I had gotten home before Max and washed and dried a load of laundry. I folded it while watching an old episode of Sons of Anarchy and then started to put it away. I held Max’s shirt to my face and inhaled. I loved the smell of him, the scent of musk and cedar mingled together. It made me smile, relax, and ache at the same time. I stuck the shirt on a hanger and hung it in the closet. Out of nowhere, a set of arms wrapped around me.
“What the—” I shouted before realizing it was Max. “I didn’t hear you come in.” He just held me tight, my back to his front, his face buried in the crook of my neck. He swayed back and forth with me for a minute before pressing a kiss to my neck and letting me go. I turned to face him. His eyes lacked the sparkle I had come to expect in them. His mouth dipped at the corners, lines marring his face. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t even know where to start, Kar.”
“The bid?”
He shook his head. “We lost it. I don’t know how, but we did.”
“Oh, baby,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’m sorry. I know you were hoping to get that.”
“I’ll have to go in early tomorrow and make some calls. I know it’s Saturday and we were supposed to go hiking, but I have to try to get something else figured out. Cane’s busy with Jada, so I’m trying to take the pressure off of him.”
I rested my cheek against his chest. “Cane called here earlier and asked me to stay with Jada tomorrow. He said she wasn’t feeling good and he needed to be in the office all day.”
“That’s a good plan.”
We stood like that for a while. “You hungry or anything?” I asked.
“That’s something else . . .” His chest rumbled as he spoke. “Samantha wants us to go out to dinner tonight with her and some guy she’s dating.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, the thought of spending an evening with her—date or no date—didn’t sound all that appealing. It occurred to me, however, that if she was with a date, maybe that was a good thing to support. If she had a man, she’d have less interest, theoretically, in mine.
“If you don’t wanna go, we won’t go. End of story,” he mumbled into my hair. “She just wanted me to check this guy out for her. And it’ll save us from cooking anything. I’m tired as hell and I know you probably are, too.”
I couldn’t argue that either. With a heavy sigh, I said, “It’s fine. Let’s keep it casual, though. I don’t have the energy for something dramatic.”
KARI
A couple of hours later, we pulled into Maisano’s. Max led me into the restaurant looking edible himself in a pair of khaki pants and a black Polo shirt. He smelled all outdoorsy and wonderful and I wished for a split second we were home alone.
Without the Polo shirt and khakis.
Max gave the hostess our name and we were seated in the back of the restaurant. The hostess said she’d bring Sam and her date back when they arrived.
I looked around the room, large and airy with a very romantic, ethereal feel. Light pinks and warm grays decorated the walls in abstract paintings and art. It had been my favorite place since Max brought me here on our first date. I giggled as I recalled the night we met.
“What are ya laughing at?” he grinned.
“Remember the first night we came here?”
He leaned back in his chair, his dimple shining in his cheek. “I do. It was my payment for fixin’ your car.”
“I remember watching you walk across that parking lot,” I said, my eyes widening. “I’d never felt my luck change from bad to good so quickly before.”
He chuckled, the low sound reverberating through my body. “I was mad at Cane for dumping that project in my lap that morning. And then I find this sexy little firecracker all stranded.”
“Thank God for small favors.”
“No kiddin.’” He tilted his head, a slow, sexy smile sliding across his lips. “That was one of the best days of my life.”
I felt my cheeks heat under his gaze, his words would’ve been just as true coming out of my mouth. Meeting Max Quinn had changed my life in so many ways. I had gone hiking that day to stop from crying. It had been the anniversary of one of the saddest days of my entire life. I had pulled myself up off the floor of the bathroom that afternoon, climbed to the top of Pinnacle Peak, and just zoned out. I didn’t pray a lot, not as much as I always thought I should, but I prayed that day. I felt so low, so down and I was afraid that depression would settle back over me as it had in the past. I had prayed for direction, for guidance, for something to soothe my soul. I had talked to my mom and asked her to help, then I laughed at myself for thinking that. There was no way a deceased person could help. Then I had laughed harder because maybe they could—how did I know? By the time I made it back down the mountain, I had felt a touch of peace. More than I had felt in a very long time . . . at least until my car didn’t start.
That was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
“I love that dress on you.” Max leaned towards me a bit. He looked tired but happy. “The green makes your eyes look like emeralds.”