Two Dates Max

by Missy Jane

  A tear slipped down her face and she sniffled, but then nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  Hank picked her suitcase back up and quickly stowed it behind the passenger seat. I noticed him moving faster, as if afraid she would change her mind. He helped her into the seat as if she were made of spun glass and even put the seatbelt around her. Once her door was closed he turned to face me.

  “I swear I won’t hurt her.”

  I considered any number of threats, but quickly realized I didn’t need them by the true concern on his face.

  “I know. I would still like to come by your place tonight if that’s okay.”

  He seemed to breathe easier and quickly nodded. We programmed each other’s cell phone numbers and I watched him get into the driver’s seat. They drove away with Elle watching me through the window. I gave her another thumbs-up until they turned away. Then I made the trek back to my car, praying everything would work out.

  Chapter Three

  After leaving Declan’s I headed for Hardy’s All Goods. Though I never needed an excuse to see Sean, I honestly had to get a few kitchen staples. My stomach growled a reminder that I still hadn’t had so much as coffee. A quick trip through a drive-thru and I walked into Hardy’s with breakfast for two. A couple of the cashiers smiled at me and one even waved. I wasn’t exactly shy about my interest in Sean and luckily there didn’t seem to be any competition from them. There was a rumor about a cashier who had quit a few months before, but either no one really knew much or they just weren’t talking.

  I’d quickly realized Sean commanded a wary respect from his employees. He’d been in the Marines for a few years and it showed in the way he carried himself. It was one of the many things I liked about him, even when he drove me kind of crazy.

  His office door was wide open so I didn’t bother to knock before walking in. He was looking at something on the computer and barely glanced my way. I smiled and set our food on his neat and tidy desk, moving a magazine out of the way before putting down the coffee carrier.

  “Ooh, is that Devon Campbell?”

  I plucked the magazine off his desk as he reached for it, and turned away to stare at the cover. It was a bit wrinkled as if someone had gripped it carelessly but Devon still looked great next to the hometown beauty on his arm. I stared at her for a minute before recognition set in.

  “Hey. That’s Mari.”

  Sean sighed directly behind me and reached over my shoulder to grab the magazine. He tossed it into the trashcan beside his desk before sitting back down.

  “Yes. That is Devon and Mari Campbell on the cover.”

  “They got married?”

  “This past weekend.”

  He was growling, which made me frown. Short, clipped sentences weren’t odd for him, but I’d thought we had moved past that. I watched him rub his temples and scrub a hand down his face.

  “I brought breakfast.”

  He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning to look at me. “Thank you.”

  There was no appreciation in his voice and I’d swear this was a different man from the one who had kissed me last night. I crossed my arms but stayed a few feet away.

  “You’re welcome. Everything going all right this morning?”

  He just shrugged and took a coffee from the cardboard carrier. I held on to my patience in the hopes caffeine would make him more human.

  “Well, Elle’s taken care of for now.”

  He raised a brow and took a sip, but said nothing.

  “Yeah, I found her back at Declan’s apartment…on another man.”

  That got a reaction. Sean started choking on his coffee. I rolled my eyes and moved closer to pat him on the back. He allowed two pats then rolled his chair away. I turned so he wouldn’t see how much that bothered me and began pacing across his small office.

  “It’s okay. His name is Hank and she’s known him a while. She actually talks about him all the time but I’d never met him. He certainly seems nice.”

  “Hunky Hank?” he asked.

  I laughed and turned back to find him digging a croissant from the paper bag on his desk.

  “That’s the one. She told you about him too, huh?”

  He just nodded and bit into his croissant.

  “Yeah well, he swears he’s willing to take care of her and keep Declan away. Kinda sounds too good to be true, but I’m going over to his place tonight to check on her.”

  Sean chewed and showed no sign he cared or was even really listening to me. I huffed out a breath and set my hands on my hips.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  He raised a brow and swallowed. “What do you mean?”

  I frowned and tried to think of how to word my concern. We were at his job so I certainly didn’t expect him to jump up and start kissing me, but a little enthusiasm would’ve been nice.

  “I don’t know. You don’t really seem very happy to see me.”

  He didn’t look at me as he finished his croissant before pushing the bag away. After half a minute of silence my stomach felt like a ball of lead and tears burned the back of my throat.

  “Yeah, okay. Well, I gotta go.”

  I walked out of his office at an even pace, not too fast, not too slow. He could have stopped me. He could have called my name. He did neither and it made my chest hurt. The tears started once I pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. Maybe things weren’t looking up after all.

  My appetite was gone by the time I got home but I rummaged through the refrigerator anyway. I was hurt, pissed and still worried about Elle. I slammed the refrigerator shut and went back to bed. The plan was to sleep for at least a couple more hours, then get up around noon for lunch. Unfortunately, the reality was I hurt too much to relax. What the hell was wrong with Sean? Should I even bother anymore?

  I had been seriously considering moving past him when he’d accepted my invitation for Saturday. Now that he’d dangled that carrot before me I just didn’t know what to do. On one hand I really thought he was worth the effort. On the other…well, I really didn’t need this type of emotional upheaval. I’d done well the past few years in living an almost drama-free life. Elle was really all the excitement I needed. However, she had a point. Thirty loomed way too close for comfort when I still crawled into bed alone every night. Did I think Sean was husband material? Maybe. We really got along great when he allowed it. The question was, how long could I wait for him to realize it?

  An hour later I knew there would be no more sleep for me. I opted for a shower instead. It made me feel more alive but no better as Sean continued to invade my thoughts. Luckily, the phone rang and pulled my attention away.

  “Hey, it’s Hank. Figured I should give you my address.”

  I laughed and searched for a pen and paper.

  “That’s probably a good idea since I’m not channeling my inner bloodhound today.”

  He chuckled and it was a nice, deep, masculine sound. I sighed in regret that it made me think of Sean. Hank gave me the directions to his house, which was only about fifteen minutes away and in a very nice neighborhood. Luckily they were simple directions so I had high hopes of finding it within thirty.

  “We’re having burgers for dinner. Is that cool with you?”

  I found a pen that actually worked and grabbed an old envelope from my kitchen counter.

  “Sure that’s fine. You don’t mind me eating with y’all? I’m sure you’d prefer to have Elle to yourself.”

  “Of course, but there’s plenty of time for that. She’s still kind of skittish, you know? I’m hoping your presence will relax her a bit.”

  I nodded and smiled even though he couldn’t see it.

  “What’s she doing now?”

  “Taking a nap, and no…I didn’t try to crawl into bed with her. God knows it damn near killed me, but I was a gentleman.”

  I snorted out a laugh, liking how he talked to me as if we were old friends. His easygoing personality was just wha
t Elle needed in her life right now.

  “Well, I’d say that’s none of my business but she’s like a sister to me.”

  “Yeah, I know. She talks about you all the time. Which is why I need to know your favorite dessert. I plan on kissing a lot of ass while you’re here.”

  I laughed harder and shook my head. “Anything chocolate works for me.”

  “Cool. That’s easy enough to remember. All right, be here around seven and the food should be ready.”

  “Okay, see ya later.”

  “Later.”

  I hung up and smiled at the phone, but then it turned into a frown when thoughts of Sean intruded again. Why in the hell couldn’t he be that easygoing all the time?

  * * * * *

  By six o’clock I couldn’t find anything to keep me busy around the house anymore and gave up. It was spotless, all the laundry done and everything in its place. I felt a little better about life in a clean house but had to work to keep a frown off my face. I hoped Elle would be too busy ogling Hank to notice my melancholy. Imagine my surprise when it was Hank who called me out on it as soon as he opened his front door.

  “Hey, you made it…what’s wrong?”

  I paused before stepping into his house to frown at him.

  “Nothing’s wrong. Where’s Elle?”

  “I’m in here, hon,” she called from somewhere beyond the front foyer. “Is something wrong?”

  I sighed and shook my head as I stepped into the house. Hank closed the door behind me and pointed over my shoulder to one of two open doorways.

  “She’s in the kitchen. Make yourself at home.”

  I mumbled my thanks and followed his pointed directions to find Elle sitting on a barstool against the most awesome built-in kitchen island I’d ever seen.

  “Whoa.”

  I looked around what was obviously a custom job with my jaw on the floor. Elle laughed and hopped off the stool to give me a hug.

  “Isn’t it great? Hank is such a genius with custom redesigns. This was all his work.”

  The obvious pride in her voice made me glance at her but she was looking around the room in admiration. I closed my mouth and joined her. It really was the nicest kitchen I’d ever stepped foot in.

  “This is great. Does that mean he likes to cook?”

  Elle laughed again and nodded as Hank entered the room.

  “Oh yeah. I love to cook. Especially when I have two beautiful ladies to impress.”

  If he wasn’t Elle’s and Sean didn’t exist, Hank’s grin would’ve melted me on the spot. I just smiled as Elle sighed and leaned on me a bit.

  Hank hustled us onto barstools while he moved around the kitchen with relaxed familiarity. I listened to him banter with Elle, but couldn’t help wondering if Sean liked to cook too. It didn’t matter since my kitchen was totally my domain, but I wanted to know little things like that about him. I already knew he’d been in the Marines and it still affected a lot of his life. He kept a regimented schedule and didn’t like changes a whole lot. However, he could also be flexible when needed.

  A wineglass appeared before me, interrupting my thoughts as a fragrant red liquid was poured into it.

  “Try this. It’ll help take your mind off things.”

  I raised a brow at Hank’s statement but he just grinned and set the wine bottle a few inches from me. Elle nudged my elbow.

  “Hey, hon, what’s wrong?”

  I smiled weakly and grasped my wineglass like a lifeline.

  “Nothing much. Just tired, I guess.”

  She gave me the look that said she didn’t believe me, but let it go for the moment. We’d been friends long enough to know there was always a right moment for emotional conversations. Right now I just wanted to get through Elle’s issues before worrying about mine. So far, Hank seemed like a great guy. I knew it was too soon for her to get serious about him. Maybe we needed to wait for her Declan-inflicted wounds to heal first. But Hank was doing all the right things just by being himself, as far as I could tell. I’m usually a pretty good judge of character…Sean notwithstanding.

  Hank’s hamburgers were a feat of culinary brilliance. I was actually kind of sad to take the last bite. Then there were the potato wedges he’d baked as a side dish. There was no way to compare them to simple french fries. They were like mini baked potatoes, sour cream and all. I was so stuffed once we were done, I wasn’t certain I could walk. Elle giggled when I leaned back with a sigh and rubbed my belly.

  “You look like you could fall asleep.”

  I hid a small burp behind my hand and snorted.

  “After only one glass of wine? Nah.”

  Hank cleared his throat and raised the empty wine bottle, shaking it in the air as if to hear its contents.

  “One glass, darlin’? I hate to break it to you, but I think you polished off this bottle on your own.”

  I frowned at him but then glanced around the table. We’d moved outside to his very impressive back deck to eat in the cool evening air. Hank’s handmade oak table with matching chairs sat just outside his sliding glass doors. It was littered with the remnants of our meal, including two wine bottles. One sat between Elle’s and Hank’s glasses. The other, which Hank set gingerly back in place, was right at my elbow.

  “Um…”

  Elle and Hank laughed but I wasn’t very amused. I’m not much of a drinker and even with the food, a whole bottle of wine meant I wasn’t driving home anytime soon.

  “Damn. I’ll have to call a cab.”

  Hank shook his head as Elle looked his way.

  “We can drive you and your car home tonight. Or, I’ve got plenty of room if you’d rather just crash here.”

  I frowned, knowing there was something wrong with both scenarios, but a little too drunk to figure out what.

  “Umm…”

  Elle laughed and stood, picking up our empty plates. Hank immediately stood as well and took them from her.

  “I got this, sweetheart. Why don’t you go get her settled in a spare bedroom?”

  Elle nodded and Hank gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. She giggled before looking at me shyly. Hank grinned and went inside.

  “Wow, I think he made you blush,” I said.

  She just shrugged, smile still in place, before pulling on the back of my chair. I sat up and got shakily to my feet.

  “Come on, lightweight. I’ll get you to a nice, soft surface where you can pass out until morning.”

  We both giggled and staggered our way through the house. By the time we made it into a bedroom I was buzzing as if I had a headful of honeybees. I got the impression of warm colors and dark furniture before falling face-first onto a soft quilt. Elle pulled my tennis shoes off and urged me onto my back so she could help me slip out of my jeans. I somehow worked my bra off without hurting myself or removing my shirt, and then Elle got me under the covers.

  “All right, hon, you’re set. I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready,” she said on a laugh.

  I sighed and snuggled against the pillow.

  “S’kay. I don’t work ’til noon.”

  She might have responded to that but I was already snoring.

  * * * * *

  Pounding woke me as weak sunlight filtered into the room. I groaned and rolled over to check the time on my clock, but it wasn’t there. I frowned at the unfamiliar lamp. It was pretty, but I wanted to know the time. Just as I sat up I remembered where I was and flopped back down.

  “Shit.”

  The pounding hadn’t stopped and it took a few more seconds for me to realize the persistent beat was in my head.

  “Ugh…”

  That’s when I remembered why I don’t drink. I sat up again, more slowly, and threw my bare legs over the side of the bed. Luckily I wasn’t queasy. There’s nothing I hate more than being sick. I stood slowly to be sure and looked around for my jeans. Donning them was a study in patience as they fought me the whole time, but I finally defeated their evil plan to leave me pants-less and got them
on. I ran my fingers through my hair and knotted it into a loose bun at my nape. Then, as presentable as I was likely to get, I walked out of the room.

  Elle’s voice sounded down the hallway from the living room. I headed that way and prayed I wasn’t about to interrupt anything.

  “Do you realize what time it is?” she asked in a stage whisper.

  I frowned when there was no response and stepped into the room. She was standing by the sofa in her silk robe with my cell phone to her ear. The contents of my purse lay scattered on the sofa cushion and I realized she must’ve had to search for my phone.

  “I know, Max, but—”

  That brought my attention snapping back to her and I crossed the room quickly.

  “Hey. That’s Sean?”

  She looked up in surprise and I noted her bruises looked worse, which of course meant they were healing. She nodded before speaking into the phone again.

  “Okay, okay. It doesn’t matter ’cause here she is.”

  She all but shoved the phone in my hand and stepped away. I held it up to my ear but raised an inquiring brow at her.

  “He’s been trying to reach you since last night,” she said.

  The tone of her voice told me Sean wasn’t exactly pleasant this morning and for a second I considered just hanging up on him.

  “Megan? Megan.”

  His voice in my ear caught my attention and I sat on the sofa with a huff.

  “What?”

  My growl of annoyance must have surprised him because his voice softened when he replied.

  “I was getting worried.”

  I sighed and rubbed my free hand down my face before looking around. Elle had left the room and there wasn’t a clock anywhere.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Eight thirty-two.”

  “Jeez, Sean. What the hell are you calling so early for?”

  He sighed loudly into my ear. “I was texting you all evening and you never answered. I went by your house…late. And you weren’t there. Then I tried calling a couple of times. I was worried.”

  I’ve never been the type of girl who was surgically attached to her phone. For me, it’s a necessity, a tool I use to communicate as needed. Leaving it in my purse all day without checking it is the norm.