Talking about Maddy made my heart hurt. As soon as we got back to his ranch, I was going to check in. It had been too long, and I needed to give her an update, especially the fact that I’d moved in with Wes. Maybe I could get her and Matt to fly out for Christmas. I guess that all depended on where I’d be during the holidays. I still had a fat debt to pay.
“You two must be really close.” His voice was gravelly, emotional in that way I’d come to recognize with him.
“Yeah, as close as two people can be. We pretty much only had each other after Mom left and Pops went on a bender. He never really recovered from losing her.”
Max scowled and grumbled something I would have sworn was, “I know the feeling,” but I dismissed it instantly. He didn’t know our mother, but then again, he’d said he didn’t know his own, so maybe that’s what he meant.
There was a long pause as Max ripped at his paper napkin and I got lost in the past. Remembering some of the times when Maddy and I would have loved the solidarity of a mother, a female to look up to as we grew into women.
The waiter delivered our food, and for a few moments we were content to just eat together. Eventually, Max took a ginormous bite of his enchilada and then put down his fork. When he’d chewed and swallowed, he clasped his hands in front of him, leaning his chin on them. “Will you tell me about Madison?” His voice came out soft, almost needy.
Since I was like a proud mama bear, I had absolutely no problem speaking of my girl. “Maddy, or Mads, as I call her”—he smiled and picked up his fork once more, almost as if he was hunkering down into the story and the meal at the same time—“she’s beautiful. Long blond hair, super tall and slim with eyes like mine. Though she’s turning more womanly every day.”
“She’s not a brunette?” He scoffed, which I thought was strange, but I didn’t mention it.
“Nope, she’s my opposite.” I looked at his shocked face and clocked each of his features. “You know”—I laughed—“she looks more like you than she does me! You should have had her pretend to be your sister!” I giggled and his jaw clenched.
“Is your father blond?”
I shook my head. “No, his hair is also dark. Mads is a throwback to our grandmother, I think. At least, that’s what Pops said.”
“Hmm. Okay, what else? You said she’s in school?”
I sat up a little straighter. “She’s going to be a scientist and a doctor!” There was absolutely no shame in my game. My baby sis was going to make something amazing out of her life, and I couldn’t be more proud.
“You sound really excited about this.”
Tilting my head to the side, I watched him while he pushed his food around, no longer seeming interested in his plate. “Why shouldn’t I be? I’ve been raising her to be something incredible my whole life. I’ve had to be her mom, dad, and sister for the last fifteen years. And I’m paying for her schooling, peddling my ass around from state to state to do it and to save our dad.”
His brow narrowed and his eyes turned into slits. “Tell me about what kind of trouble your dad got into. You said he was into gambling. Did something happen?”
I plopped a bite of tostada into my mouth, appreciating the crunch of the lettuce and the mixture of the asada, cheese, green sauce, and beans. So good. Max waited patiently while I chewed. “Turns out he owed some loan sharks a hefty bill. He couldn’t pay up, as usual. They beat him within an inch of his life. Put him in a coma. Cornered me in the hospital and told me if they didn’t get their money, they’d kill him for sure, and if he died, they’d go after me and Maddy. Something they called survivor’s debt.” I shifted in my seat and pushed my hair back from my face. “Unfortunately, I know the bastard that loaned him the money. He’s my ex, and he’s ruthless. He’d take me down just as easily as my dad and sister if he doesn’t get his cash. So I’m doing what I need to do to pay him off.”
“What do you owe?”
A normal person would probably keep this bit of information to herself, but I’d had enough of keeping secrets. Sometimes a person needed to let the shit out or it would swallow her whole. “A million dollars.”
Max’s eyes widened.
“I know. Crazy, right?”
He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the booth. “And your fee is a hundred thousand a month. So you’re paying installments?”
I put a finger to my nose. “Bingo was his name-O!” I laughed, but he didn’t even crack a smile.
“How much do you still owe?”
Shoveling in more food, I thought about it. “Including this month, four hundred thousand.”
He huffed. “And that’s why you don’t have any money in your account. Any bit of extra you send to your sister, right?”
“Right again. You’re getting good at this game, Maximus!”
He laughed. “Maximus.”
I scanned his giant frame. “Have you seen you? You’re huge. Name fits.”
“Mia.” Max’s tone was deadly serious. When he put a hand over mine on the table and held it, I knew something was up. “I’d like to pay the debt free and clear. The entire million. Then you can have your money back. You shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of your father.”
Licking my lips, I pulled my hand away and looked him straight in the eye. I’d never understand why men like Max thought they could solve all the world’s problems with money. Had to be the damsel in distress and knight in shining armor trait all the men I’d come into contact with lately had about them.
“Why would you do that?” I said it flippantly, though Max did not take it well. His entire body went tense, and he clenched his jaw so tight, I worried he’d crack a tooth.
“Because I can.” The words came out through his teeth the way garlic goes through a tiny handheld grater.
Sitting back in my chair, I looked him in the eye, ensuring he knew I was dead serious. “That will never happen.”
He also leaned back in his chair, put a long arm out as if he were getting nice and comfortable. “It would be wise if you learned how to accept a gift.”
A gift. He was insane, downright certifiable, right up there with people who charmed rattlesnakes. “Tell that to my rich boyfriend. I’ve got an idea. How about the two of you start a club? The ‘we have more money than sense club’ and share your ‘gifts’ with people who actually need a handout. I’m just fine, and I’m going to keep being just fine after I’ve paid off this debt, moved my happy ass to Malibu permanently, and watched my baby sister walk the stage accepting her bachelor’s, her master’s, and then her P-H-fucking-D. Now, can we let this go? You’re pissing me off, and I was enjoying a nice complimentary lunch. Which by the way, for free food…” I bent my head back and moaned over another bite of the crunchiest, most tasty tostada ever. “Amazing!”
Max looked at me as if I’d sprouted another eye in the center of my forehead. “Whatever you say, sugar,” he said with a smirk.
Sugar. He gets Maximus, which admittedly is a super cool nickname, and I get sugar? Lame.
Chapter Six
The next week or so we spent getting to know one another. I met with different members of his team, spent a lot of time just being visible at the offices, but mostly I hung out with their family as one big unit, which was strangely wonderful. If Maddy and Wes had been there, I would have felt right at home. Max took me to each of the free gourmet restaurants. I’d have been hard-pressed to pick a favorite. They were all that tasty.
Today, when we finished lunch, Max showed me around the other half of the campus. The side we hadn’t spent a lot of time in. I found it mostly contained the corporate boring stuff, HR, Legal, Public Relations, and Marketing. If I had a pedometer, I’m pretty sure we’d have clocked ten thousand or more steps throughout the day. Eventually, we loaded back into his truck and drove to his ranch.
Exiting the vehicle, I was surprised to see another giant of a man with his arm curled around the bottom of a toddler at his hip. The other looped around the waist of a statues
que blonde. Her hair was like spun gold and trailed in a flat sheet down her back. She wore a pencil skirt, a sky blue silk blouse, and a pair of flip-flops. The footwear aside, she was far more put together than most people I knew. Looked like she might have thrown the shoes on instead of replacing what was probably a pair of ridiculously expensive heels.
As we walked up the steps, we could hear the tail end of the woman speaking. “…in thanks, we’d love to have you over for dinner sometime soon.”
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Max stated in jest, smacking his thighs while grinning at the couple standing on the front porch.
The man turned around and his smile widened. I stopped and looked at the specimen of utter man candy who stood in front of me. He was built like a Viking. Sandy-brown hair, chiseled jaw, even white teeth, and just the right amount of scruff to make a girl stutter. The sleeves of his tight-fitting polo stretched around a set of massive biceps, wider around than my thighs, and I was no stick. His blue-green eyes sparkled as he took in my form much quicker than a male usually did. I mean, I wasn’t a model or anything, but I’d never lacked for a man’s interest in the past, and admittedly, the rack was definitely something to write home about.
This hunk of heaven scanned me as if he were assessing me, not checking me out. I wanted to pout, complete with a lip quiver, until the blonde turned around. Then I got it. Her eyes were a stunning blue and reminded me of the Hawaiian water off the coast of Oahu. Those eyes were set into a pristine pale face with pouty red shapely lips, high cheekbones, and a small nose. Essentially, one of the most elegantly gorgeous women I’d ever seen. All that attached to a thin yet womanly shape, and it clicked why he only had eyes for the blonde. Every few moments, he glanced at her like he was about to take a bite. There was a hunger there, simmering. I knew that sensation because it’s the way Wes looked at me, like he’d never ever get enough. I could tell the blonde appreciated it fully by the small smile she gave him in return.
On the man’s hip was the most adorable little girl. Aside from little Isabel, that is. Isabel and I had become fast buddies. This morning, I woke up to her little hand playing with my hair while she lay beside me in bed. “How come you have black hair?” she’d asked. I laughed, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and told her that it was because my mommy had black hair. Her little mouth had formed an “o” as she connected the dots. “And my daddy has yellow hair so I have yellow hair!” I cracked up and laughed with her, told her how smart she was, and then let her play with all my stuff while I got ready to hang with Max at his office.
“Hank and Aspen Jensen”—Max pointed to the male sex-on-a-platter in a pair of tight fitting Wranglers, and then to his wife, God’s perfect woman—“their daughter, Hannah.” He tickled the little girl’s tummy, and she squealed delightfully. “This is my sister, Mia Saunders.” Max once again announced with more pride than the situation deserved.
I put out my hand and shook theirs and was pleased to find that Hank didn’t strangle my hand. Loved it when a man gave a firm handshake but catered it to the person. “Pleasure to meet you. Funny thing, you actually know my significant other, Weston Channing,” I said.
Aspen’s eyes lit up. When I say lit up, I mean the sun came out, birds sang, and butterflies fluttered around us. She was just so damn pretty. If she didn’t seem so nice, I’d probably sit with Gin and talk shit about how perfect she was and how unfair it was that bitches like her drove all the good men to their knees. “I love Weston!” She brought both her hands to her chest.
Her husband grumbled next to her, a real carnal, “me Tarzan, you Jane” type growl. “What’s this about loving another man, angel?” His tone was dead serious, though she raised a hand making a flippant gesture to shoo him away.
“I didn’t know he was seeing anyone. He’s so kind and definitely a looker.”
At that comment, Hank’s mitt of a hand curved around Aspen’s waist, and he tugged her back to his chest. “Now you’re insinuating you’re hot for other men, darlin’?”
Aspen rolled her eyes and patted his hand over her belly. “Never so much as had a date, a kiss, or anything other than a business dinner, and that single dance with him…at our wedding, so relax, big guy.” She emphasized the word wedding. He slid his hand to her ribs, perilously close to her breast, and she gasped as he laid a set of open mouth kisses to her bare neck, not at all concerned with the overt public display of affection, or rather, ownership. She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Caveman,” she said in a breathy timbre. Then she bummed her booty back, throwing him off his mark. “Go hang out with Max and the kids while we girls catch up.”
His jaw clenched before he nodded, but as she started to turn around, he curved a hand behind her neck, brought his woman close, and slanted his mouth over hers. She squeaked and then hummed into his kiss and melted on the spot, completely taken away by her husband. It made me miss Wes in a fierce, bone-aching way. It was as though each and every day that went by, the distance seemed to grow. I didn’t know if it was the fact that we were so newly in love or the need to be connected to someone who knew me intimately, knew who I really was and loved me anyway, that made the distance a world away, even though, in truth, it was only a couple of states and a short plane ride.
Cyndi led us through the house to the back veranda where there was a fan blowing soft air, a set of cushy wicker chairs with billowy seats, and a glass pitcher filled with a pink liquid. “Spiked pink lemonade.” She grinned.
I tucked an arm around her shoulders and brought her close. “Woman after my own heart.” I smiled.
Her response was strange. Instead of laughing, she mumbled, “I hope so,” and then pulled away, setting about pouring us heaping glasses of the fruity alcoholic beverage. There was another pitcher marked with a sad face. I pointed at it and frowned, matching the symbol that was written on it with washable marker.
“That’s for me.” She rubbed her rounded belly. “No booze for another two months,” she pouted. Holy shit. The woman still had two months of her pregnancy to go and she was enormous. Then again, I didn’t really know enough about these things to gauge what a pregnant woman was supposed to look like in her seventh month.
I patted her on the back before sitting down. “Bummer.”
She shrugged. “It will be worth it once he’s here.”
Never being one to skip out on a free drink, I took a sip and let the cool lemony vodka-flavored drink rush over my taste buds. Not only was it delicious, but it allowed a sense of calm to creep over the strange mood of the day, forcing a lighter more relaxed vibe in its place.
The three of us sat and talked about menial things at first—the weather, and the latest fashion trends, which I knew absolutely nothing about. Aspen admitted that she had her personal assistant pick everything she wore, one who would be freaking out if he saw her in flip flops. Apparently, he despised them with a passion that warranted her talking about it. His name escaped me as the liquor continued to warm my gut and loosen my tongue.
“My sister London is also pregnant. Twins!” Aspen said with a merriment that proved how truly excited she was about becoming an aunt.
When the word sister hit, I jumped up to get my purse and pulled out my cell phone.
Cyndi’s eyes narrowed in concern. “What’s the matter?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, nothing. Just Aspen talking about her sister reminded me that I needed to call Maddy. I’d meant to days and days ago.”
“Who’s Maddy?” she asked with a hand on her belly. Since she’d sat down, her hand was constantly rubbing in different spots. I was too freaked out to ask why she did that and nervous that it would make her feel uncomfortable if I did. Pregos are a strange breed. I figured I’d probably go down that road someday, I guess, if Wes wanted them. It was yet another thing my new boyfriend and I needed to discuss in the future. It felt good, though, to have those serious discussions to look forward to. I’d never had them with any of my other boyfriends, and I’d thoug
ht the sun and moon rose with them. I was such an idiot. Now, I had a new path, and it was all sunsets, surfing, and snuggling in the Malibu hills with my personal hunk.
Giggling in that way only two fully loaded glasses of vodka-flavored lemonade could make me do, I responded. “My sister, silly.”
Cyndi’s face paled, and her hand came up to her mouth. Instantly, her eyes filled with unshed tears. Shit. What did I say? “You have a sister from your mother?” Her voice croaked as I nodded. “Max didn’t mention that.” She choked on a half-sob. What was with these people? It was like mentioning the word sister was a hot button to emotional breakdown.
I let the phone ring but responded while I waited. “Makes sense. I only told him about it last week.”
She stood so quickly that she swayed. Aspen caught her around the arm and hand to the belly. “You okay?”
“I have to get to Max. Jesus, this is the reason he’s been so strange.”
I looked around, not knowing what the big deal was. “If you say so,” I said, not sure why the air had become so strained. Everything had been fine as far as I could tell.
“Hello?” Maddy answered. “Mia?”
Aww, there was my light. “Hey, baby girl,” I responded and turned to look out onto the open landscape. The hills rolled in swaths of green speckled with orange flowers here and there. Way off in the distance, I could see the back of a red barn. To my right, I could see an outline of another barn, only this one was a pale yellow that matched the house. A big “C” was scrawled on the front above the doors. A few horses meandered around near the building at least two football fields away from where I stood. There were more animals I could barely distinguish in the distance. I made a mental note to go check out the barn and all the farm animals. I’d never been on a farm before. Maybe Max would teach me how to ride a horse. Two things I’d check off the proverbial bucket list. Farms and horseback riding.
August: Calendar Girl Book 8 Page 6