“I can’t talk right now, Mom, I already told you. I’m going to be late for work. Just let me go.”
Sadie hung up the phone before her mother had another chance to continue on in her tirade against Max. She was getting really tired of hearing about it. Her mom clearly didn’t understand what had happened between the two of them well enough to weigh in, and honestly, Sadie thought her mother’s deep hatred toward Max and her fixation on him returning to town was bordering on unhealthy.
Did her mom really want her miserable that much? It seemed like she was devoted to making sure that nothing worked out between the two of them. Even when it was obvious that nothing between them ever would get better. No matter how much she wished that wasn’t the case.
Sadie tried to push the thoughts out of her mind. If she didn’t get going, she was going to be late for work, and that was the last thing she needed. But, once she got out to the car and tried to turn the engine, it sputtered and died.
“Shit!” Sadie exclaimed. “Carl told me everything was running fine now. Son of a bitch....”
She climbed out of the car and sighed, glancing down at her watch. She was going to have to run with all her might if she was going to catch the bus downtown so she was on time for work. She was wearing heels and looked down at the ground, sighing miserably to herself. This was not her week.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on that. Sadie took off running, wincing as her uncomfortable shoes began to dig into her feet. There was nothing else she could do about it, and she turned the corner, gasping as she collided with a broad, firm body that smelled like the forest after a storm.
“Max!” Sadie exclaimed, before she even had a chance to look into his face. There was no mistaking him. She wasn’t of shifter descent herself, at least not full-blooded. She was related to one far down the line, enough that, every once in a while, she had a small glimpse of what it was like to have acute shifter senses. But mostly, they were only activated by Max.
“Sadie,” Max said, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing serious, but I’m going to be late for work if I don’t get down to the bus stop. Right now. I’m sorry, I can’t talk right now.”
Max’s frown deepened, and he held his broad chin in his hand for a moment as he studied her, his dark eyes flashing. She felt herself frozen on the spot, all thoughts of work completely driven out of her mind. Instead, they were replaced by the memory of his body pressed firmly against hers, that sweet, sensual rhythm they always managed to find when they were together.
“I can drive you to work,” Max said decidedly. “Where are you working these days?”
“Oh, I am working for the postal service. I’m a clerk there. It pays pretty well, but the work is kind of grueling.”
“Well, let me take you then,” Max said. “It sounds like your day is going to be long enough without having to take public transportation.”
“Really, you don’t have to do that. I’ll just take the bus.”
“I insist,” Max said, taking her by the elbow and leading her to the side of the road, where an unbelievably nice sports car was parked. He sure was doing well for himself. “It would be faster for you anyway. There’s still a chance you might not catch the bus. There’s always problems with the Stonybrooke public transportation, if I recall correctly. Just let me do this for you. It’s no trouble at all.”
“I guess,” Sadie said, unable to fight his strength as he led her to the passenger seat of the car and opened the door for her. She stepped inside, immediately consumed by the scent of new leather. It was a nice car.
“I have to go and stop by the Council anyway,” Max said. “They’re probably not going to be too happy with me, but that’s all right. It is what it is now. We can’t change the past.”
Once they were settled in the car, and the doors were closed, Sadie felt her heart skip a beat. She had forgotten what it was like to be near Max. He was such a confident and powerful man. He always seemed to know exactly what he wanted. It was part of what had driven her so insane when they had first started dating. He was narrow-minded and arrogant. He never allowed for anybody to influence him. Even if it was in his own best interest.
“So, why do you have to see the Council if they aren’t very happy with you?” Sadie finally managed to ask. She couldn’t allow herself to get swept away in the ghost of their old doomed relationship. It wouldn’t do either of them any good.
“Well, I still need to get my permit in order. And it isn’t exactly that the Council isn’t happy with me. I think they just have a lot of expectations of what my coming back should mean. And just like usual, I’m probably going to end up letting them down.”
“You never let them down,” Sadie exclaimed. Her mind reeled back to the time when Max had been driven away from Stonybrooke. All of that had been a huge misunderstanding. The Council had named him the alpha of the pack, and it had been a pack that was known for both causing trouble and fighting off troublemakers in the same breath. More than anything, they had always loved to fight, and any brawl was a good reason to get their hackles up. It was partly why her mother had been so insistent that she avoid Max.
“Really, you don’t know very much about me, do you?” Max said, looking hard at her from over his shoulder. “Not even after all these years.”
The words stung, and they continued driving on toward the post office in silence. She was kind of horrified by the way their reunion was going so far. Everything seemed so out of control and out of her hands at that point. She felt just as irritated with him now as she had when he had first left, despite all the years she had been wishing for any chance at all to resolve things with him. But it was clear he didn’t have any intention of resolving things with her, even if he was willing to take her to work. It had nothing to do with their past. He was just a decent person that way. She shouldn’t read too much into it.
“I don’t want to be any trouble to you, Max,” Sadie said, finally sighing down at her hands. “I know I have already been enough of a nuisance in your life. You don’t have to go out of your way for me. You could just let me out here if you want.”
“Are you kidding?” Max said, gaping at her and nearly running a red light. “That’s ridiculous. I’m taking you to work. And besides that, I am really surprised you would say something like that. It’s like you have no idea what I’ve gone through in all this time.”
How was she supposed to have known what he had gone through? He hadn’t gone out of his way to contact her or anything. There was no reason that she should know what he had been dealing with. She almost opened her mouth to tell him that, but before she could, the car was slowing down and finally, they had come to a stop in front of the post office.
“See you,” Max said casually, avoiding her eyes and staring straight ahead over his steering wheel.
Sadie glanced at her watch and sighed. She was five minutes early, but how was she supposed to just watch Max drive away like this without saying anything that might make the situation even a little bit better?
“Come over for dinner,” Sadie blurted. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Max whipped around and stared at her, a strange expression creeping across his face. The shifter men were notorious for being nearly impossible to read. They never let their emotions show on their faces. But, somehow, Sadie took this strange expression as a good sign and waited for him to reply.
“Your mom won’t be there, will she?” he asked, quirking his brow and making Sadie laugh despite herself.
“No, my mother will definitely not be joining us.”
“All right then, I guess that should be all right,” Max said, sighing heavily. “As long as you are sure this is what you want to do.”
Sadie nodded. It had been years. They might as well at least try to have a conversation. If nothing else, it would help them get back on some stable ground. Or at least an understanding that would help them to survive this new change in their relationship. They were going to have to deal with each other one way or another. It was better not to tiptoe around the subject and face it head-on.
“I live at 700 River Street now. Meet me there at 7 PM if you can,” Sadie said. “I can try to cook you your favorite and we can talk.”
Max nodded and she closed the door, walking quickly to the post office entrance. She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her back as she went inside. Her heart was drumming wildly, but she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of elation. She had been waiting for so long to see Max again. And now, they were going to have a whole uninterrupted evening together. Maybe they would be able to find some kind of balance this way. She could only hope.