“Every man wants to sleep with you.” He said flatly then his eyes hardened and turned bitter.
“Oh, good. That’s makes me feel better. You’re just a bunch of pigs so it’s not my fault,” she mumbled.
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, didn’t you notice the jeep outside before you came barging through the door?”
“I thought maybe you had a friend over; a girlfriend.” He added, getting up off the bed and changing the subject. "By the way what happened to the patio door?”
Kylie explained everything to him even though she just wanted to be alone.
"He chased him? I bet he didn't catch him."
"How do you know he didn't catch him?"
"He doesn't look like a good cop that's all. He's too scrawny; too short and skinny." Max sneered.
As usual the male ego was a barrel of laughs. "You're jealous!" Kylie said.
"Of him? You must be kidding baby, he’s got nothing on me!” Max tried to be funny.
Thrown back in time, Kylie suddenly felt Paul's hand stroking her head. "It's all right baby," he was saying. She wanted to be sick. She was so tired, exhausted actually, and she couldn't see a way of fixing things. And if she did patch this up with Paul, what would that mean? Did she really see them together? Thinking about it was making her head ache even more.
"Are you okay? You look a little green."
"I'm fine," Kylie slurred.
"Do you want to take bath I'll get it ready for you?"
"Good God Max, you would probably fool around with me right now, wouldn't you. Even if I do look green," she emphasized the word green.
“No. Actually, I like you when you’re a nice, light shade of pink. I was just trying to be gracious despite what just happened.”
Kylie shrugged her shoulders. “Please get out Max,” she snapped unconsciously, “I’m in no mood for this.”
Max shook his head before turning towards the door. “All right, I’ll see you later, I’m tired too,” he stopped in the doorway. “Kylie, don’t waste your time on him, he’s not for you; I can tell you that right now.”
“I’m afraid to ask but how do you know that?”
“I just know,” he looked at her seriously. “Besides, if you want a good relationship you don’t have to look very far.”
“Right,” Kylie mumbled but Max had already walked out the door.
The door shut a minute after he left because of the draft and a darkness came over her. She tried to clear her thoughts to think straight. What a mess she’d made. Perhaps it would be wise to call Lucy and have Frank talk to Paul and explain. But explain what? Anyway, she didn’t think she had the energy to explain anything to anyone right now. Maybe it was wiser if she got a little more sleep.
She crawled back into bed and lowered her head to the pillow. As soon as it made contact she was out.
Once he was in his room downstairs, he collapsed on the bed. He stretched his spine and rubbed the back of his neck. He was exhausted from a long shift. Part of him was furious for finding that guy in her room, but he knew it was none of his damn business. After all, she owed him nothing, but that’s not how it felt. What they did the other night had meant something. It wasn’t a one night stand. She wanted him, and he’d wanted her. God, he wanted her, except there was something else there, something he hadn’t felt with anyone before. From the minute he laid eyes on her, she had bewitched him. It was ridiculous, but every time he saw her his heart galloped.
Nonetheless, he was on equal ground with this guy. They were both new in her life and she was only with him last night because of the break in. If only he could beat the guy to a pulp, he would feel better, he laughed.
He took off his clothes and lay back on the bed. God help him he wanted to go back upstairs and be with her, but first, she had to trust him. The anxiety twisted in his gut, but he had to let it go. He didn’t own her, he didn’t even own this house; he could lose it all at the throw of a dice. There was only one thing to do now; that was to pull back and let her come to him. If they were meant to be together, it would happen, some way, somehow.
Chapter 5
The sound of voices annoyed Kylie awake. Now who was in her house? She checked the time. Two in the afternoon. She felt so much better, just hungry. The gray skies had all but disappeared and the air smelled fresh and green from the rain. A quick bite and a swim would make her feel normal again. Then she could focus on the matter at hand.
A knock on the door caught her by surprise.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me Lucy. Let me in.”
Kylie hopped out of bed and opened the door for her sister. “Hi.”
Lucy came rushing in. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Did you speak to Paul?” She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
“No. He’s at work with Frank.”
“Did he tell Frank what Max did?” She bit her lower lip.
“Oh no, what did Max do?”
“He pretty much told Paul that I slept with him the other night.” She feigned a sigh while looking through her drawer for her bathing suit.
“You must’ve wanted to kill him.”
“He apologized.” Kylie shrugged.
“You’re being very forgiving today,” Lucy raised her eyebrows as she watched Kylie get dressed. “Have you figured out which one of them you want?”
Kylie struggled to get her bikini top done up. “It’s Paul. Its Paul I want. Do you even have to ask,” she snapped at her sister as the bikini snapped in place.
Lucy eyed Kylie in disbelief. Something put her in a bad mood, except it was more than what Max had done. It was Max himself.
“Well it’s a good thing Paul was here last night. That guy might have broken in when you were alone. Did you get a good look at him?”
Kylie stood still for a minute and stared out the window. “Good question,” she contemplated, “you know what? I don’t think it was a him.”
Her sister looked shocked. “Are you sure?”
“I’m not sure of anything, I was pretty drunk.”
“Why is that a reoccurring theme these days?”
“I don’t know.” Kylie brushed her off.
“Did you sleep with Paul?” Lucy asked. She kept her voice cheerful to hide her worry.
“Nooo way, one mistake a week is plenty.”
Lucy’s smile faded away. “Why would it be a mistake? I thought you said its Paul that you wanted.”
“You’re annoying, you know that? Anyway I’ve had enough excitement for a while, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I suppose your right.” Lucy laughed, then hugged her sister and thanked God she was safe.
Max was walking around in his bathing suit when the girls came downstairs. Kylie stole a quick glance and it made her heart race. Damn it. Did he have to be so tall and muscular? The thought of the other night lingered in her mind for a few seconds until she pushed it away. Max might be an incredible, sexual turn on but there was more to a relationship than that.
Paul was quite sexy too, plus he was nice and thoughtful at the same time. Except things were a mess, she reminded herself.
Max grabbed his bottle of water off the counter, passing so close that she could smell his scent. Her body tensed and he raised his eyes to hers just long enough to make a connection.
She hissed out a breath. It was unbelievably irritating to think that he believed that he had any kind of effect on her.
“I’m going to crash down by the lake if anyone’s looking for me,” he stated flatly.
“Great,” Kylie muttered to herself, sloshing coffee onto the counter and over the tip of her little finger. She swiped at it with a dish towel then continued to wring it to death over the sink.
Lucy poured herself a cup and brought it to her nose. “Thank God for coffee.” She tried to change the mood.
“Amen.” Kylie took a sip from her cup. If anything, there were still the small pleasures in life. Or perhaps ever
y pleasure should be experienced the same way, big or small, excluding the regrets.
“So, I don’t have much time, but I’ll help you pack some things and you can come back for the rest later.” Lucy said with an anxious tone.
Kylie heard her voice like a faraway echo. “Did you say something?”
“Yes, I said get your stuff together. You can come back for your other things after, but get going Kylie. I have a four o’ clock appointment at the salon with Mrs. Troy, and she gets very snooty if she has to wait to have her hair done.
Kylie still hadn’t absorbed the first part. “Doesn’t she live around the lake?” She asked.
“Yes that’s right.” Lucy answered.
“Good I’m coming with you!”
“All right but…” Lucy didn’t bother finishing her sentence. Kylie had already spun around and was running back upstairs.
Kylie washed Mrs. Troy’s hair while introducing herself cheerfully. The suspicion in Lucy’s eyes was all too apparent. She knew her sister hated working at her hairdressing salon, let alone conversing with the clients in a way that would make Ms. Manners seem inadequate.
“Oh yes I love living up at the lake. I’m so happy I moved here.” Kylie said with a smile.
“But what about the murders dear, haven’t you heard about them?” The elderly woman asked, fluttering her fingers which displayed a multitude of diamonds.
“Yes I have, but I thought they caught the man.”
Lucy turned her head so quickly her neck cracked in protest.
“Oh no dear, he’s still on the loose, you’ve been misinformed.”
“Oh. Well do they have any idea who it might be?”
“We all have our strange ideas, but the police are still investigating they say, so I leave it up to them.” The woman spoke as slowly as a turtle.
“How long have you been living around the lake?” Kylie was casual, as she combed out the older woman’s hair.
“Almost 40 years. My late husband and I bought our house as a retirement home, but he passed on a ways back. So I live there with my two sisters now.”
“I’m sorry. Still it’s nice that you’re not alone. You must know everyone in the area?” Kylie kept up her inquiries.
“Well no, not everyone because some people have sold and the newer residents tend to keep to themselves, you know. Also, when we first moved here, there were fewer homes and people were friendlier.”
Kylie stopped combing and spoke quietly to Mrs. Troy’s reflection in the mirror.
“Do you think it’s someone from around the lake who’s committing the murders Mrs. Troy?” She said with a nosy expression.
Lucy looked over at Kylie disapprovingly.
“I know it is and I can tell you who I think it is too.” The older lady said in a hushed voice.
Kylie smiled at her. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. She moved in closer and was going to say who, when Lucy’s 4:30 appointment, Mrs. Holloway, walked through the door.
The woman plopped herself next to Mrs. Troy and began to talk. Lucy took over for Kylie motioning her to get Mrs. Holloway comfortable. Kylie offered the woman a cup of coffee then tried to continue her inquiries.
"We were just talking about the murders up at Forest Lake," she said casually.
The attractive woman in her late fifties turned up her nose. "Oh, it's old news. I'm just so sick of hearing about it. Lucy have I told you that my son William won a scholarship to Brighton. He’ll be leaving next week."
The woman went on and on until all was lost and Kylie could stand no more. So she cleaned up a little and decided to leave. "I have to be going Lucy."
Lucy was cutting Mrs. Holloway’s hair. She stopped and gave her sister a sly smile. "Thanks for your help Kylie, and please come over and stay with us tonight whether Max is home or not."
Kylie nodded in agreement then turned to Mrs. Troy. "It was nice to meet you Mrs. Troy, maybe we'll meet again some time."
The old woman was half asleep under the dryer and it took her a minute to respond. She looked up and crooked a finger at Kylie. Kylie walked over, leaning down to hear her over the sound of the dryer.
"What is it Mrs. Troy? Can I get you something to drink before I go?"
The old woman shook her head, snagging Kylie’s sleeve to keep her there. "I know what you want to hear." Her eyes narrowed to small slits. "Are you going to the summer party at the Hamilton’s this weekend?"
"I suppose so." Kylie nodded.
"Good, then we'll talk there," she blinked.
Kylie straightened up slowly and forced a smile, but the old lady didn't smile back. She narrowed her eyes again, pushing out from under the dryer, she heeded a warning. "Be careful my dear, it's not what it seems."
Chapter 6
The warning Mrs. Troy gave Kylie didn't go unheard. An alarm system was installed in the house, and she spent the rest of the week locked up in her room at night when Max was at work and on the paddleboat during the day admiring the homes around the lake. Max, however, seemed to be nowhere in sight. When he wasn't working, he was sleeping, and as soon as he got up, he left. He was avoiding her and she almost missed having him around.
Wednesday night she sat on the back deck, looking out at the sky. A thin cloud paled the moon as she wondered if all of the stupid mistakes she’d ever made were for a good reason. If she was to learn something from them, she learned that she should probably be alone for the rest of her life and save everyone a lot of heartache, including herself. But that reeked of pessimism and that’s not how she wanted to live her life. She needed to face the fact that things weren’t always going to be perfect. If you couldn’t accept your mistakes then you had to forget about them. They weren’t going to make you a better person if you let them drive you crazy. “What’s done is done,” she quoted her mother.
That night, she had her first solid sleep since moving to the lake. She woke up feeling completely refreshed and went downstairs with a much lighter spirit.
"Hi, I thought you moved out." Kylie said quietly, reaching the bottom of the stairs where Max was making breakfast.
"No such luck." Max smirked without looking at her.
"I didn't mean it like that." She explained. "It’s just that I haven't seen you all week."
"Did you miss me?" His playfulness came back.
Kylie laughed then felt relieved. "Actually, I kind of did."
Max looked up at her and smiled over her honesty. "Well, I missed you to. What did you do all week?"
"I paddled around the lake, met the neighbors." She brought her coffee to the table.
Max sat down across from her, and got that strange feeling of being transfixed to something so beautiful that you just can't turn away from it.
"Anyone interesting?" He tried to unscramble his thoughts.
"Yes actually. There's a nice couple with kids who live next door to the Hamilton’s who told me this story."
"What story?"
"Something about a man named Jeffery Williams who lives about six houses away from us, directly across from the Hamilton’s in fact."
"Okay," Max's curiosity was peaked.
"Well, they said that he lost his family in a car accident when he was ten years old. He was the only one who survived but he's extremely disfigured."
"Wow, what else did they say?"
"Only that he was brought up by a friend of the family. Then when he was twenty one, he inherited his family's fortune, came back to live at his parents manor on forest lake and no one ever sees him. He’s some kind of recluse. He buys and sells stock online and has a bunch of weird statues on his property." Kylie paused then looked up at Max. "What do you think?"
Max shrugged. "I don't know, I think poor guy, it must be tough living like that."
"Yes, but don't you think something like that might change someone."
"Of course, but what are you getting at?" Max wondered what the beauty in front of him was concocting in her head.
"Well, isn
't it possible that if you lock yourself away for too long, you’re bound to pick up some bizarre addictions?"
"What like murder?" Max asked.
She nodded gently. "You see the strange thing is, two of the people who were murdered lived next door to him?"
Max looked serious. "Kylie, unless you’re intending to switch professions and write a book, this whole thing is a long shot to me. Besides, I'm sure the police have checked him out."
"Well maybe you're right, but I think it’s someone from around the lake."
Max just shrugged. "I don't know Kylie."
"If I could only meet him, or someone could tell me if he had a small frame. I did see the murderer Max."
Max noticed the frustration in Kylie’s tone of voice but chose to ignore it. "That guy could have been a prowler."
"Well then why didn't he take anything?" She frowned.
"Maybe you interrupted him. I don't know Kylie, all I do know is your opening a can of worms that best be left alone." He leaned over really close and stayed there for a minute. “Let the police take care of it.” He stared at her intently.
Kylie let out a little sigh and forgot what her argument was. God, she couldn't get too close to him.
Max got up to get more coffee. "How about you come with me to Rocksdale? I’m going to buy a patio set for the deck then I'll take you out and buy you lunch."
It sounded like a great idea. She didn't feel like being alone all day, and so what if she spent the day with him, they were only going shopping.
"Sounds great!"
Max turned around at breakneck speed and smiled. "Really…good, let’s go."
Heaven help her, Kylie thought as they were looking for a patio set. Max was more charming than she remembered. He was fun and pleasant to be with and he made every care in the world seem to disappear. Exactly what she needed! She also realized, he was trying his very best to be a perfect gentleman and was doing an excellent job too. However, it would take some time to figure out if this was the real Max or Max on his best behavior.
A Familiar Star (Romance Mystery) Page 7