Raising an eyebrow, I lower my voice and say, “Lacking? Is that why you sent that letter and asked for the invoices? Because you felt sorry for me?”
Max steps back, a deep line in his forehead from his frown. “Avery, I’ve come to care about you, deeply. But I would’ve sent that letter and asked for the invoices to anyone in one of mybuildings. Yes, I’ve been blessed with a successful business, but with that, comes a great responsibility of sharing, whether it be through advice, money, or time.”
His words are nearly perfect, but I’m not done with my questions. “Who is Max Luca?”
Disappointment floods his expression. “It’s me. My name is Maximus Luca Bauer.” He stands still with his hands tight to his side.
“What was the catalyst for bringing you out here?” I ask. This is beginning to sound like an interrogation, but Max hasn’t asked for a lawyer yet.
“My father demanded something of me that I couldn’t readily take part in. At least not without a lot of introspection.”
Raising an eyebrow, I give it a beat before I ask, “What was the demand?”
I glance around to see there are only a few eyes watching us, but they’re trying to be discreet.
He lets out a long breath before saying, “He and my mother requested that I marry a family friend.”
All the air whooshes out of my lungs, and I try to concentrate. Every interaction I had with him parades through my head.
“You’re engaged?” I ask, scowling.
Max’s eyebrows lift and his eyes widen. “No, I’m not engaged. I told him I’m not marrying Victoria.”
Ugh, even her name sounds perfect.
There’s an entire life for him out there, one he’ll be heading back to soon. Not that Max and I have been anything more than good friends, but I’ve grown close to him, have trained myself to look for him when I’m outside the coffee shop.
Everything that has started to feel more permanent is, instead, falling like a house of cards.
“Thank you for the discount. I just wish I’d known,” I say, letting out a long breath.
“I wasn’t trying to manipulate the situation,” he says, frowning.
“That’s not as comforting as you think it is,” I say. “I liked what you and I had here.”
He runs a hand through his hair. “But would you have treated me the same if you’d known I run a billion-dollar company?”
I hesitate a beat too long, and he frowns. “That’s what I thought.”
“How was I to know you wanted me in that life if you didn’t tell me anything real about yourself.”
Max swallows, looking like this is killing him. “I downgraded my role in everything because I was trying to figure it all out too. I sent Aiden money to purchase the buildings and to renovate them, but I came here to find that they weren’t done, or were done poorly. A few days was all I thought I needed to get my head on straight and go back to work.” His voice drops even more when he says, “Then I met you, and things changed. I wanted you to like me because of my character and not because of my money.”
“Money has never been a selling point for me in a relationship.” I let out a deep, shaky breath.
“Which I’m grateful for, and why I’ve wanted to spend time with you. You’ve changed my perspective on so many things.”
“But your life is still across this continent, with someone your family has handpicked for you. I don’t think I’d fit into your world.”
Life would be so much easier if people just came with a warning label.
“Maximus!”
We both turn to look for the voice, but Max turns away and looks at the ocean much faster than I do.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
The man is dressed in a tailored coat despite the warmcoastal breeze. Dark trousers too clean for sand. Hair silvered at the temples, neatly controlled, like even the wind had been corrected once and never tried again. I’m fully prepared for the answer of him being in some kind of mob or even the mob boss.
