed to avoid the alarm going off in my head about how jealous I was.
Jealousy means you have something to be jealous over.
I shook my head, trying to focus.
“Well, if Max really wants me to move in with him, he’ll sing karaoke tonight,” I smirked, knowing good and well he wouldn’t. He’d said so himself a few minutes earlier.
Max returned my smirk and pushed away from the table in one effortless movement. He stood and twisted his Saints cap backwards on his head.
“What are you doing?” I asked in disbelief. My eyes bulged, my throat going dry. I glanced quickly at Samantha and the look on her face mirrored mine.
We were both struck with fear for the very same reason.
Sam caught herself quickly and smiled before bending down and pretending to rummage through her purse.
“Seriously, Max. Sit down,” I said softly, tugging at his hand.
“I gotta pick out a song. Any suggestions?” He asked the table.