Chapter Seven
Max walked out of the Main Street Diner and stood under the awning, waiting while Liam paid the check for breakfast. His eyes flashed up to the sun. It was after ten, and they needed to get back to open the shop by eleven. His gaze dropped back to scan the street as he lifted his to-go coffee to his lips. He paused, the cup half way to his mouth, his eyes doing a double take across the street.
Malee.
His piercing stare focused in on her like a hawk’s.
She was walking down the sidewalk, an empty reusable shopping bag over her shoulder and a girl who must have been her sister at her side. Her hair swung and her hips moved in an enticing sway as she walked. He felt a kick in his stomach.
She didn’t see him as they approached, so he eased slowly back against the wall and surveyed her.
He took pleasure in watching the way she moved so carefree and easy down the sidewalk. It occurred to him that she must enjoy the bit of freedom from the restaurant, even if it was just to run to the Asian grocery the two stepped into. He decided he’d wait a while, just to get another chance to see her when they exited.
Liam came out, but Max wasn’t ready to leave just yet, so he instructed, “Go on ahead, I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
Liam gave him a funny look and noticed where Max’s eyes went. Once he saw the Asian market, it only took him a second to put two and two together.
“Ah. Is the girl from Thai Garden in there?”
Max gave him a piercing look that told him to shut up.
Liam chuckled, punched him in the shoulder, and headed down the street. He got about five steps before turning back and shouting, “We could use some soy sauce, if you want to stop and pick some up!”
Max ignored him. He would be content to just catch another glimpse of Malee when she came back out. So he leaned against the wall and sipped at his coffee, his eyes repeatedly darting to the market’s glass doors.
Two groups came out of the restaurant and brushed past him. And still Max waited, barely mindful of them. When the market door opened, he straightened. The wait had been worth it. It had been a week and a day since he’d seen her last, yet she was every bit as beautiful as she had been when he’d first stared down into her eyes.
Another group of diners exited behind him, and the sun’s strong morning rays hit the glass door as it swung open, and a blinding flash reflected across the street onto Malee.
She looked up quickly, eyes drawn to it, and that’s when she spotted him. There were maybe a hundred feet between them. It didn’t matter. Even across that distance with people passing by and cars driving past, he saw her flush and swallow, and look away only to glance back again.
He could read her expression—she remembered, just like he did, how that kiss had been between them.
She turned back to her sister, walking away, pretending a nonchalance he knew she didn’t feel. He knew it, because he still felt what they’d shared. And she felt it, too. She glanced back once more, giving herself away. He’d been right. It was just an act. She was as affected by the sight of him as he was by the sight of her.
He stared after her, letting her see that he watched her still, followed her every move with his eyes as she walked away and disappeared up the crowded sidewalk.
***
The restlessness that flowed through Max the rest of the day wouldn’t leave, no matter what he did. Finally, as evening closed in, he walked into the break room.
Liam was bent at the waist, his head in the fridge. He looked up as Max dropped himself in a chair, folded his arms, and leaned back, a scowl on his face.
“What’s your problem?” Liam asked.
Max stayed stubbornly mute.
Liam reached and grabbed an energy drink from the top shelf and joined his brother. The only sound in the room was the pop of the can opening with a fizz as Liam cracked it open. “You gonna be like this all week?”
Max flipped him off.
Liam chuckled. “Now that’s the only sign language you’ll ever be any good at.”
Jameson walked in, took one look at Max and asked Liam, “He in another mood?”
“Yup.”
Jameson pulled the carafe from the burner, poured himself a mug of coffee, and turned to lean back against the counter. He paused, the rim at his lips. “You want the girl, do something about it. Otherwise, you need to shake this funk you’re in.”
Max stared at the tabletop until both his brothers’ remarks sank in—really sank in.
They were right. He needed to put up or shut up. And if he wanted Malee, he was going to have to earn her, , he was going to have to show her he was worthy, and he was going to have to learn sign language. Not just the alphabet—the real stuff like Liam knew, so he could converse with her at a conversational speed, his hands and fingers moving as quickly as he’d seen Liam do when he’d signed to Malee.
So, there it was: the big decision. Did he want a real chance with her?
“So what’s the verdict?” Jameson asked. “You goin’ after her or not?”
Liam huffed out a laugh and teased, “He’d need to learn how to communicate with her first. Not sure he’s a good enough student. Can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and all that.”
“Who are you callin’ an old dog, dickhead?”
“Either she’s worth it or she’s not,” Jameson stated.
Max’s pissed off eyes swung from Liam to Jameson. “She’s worth it!”
Jameson nodded, then grinned over at Liam. “Guess that makes you his new tutor.”
Liam’s brows shot up as he pinned Max with a look, the front legs of his chair hitting the linoleum with a bang. “You serious, dude?”
“Yes, I’m fucking serious.”
Liam grinned. “Well, hell. I wondered how long it’d take for you to come to your senses.”
Jameson looked at the calendar on the wall. “Eight days. Rory wins the pot.”
“What pot?” Max asked.
Liam was only too happy to inform him. “We each put in twenty bucks. Rory bet you’d take ten days or less. Jameson said two weeks.”
“And you?”
Liam’s face split in a wide smile. “Me, I said six months.”
“You suck. You all suck.”
Jameson let out a laugh as he walked out of the room.
Max slammed a fist into Liam’s shoulder. “Asshole.”
“Hey.” Liam rubbed the spot. “The student doesn’t hit the teacher.”
“This one does.”
“How much does this gig pay, anyway?”
“I’ll give you my tips.”
“You realize it takes years to learn.”
“Are you shittin’ me?”
“Nope.”
“Christ, I can’t wait that long.”
“Well, you pay attention and practice a lot, and maybe I can teach you enough phrases to say a few things to her in a month.”
“A month? She can talk to me; I don’t need to be able to read what she signs. I just need to be able to sign what I need to tell her.”
“Well, I suppose if you write down a list of some sentences, you might be able to learn them in a couple of weeks.”
Max nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”
Liam stood and tossed his can in the garbage. “Decide what you want to say. We’ll start tomorrow.”
Max stopped him at the door. “Liam?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
His brother paused to study him. “She better be worth it.”
“She is.”
Liam winked at him and walked out.
***
Good to his word, Liam used any free time they had teaching Max as much as he could. Every day for two weeks they worked together until Max was a natural at signing the twenty odd phrases he’d asked Liam to teach him. Liam called them Max’s two-a-days, just like they’d had to do in high school football. Only this time it was two phrases a day that Max had to learn. And Liam cut him no slack, drilling him endlessly until Max’s frustration would boil over and he’d flip Liam off.
Max would then run his hand over his head, take a deep breath, shake it off and start again.
His determination to learn this stuff for a girl had all his brothers watching him with admiration. They ribbed him, but they encouraged him, too.