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“Nope. I put on music and enjoy the down time.”
“Yeah. I’m not so good at that.”
Max smiled. “So did my mother and my sisters-in-law tell you stories about how rotten I am while you were sitting on the deck?”
“You mean like when you and your brothers snapped Cassidy’s Christmas tree in half while wrestling?”
Max hung his head. “It was an accident. We bought her a new one, even if it was pretty sad looking because that was all they had left on Christmas Eve. That year was a shitshow. Did she also tell you about the stolen presents?”
My forehead wrinkled. “Someone stole gifts?”
He nodded. “Ever since my mom started getting really into the church, she brings around strangers for the holidays. Usually it’s when she has us at her house in Washington, and they’re people her church knows. But a few years ago, we started having Christmas at Tate and Cassidy’s, because they’re the only ones with kids. Mom went to some local church near them on Christmas Eve morning and came home with a woman she met. Not to be a jerk, but the woman looked like an addict. She was scratching her arms constantly, and she didn’t meet your eyes when she spoke to you. But Mom had invited her for dinner, so everyone was polite. After we finished eating, my brothers and I went to the garage to put together some toys the girls were getting for Christmas, and the ladies were all clearing the table and doing whatever. When we were done, we came back in, and I asked where the woman was. She was gone, but she hadn’t said goodbye to anyone. Then Cassidy noticed half of the presents under the tree were gone, too.”
“Noooo.”
Max nodded. “Mom’s a little too trusting at times. It’s great that she wants to help people who are less fortunate, but she needs to sprinkle a bit of safety into her decisions.”
“Yeah, definitely. Is her growing more involved with the church something new?”
“She’s always been religious. We were raised Catholic and went to religion classes growing up, and Mom always went to church on Sundays. But ten years ago, she started to go daily and get involved in outreach programs and stuff.”
“Did something happen to make her turn to the church?” After I asked the question, I realized maybe it wasn’t polite.
Max looked out the window and nodded. “It started when my brother Austin died. He was only twenty one.”
“Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.”
Max continued to stare out the window. “He had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. We both went to BU. He was a year ahead of me. We were only thirteen months apart.”
I had no idea what to say, so I took his hand and squeezed. I’d wondered about the conversation I’d walked in on between Max and his mom. I guess I understood what he didn’t want to talk about now. We were both quiet for the rest of the plane ride, only this time, the silence wasn’t quite as comfortable.
In the car on the way back to my apartment, we made small talk. But something had changed. So when we pulled up near my building and Max parked, I felt compelled to say something.
“Max?”
I waited until he looked over to continue.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped and took our conversation in a direction that ruined your evening.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t. I apologize if I made you feel that way. Sometimes I just get stuck in my head.”
The sound of my phone vibrating in my purse interrupted our conversation. I didn’t intend to answer, but I dug it out to see who it was and send the call to voicemail. Gabriel flashed on the screen. After I hit decline, I looked up, and Max’s face told me he’d read the name, too.
He smiled sadly. “It’s late. I’ll walk you up with Four.”
Unlike last time, Max didn’t hold my hand as we walked to my building. He had Four in his arms, but that didn’t feel like the only reason there was distance between us. When we reached the elevator, I didn’t press the button. Instead, I turned to face him.
“I had a good time. Thank you for bringing me tonight.”
Max bent and set Four down to the floor. When he stood back up, he took my hand. “Listen, Georgia. I’m just going to put it out there once more. I’d love to spend the summer with you. After next week, there won’t be any more games or traveling I have to do. Other than keeping in shape, I pretty much have no plans except to find somewhere to live by August. We could have some fun. No strings attached. I get that you have some unsettled stuff going on, but you know I’m going to be out of here in a few months. To me, it keeps things pretty simple.” He held up his hands. “But I won’t push it anymore. If you change your mind, you have my number. All you have to do is say the word.”
