She turned to leave, gasping when he swatted her bottom.
His fans loved his macho man attitude and they cheered as Kari shook her head and walked off. She looked over her shoulder, but Max wasn’t watching her walk away as he usually did. She stopped and watched him instead.
When she climbed into the car, Richard glanced at the papers sticking out of her briefcase. “He didn’t take the papers?”
“No. He said he’d get them from me this weekend.”
Richard backed the car up and drove out of the parking lot. “What’s going on this weekend?”
“Looks like I’m going to the lake with Molly and Max’s family. He’s having a hard time bonding with her. I owe my daughter that much. I want to show her that Max and I can be friends. I think it’s important for her to know she now has two parents and can count on us both for love and support.”
Richard nodded. “Did you see the look he was giving me? Mad Max thinks there’s something going on between us.”
“You think?”
Richard laughed as they drove off. “It’s obvious you’re in love with the guy. Why don’t you just tell him how you feel? Life is too short to have regrets.”
“No,” she answered a little too quickly. “What Max and me share can’t possibly be love.”
“Could have fooled me,” Richard said. “Did I see him slap you on the ass?”
She laughed at the sound of a curse word coming out of Richard’s mouth. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were jealous.”
He stopped at the light and looked over at her. “I’m insanely, wildly jealous, but you’ve already made it clear where I stand. I just don’t know why you’re lying to yourself. Women swoon at the man’s feet on a daily basis. Why would you be any different?”
“You’ll just have to take my word for it.”
He smiled—a handsome smile. Richard had straight white teeth and a nice strong line to his jaw. There was some definite intensity in Richard’s chocolate brown eyes. But her heart didn’t pitter patter when she gazed at him, and no matter how hard she tried to conjure up feelings for the guy, it just wasn’t happening. Turning her gaze to the window, she watched the trees pass by in a blur. Every time she laid eyes on Max her body hummed like a well-tuned car. Her body was still humming.
God, Richard was right. She’d fallen for Max all over again and she’d fallen hard and who the hell was she trying to fool?
CHAPTER 17
From her upstairs bedroom window, Kari watched Max climb out of his SUV and make his way through the gate and past the newly planted rosebush. He stopped to smell one of the blooms. She couldn’t help but smile at seeing a big man like Max stopping to smell the roses. She sighed. A part of her wished Max had invited her to the lake because he enjoyed her company and because he wanted to start over and give them a fighting chance at happiness...not because he needed her help with Molly. But even if Molly wasn’t involved, she needed to remember that this was Mad Max; the guy on the front page of nearly every sports page. The guy who was often quoted in interviews, listing the pleasures of single life: coming and going as he pleased, answering to no one.
“He’s here, Mom,” Molly shouted from the kitchen.
Kari was still in her bedroom packing. She turned, surprised to see Lindsay standing in the doorway of her bedroom, leaning casually to one side, a folded newspaper in one hand. “They’re called stringers,” Lindsay said, her voice thoughtful.
“What? Who?”
Lindsay unfolded the paper and handed it to her. “I wrote Patti Bertram a letter about men like Cole and Max.”
“You wrote a gossip columnist about our problems?”
“Don’t worry, I changed the names to protect the so-called innocent. Besides, she’s an advisor not a gossiper.”
“What a relief.”
“Patti Bertram says that Weasel and Jerk have all the signs of a stringer.”
“You’re giving me a headache, Lindsay. Who is Weasel and Jerk, and what is a stringer?”
“Weasel and Jerk are the names I used for Max and Cole in the letter I sent Ms. Bertram. A stringer is a man who has relationships with women, but never marries them. A stringer strings women along. He likes having a woman, sleeping with a woman, eating with a woman, all without ever making a real commitment. He often tells women up front that he never intends to marry, so, if and when he decides to leave the relationship, the woman he’s dating has no reason to complain because she knew from the start what she was getting herself into.”
Kari grinned into the mirror, making sure nothing was stuck between her teeth. “There’s nothing going on between Max and me, so I’m really not sure why you’re telling me all this.”
“I know you have feelings for him and I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“You’re over-analyzing,” Kari said. “Not every man can be easily categorized. A stringer to one woman might be the perfect man to another. It’s all about chemistry and timing. If you ever stopped condemning every man you met, you might have a chance at having a future with someone.”
Kari handed Lindsay her newspaper back and then grabbed her things. “Ready to go?”
Lindsay wagged a finger at her. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Kari answered with a smile. “Are you coming, or not?”
“Give me five minutes.”
At the top of the stairs, Kari stopped for a moment and listened to Max and Molly as they tried to hold a conversation.
“How are you, kiddo?”
“Good.”
“Do anything interesting this week?”
“No.”
“Nice weather we’re having.”
“Yeah.”
She’d heard enough. Max was right. He needed help.
Kari trotted down the stairs. Through the front window she could see Cole getting out of his car and coming up the walkway toward the house. “What’s Cole doing here?”
“He’s joining us for the weekend. Is that okay?”
“Fine with me,” Kari said. “But I don’t know about Lindsay.”
“I thought they were hitting it off.”
“They were until he failed to call all last week. The picture in the paper of Cole and some actress didn’t help much either.”
Another car pulled up behind Cole’s.
Molly’s best friend, Amanda, climbed out of the car. Kari excused herself, then went outside to talk to Amanda’s mother, waving to Cole on her way to Amanda’s car. A few minutes later Kari headed back toward the house.
“You invited Amanda?” Molly asked Max.
He nodded.
“Thanks!” Molly said to Max as she ran out the door to greet her friend.
“You’re welcome,” he called after her. “Why don’t you and Amanda put your bags in the back of my car while we wait for Lindsay.”
He turned to Kari. “That was a good idea to have me ask her friend to come along. Thanks.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
After Cole transferred his bags to Max’s car, he headed their way. “Did you see today’s paper,” Cole asked as he handed Kari a folded newspaper.
Kari was relieved to see that it wasn’t the same page Lindsay had shown her five minutes ago. On the front page of the entertainment section was an eight by ten picture of Kari and Max running from the grocery store. On the upper right hand corner was another smaller picture of Kari yelling at the paparazzi. Her eyes were narrowed and her nose was scrunched up. “I look like a monster,” she said.
“Not a monster,” Cole assured her. “More like a tiger.” He put out his claws and mimicked the face she was making in the picture. Kari didn’t laugh because another picture caught her eye; a picture of Max and Molly at the bowling alley. The headline read: Mad Max: The Family He Never Knew He Had.
“I never saw paparazzi at the bowling alley,” Kari said, looking at Max.
“One of the kids’ parents must have sold the picture to the media,” Cole of
fered.
Kari groaned and handed the paper to Max.
“We better bring this with us,” he said. “Molly needs to know what she’s up against.”
“I’ll go see if Lindsay needs any help,” Cole said but before reaching the front door, Lindsay stepped outside, stopping when she saw Cole. “What are you doing here?”
“Max invited me along. Why, is that a problem?”
“I guess not, but it would have been nice if certain people would have clued me in.”
Max and Kari both reached for Kari’s bag at the same time and headed for the car.
#
Cole crossed his arms over his chest and stared Lindsay down, determined not to let her get the best of him. “We’ve still got a few moments if you want to run back upstairs and grab a negligee,” he said.
“In your dreams.”
He gave her a devilish smile. “How did you know?”
“I bet every woman you’ve ever met is in those same dreams.”
“Only you, kitten.”
“If you think I’m going to start purring over endearments like that, don’t hold your breath.”
Cole smiled. “I think you’ve underestimated me.”
“I think I’ve got you pretty well pegged.”
“I think you’re angry with me because I haven’t called.”
“I think you’ve lost your mind.”
“I’ve been out of town. I would have called, but I didn’t have your number.”
She plunked a hand on her hip. “Let me get this straight. You think I’ve been waiting by the phone, hoping you’d call me?”
He put a hand on the stucco wall behind her, trapping her. “You haven’t been?”
“Nope. Sorry.”
“That can only mean one thing.”
She arched one eyebrow.
“I haven’t been doing my job.”
He lowered his head and a millisecond passed before she realized he was about to kiss her. She ducked under his arm and escaped toward the car. Looking over her shoulder she said, “You may have hundreds of females lusting after you, but I’m not one of them.”
He put a hand to his chest in mock pain. “You sure know how to hurt a guy.”
“Save it, Cole. I know how men like you work and I’m not interested, so give it a rest.”
#
Despite a rocky start, the sun and the sand gave Kari high hopes for a relaxing weekend. The cabin slept twenty and offered a breathtaking view of the lake surrounded by trees and water. A large party deck, a private dock, and a small strip of beach made it the perfect getaway for a large group. Most of Max’s family had arrived the day before.
After lunch, Dan, Cole, Fred and Max took four of the five kids, since Sally’s baby was too young, out on the boat to water ski while the women sat on the beach and waved whenever they passed by.
Sally’s infant was asleep, but the baby monitor was attached to her beach chair. Every once in a while they would hear static when the baby moved. Sally checked on the baby and then came out of the cabin carrying a tray of tall drinks.
“Passionate Peach iced tea for everyone,” she said, passing a tall glass to Jill, Lindsay, Kari, and then Breanne.
“Where’s Nicole?” somebody asked.
“She took a walk.”
“Do you think she’s ever going to get over Jake’s death?” Breanne asked Sally.
Sally sat down with her iced tea. “I don’t know if Max mentioned it, but Nicole lost her fiancé two years ago.”
“He died of a brain aneurysm,” Jill added.
“That’s horrible,” Lindsay said.
“Max told me,” Kari said. “I think he blames himself for the accident.”
Jill nodded. “Max has a habit of taking on our burdens and making them his own.”
“How can he blame himself for another man’s brain aneurysm?” Lindsay asked.
Sally adjusted the volume on the monitor before she said, “Max, Fred, and Dan had taken Jake to a basketball game when they were hit by a drunk driver. The doctors say that the impact caused the wall of an artery to burst. Jake died instantly, but Max has convinced himself that Jake would still be alive if they hadn’t pressured Jake to go to the game.”
“The thing is,” Jill continued where Sally left off, “the doctors told us that Jake’s aneurysm had gone undetected for too long. It was a time bomb waiting to explode.”
“Poor Nicole,” Lindsay said.
“They were high school sweethearts,” Jill added.
Sally nodded. “They were attached at the hip, that’s for sure.”
They all sat quietly sipping their tea for a moment before Breanne turned to Lindsay. “How long have you and Cole been dating?”
Lindsay nearly choked on her tea. “We’re not dating.”
“Could have fooled me,” Sally said. “I thought he was your new daycare assistant.”
“He was,” Lindsay said, “but only for a week, and only because he lost a bet over a bowling game at Molly’s birthday party.” Lindsay shook her head. “He’s a nice guy and great with kids, but he’s not my type.”
“I thought he was every woman’s type,” Sally said with a laugh.
“Don’t mind her,” Jill said. “Sally had the worst crush on Cole Fletcher when Max first started bringing him to various family functions.”
Sally laughed. “I did have it bad for the guy, didn’t I? What’s not to like? He’s great with kids. He’s funny and smart...”
“And he looks like a Greek God,” Jill added, “with those blond streaks running through his hair...”
“And how many crunches do you think the guy does every day?” Breanne asked. “Have you ever seen abs as hard as his?”
“I don’t think Lindsay has a problem with the way he looks,” Kari said. “The problem Lindsay has with Cole is that he’s a man.”
They all laughed at that, everyone except Lindsay.
“I like men just fine,” Lindsay countered. “After dating my share of them, I guess you could say I’ve grown doubtful of their motives.”
“I compare dating and finding the right man with shopping for the perfect wedding dress,” Jill said. “You have to try dozens of them on before you find the right one and even then the dress still needs to be altered and hemmed until finally just when you begin to question your choice altogether, you realize it fits just fine.”
Kari chuckled at Jill’s analogy.
“I think there’s a good reason women are forced to endure a few frogs before they find their prince,” Sally said.
“Why is that?”
“Because all of those less-than-perfect men make Mr. Right seem that much better when you finally do find him.”
“Cheers,” Jill said, “to men and their faults.”
They all raised their drinks, clicking their plastic glasses together before drinking.
“What about you and Max?” one of the sisters asked.
This time it was Kari’s turn to blush.
“Yeah,” Lindsay goaded, “I’ve been trying to figure that one out for myself.”
Jill pouted. “Max said you were dating a realtor.”
“I’m not dating a realtor. I was merely looking for a house, although I’ve given up the hunt for now.”
“He’s a jealous fool,” Sally said.
“Then what’s the deal with you two,” Breanne asked. “I know this sounds cliché but every time I see you two together I see sparks flying.”
“He’s angry with me,” Kari said, her gaze directed at the shimmering water. “He thinks I purposely kept Molly from him but that’s so far from the truth.”
“Kari hand-delivered your mother a letter before your family moved from Roseville,” Lindsay explained in Kari’s defense, “and then left a second letter in the mailbox at that same house in Roseville. She also sent a letter to the Condors’ franchise, complete with pictures of Molly. There’s only so much a girl can do before she has to move on and focus on raising her chi
ld.”
Lindsay’s speech reminded Kari of why she loved her so much.
“Although it’s hard for me to imagine Mom keeping something like this from Max,” Sally said, “a part of me can envision Mom not wanting to lose her only son to another woman. She loves us all, but when it comes to Max, she’s a mother grizzly bear to be reckoned with.”
Jill nodded in agreement, while Breanne said, “If Mom knew Max was having a child and didn’t tell him, I can’t imagine what that would do to him. Max would be hard pressed to forgive Mom for keeping something like that from him.”
“That’s true,” Jill said, before saying directly to Kari, “I like you. We all do. But nobody likes you more than Max. It’s clear to all of us that he’s in love.”
“I just hope he figures it out before it’s too late,” Sally added.
“Wave everyone. Here they come!”
They all waved as the boat passed by. Molly and Amanda sat in a tube and were being pulled ten feet behind the boat. As the iced tea cooled her throat, Kari kept her thoughts to herself. His sisters were wrong about one thing...whatever loving feelings Max had been feeling for her had disappeared when he found out about Molly. Breanne had confirmed that when she said Max would never be able to forgive their mother for keeping knowledge of his child from him. Kari had no proof about the letters, and if he couldn’t forgive his own mother, how was he ever going to forgive her?
Sally looked around after the boat passed by. “I thought Mom was going to join us on the beach.”
“She decided to take a nap instead,” Jill said. “The long ride yesterday did her in. I’m sure she’ll be joining us soon though.”
The idea of seeing Max’s mother after everything that had happened made Kari’s insides churn. Kari reminded herself that she was here for Molly; her daughter deserved to get to know her father.
Sally pointed toward the water. “It looks like they’re coming in.”
They all watched the boat approach the dock. Molly and her friend were the first to approach. “Fred and Cole are going back out,” Molly said. She took a breath. “They said they need a couple of females out there with them.”
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