Contracted

by Marni Mann

  I’d answered that question.

  Too many fucking times.

  I’d thought the reason he was here was because he wanted the same things I did.

  But nothing had changed.

  He still wouldn’t tell me he loved me.

  He wouldn’t tell me he’d move to LA.

  He wouldn’t tell me he would give me more.

  He was worried he would lose me, but he’d already lost me. And, in this bed, I’d given him a chance to get me back.

  He hadn’t taken it.

  So, I no longer needed his hand to squeeze.

  I no longer needed him to talk to the medical staff.

  I was awake.

  I could do it.

  “I’d like you to leave.”

  His brows rose, and he laughed. “Stop it. You’re in the fucking hospital. I’m not leaving you—”

  “Max, now, you need to listen to me.” I took a breath, and I knew the tightness wasn’t just because my lung had been punctured. “I appreciate you coming here and staying with me while I was out of it. But I’m stronger now, and I don’t need you here anymore.”

  “Why are you doing this?”

  The image of him smiling with Kristin on his couch flashed through my head. I forced it out and took another breath, the burning in my ribs reminding me not to inhale so deep. “I broke up with you for a reason. Being in the hospital doesn’t change that.”

  “Eve—”

  “Don’t make me ask you again, or I’ll call the nurse and tell her to have security escort you out of my room.”

  I hated the way he was looking at me.

  I hated that I had to be such a bitch to him.

  I hated that he had disappointed me again.

  I hated that the pain in my heart had returned, that I’d made it six weeks in Italy, and seeing him felt like I was starting all over.

  “Get out.”

  I turned my head in the opposite direction and rested my cheek on the pillow.

  I closed my eyes.

  I felt the emptiness when his hand lifted off my leg, and I felt the hollowness in my body when the door to my room closed.

  I didn’t open my eyes when he was gone. I didn’t want to see the chair next to me vacant.

  So, I kept them shut, even when the wetness dripped from them.

  And they stayed that way until a nurse came in and asked how I felt.

  I looked at her and said, “Broken.” I pointed at the left side of my chest. “It hurts in here.”

  But I knew there wasn’t any medicine she could put in my IV that would make that part of my body feel better.

  Thirty-One

  Max

  I stood in front of the mirror in the employee restroom and used both hands to straighten my tie. Once I was satisfied with the knot, I checked my hair and ran my palms over my trimmed beard.

  I was tired.

  And it showed.

  It had been a long two and a half months since I returned from Italy. I remembered the call I’d made to James when I left the hospital and was on my way to the goddamn airport. She’d said nothing; she’d just listened while I gave her the highlights of what had just gone down. Before I’d hung up, I had given her Eve’s room number, and I’d told her not to let a fucking thing happen to her.

  I hadn’t seen James since, and I hadn’t spoken to her.

  I hadn’t asked anyone for an update on Eve.

  That would be changing tonight.

  And I was fucking ready for it.

  “You look handsome,” Kristin said, her voice causing me to get out of my head.

  I turned toward the door and saw her leaning against the frame. Her arms were crossed over her chest, the baggy sleeves of her white double-breasted jacket bulking around her.

  “Thanks,” I replied.

  She tilted her head to the side and really took me in. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous.”

  I brushed the last few whiskers forward and walked out with her right next to me. “I don’t get nervous.”

  She slowed in the hallway and came to a stop. “Well, just because you’re not doesn’t mean I feel the same way.” She took a long, deep breath, and I could tell it wasn’t easy for her. “Max, I’m freaking out right now.”

  All the time we’d spent together at my house.

  All the meetings we’d had at my lawyer’s office in downtown Miami.

  All the back-and-forth phone calls and texts message.

  They’d all been for this moment right here, and I couldn’t let her nerves blow it.

  So, I faced her and put my hands on her shoulders and squeezed until she looked at me. “Do you know how much we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time? This place is fucking gorgeous, and it’s more than I ever thought it could be. After tonight, the residents of Miami and everyone who visits this city are going to be fighting for a reservation.” I smiled. “More importantly, the world is going to know that you’ve landed in South Florida, and you’re here to fucking stay.” I shook her shoulders and lowered my voice. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe in you. You know that.”

  She nodded. “I know.”

  “Good. Now, get your ass moving. There are a lot of people out there, waiting to meet the chef of our new restaurant.”

  A restaurant wasn’t something I’d ever intended to invest in. But, after listening to Kristin’s pitch and knowing how talented she was in the kitchen, I saw it as an excellent and highly lucrative investment opportunity. It meant I’d be partnering with someone I used to be engaged to, someone who had fucked me up pretty badly, but I just didn’t see that as a problem anymore.

  I waited for Kristin to smile before I dropped my hands from her shoulders and led her through the rest of the hallway, through the kitchen, and into the dining room.

  The Agency’s top publicist, the same one who worked with Talia, met us at the door. We had hired her independently for tonight’s event, and she had invited everyone.

  The media. Local celebrities. The wealthiest residents of Miami-Dade County.

  My best friends and their significant others.

  They were all here to celebrate the grand opening of Rosemary.

  The three of us made our way through the dining room, which had been set up specifically to accommodate the large amount of people who were here. Once we reached the front of the room, we stopped and faced the crowd.

  Our publicist handed me a microphone, so everyone would be able to hear me. I tapped the steel casing to make sure it was on.

  When I heard the noise echo through our speakers, I waited for the room to quiet before I said, “Thank you all for being here to celebrate the opening of Rosemary. So many people contributed to this restaurant; I can’t possibly list them all. Just know that Kristin and I appreciate everything you’ve done. Tonight, our staff will be passing around appetizers and small versions of our main courses. We encourage you to try everything and to stop by the bar where you can pair the food with our vast wine list or one of our signature cocktails.” I looked at Kristin. “I want to thank my partner and our executive chef, Kristin Evans. Working with you has been a pleasure, and it’s been quite an honor to see your dreams come true.”

  The biggest smile spread across her face, and she mouthed, Thank you.

  I glanced back at our guests. “Have fun, indulge, and enjoy.”

  There was a round of applause, and I handed the microphone back to our publicist before I moved toward where my best friends were standing. Brett and Jack both slapped my shoulder as I man-hugged them separately, and I kissed Samantha, Scarlett, and James each on the cheek.

  “The place looks incredible,” Brett said.

  “Top notch all the way,” Jack agreed.

  “Max,” Scarlett said, “I cannot believe you pulled this off so quickly, and you made it look this stunning.”

  I took the scotch one of the waiters had handed to me and clicked it against each of their glasses. “Thanks, guys. But everything
you’re looking at was designed by Samantha.”

  Jack’s fiancée was one of the most popular interior designers in Miami. So, when Kristin and I had discussed the details of the dining room and reception area, I’d told her I wanted to hire Samantha to design it.

  The end result blew our fucking minds.

  “You had a lot of input,” Samantha said. “So, I didn’t do this alone.”

  My input had nothing to do with the way this restaurant came together.

  That was all her.

  “Take the credit,” I told her with a smile. “This is your creation, and it’s better than I could have ever imagined.”

  As she grinned back, Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

  “I’m so glad you’re happy with it, Max. It’s become one of my favorite projects.”

  Brett took an appetizer off one of the waiters’ trays and popped it into his mouth. He groaned as he chewed. “What the fuck am I eating? Because it’s incredible.”

  I glanced at the tray before I said, “That’s one of Kristin’s signature dishes. It’s ahi tuna, avocado, cucumber, tempura flakes, ginger, and yogurt.”

  “James,” Brett said as he grabbed two more, “you have to try this.”

  He handed her one, and she put the entire thing in her mouth.

  “Mmm. He’s right,” she said from behind her hand. “This is unbelievable.”

  I gripped Brett’s shoulder and shook it, knowing there were so many people I needed to talk to tonight, so my time with my friends would be limited. “Let me know if you guys need anything. I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”

  As I started to walk away, I didn’t get more than a few steps before I felt someone touch my arm. I turned around and saw that it was James.

  “Can we talk?”

  I had been expecting this; I just hadn’t thought she’d want to do it so early in the night.

  “Yeah. Of course.” I moved us to the side of the room where it was a little quieter and stood with her against the wall. “How is she?”

  She rested her shoulder against the wallpaper and said, “She’s healing really well. The company she works for hired a private nurse to help her at home, so she has everything she needs. Her cast just came off, and she has started physical therapy.” She shook her head. “It’s like she never skipped a beat. She’s back to work and everything.”

  It was a relief to hear that. I had been afraid the combination of her broken ribs and fractured arm were going to keep her off her feet for a while.

  I should have known better.

  Eve was so fucking strong.

  I just wished I could have seen her recovery and this wasn’t the way I had found out about it.

  “I’m shocked she stayed,” I told her. “I thought, once she was approved to fly, she would come home.”

  “Me, too, honestly. But she’s so happy with the doctors who have been treating her, and she saw no reason to return. She’d be doing the same thing here as she’s doing there, except she gets to design there.”

  “But, if she came home, she’d have friends to help her out.”

  I was no longer on that list, and I fucking hated that.

  “She has them there, too, Max. She’s become close with several of the people she works with.”

  I didn’t ask her to elaborate.

  I’d lost the privilege to know answers like that the moment she broke up with me.

  But, fuck, it hurt to think she was there, and I was here.

  My stare dropped to the floor, and I sighed. “I tried, James. I wanted to be there.”

  “I know.”

  I glanced up and looked at her.

  “I wanted to talk to you about something…” Her voice trailed off as Kristin joined us.

  She clenched the top of my arm and said, “There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Have you met James Ryne?” I asked Kristin.

  “No,” they both replied at the same time.

  My eyes bounced between both ladies. “James, meet Kristin Evans. Kristin, this is James Ryne.”

  Kristin stuck her hand out for James to shake and smiled at her. I could tell she was a little starstruck even though she’d been trying to hide it from the moment she walked over.

  “James, it’s so nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” James responded.

  But James’s entire demeanor had changed. She’d turned cold, and her smile was fucking weak.

  Kristin wouldn’t notice, but it was so obvious to me.

  After they shook hands, Kristin pulled hers away and said, “I’m so sorry to have interrupted you, but Steph is chatting with the reporter from the Miami Herald, and she keeps asking for you.”

  “I’ll be right over,” I told her.

  “It was nice to meet you again,” Kristin said before she walked away.

  My attention returned to James. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Her top lip curled just slightly. “You and Kristin are a little cozy, aren’t you?”

  Her question surprised me.

  Although I knew it shouldn’t.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Why don’t you ask me what you really want to know?”

  The hardness in her expression grew with each passing second. “I want to know if you guys are fucking.”

  I laughed; I couldn’t even hold it in. “Brett didn’t tell you, did he?”

  “Tell me what?”

  Thirty-Two

  Eve

  “James,” I said as I answered my cell. I immediately looked at the clock in the kitchen and quickly did the math in my head to figure out that it was one in the morning in Miami. “Are you okay?”

  “Girl, I’m fine, just a tiny bit tipsy. Doesn’t matter. We need to talk.”

  I moved the phone away from my lips and said to the nurse who helped me at my apartment in the mornings, “I’m going to take this call in my bedroom,” and I started walking toward it.

  “I know we promised not to discuss Max, but we need to for a hot second,” she said as I got inside my room and shut the door behind me.

  Max was a word James hadn’t said since I called her from the hospital several hours after I kicked Max out. That was the only time we’d broken the no-talking-about-Max rule I’d made when I moved to Italy.

  I took a seat on the bed and pushed my back against two of the fluffy pillows. “Okay. Say what you need to. I’m ready.”

  “I’d like to think you’re not stalking Max on social media, so you have no idea what’s going on in his life. But, since I’m positive that you are, I know you’ve seen him post about the restaurant he’s opening with Kristin, his ex.”

  My chest was pounding, and that wasn’t good.

  I’d been trying so hard to keep my pulse down whenever I got stressed out. My body still had so much healing to do. Getting all worked up caused setbacks, and that wasn’t the path I needed to be on.

  So, I gently pushed my uninjured shoulder back to open my lungs, and I tried to slow my breathing.

  “I saw,” I admitted.

  And, when I had, it had been the biggest punch in the face.

  First, it was the idea of the two of them rekindling their romance. Then, there was the thought of them becoming business partners.

  What the hell did Max know about restaurants anyway?

  I was sure he was just doing it to support her, which made my heart race even faster.

  “Well, it’s not what you think,” she said.

  I sighed, resting my palm against my forehead, my brain feeling so heavy now that we were discussing him. “I honestly don’t know that I care at this point. Whenever I think about the night I caught them together, it makes me sick to my stomach. And then to know he lied about the two times they hung out, and one of those times he was supposed to be meeting me—I just can’t, James. It’s too much.”

  “Wait a second.” Her voice changed into a tone that told me I wa
s about to get the wrath. “When the hell did you catch them together? And what did you see them doing?”

  I still hadn’t told James that I’d made a stop in Miami before I flew to Italy.

  Since I’d just outted myself, I really had no choice now.

  So, I started the story with when I had actually changed my plane ticket and gone to his house, and I ended with all the tears I’d shed when I checked into my hotel room that night.

  “I understand if you’re upset with me,” I said. “I lied to you about the whole thing, and that makes me no better than him.”

  “We’ll get to that in a second. First, let me get something straight. You heard their conversation and saw the way they were looking at each other, and that led you to believe that things were heating up between them. But you never actually saw them touch or hook up in any way? And, since that night, you’ve assumed they’re together. That’s also part of the reason you’re upset with him in addition to him being a complete dickhead about not giving you more.”

  I could definitely tell she’d had a few drinks.

  “Yes. That pretty much summarizes everything.”

  “Eve, if you only had the lady balls to say something to him about Kristin a long time ago, you could have saved yourself some serious heartache.”

  I looked up from the bed and caught my reflection in the mirror. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because I know for sure that Kristin isn’t into Max. And Max definitely isn’t into her.”

  I bent my knees and pulled them close to my chest. “How are you so sure?”

  “She’s married.”

  I just didn’t think that was a strong enough argument, so I said, “And?”

  “And, tonight, I met her wife.”

  “Her…wife?”

  “Her name is Steph, and she’s lovely. She and Kristin met while they were both in LA. They moved to Brazil, and that’s where they got engaged. They got married once they returned to the States. Steph is now a realtor in Miami, and she told me their whole story.”

  Max’s ex-fiancée is married to a woman?

  “I think I’m missing something,” I told her as I tried to connect everything she had said.