Chapter Nine
IT WASN’T UNTIL Max stopped to buy coffee on her way to the festival that she realized she’d left her purse in Treat’s truck. After she’d gone back to her apartment, she’d tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw his eyes looking back at her with so much emotion that it sent her mind into a whirlwind of embarrassment interlaced with gratitude at his understanding. She’d tossed and turned all night.
When she got to the office, Max consumed enough caffeine to hold her through the morning. Now her stomach was growling as loud as could be as she and Chaz went over reports and plans for the day. The second day of the festival always ran smoother than the first. She was amazed at how much more responsibility the staff could handle after a single day of being thrown feetfirst into the fire, and she was thankful for the breathing space.
“Want to take a break for lunch?” Chaz asked.
“No. I’m fine.” All these figures are blurring together, and I see Treat on every page, but I’ll get through it. Stopping would only give her more time to think about how she’d ended their romantic evening. What must Treat think of her after she’d first turned him down in Nassau and then stopped them last night? What do I think of myself?
She didn’t have an easy answer, but one thing was for sure. She was pissed at herself. It had been years since that awful night, and she was still letting it haunt her. Her stomach gurgled loudly, as if it agreed.
Chaz closed the ledger and stood. “Nonsense. We’ve been at it all morning, and your stomach is growling. Come on. We’ll go to Kale’s and grab a bite.”
“I don’t have my purse.”
“Seriously? That’s the lamest excuse ever. My treat.”
She wondered if it would be rude to ask him to refrain from using the word treat. She pushed herself to her feet with a sigh. “Okay, you win.”
“What’s up with you today?” Chaz asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tired.”
I was this tired the two weeks after your wedding when I was too heartbroken to function, but you were on your honeymoon. “I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“You must have had a good time at the party after all.” Chaz held the door open for her.
She shrugged, avoiding real communication.
They were graced with another warm afternoon, and Max tried not to let the beauty of the day get lost in her lingering mortification. She’d never allowed herself to get carried away as she had with Treat last night, telling him she wanted to touch him and urging him on. But she’d wanted to make love to him, and those primal urges were so new, they felt unstoppable—until the worry overcame the desire and she had been powerless to continue.
At the restaurant, she picked at her salad while Chaz caught her up on all the new things the twins were doing. Her phone vibrated, and she pretended not to hear it, wishing she had forgotten her phone instead of her purse. She was too embarrassed to speak to Treat, and she knew he’d call.
“Aren’t you going to check that?” Chaz asked.
“No.”
“Okay, Max, spill it. You always check your phone. What is it that you’re always saying?” He looked up, thinking.
“If someone takes the time to text or call, you better be kind enough to check it.”
“Right,” he said. “That’s it. I seem to remember you drilling that into my head before I got married.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t do a very good job, considering I had to remind you about what I’d said.”
Chaz’s phone vibrated. “It’s probably an issue. Maybe our earpieces aren’t working?” He checked his text.
She turned on her microphone and spoke to one of the staff members, then turned it off and said, “Radio’s fine.”
“This is from Kaylie, and I’m reading this word for word. ‘Something must be wrong with Max. She’s not answering my texts. Check on her for me?’ So don’t tell me I’m reading you wrong.”
She was too exhausted to argue about whether her head was or wasn’t on straight today. It wasn’t. And as much as she wanted to blame someone other than herself, it wasn’t Treat’s fault he was too hot, too kind, and too delicious for her to resist. It was her own fault. Her inability to control her runaway hormones had left her shaking like a ridiculous, inexperienced girl.
Not touching a man for years will do that to a person.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she kept trying to blame Ryan, too. But Max wasn’t used to excuses. She was a doer, a fixer, and even though it was true, blaming what happened all those years ago felt like a crutch, and she was determined to get over it on her own. Especially now that she and Treat had a clean slate.
If only I could figure out how to get past this hurdle.
“I think I’ll go back to the office. I’m really tired. Thanks for lunch, and please tell Kaylie I’m fine.”
“Okay,” he said hesitantly. “Is there anything I can do to help? Because I’m still not buying the tired thing.”
Not unless you know how I can ever look Treat in the eye again without being completely and utterly embarrassed. “Sure. Can you please have them wrap my salad? Maybe I’ll eat it for dinner.” Alone, while I figure myself out.
Much later that afternoon, she was still unsure of how to face Treat. She thought up all sorts of ways, none of which made sense, like pretending she hadn’t urged him on and then gotten so nervous he had to stop. She was responding to a text from Kaylie when her earpiece buzzed.
“Yes?”
“Max, I’ve got a guy down here, says he’s looking for you.”
She checked her watch. “Patron, delivery, or sponsor?”
“Hold on.”
She heard a muffled conversation.
Max’s heart leapt. Treat. “Um, is he really tall?” She held her breath. Please say no. No, please say yes. Or don’t say anything. Just let him go away until I can figure out how to handle this.
“Freakishly.”
She closed her eyes, smiling. She loved how freakishly tall he was, how his hands covered the breadth of her thighs, and how his weight had felt perfect when he was kissing her. Her nerves pulsed with the memory of his touch.
“Max?”
She touched the earpiece, still not ready to face him. “Yeah, I’m here, but I’m really busy.” Then she remembered her purse. For heaven’s sake. She needed her purse. “Hey, does he have my purse with him?” she asked.
“No. His hands are empty.”
Confused, she said, “Okay, please tell him I’m sorry but I can’t see him right now, but that I’d definitely like to connect again another time.” When I’m not as nervous as a jackrabbit. She clicked off the earpiece and read Kaylie’s texts again.
How was hottie?
She debated asking Kaylie how to handle her situation, but she didn’t want a crutch, and Kaylie would be just that. Instead she texted, He’s more incredible than I ever imagined.
THE AFTERNOON DRAGGED into evening, with each issue taking twice as long as the last. By dinnertime, Max was starving, but she couldn’t even eat her salad from lunch. As they neared closing time, she guzzled more coffee and decided to duck into a theater. Maybe she could close her eyes for a few minutes and no one would notice. The minute her butt hit the only available seat in the theater, her earpiece buzzed, and she hauled herself back out into the cool evening air.
“Yes?”
“Max? Delivery for you.”
“I’m not expecting any deliveries. Who’s the vendor?” she asked as she moved out of the way of the crowds.
“Forget it, Max. I’ll have someone run it up to the office.”
“Thanks.”
Chaz was texting when Max entered the office. She relaxed into the couch and closed her eyes. Chaz’s phone buzzed three times in quick succession.
“Text fight?” she asked.
“No.” He responded to the texts, and his phone continued to buzz again.
She lifted her head and opened her eyes. “Anything I can do?”
He finally put the phone down on his desk and looked at her. “We’re slow tonight. Why don’t you take an hour off? Get off the grounds and do something non-work-related.”
She snapped to attention. “What?”
“You heard me. Take a break.”
Adrenaline drove her to the edge of his desk. “What’s going on? I’ve never left a festival early, and you know we’re anything but slow tonight.” Max rubbed her temples.
“You’re exhausted,” he said.
“So? I can still do my job. Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped my boundaries by being so worn out. I take full responsibility, but there’s no reason to make me leave early.”
When he didn’t respond, she said, “I love my job, Chaz. Have I done something wrong?”
“Relax,” he said with a pinched face, sending another quick text. “No. Even when you’re tired, you do twice the work of anyone else.”
Max felt a wave of relief. “Then what is it? Why do you need to get rid of me?”
There was a knock at the door, and Max answered it.
Mark, one of the temporary festival staffers, came through the door carrying an enormous white box and set it on the table. “This just arrived,” he said on his way back out the door.
“Were you expecting something?” Chaz asked.
Max shook her head and lifted the lid, revealing a decadent chocolate cake with lavender-frosting roses in the center. The smell of rich chocolate sent her ravenous stomach into a flurry.
Chaz peered over her shoulder. “Sponsor?”
“Probably.” She dipped her finger into the deep chocolate frosting and licked it off. “Holy cow, that’s delicious. I love our sponsors.” She removed the card that was taped to the inside of the box and read it aloud. “Max, I never want to forget last night. Dive right in…” She snapped the card shut as a flush heated her cheeks. The lavender roses. He remembered my favorite color, too?
“O-kay, then,” Chaz said with an arch of his brow. “Someone either did something very wrong or very right, and I think now I understand why you’re so tired today.”
“It was something very right,” she said a little dreamily, then quickly added, “But not what you think.” She couldn’t believe Treat had taken her comment to heart. The man had a memory like a vault. And a heart sweeter than this decadent dessert. She was elated. Giddy. She closed the top of the box, wishing she hadn’t sent him away earlier. “I could never eat all of this. Why don’t you take some home to Kaylie and the kids?”
“Max.” Chaz shook his head. “I think whoever sent this probably meant for you to have it. That’s not a cheap cake.”
“No, it’s not. It’s indulgent and delicious, and exactly what I need.” Like him.