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Pulling away, Brooke shook her head, grinned, and held up her index finger. ‘Oi, you’ve won one round. One! Besides, I’ve taught you everything you know, so if you win, you technically owe me.’
‘I’m not sure that one will stand up in court.’
‘No, probably not.’ She laughed as they collected their balls and made their way to the next hole. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure. Anything.’ Lowering his ball, he repositioned his grasp on his golf club, tilting his head to figure out the best angle to aim for.
‘What did you mean when you said you hadn’t been able to visit the bay for a few years because of work? Don’t you get holidays?’ Brooke watched as his focus at the last minute and the ball flew off course, hitting the wall before pinging back towards his feet. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t mean to pry.’
Lowering his golf club, he shook his head. ‘No, it’s okay. It’s something I probably need to have a chat with you about, anyway.’
‘Oh, really?’ What did he mean? Have a chat? About his work? What was it to do with her?
‘Yes. I know this is our first date and everything, but if we’re to give ourselves the best chance, we need to be open, don’t we?’
‘Yes.’ Brooke frowned. What was it he was going to tell her?
Running his free hand through his hair, he looked down at the ground. ‘I work with my ex. We set the business up years ago when we were still together.’
‘Oh okay. You had me worried then. I thought you were going to tell me some deep, dark secret or something.’
‘Yes, well, it’s not so clear cut as all that. She found another guy a couple of years ago and moved in with him. They’re serious. Anyway, around the same time, he lost his job and since then they’ve both been trying to get full ownership of the business. They’ve been trying to push me out and take control.’
‘That’s rubbish. It’s a decorating business you have, isn’t it?’ She waited for him to nod. ‘Then why don’t you just start another one?’
‘We have a lot of repeating customers. Big contractors who hire us again and again. If I were to step down, let them take over, then I’d be starting from scratch again.’
‘But you’re here now?’
‘Yep, and I’m fully expecting to have a battle on my hands when I go back to try and regain part control of the company again.’ He tapped his club on the ground in front of him. ‘But what could I do? When I heard my grandma was in the hospital, I couldn’t very well put the business in front of her needs, could I? Not that she asked me to come. She knows the trouble I’ve been having with everything, so she tried to make me promise I wouldn’t, but with my sister up in Scotland and heavily pregnant, I couldn’t very well expect her to visit and check on her.’
‘Why did you think that would put me off you?’ She frowned. Why had he been so reluctant to tell her?
‘It’s not the best situation, is it? Me working with my ex and her partner?’ He shook his head.
‘No, but if you’re not romantically lusting after her or anything, then why would it be a problem? I mean, I’m assuming you’re not?’
‘Nope. Definitely not. I guess it’s just put a couple of people I’ve dated in the past off, that’s all. I didn’t want to jeopardise anything with you before we’d even started dating.’
‘Were they people you’d found on the dating apps? Is that why you’re so against them?’
‘Yes, they were, but it’s not why.’ He shrugged. ‘I met the ex I own the business with off an app, thought I knew her, fell in love, and then it surfaced that she’d been waiting for her ex’s new relationship to end so she could get back with him. I’d just been a stopgap. Someone to fleece for money to start a business together so she could try to prise it from me when they got together again.’
‘Ah, so who she’s with now is her ex?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you think they’d planned all of this? Trying to get the business?’
‘I’d like to think not, but...’ He shrugged. ‘I may just be being paranoid but... I don’t know. It seems so well planned sometimes.’
Nodding, Brooke sighed. ‘No wonder you’re not a fan of the apps.’
‘Nope.’ he shook his head. ‘Anyway, enough ex talk, let’s finish this, then grab some chips. The loser can pay.’
‘You’re paying then?’ Brooke laughed as Max missed the ball again.
‘That was a false start, that’s all.’ Chuckling, he tapped the ball again.
