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“They are. They will back up anything they promise you. I guarantee it. If they don’t come see me and I’ll take care of it,” Max said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his business card, handing it to her. “This is my personal email and phone. No assistant. You have any problems come to me.”
She took it and put it in her pocket. “Some kids need a safe place to stay after school. You got any after-school programs going in?”
They didn’t but he realized Sox knew the needs of the neighborhood better than he did and after talking to her he decided to create a community board to advise them. There were two stores that might need to shift to phase two, he realized, as daycare and safe spaces were more important. “Would you come and talk to the advisory board who is managing the development?”
“I’m not really a public speaker,” Sox said.
“Fair enough. I’m good at it, so how about you give me your thoughts on what we are doing and tell me what’s needed and I’ll take it to them. I’d still like you to attend if you can around school,” he said.
“I dropped out.”
She said it in a belligerent sort of way, but it wasn’t his place to mix in. “Okay. That means more time to work with us, if you’re interested.”
“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” she said, pocketing his card and then giving him a sort of nod before she turned and walked away.
Reg returned a few minutes later with a smile on his face and two coffees. It was really cold out here tonight and they were both doing their best to stay warm.
“Thanks,” he said as the other man handed him one. “Things went well?”
“I wouldn’t say that but they didn’t suck. She’s agreed to dinner in two nights,” he said. “What about you? I noticed you talking to the girl and hung back. What’s up?”
“That’s the graffiti artist Sox. She’s wary of trusting us but wants to. She pointed out a lot of needs we hadn’t considered. I think if she trusts us, she’ll be a great asset,” Max said. He caught Reg up on everyone he’d spoken to while his friend had been gone.
The crowds started to thin out and they closed up their booth and stowed everything in Reg’s car. Reg left and Max headed over to the boutique where he stood outside and watched Angelica talking with locals and smiling and laughing. What a change a few weeks had made. She wasn’t the buttoned-up wool-suit-wearing woman he’d first met.
There was a softness to her. She was still strong as steel but she’d let her hair and her guard down and she was starting to become more a part of Whiskey River. Which was what she needed. He wanted that for her and would do whatever he could to make sure more people knew that she was so much more than that viral video had made her seem.
In the back of his mind was the thought that the more entwined she was with the town the less chance that she was going to ever leave it for him. But that didn’t really matter. He wanted her to be happy.
*
Angelica was stillfeeling pretty high from the night when she and Cosima locked up and said goodbye. Max waited for her by his Lamborghini parked behind the shop. The night felt even colder than it had when she’d ordered the boots for Sully. He’d stayed and worked behind the bar until they’d closed, giving Angelica time to network with the people in the boutique.
Ever since Roxanne had warmed up toward her, Angelica had noticed a lot more local people in the boutique and everyone had seemed friendlier. Which her mom had pointed out was what happened when she just kept putting her best self forward.
But Angelica wasn’t sure she’d put her best self forward. She remembered how she’d felt toward Roxanne at Max’s party. She’d had a moment where she’d had to choose between being nice and being rude.
“Good night?” Max asked as he held open the door to his car for her.
She slid in and looked up at him. “Way better than expected. What about you?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I get in the car. Damn but it’s cold tonight,” he said.
She laughed to herself. He’d told her that as a New Yorker he could handle any weather but Texas cold was different, as Angelica had learned last Christmas.
He turned on the heat. He smiled over at her as the heat blasted out at them. “Are you hungry?”
“A little. You?” she asked. Actually she was very hungry as she hadn’t had time to eat during the night. But she didn’t know if he was.
“I am. Nico texted a few minutes ago and invited us to join the family at Jock’s place.”
“Oh, why didn’t Mom text me?”
“I think your phone is dead,” he said. “That’s why I got the text.”
He put the car in gear and started driving to Last Stand as she fished her phone out of her bag and confirmed it was dead. “Do you mind if I use your charger?”
“Of course not. I met Sox tonight.”
