“I think it’s because Dad knows of the tendency for people to over-indulge at events like these. It can impact others at the event, plus some people still insist on driving, no matter how much Dad has tried to dissuade them. It just seemed easier to not offer it. There were a few complaints the first year, but people know now. It’s just one evening, and if they need a drink that badly, they can stop somewhere on their way home.”
Maya could see the wisdom of that. She’d seen drunkenness at parties in the past. Elisse had always made sure she wasn’t in the vicinity of it, but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t seen the drunken men making passes at the women around them. Or the women who’d had one too many glasses of wine flirting like crazy. Her mom had muttered under her breath about it, and Maya found she was looking forward to sharing that tidbit about this party with her mom. Maybe it would give her mom a more positive outlook on the life Maya was trying to forge for herself.
And even better, she couldn’t wait to tell her about how she’d danced with Gabe. How he’d held her elegantly, indulging her even though he hadn’t really wanted to dance. It was just so perfect. She’d imagined so many times over the years what it would be like to have a boyfriend. To have a guy want to spend time with her. To want to get to know her.
Gabe Callaghan seemed to be offering her the chance to realize that dream. But was it only for a moment?
5
All Gabe’s plans to just play the role of friend to Maya had gone out the window when he’d seen her for the first time earlier that evening. The way she’d smiled at him had taken his breath away, and that was it. His good intentions had left the building. He’d never felt this kind of attraction to someone before. Yes, she was beautiful, but there had been something else there. When he’d asked her to lunch, and she’d accepted, Gabe had known he wasn’t the only one experiencing that instant connection.
He’d known for sure she was special to him when he’d caved in to dance with her, wanting to do anything to get that disappointed look off her face. It had been a couple of years since he’d danced. After that wedding, he’d resolved to never, ever do it again, and yet, here he was…dancing. The big difference was that he actually wanted to be doing it this time around.
Gabe felt a bit disappointed when the music moved on to a Christmas song that didn’t have a rhythm he knew how to dance to. Maya looked disappointed as well when he slid his hand from her back. He kept hold of her hand though as they moved off the floor and went back to their seats.
“Wow, you guys really cut the rug,” Jayden said once they were seated.
“Definitely the best dancers out there,” Sammi agreed then grinned at Gabe. “I didn’t know you could dance like that.”
“Well, I was forced to take lessons for a wedding I was part of, but today it definitely helped to have a talented partner. I don’t think I danced this well at the wedding.”
Sammi turned to Maya. “Where did you learn to dance?”
“My mom wanted me to learn, so I took a ton of lessons when I was younger. I guess it’s kind of like riding a bike. It all came back pretty quickly.”
“You looked so beautiful out there. I think I’d like to take some ballroom dance lessons,” Sammi said with a look at Jayden. “What do you think? That could be our date night.”
Jayden gave her a rueful look. “Sorry, doll. That’s not gonna happen.”
Even though Sammi looked disappointed, she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked Maya about her dance experience. As their conversation continued, Gabe gradually came to the realization that while there was a lot of talking going on, most of it was Maya asking questions about them. She somehow managed to deflect any questions that were directed at her.
Gabe found that curious, and it made him curious to figure out why she didn’t seem to like to talk about herself. Apparently, it was going to take spending a lot more time together in order to get to know her even better. Not surprisingly, Gabe didn’t have a problem with that.
When there was a lull in the conversation, Gabe asked, “Have you ever been rock climbing?”
Maya’s brow furrowed at the question, and she shook her head. “Like on a mountain?”
“Well, yes, I have done rock climbing on mountains, but in this particular case, given that we have no mountains around here, I go to an indoor place.” Gabe smiled at her. “Wanna come along?”
He kind of figured she’d say no, but for sure she wouldn’t say yes if he didn’t ask her. She stared at him for a moment, her expression still a bit perplexed.
“I’ve never done anything like that before. Isn’t it really dangerous?”
“Nah. Not the indoor places. They have lots of safety gear in place for the people that climb there.”
“When were you going to go?”
Gabe fought a grin. At least she hadn’t said no. Yet.
“I was thinking of going tomorrow morning.” He did smile then and gave her shoulder a gentle nudge. “Come with me. I’ll teach you how to do it. It’s safe. I promise.”
Sammi laughed. “Normally I wouldn’t take your word on something being safe, Gabe. That’s all pretty relative with you, but yes, Maya, in this case, it is pretty safe.”
“You’ve done it before?” Maya asked.
“Yeah. I’ve gone a couple of times,” Sammi said. “I’ll be honest, though, it’s more Gabe’s thing than mine.”
Maya seemed to be taking her time as she considered it, which was the opposite of her nearly immediate acceptance of his lunch invitation.
“We could do lunch afterward.” Gabe glanced over in time to see Sammi grin at him, clearly enjoying his attempts to land a date with Maya.
“Okay,” she said, her expression relaxing as she finally committed to it. “What time were you thinking of?”
“Why don’t you give me a time? I’m not on a schedule, so I can adapt to what works for you.”
“How about…ten?”
“Ten is good.” Gabe would have agreed to any time if it meant she was going to show up.
Though he normally would have been moving around the room, socializing with the people he knew who had worked for the company for several years, Gabe found he didn’t want to leave Maya’s side. When the party began to wind down around midnight, Maya appeared to notice that people were beginning to get up and leave because she pulled her phone out of her small clutch.
She frowned as she read something on her screen then tapped out a message before slipping the phone back into her purse. “Just my mom checking up on me. I guess I should get going now that I have something to do tomorrow morning.”
“Yes. I don’t want you too tired to enjoy our time together.” Gabe wished that he could offer her a ride home, but since she’d gotten there on her own, he assumed she had her own vehicle.
“I’ve really enjoyed this evening.” Maya got to her feet. “Thank you for making it so memorable.”
Gabe smiled down at her as they slowly moved toward the doors that led to the foyer. When they reached the coat check, she claimed her cape which he then took and helped her put on. “Can I pick you up tomorrow?”
“Um…I think it would be best if I just met you there,” she said. “Can you text me the address?”
“Sure. I’ll do that once I’m done here.” He turned when he heard someone call his name. After lifting a hand to acknowledge the person, Gabe turned back to Maya. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Me, too.” She finished closing the clasp of the cape at her throat, then pulled on a pair of gloves. “Thank you again for a lovely evening.”
Gabe wanted to at least give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, but that seemed awfully forward considering they’d just recently met. Instead, he settled for reaching out and squeezing her hand. “Drive safe.”
“You too.”
He watched her walk toward the doors leading out of the building, then turned as the person who’d called out to him reached his side. When he glanced back to the entran
ce, Maya was gone. Thankfully, he had the anticipation of seeing her the next day, and that kept a smile on his face as he visited with the man at his side.
“I have wonderful news!”
Maya had barely stepped foot in the foyer of the house when her mother came to greet her. Though it was past midnight and she wore a long flowing night robe, her mother’s face was still fully made up. Maya considered sharing about her evening with her mom, but she decided she wanted to savor it a bit by herself first.
“What news?” Maya asked as she undid her cape and draped it over her arm. She slipped off her shoes and dangled them from her fingers as she watched her mother, curious about the excitement on her face.
“Your father has agreed to let us use the jet to go to Paris for Christmas.” Her mother beamed as she spoke. “I was thinking we could stay for a couple of weeks. Maybe into the new year.”
Maya’s shoulders sagged. At one time, she would have been thrilled at her mother’s news. The last time she’d been to Paris, she’d been just twelve years old. Over the years, she’d begged to go back, but her mother hadn’t wanted her to be so far from their home if she needed medical care. That she was acquiescing now just showed Maya how desperate she was to block Maya from the life she was trying to create for herself.
“I can’t go, Mama. I have a job now.”
“It’s a job you don’t need,” she said. “Wouldn’t you rather go to Paris?”
“No, actually, I wouldn’t.”
Her mother turned on her heel and headed for the sweeping staircase that led to the second floor, calling back over her shoulder, “I don’t believe that. You have wanted to go to Paris forever.”
Maya couldn’t disagree with her, but at some point, it had become more important for her to find a way to live a meaningful life. A life that gave her a sense of accomplishment. So yes, she would love to go to Paris, but not at the expense of the life she was beginning to lead.
Her mother reached the top of the stairs and turned to the right, her hand trailing along the balcony railing as she headed for the wing where she and her husband had their suite. Maya walked over to a nearby chair—a spindly antique one that wasn’t much good for anything but decoration—and dumped her cape, purse, and shoes on it before heading toward the short hallway that led to her father’s office.
The door was open halfway, and warm light spilled out. She pushed the door open the rest of the way and walked in, knowing that her dad wouldn’t object to her presence. He lifted his head from whatever work he’d been focused on, his light gray eyes watching her as she approached.
Maya sat down in the chair across the desk from him and frowned as she crossed her arms. “Why didn’t you say no?”
Her dad leaned back in his chair, his lean frame stretching out as he did. “There are only two people in this world I can never say no to.”
She huffed out a sigh. “But, Daddy, she is only doing this so I’ll quit my job. If you’d said no, she wouldn’t be able to try and manipulate me like this.”
There was a softness to Maximilian Zevardi’s face that Maya knew few people had ever seen. He was a man known for his ruthlessness in the business world, but he was never that way at home. When it came to her and her mom, he would do absolutely anything for them.
“I couldn’t say no to her, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
“I just want to live my life. I mean, really live it. I want a job. An apartment. A boyfriend. And maybe someday, a husband and kids. I’m never going to have any of that if I’m locked up here behind the walls of this mansion. What kind of life is that?”
Her dad sighed. “I know. I really do. But I’m scared of what might happen to your mom—and to me—if anything ever happened to you, and we hadn’t done our best to keep you safe.”
“You’re smothering me. I might as well still be sick because I have no life.”
“Sweetheart, don’t say that.” He paused, the corners of his mouth pulling down into a frown. “You know we were never able to have any other children. Your mom suffered miscarriages both before and after you were born. It seemed unusually cruel to then have you get sick not once, but twice. Your mom wants you to live.”
“But on her terms,” Maya pointed out. “I’m an adult now. Please, Daddy, help me live like one.” She straightened up in her seat. “I think I want to move into my own apartment.”
This time her dad’s frown turned into a scowl. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“So now you’re going to prevent me from spreading my wings just like Mama has?”
He sighed. “It’s late. Let me talk to your mom tonight and then maybe the three of us can sit down tomorrow and figure out if there’s a way for all of us to be happy. To reach a compromise of sorts.”
Maya’s shoulders slumped. It would be two against one. What kind of compromise could they possibly reach that would make her feel like she actually had a life to live? “Okay. But it will have to be tomorrow afternoon or evening. I’m hanging out with a friend in the morning.”
She could tell her dad was dying to ask for more information, but instead, he just nodded. “Let’s meet for dinner.”
Knowing that was likely as good as it was going to get, Maya got up and went around the desk to give him a hug and a kiss. Then she went back to gather up her things before retreating to her room. As she looked around the place she had turned into her sanctuary—the one place her mom hadn’t bothered her—Maya realized she wasn’t all that keen to move out. However, if it was the only way she was going to be able to live her life, then it was something she’d do without hesitation.
As she sank down on the edge of her bed, Maya felt the energy of the evening drain away. All she wanted to be able to do was share her excitement with her mom. To tell her about how much fun she’d had. To laugh about how her dance lessons had finally paid off. She wanted to tell her mom about how Gabe made her feel. Her first crush. Maybe even her first love.
But instead, all the excitement had been doused by her mom’s attempt to manipulate her. Again. Maya loved her mom and dad so much, and that was the reason she’d taken as long as she had to come out of her shell. She’d taken small steps when, in fact, she could have done something much more extreme. The trust she’d received at twenty-one had given her the financial freedom to do whatever she wanted. She could have bought her own first-class plane ticket to Paris and rented an apartment there for herself.
Instead, she’d kept her aspirations much more realistic. She’d found a way to go to school online because she’d known the battle she’d have faced with her mom if she tried to go to university. But the job, the car, the life she was trying to build was still more than her mom could handle.
Was she going to be forced to choose between her mom and the life she wanted for herself?
Maya flopped back on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to recapture the feeling she’d had when she’d left the party. Hopefully, since she’d stayed up so late, her mom wouldn’t be up early so she wouldn’t have to deal with her before heading out the next morning. She was determined to meet Gabe in the morning and embrace a new experience.
The next morning, Maya had her iPad set up on her makeup table watching YouTube videos while she got ready for her date—although, was it really a date?—with Gabe. Because she’d been forced to live so much of her life inside, Maya had found early on that the internet was her best connection with the outside world. Whether it was connecting with others around the world or watching the lives others lived through videos, the internet had been her way of escaping the barriers her overprotective mother had put into place between Maya and the world.
So as she put on a bit of makeup, Maya listened to someone describe rock climbing for beginners. She’d started out watching rock climbing videos, but all she could see were the many ways she was going to fail. Finally, she focused on her makeup and just listened as the man explained the basics. She didn’t think Gabe would set her up to fail, so she had to believe he�
�d seen something in her that made him think she could climb rocks.
She really hoped he was right.
When Maya finally pulled into the parking lot of Rock On, her nerves were out in full force. Seize the day. She had to keep reminding herself that she wanted these types of experiences. She wanted to experience life in a way she never had before.
Maya stared at the large building that looked more like a warehouse than a gym. Gabe had sent her a text just as she was leaving the house to let her know that he was there already and to go on in when she arrived.
“You can do this,” she muttered as she pushed open her door and got out of the car. As the cold air hit her, Maya lifted her shoulders and buried her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket. The freezing temperature was a good reason to hurry into the building even though she would have preferred to take her time.
She had thought the place would be crowded given the number of cars in the parking lot, but as Maya walked inside, she found that the space was so massive that there was plenty of room. Rock music thumped in the air, but thankfully it wasn’t obnoxiously loud as it wasn’t exactly her favorite style of music.
Not sure where to go, Maya came to a stop just inside the door and stared around. There were several walls with colorful hand and foot holds covering them. She stared at some of the walls that were not just vertical like she’d expected but that went past vertical which meant the climber was actually hanging upside down.
There was no way she’d be doing that. No matter how much she might like Gabe. If he encouraged her to give it a try, her answer would be a resounding no. There was seizing the day, and there was just foolishness, and for her, hanging upside down clinging onto a rock was foolishness. Especially on her very first day of rock climbing.
“Hi! Can I help you?”
Maya turned to see a young woman standing behind a long desk to her left. After a final glance at the rock walls, she moved toward her.
The Love of Her Life: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 3) Page 6