Chapter 20
“Hi there, Pumpkin. Am I calling too early?”
“Hi,” I said back. “You’re fine. I’m up.” I didn’t tack on that I was up making Max French toast before he left for work. I slid the last piece onto the plate and then covered it up to keep it warm for him.
“I don’t suppose you’re ready to come home yet?”
I slid onto a bar stool. “I thought you were okay with me staying here?”
He chuckled at that. “That doesn’t mean I don’t miss you.”
“I miss you, too,” I admitted. Then I was silent, waiting for him to dive into whatever he had to say. I knew he must be at work so if he called, it must be important.
He cleared his throat. “Well, if you have a few minutes, I’d like to talk to you about Collin.”
My stomach dropped. My mother had just started to back off where Collin was concerned. I wasn’t ready for my dad to pick up where she left off. What had happened to young people getting out on their own, seeing what the world had to offer?
“I really don’t think—”
He cut me off. “This isn’t personal. It’s business. Collin, well, I think he’s going to be a good asset to this company. He’s worked out well so far this summer.” I didn’t say anything. I had known that he was working for my dad, just to get a better feel for the place. It had been lined up well before the wedding debacle. It was just one more thing that had been out of sight and out of mind for me these past few months. But the summer was nearing an end and reality was going to be settling in soon. “As unhappy as I am with him over how he treated you,” my dad said, “I’m trying my damndest to keep things professional at this end.”
“I know.” I didn’t understand the specifics. I tried not to be nosy when it came to my parents’ finances. But I knew that Collin’s ultimate goal was to buy out my dad’s firm. Or rather, Mr. Reynolds was planning to help Collin buy out the firm. Of course, I knew that “help” really meant that Mr. Reynolds would provide all of the financial backing needed to give Collin what he wanted. The only positive thing I could say about that was that Collin did seem to be truly passionate about architecture. I did really believe that if given the chance, he’d make sure my father’s business continued to thrive. Even when it was no longer his.
“I just wanted to clarify with you that the plan is still the same. Collin will be working under me until he gets his degree. I just wanted you to be aware of that,” he said. “On one hand, I really don’t want to do that kid any favors. On the other, everyone makes mistakes and although that was about as bad as they come, I don’t have it in me to pull his entire future out from under him. Even though I do have other prospects, a few which have been banging at the door lately, I just don’t think it would be the right thing to do.”
“I know,” I said again. “And I wouldn’t want you to.” My dad was at the age where he could retire now, if he chose. I knew that he wouldn’t be entirely opposed to that. I knew he’d had a few other offers, other companies hoping to buy him out now. But he had a verbal agreement with Mr. Reynolds and he wouldn’t go back on it. I admired him for that.
Max came into the kitchen and I handed him his plate of French toast. He lightly kissed my cheek and eyed me curiously as I finished up the conversation with my dad.
We made small talk for a few more minutes. Max was done eating by the time we ended the call.
“He’s calling early. Is everything okay?”
I told him what we’d discussed. Nothing that he said was really news but I appreciated that he still wanted me to be aware.
“Are you really okay with it?” he wondered.
I nodded. “Dad’s retiring as soon as he can. Collin’s there but it’s not like he’s hanging out in Dad’s office all day. Dad’s got him running errands, picking up supplies, that kind of thing for now. The next few years will be a transition period but my dad’s set on retiring as soon as possible. Once he does, I wouldn’t be surprised if my parents packed up and moved to Florida or Arizona permanently. He’s at a point where he’s ready to just get away from it all. So does it really matter if it’s Collin that takes over or someone else?”
“It sounds like you’ve thought about it a lot,” Max noted.
I nodded. “I have. I don’t feel like anyone in my family owes Collin any favors but,” I shrugged, “it’s not really a favor. It’s not even personal. It’s business.” If I said that no, I wasn’t okay with it, it would’ve felt vindictive. It would also be pointless because my dad was a man of his word.
“Are you…?” I started to ask, unsure of how to put my thoughts into words. Max gave me a questioning look. “Are you okay with it? I mean, does it bother you that Collin will be working with my dad for a few years?” I didn’t point out the obvious, because I assumed he was aware of it, but despite what had happened between Collin and me, our parents were still friends. Our fathers still worked closely together. Even though my mother had mentioned things were strained, I was sure that she and Gwen were still playing tennis every Tuesday. Furthermore, because of that, Collin would most likely not ever be completely extricated from my life. Not that I ever planned to seek him out but running into him, seeing him at functions, it was all inevitable.
He looked surprised by the question. “What? No. That’s your dad’s business, literally. That’s not what’s bothering me.”
“Hey,” I said as I moved up beside him. He had his back to me as he set his dishes in the sink. I tugged his arm until he turned to face me. “What is bothering you?”
He made a face that let me know he didn’t want to talk about it.
“Max?” I pressed. “Please?”
“It’s just,” he threw his hands up, “it’s stupid because I’ve known all along that you’re going to be leaving. But I just hate the thought of…” He stopped himself, pressing his lips together, sealing off what he was going to tell me.
I waited and he stared off at the kitchen cupboards, mulling things over.
“Whatever it is, if it’s bothering you, it’s not stupid.”
“Okay. I’m going to be here, thousands of miles away. You’re going to be there with him. You’ll be on the same campus. You’ll probably run into him all the time. Not to mention your parents trying to set the two of you up again. Your Mom will probably have those fancy Friday night dinners like before,” he sighed. “And I know we’ve never talked about what we’re going to do at the end of the summer. And I know I have no right getting all pissed off even thinking about you being there with him. But,” he slammed his palm down on the countertop, “I just can’t stand it. Okay? That’s what’s bothering me.”
“Collin?” I asked with surprise. “You’re worried about Collin?”
He raised his eyebrows at the question.
I shook my head. “Max, please don’t. You know how I feel about you, right? How much I care about you? Not just as a friend but I like this, us, I mean.”
“Yeah, but you’re here. Pretty soon you won’t be.” His expression was twisting my heart into knots.
“I promise you, you’re the only one that I think about,” I said, trying to reassure him.
“Maybe now. But what happens when you go back? What happens when I’m here? And you’re there. And he’s there and—”
“Hey,” I said as I put my hands on his cheeks. I pulled his lips to mine for a quick kiss. “I want you. Just you. Okay?”
He nodded and blew out a breath. “This summer is going way too fast. I’ve been waiting years to be with you. Now that I am, it’s going to be over and it feels like it’s barely getting started.”
“I know.” I wrapped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest. It felt so good to be that close to him. I must’ve felt that way about Collin at one point. But being with Max, it had chased all of my feelings about Collin away. “We’ve got a few weeks left. Let’s just make the most of it, okay? Don’t worry about the rest of it right now. When the time comes, we’ll figure out something.”
He squeezed my body against his. “I wish I could take the next few weeks off and just spend all day with you.”
“I know, you can’t,” I told him. It was tourist season and they were busy. Villette and Charles would probably find a way to let him have the time off, if he asked. But I knew he wouldn’t do that to them. And I wouldn’t want him to.
***
As if his phone calls hadn’t gotten to be annoying enough, Collin had finally started leaving voicemails. The upside to this was that now, at least, I knew what he wanted. The downside was that he apparently thought we still had a chance at fixing things. I wasn’t sure if Monica Miller was aware of this. Or if she was even still around. I didn’t care enough to ask Lanna about it, either.
After another rather long and rambling message, I decided I needed to go for a walk to clear my head. I knew that at some point, I was just going to have to call him back. I was in no hurry because I didn’t really feel like I owed him anything. His messages seemed to imply he felt differently. And day after day, I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. Instead, I’d sent a few texts asking him to stop calling. That hadn’t worked at all. Collin was stubborn and that was precisely why I wasn’t in a hurry to talk to him.
What he felt was no longer my concern. He was no longer my concern.
Max was. I needed to decide where I hoped things would go with him. With us. Everything was so perfect right now. It’s possible I was being overly optimistic but I had a feeling that things would stay that way. Or get even better. Because even though our relationship was new, our friendship wasn’t. I knew Max well and he knew me. I knew I loved everything about him.
These were the things I was thinking of as I strolled up and down the sidewalks of Sapphire Bay. The weather was just this side of scorching but it was summer so I really didn’t mind. Living with snow half of the time, I cherished the warmth. Even if it did make me crave ice-cream, which I’d been eating far too much of. Most often, I ended my walks with a cone. I had, however, downsized to a single scoop. Usually.
I was a few blocks from home, rounding the last corner of the business area before it turned to residential. The Sapphire Bay Café was the last business, nestled onto the corner. My thoughts were already sorting through the various ice-cream flavors. I had tentatively settled on Blackberry Bliss, which I hadn’t tried yet, when Tori rounded the corner from the opposite direction. She was twisting her short hair into a ponytail as she walked. I had a vague idea of her schedule and I knew she typically didn’t start work this time of day. Either she was coming back in after a break, or she was covering for someone else.
So far, I’d been lucky and I hadn’t run into her. During the times I thought she’d be working, I took a different route. I would have today, too, if I hadn’t had ice-cream on my mind.
I faltered just a step or two, realizing how ridiculous it would be to pretend I didn’t see her. It would be far too obvious if I spun on my heel and headed back the other direction. Instead, I mentally braced myself and trudged ahead. I did slow my pace, thinking I’d give her time to go inside before I passed by.
She slowed her pace, too, obviously not wanting to avoid a confrontation.
I gave her a tentative smile and a small wave as I neared.
“So,” she said, “how are things going?”
It was a neutral question. It was possible that she had no idea about Max and me. Perhaps she just recognized me and wanted to say ‘hi’.
“Darren said you and Max seem pretty close lately.”
Or maybe she did know.
Max and I hadn’t been inappropriate by any means. I was pretty sure we’d walked into the café holding hands a time or two. Always in the evening when we were sure Tori wouldn’t be working.
“I guess,” I said, immediately wanting to change the subject. “How have you been?”
She shot me a look of disgust. “How do you think? I know we’re not friends by any means. But you made me think you were trying to help me. And then you just…you…you helped yourself to Max!”
“Things just kind of…happened…with Max and me, I mean.” I was wishing I’d walked to the next block down.
“I thought you were so nice! I thought you really wanted Max and me together. I thought you were trying to make him see he should be with me.” Her voice was harsh with an edge to it. I immediately felt defensive. Then I noticed her spurt of rapid blinking and realized I only did that when I was trying to derail my tears.
I inwardly groaned. The last thing I wanted was to make this girl cry. I already felt bad enough about what I’d done.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “But things got a little complicated. I didn’t have any right to step in the way I did.”
She shot her hip to the side and ground a fist into it. “Do you know what I think? I think you’re one of those girls that like to prove she can get any guy she wants. You wait until they’re taken. Then to make yourself feel better…you steal them away. Does that give you a sense of power or something? Being one of those girls? Because that’s a pretty sad hobby if you ask me.”
I shook my head. “That’s not what happened. I swear.” I stopped there. I felt like she deserved an explanation. But the explanation that I had was far too detailed, far too personal to give. I wasn’t going to stand there arguing with her all day. What more could I say?
That I had wanted to help her until my own feelings got in the way?
That it took far too long to see Max as the person I wanted to be with but now that I had, I just couldn’t go back?
That Max wasn’t interested in her in the first place?
That Max had been waiting for the opportunity to be with me for years? Absolutely not. It felt conceited thinking it; I could never actually say it.
“Max and I have a history,” I finally said. “We’ve known each other a long time.”
“I’ve known him since kindergarten,” she said with a sarcastic smile.
“Right,” I said with a curt little nod. She was upset and had every right to be. But I also knew that this conversation was only going to end up in a tailspin if I didn’t get out of it right now.
“You know what they say about karma,” she said with a nasty smile.
“Look, I know you don’t want to hear it but I honestly didn’t plan this. I’m sorry you got hurt. I am truly sorry.” I had wanted to tell her that for a while. I was relieved to be able to say it, even if she didn’t want to hear it. “I’ll just get out of your way.” I took off before she could argue. That didn’t stop her from uttering a few choice words about me. Loud enough so that I could hear them, of course.