Page 25 of Dancing on Air

She tossed her empty cup in the trash and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Sometimes.”

Max followed her back out onto the sidewalk. “Sometimes?” Then he nodded. “I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

She stopped and he bumped into the back of her. His hands moved up and held her elbows to stop her from falling over. She laughed. “I’m not.”

“Why is that funny?” he asked, taking her elbow and helping her step aside from a scooter.

She shrugged. “Because up until I got the lead, I was virtually invisible around here. To both sexes.”

In all honesty, she was thankful for it. Those first few months after her mother’s attack on Emma and JT, everyone had gossiped about her and she’d grown sick of the looks they’d given her. Being invisible was better than being the center of attention. At least when it came to gossip about her mother.

“Trust me,” he said softly, and suddenly she realized just how close he was to her. “You have never been invisible.”

Her breath caught and everything else around them faded. The sights, the noise of the city, the smells, everything else disappeared as her eyes locked with his own dark honey-colored eyes.

“Cora?” Max’s tone was soft, almost a whisper.

“Where’s your place?” she asked suddenly as a wave of nerves rushed through her.

“Uptown,” he said after taking a deep breath. “We’ll catch a cab.” He walked over to the curb and waved his hand.

Once they were weaving in and out of traffic, she checked her phone.

Since he’d called the practice early, she had the rest of the evening to do whatever she wanted. What she wanted just happened to be spending time trying to figure Max out.

“What did you do after you quit dancing?” she said, tucking her phone back in her purse.

He shifted slightly as if to give her his full attention.

“I spent four years in the army.”

“You…” She frowned. How had she not known this? “The army?”

He nodded and smiled, only the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, they were filled with sadness.

“Is that why you’re so passionate about telling Pete’s story?” she asked, reaching out and touching his arm. “Was he a real person?”

Max shook his head. “No, we didn’t leave anyone behind that was still alive.” He turned away from her.

“But… you did lose some?” she asked.

“Several out of my unit,” he answered as the car stopped. “Here we are.”

She could tell he didn’t want to talk about it and followed him out onto the sidewalk in silence. The building he lived in wasn’t the nicest or the biggest around. Still, the moment they stepped into the stark white lobby, she knew he’d paid a lot for the place.

White marble floors and walls made the lobby bright. If it hadn’t been for the furniture and rugs on the floor, it would have seemed too sterile of an environment. Instead, it felt chic and cozy somehow.

“Nice,” she said after stepping into the elevators just past the guard’s station.

“The apartment belonged to a member of my family. Which is why I got a great deal on the place,” he said, dryly. When the elevator doors closed, he added, “The truth is that my mother’s aunt used to own the apartment. When she died, I bought it out from under everyone while they all fought over it.”

“Good for you,” she said with a smile.

“I have my moments,” he added with a chuckle. “It’s still a very sore subject. Someday, I’ll sell it for triple what I bought it for and piss them all off even more.”

Out of all the things he could have said, here she felt as if they had the most in common.

After her aunt Patty’s death, she’d inherited her small home and all of her money in a trust fund. Her mother had desperately wished to get her hands on it herself, but since her aunt had put it in a trust, legally, her mother couldn’t touch any of it.