The Better Man (Chicago Sisters)

by Amy Vastine

  “I said that’s enough,” he repeated, his voice dropping lower.

  Katie leaned around him to get Kendall’s attention. “It’s always something. Max only cares about two things—himself and his job.”

  “Can you not do this in front of Aidan?” he whispered near her ear.

  “Now you care about Aidan?” Katie laughed again. “You don’t even know him. What’s his favorite color? What book does he like read to him at bedtime? What did he get for Christmas last year? What kind of birthday party did he have? Who’s his pediatrician? What day and time does he have gymnastics? You know nothing about him. I hope the judge sees right through you.”

  Max had no answers for any of it. The worst part of this horrifying confrontation was that she was right about everything...except about not being able to care. He cared about Aidan. He took a deep breath and held it in his lungs until they burned enough to distract him from the humiliation he was feeling.

  “I’m going to go say hello to my son and then I’m going to leave,” he said to Katie as calmly as he could. “I hope you enjoy your ice cream.”

  Max swallowed his pride and turned to Kendall and Simon. They were both wide-eyed and shell-shocked, mother and son rendered mute by Katie’s outburst.

  “I’ll see you back at the restaurant, Kendall,” he said. “Simon, your dad would have been proud of you for being so brave today.”

  With that, he stepped around Katie and ignored the way her friend glowered at him. He held up his hand in front of Aidan for a high-five. “How’s it going, little man?” Aidan slapped his hand, although his eyes kept shifting back to his mother as she came up behind Max. “How lucky we ended up getting ice cream at the same place, huh?”

  Lucky, unlucky, whatever.

  Aidan nodded and pulled the red Corvette out of his coat pocket, proudly displaying it for everyone to see. The hole Katie’s words had punched through his chest healed instantly thanks to that simple gesture. Aidan didn’t have to say anything. That car symbolized an attachment that hadn’t been there before. Katie had given up on him, but Aidan hadn’t.

  Not yet.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CONFRONTATION MADE KENDALL sick to her stomach. Witnessing the one between Max and his ex-wife was no exception. Simon was even more uncomfortable than his mother. He had slid all the way across the seat and pressed up against her, each breath too short and fast.

  They both watched as Max walked away, stopping to say hello to his little boy. She didn’t miss the way all the tension eased out of him the moment his son pulled out the Hot Wheels car Simon had given him.

  “Let’s go to Nana and Papa’s,” she whispered to Simon, thankful her voice had returned. She gave him a gentle nudge out of the booth.

  Simon’s lips were sealed, his anxiety evident in the furrow of his brow and the tightness of his grip on Kendall’s hand. They hurried to the door only to be followed out by Katie.

  “I’m sure he makes you feel real special,” she said. Kendall stopped but didn’t turn around. “That’s what Max does. He knows all the right things to say because it’s good for business. But trust me, as one mother to another, he’ll let you down. Max doesn’t really care about anyone. It’s all an act.”

  Kendall gave Simon’s hand a squeeze and glanced back at Katie. “He cares about his son,” Kendall said with conviction. She had to believe it. The alternative was that this woman was right and Max was a fake.

  Katie’s frown was sympathetic, as if she could see Kendall’s need to believe. “I don’t know what he’s told you, but my son waited three long years for Max to care. The only reason he’s trying now is because he can’t stand it that someone else is doing the job better.”

  That was sort of what Max had told her. He’d left out the part where he hadn’t attempted to be in his son’s life until now. “We work together and he helped me out with something today. This isn’t what you think it is.”

  Katie’s phone beeped and she checked the message. “My husband is going to kill me for going off like that.” She softened a bit and almost appeared remorseful. “I didn’t mean to make a scene or assume anything was going on. You’ve got a kid, and I just thought you should know what you’re getting into if you’re thinking about getting into something with Max.”

  “Like I said, we work together. I barely know him.” The thought caused the ice cream in Kendall’s stomach to churn. She barely knew him and had let him into Simon’s life like a fool.

  What had she done?

  * * *

  KENDALL’S MOM GREETED them with arms wide open. Zoe barked and danced around their feet like a puppy.

  “There’s my handsome grandson.” Maureen hugged Simon while she side-eyed her daughter. Kendall could tell she knew something was wrong.

  Simon didn’t say anything to his grandmother, and he had a death grip on Kendall’s hand. There were big worries running through his little body.

  Kendall crouched down in front of him. “Mommy has to go back to work for a little bit, but I’ll be here to get you after dinner.”

  Simon shook his head.

  “I was thinking we could take Zoe to visit that cockapoo down the street for a doggie play date. You know how much she likes it when you come to her play dates, Simon.” Kendall’s mother played her best card first. Usually that would work like a charm, but given the day he’d had, it was possible that not even Zoe could pull Simon out of his yucks.

  “Is there a kid in my house?” Kendall’s father came out of the kitchen.

  “What are you doing home so early?” she asked as he hugged some of the anxiety out of her.

  “Ah, I went to check on a job nearby and decided to swing by and check on your mom. She said Simon was coming over, so I thought, there’s no better reason to play hooky than to hang out with this guy.” He picked Simon up, breaking the boy’s hold on his mother. “Come see what Nana made and you and Papa are going to eat.”

  The smell of freshly baked cookies finally registered. “He just had ice cream,” Kendall shouted after them as her dad rushed off with Simon to get some of those goodies. She was about to follow when her mom’s arm shot out, blocking her path.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “What’s not wrong would take less time to explain.”

  Maureen let her arm drop to her side. “I thought he made it through the day and you were celebrating.”

  Kendall leaned against the wall. She wanted to knock her head against it until all these jumbled thoughts made some sense. “He did, and we were. And we were having fun celebrating with Max. So much so that I think I forgot I don’t really know anything about this guy other than what he’s told me, and he could have told me anything. I’m relying on someone who has absolutely no obligation to help me out. Being around him helps Simon talk, but what happens when he doesn’t have time for Simon anymore? What if he moves back to California? What if he’s a bad person pretending to be good?”

  “Whoa. Where did all that come from?” Maureen pulled her daughter into the small sitting room off the foyer. She sat her down and took a seat herself.

  “We ran into Max’s ex-wife.”

  Her mom’s eyes widened and her head nodded with understanding. “Ah.”

  “Let’s just say she had some choice words for him, and he took off without defending himself even a smidgen.”

  “Exes rarely have nice things to say about their former partners. Hence the ex in their title.”

  It was an excellent argument and one she was sure Max would use if confronted. Still, Max’s ex had successfully created some doubt in Kendall’s mind. Her decision to let Simon get close to Max was beginning to feel like a poor one.

  “I think what’s freaking me out is that I like him. I like him even though there are a million reasons why I shouldn’t. But if I’m wrong about
him and that ends up hurting Simon, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  “Do you think the fact that he looks like Trevor is clouding your judgment? Maybe you only like him because he looks like the man you love.”

  Loved. Kendall’s feelings for Trevor had definitely clouded her judgment in the beginning. But Max had won her over. Kendall and Trevor had a mountain of problems they’d kept hidden from everyone. She could relate to the anger and resentment Katie carried around. The only difference was that Kendall never got the title of ex-wife. Widow happened first.

  “He’s a lot different than Trevor, Mom. And I said I like him, not that I’m falling in love with him.” But she had wanted to kiss him. That was dangerous territory. Much too dangerous now that she knew he might not be who she hoped he was.

  Maureen held her hands up in surrender. “Okay, I was just asking. I wasn’t sure what you meant and it has to be strange, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Ever since Max walked into her life, everything was strange. Strange and confusing. Life was already hard enough. “I’m going to go before Simon notices I’m still here. Tell Dad I said thank you and goodbye.”

  “I will.” Maureen stood up and gently grabbed Kendall’s chin. Kendall relented and gave her the eye contact she sought. “You are a good mom,” her mother said firmly. “You always put Simon first. You’ll make the right choice. Trust yourself.”

  She let go and Kendall nodded. Easier said than done.

  * * *

  KENDALL SLIPPED INTO Sato’s, her eyes scanning the room for Max. Luckily, he was nowhere to be seen. A rush of relief flowed through her body. She had hoped to have a moment to collect her thoughts before talking to him. Shrugging out of her coat, she decided to work first, deal with Max second. It was already after 4:30 p.m. and she had plenty to accomplish before she could go home for the night.

  Paint therapy did wonders until she noticed the lily-pad green wasn’t right. No matter how much she tweaked it, it wasn’t what Kendall wanted. It needed some yellow and maybe a slightly darker shade of green. She grabbed the can labeled “Sun Shower” and searched for her paint-can opener.

  “You’re here.” Max’s voice carried with it a hint of surprise.

  “I need to get this finished,” she said without turning around. Looking at him would only make this harder.

  “I wanted to apologize for what happened earlier. My ex-wife isn’t much of a fan.”

  Kendall took a deep breath and reminded herself that Simon was her number-one priority. Max gave Simon confidence, but short-term gains were meaningless if the long-term effects were harmful to his emotional health. This man dropped out of his own son’s life; what would stop him from doing the same to Simon? He had no stake in Simon’s well-being, no reason to feel accountable.

  She turned and faced him. “She made that very clear when she followed me and Simon out.”

  Max raked a hand through his hair. “Unbelievable,” he mumbled under his breath. “Sorry about that. I promise no drama on Friday for trick-or-treating. I’m a big fan of no drama.”

  Kendall pushed away her nerves. “Listen, I really appreciate all you did for Simon today. You’re good to him, and that means a lot to me.”

  “Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming?” Max rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment.

  “It just sounds like things are a little more complicated than I thought.”

  Max stepped uncomfortably closer. Kendall had nowhere to go, however. He wasn’t trying to intimidate her—it was like they were being pulled together by whatever it was that connected them. Her heart beat faster and her palms were sweating. There was no Trevor in his face. This was all Max.

  “Earlier today, you were willing to go to court for me and tell anyone who would listen what a good guy I am. A couple of hours ago, you wanted to beat me at checkers so you could kiss me. Now things are too complicated?”

  “I think it’s best if I stay out of your business.” Heat crept up her neck. “And I wasn’t trying to kiss you.” Her voice broke at the end.

  “You feel nothing? I was imagining things?” he asked, somehow moving even closer. Their bodies were mere inches apart. He didn’t touch her, but she felt everything.

  “I feel like you should focus on making things right with your son while I work on making things right for mine.”

  He tipped his head down so they were nose to nose. His breathing was as unsteady as hers. “Is that what you think?”

  Think? She was supposed to think right now? She could barely breathe. Her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip, which was sore from her teeth digging into it. “Yes,” she whispered.

  They stood there until he backed down. “Tell Simon I’m sorry I couldn’t take him trick-or-treating,” Max said, slowly backing away. There was no denying the hurt emanating from his eyes. “Halloween was never my thing, anyway.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  MAX HAD MADE MISTAKES. He wasn’t a perfect person. He could take full responsibility for the mess he’d made of his relationship with Aidan. What he wouldn’t do was accept that his past reflected his future. That was the way Katie made him feel today, like he couldn’t change. Kendall apparently thought Katie was right.

  He was surprised at how much Kendall’s lack of faith stung. They didn’t know each other very well. At the same time, he’d been more open with her than with anyone. She knew he wasn’t as sure of himself as he wanted people to believe. He didn’t think that would translate into him being a lost cause.

  He wasn’t, was he?

  He couldn’t stand his own doubt. It fueled his anger. Anger he didn’t know where to place, other than on Katie. Maybe she thought what she was doing was best for Aidan. But how could keeping Max away be what was best for him? She was leaving him no choice but to fight back.

  “Faraday and Associates, how may I help you?” Wayne’s assistant was much too chipper for this late in the day.

  “This is Max Jordan. Is Wayne around?”

  “He’s not, but I’ll get a message to him and he can call you back.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Max grumbled and hung up. He tried to refocus on the purchase orders he’d been entering into the computer, but his thoughts kept going back to the way Katie attacked him at the ice-cream place. How small she made him feel. What was Aidan’s favorite bedtime story? Max hadn’t even gotten him a Christmas present last year. He’d sent money, figuring Katie could pick something good out since Max had no clue.

  He shut down his laptop and packed up his stuff. He needed to get some dinner and be done with this day. Tomorrow, he had a visit with Aidan and he was going to make sure it was the best one yet. Avoiding Kendall, he hurried out of the restaurant and hailed a cab.

  The October sky was dark early, but the city was full of lights. People filled the sidewalks, hurrying from here to there. Restaurants were busy—six to seven was always the busiest on a weekday. Max had noticed the trends in Chicago weren’t too much different than in L.A.

  His phone rang with Wayne’s call. “Thanks for calling me back,” Max said.

  “Looks like Katie has the connections to get us in front of a judge ASAP,” Wayne said. “We have an appearance on Monday.”

  The woman didn’t mess around. What she didn’t know was that Max was ready for her. “Great. I wanted to talk to you about the next step. Katie and I had a run-in today and I think we need to talk about it.”

  “A run-in? What kind of run-in?” Wayne’s concern was evident in his tone.

  “She made a scene in front of Aidan and an ice-cream store full of people.”

  “And what did you do?”

  The accusation was another punch to the gut. “Nothing! I swear I didn’t do anything to incite her at all.”

  “Where are you right now?” Wayne asked.

  “Headi
ng home.”

  “Why don’t we meet for dinner somewhere out by you. You’re right about needing to talk.”

  Max gave Wayne and the cab driver the name of the pub Charlie had taken him to for the best burger in town. He ordered a drink while he waited for Wayne to show up.

  “Well, well. If it isn’t Floor Three.” Charlie took the empty seat at the bar next to Max. “How’s it going, neighbor?”

  “I’ve had better days. You?”

  Charlie ordered a drink from the blond bartender. “I’ve also had better. There was a messy accident on Lake Shore earlier today. We brought one guy in, but I heard he didn’t make it.”

  “Oh, man. Sorry.”

  “I guess we should be glad we aren’t having as bad of a day as that guy.” He held up his drink for a toast. “To being alive to live another bad day.”

  That was one way to look at it.

  “Cheers,” Max said, clinking his glass against Charlie’s.

  “What are we celebrating?” Wayne slipped into the seat on the other side of Max.

  “Not being dead,” Charlie answered. “Let’s get you one, too. You look alive.” He signaled for the bartender.

  Charlie’s attitude toward life made Max smile. What he wouldn’t give to see the silver lining. Max’s philosophy was to resent the clouds and convince everyone the sun was still shining.

  “Wayne, this is my neighbor, Charlie. Charlie, this is my lawyer, Wayne.”

  “Oh, a legal eagle. Nice to meet you.” Charlie stuck out his hand and the two men shook behind Max’s back.

  “Look at you,” Wayne said to Max with a grin. “Making friends.”

  Max rolled his eyes. He was in no mood for being patronized. A half-dozen guys from the firehouse showed up and Charlie excused himself to join his buddies. Max and Wayne got a table and talked some business. Max gave him a play-by-play of what had happened with Katie.