“Shit. Okay, stop,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. I apologize.”
Her hands were behind her neck, ready to untie the strings holding her top on. The man made her crazy. “You really know how to piss me off,” she said.
“What did I do?”
“You brought me to Malibu Beach under the pretense of teaching me to play volleyball, but as soon as your friends came around you started treating me like an object instead of a person.”
“Because I didn’t let you hit the ball?”
“That was part of it, yes. And calling me babe, what was that about?” She swallowed hard “You acted like an ass when they glanced at me for two seconds.”
“It was a hell of a lot longer than two seconds.”
“You were looking, too.”
“But you don’t belong to them.”
She cocked her head. “What did you say?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he refolded the shirt and put it back to his nose.
“You think I belong to you?”
“Did I say that?”
“You’re a very confused man, aren’t you?”
“Why do you say that?”
“When you and your brothers-in-law took Joey into the house the other night, you thought we couldn’t hear you.”
He winced. “But you could?”
She nodded.
“What did I say?”
“When Joey referred to me as your girlfriend, you didn’t hesitate to set everyone straight and tell them I was not your girlfriend.”
“Are you my girlfriend?”
She crossed her arms. “That’s the thing about me and you. I have no idea what I am to you.”
Holding the cloth to his nose, he stepped close and draped an arm about her shoulder. “Will you be my girlfriend?”
Despite his beat up face, she was tempted to snuggle in his warm arms and say yes, but she wasn’t ready to let him off the hook for acting like a fool. “I’m not finished. You told everyone in the room that I wasn’t your girlfriend. You said it was a ridiculous notion. And you said it more than once. You sounded panicked as if the mere idea of having a girlfriend was more than you could handle. And that was minutes after you kissed me in front of your family. It was humiliating.”
He squeezed the bridge of his nose tighter.
“And if I’m not your girlfriend, how is it that I belong to you?”
“You’re right. I’m confused.”
She sighed. “Could we go?”
He opened the small compartment at the back of his motorcycle and asked her if she wanted to put her clothes inside. She stepped into her shorts and pulled her t-shirt over her head instead.
Max straddled the bike and waited for her to climb on behind him. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. I was being an ass.”
She was glad to see he understood where she was coming from. “We better go.”
“What about dinner?”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine without me hovering over you.”
“That’s not true. I’m already starting to forget which is worse—saturated fats or unsaturated fats.”
“Saturated,” she said with a chuckle.
“See? I was going to say unsaturated.”
“It’s not going to work, Max.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, should I worry about overeating protein? And could you give me the scoop on amino-acid supplements again? I can’t remember what you told me about those.”
She rolled her eyes as she put on her helmet. After he slid the key in and started the engine, she forced herself to wrap her arms around his waist. Max had made a fool of himself. He’d embarrassed her, too. There was no way she was going to enjoy the feel of his hard abs beneath her fingers. Never mind that his skin felt warm to the touch or that he smelled like sand and lotion. She wasn’t going to pay any attention to his hair and the way it flipped into little curls at the back of his neck. Nope. She wasn’t going to enjoy the ride home one bit.
CHAPTER 11
Usually Kari and Molly looked out at the stars and the moon before Kari said goodnight, but tonight Kari shut the blinds with a flick of her wrist and then took a seat in Molly’s desk chair in the corner of her bedroom. She looked over at her daughter who was sitting on the edge of her bed.
After returning to Max’s house, Kari called Lindsay only to learn that Molly had been suspended from school. “I’m going to give you one more chance to come clean,” Kari said. “I want to hear it from your lips, Molly. Were you kissing Grant Parker, or not?”
Molly faced her way, but she wasn’t looking at her. Instead, her eyes were wide and unblinking.
“So this is how it’s going to be?”
Nothing. Not one twitch.
“I don’t know what you think this silent treatment is going to solve or prove, but if that’s the way you want to play it, fine with me.”
Kari stood, walked across the room, and promptly emptied out Molly’s backpack and purse. She gathered up Molly’s Ipod and the cell phone she’d given her daughter for emergencies. Next, she unplugged the regular phone and piled everything outside Molly’s door before she came back for more.
Molly’s eyes narrowed, which Kari took as a good sign since her daughter obviously needed to learn to communicate.
Kari got down on the ground, unplugged the computer, and took the monitor with her. After a few minutes she came back for the clock radio.
“There,” Kari said, looking around the room. “I think that’s everything. “You’ve got plenty of books to keep you busy for the next few days. “Let me know when you’re ready to talk.”
When Kari got to the bottom of the stairs, she found Lindsay on the phone in the kitchen. Lindsay saw her and raised a hand. “Oh, here she is now, Max.”
Max? Kari waved her hands wildly in front of her, letting Lindsay know she didn’t want to talk to him.
“Never mind,” Lindsay told Max. “It was someone else returning home. Yes, a neighbor. I have no idea why Mrs. Johnson was in my house, but as soon as I find out, I’ll let you know.” She rolled her eyes at Kari.
“Okay,” Lindsay said. “I’ll tell her. Goodnight, Max.” She hung up the phone and didn’t waste any time pouring them both a glass of Chardonnay. “Here you go,” Lindsay said, setting a glass of wine on the coffee table. She took a seat on the couch and patted the empty seat next to her.
Kari sat down and sipped the wine. The forty-eight inch black metal oscillating fan in the corner of their small living room sounded like a dying animal as it squeaked and sputtered and sent a warm breeze her way. Past eight o’clock at night and the temperatures were still in the eighties. Days like this made Kari wonder why she hadn’t moved away.
“What did Max want?”
“I have no idea. You should have talked to him if you were curious.”
Kari grunted.
“Molly still won’t talk to you?”
“No, and I don’t understand it. Molly has never acted up like this before.”
“She’ll come around eventually.”
“Did she say anything when you brought her home from school?”
Lindsay appeared thoughtful. “No. But Cole was there and I’m sure she was embarrassed at having him there.”
“Cole went with you?”
“My car isn’t working, remember? Truthfully, I was lucky he hadn’t left before I got the call.”
“Maybe we should drop your car off at the shop right now so they can work on it tomorrow.”
“No need. Cole said he’d take a look at it in the morning.”
Kari sipped her wine. “You like Cole, don’t you?”
“As a friend,” Lindsay assured her.
“Oh, come on. He’s gorgeous and he’s very sweet.”
Lindsay scoffed at that. “Give me a break. The first night we spotted Cole he had your standard big-chested Barbie doll sitting next to him. He’s your typical bad boy: Charming and predictable, which equals heartache.”
“You could work with him a little,” Kari teased, “mold him into the man of your dreams.”
Lindsay chuckled. “Most women would love to get a man like Cole to lie down on their couch so they could figure out all his troubles and then tell everyone that they “fixed” their jerk boyfriend. ‘He once was a bad boy, but now he’s a sweetheart...a changed man.’” Lindsay put a finger halfway inside her mouth and pretended to gag. “The last thing I want to do is tame Cole Fletcher and then run around acting like I’ve performed an incredible feat, only to find out ten years into our relationship he’s had a string of mistresses.”
“Not all men are two-timing jerks.”
“No. Some men are geeks,” she said, gesturing toward the front door.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang.
Kari lifted a questioning brow.
“It’s that realtor guy. He’s been calling all day and he already stopped by once. Does he have it bad for you, or what?”
“He’s my realtor. He wants to make a sale.”
“I’ll say.”
Kari shook her head as she made her way to the door. “Hello, Richard.”
The strong scent of his cologne enveloped her senses. The man was preppy, bordering on stiff, but definitely not geeky.
“Mind if I come in for a moment?” he asked.
“By all means, come in,” she said, opening the door wider. As she followed Richard inside, she shot Lindsay a look that said, ‘See, he’s not so bad.’
Reluctantly, Lindsay went to the kitchen and brought him a glass of Chardonnay.
Richard the realtor took the offered glass and held it up for a toast. “I can’t remember the last time I found myself in a room with two lovelier ladies.”
“Why, thank you,” Kari said, clicking her glass against his.
Lindsay offered him a tight smile. “What brings you here so late?”
“I found this incredible house,” he told Kari. “I think you and Molly are going to be very excited once you see it. It’s a two story just like you wanted. It has central air and a newly remodeled kitchen with granite countertops. It’s nearly two thousand square feet.”
The house sounded promising. “How much?”
Lindsay sipped her wine.
“Ten thousand under your minimum price.”
Kari’s eyes lit up. “That’s fabulous.”
“Where is it?” Lindsay asked.
“Chatsworth.”
“Oh.” Kari sipped her wine.
Lindsay narrowed her eyes at Richard. “Isn’t that close to where you live?”
He loosened his tie. “A few miles away.”
“I really don’t want to commute,” Kari reminded him.
“At least take a look at it. How about tomorrow morning?”
“I don’t know.”
“She’s working very closely with a client these days,” Lindsay said.
Kari thought about Max with his black eye and bloody nose. Would his family blame her for his injuries? She already felt as if she’d intruded on their visit. Joey hated her guts and his mother hadn’t exactly greeted her with open arms. It would probably be best if she stopped working with Max until his family left. She met Richard’s gaze. “What time do you want to pick us up?”
“Doesn’t your daughter have school?”
Kari was beginning to see that Lindsay might be right about Richard wanting more than just a sale. “Unfortunately, she’s been suspended from school.”
“She was caught making out with a boy,” Lindsay told him.
Kari tapped Lindsay on the knee. “I’m sure Richard isn’t interested in the details.”
The next hour turned out to be informative and fun. Despite Lindsay’s best attempt to scare Richard off, he’d entertained them both with interesting stories about real estate. But Kari didn’t want to give Richard the wrong idea, so she didn’t bother walking him to his car when he got up to leave. They all said goodbye and Kari shut the door after he left, leaning against it until she heard his car pull away.
Lindsay finished the last of her wine. “I was wrong. He is a nice guy. I’ll give him that much.”
Kari nodded, but her thoughts were a million miles away, or maybe only thirty miles away, on a man with a black eye and a broken nose. Richard may be a nice guy, but he was no Mad Max.
#
“What happened to your face, Uncle Max?”
“A little beach volleyball with the guys.” Max ruffled the top of his niece’s head and continued on toward the living room where he could hear everyone talking at once.
“Oh, my God,” one of his sister’s cried. “Your eye!”
“Look at his nose,” somebody said.
“We better get you to the hospital.”
“No need,” Max said. “I just got back from the emergency room. Nothing’s broken.”
His mother reached for his face. He jerked back. “Please,” he said. “No touching. Just because it’s not broken, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.”
“Who did this to you?” she asked.
“One of the guys.”
“Which guy?”
“Derek Hoffman.”
“Which one is Derek?” Jill asked.
“He’s the new hot one,” Sally told her.
“He is hot,” Nicole agreed.
They all turned to stare at Nicole, since they were pretty sure she hadn’t looked at a man since Jake passed away.
She shrugged her shoulders.
“He’s not that great,” Max told them as he rustled around in the refrigerator for a cold beer.
Dan saw Max open a cold one and said over his shoulder, “I thought you weren’t supposed to drink beer.”
Max pointed at his beat up face. “I think I deserve one damn beer, don’t you?”
Dan shrugged. “I just assumed, since you have a nutritionist and everything, that you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol.”
“Well, you know what happens when you assume, Dan.”
Fred smiled. “Man, you’re in a fighting mood, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” Max said. “You wanna step outside?”
Everybody laughed except Max.
“What were you and Derek fighting about?” Nicole asked.
Max didn’t want to go into it. “It was nothing. Stupid actually.”
Breanne’s eyes lit up. “It had something to do with Kari, didn’t it?”
“He wouldn’t fight over someone like Kari,” his mother said.
Max gave his mother a long hard look. “What do you mean by that, Mom?”
She lifted her slender shoulders and gave him an innocent look. “Nothing.”
Sally sighed. “Mom doesn’t like you getting too attached to anyone, Max. You know that.”
“I don’t know that. What are you talking about?”
“Oh, come on,” Nicole said. “You’re her only son. You’ve taken care of most of us since the day Dad passed away. The thought of you having a long term relationship with anyone scares Mom to death.”
“She would have heart palpitations,” Sally agreed, “if you ever asked anyone to be your wife.”
“Stop that. Both of you,” their mother said. “You girls have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“She doesn’t care who you sleep with,” Nicole added, ignoring their mother, “she just doesn’t want you falling in love.”
This was all news to Max. His eyes were still focused on his mom. “Is that true?”
“Of course not. I want you to be happy. I’m just not sure settling down would be the right thing for you.”
He raised his hands in the air. “Okay, that’s it. I don’t want to talk about this right now. My head is throbbing.” He sat in an empty recliner and took another swallow of his Corona. “Let’s change the subject.”
“Okay,” Jill agreed. “I want to know why Derek slugged you in the face and mutilated your nose.”
“He wouldn’t stop ogling Kari,” Max said. “I found h
is actions to be disrespectful.”
“Ah,” Dan said. “So you were fighting over Kari...the woman who is not your girlfriend.”
Max answered with a tight smile, then took another long swig of his beer. “Happy everyone?”
“If you look like this,” Fred said, “I can’t wait to see what Hoffman looks like.”
“It’s not pretty,” Max lied.
“Is Kari coming to the house tomorrow?” Breanne asked.
“After today? Who knows. Although I doubt it.”
“That’s too bad. We wanted to invite her to the barbeque on Sunday.”
“She left her shoes in the back of my bike. I’ll invite her when I take them to her tomorrow.”
Jill smiled. “Wonderful.”
Not even a second of silence stretched between them before Sally said, “I was thinking about Kari today.”
They all patiently waited for her to continue.
“I was thinking about the day Kari picked me up on the side of the road when I ran out of gas. It was a day or two before my graduation party. Remember the party I had?”
Max nodded, more interested in the taste of cold beer running down his parched throat than anything else.
“Mom and Dad were gone and you came home from college unexpectedly?”
Max nodded again. “I remember.”
“You found your girlfriend, Alyssa Anderson, making out with Scott Vance. You were furious.”
“He wasn’t that furious,” Jill reminded Sally, “because the next day he kept talking about some new girl he’d met. But nobody could figure out who he was talking about.”
Jill looked at Max. “Did you ever figure out who the mystery girl was?”
Breanne jumped out of her seat as if she’d just spilled hot coffee on her lap. “What if it was Kari!”
The only thing Max wanted to know was when all these people in his house were going to pack up and head back to Santa Barbara where they came from. He should have bought a smaller house. “What are you babbling about now?” he asked Breanne in hopes of calming her, since she was still hopping around like a bunny gone mad.
Breanne started pacing instead. “The mystery girl could have been Kari. One,” Breanne said, holding up a finger. “She’s from Roseville. Two,” she said as she lifted a second finger, “Kari told me she went to Sally’s party. And three,” she said with way too much enthusiasm, forgetting about her finger count, “Kari said that the two of you had met before.”
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