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He stopped for a second and raised an eyebrow. That would be a great idea, and he could surprise Steph and take her for dinner on their way home. Max knew they needed to talk and sort things out between them. Since they’d got from the Bahamas, things had slid back into the pattern that had been forming since the accident, and they seemed to be becoming a landslide. Max knew he didn’t want to lose Steph.
Dinner it was! Max smiled as he went to wake up his surly teenagers, who hated being woken up.
“Hey guys!” Max knocked on Liam’s and then Jack’s bedroom doors before pushing them open. “Wake up.”
“Aw, come on, Dad,” Liam grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head. “It’s summer vacation. Please let me sleep in.”
“I’m with Liam!” Jack called, turning onto his side and fixing his pillow with his back to his father.
“Okay.” Max laughed. “But then you’re on your own for breakfast.”
“We’re fourteen, Dad,” Jack reminded him. “We can get our own food now.”
“Good to know,” Max told him. “If I get you takeout again tonight, will you be okay on your own for a couple of hours tonight?”
“Why?” Jack spun around to look at his father.
“I’m thinking of taking your mother out for a surprise dinner,” Max informed them.
“I’m sure we’ll survive.” Jack grinned at Max. “You and Mom need a night out.”
“Yeah, we’ll go to Gran if we need anything.” Liam yawned and started drifting asleep. “See ya, Dad.”
“Okay, be good today and careful,” Max told them, leaving them to sleep.
Max strolled out of the pool house, eyeing the early-morning sun. His destination was Scotts Hotel, just a short walk away. As he approached the hotel, his mind began to spin a bit faster. Thoughts of what Steph was keeping from him whirled through his mind. Max was so lost in them that he didn’t notice the beauty of the day awakening around him or the fresh morning air that skipped along the shore. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he nearly knocked Lorry over when he stepped into the cool entry hall of the hotel.
“Max!” Lorry stepped out of his way just in time.
Max’s head shot up, and his eyes widened. “Oh, sorry!” He stopped and gave her a tight smile. “Hi, Lorry. I was deep in thought.”
“I saw that,” Lorry told him. “As you nearly plowed me over.” She smiled. “What’s the hurry?”
“I’m looking for Steph,” Max told her. “She left so early this morning I forgot to let her know that I need a ride to work today as my car is going for a service.”
“Steph is dealing with the architect that our mother has doing the expansion.” Lorry’s shoulders stiffened as she mentioned the project.
“I see you’re still opposed to the expansion,” Max observed.
“My father wanted us to renovate and refresh the hotel,” Lorry’s voice turned frosty. “Not turn it into a holiday camp.”
“Lorry, a few self-catering or catered cottages don’t make the hotel a campsite.” Max tried not to smile at the look she shot him. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but I have to find Steph, or I’m going to be late for a meeting.”
“Oh, sure,” Lorry said, turning toward the hotel’s back entrance that led to the pool. “They went out the back so the architect could show her the plans and where they would be built.”
“Tom Barnes is the architect’s name,” Max pointed out, hiding another smile as her eyes flashed icily at him.
“I know that,” Lorry said, raising her chin.
Max smiled as Lorry spun on her heel and strolled through the doors, past the pool, and when they didn’t see Steph and Tom at the back, they headed for the side of the hotel. The side that Max’s and Steph’s house was on. He sighed as his heart longed again for the privacy and comfort of his home.
Before they turned the corner, infectious, carefree laughter echoed from behind it. Max knew it was Steph’s, and he wondered what had elicited it from her as it was a sound he’d not heard in two years. As Max and Lorry stepped around the corner, the unexpected scene unfolding before him was a cold shock to the system.
Max’s heart froze, and a whirlwind of emotions—surprise, confusion, disbelief, and uncertainty made his knees feel weak. As Steph was pulled into Tom’s arms, Max felt like an outsider looking in on a moment he shouldn’t be witnessing. Max felt the blood drain from his face, and his voice got trapped in his throat when he wanted to call out to Steph. He wanted to demand to know what was happening as his brow creased and his mind tried to make sense of what he was witnessing.
“Steph!” Lorry hissed. Her voice coated in ice. It sent a chill down his spine.
“Max!” Steph breathed, quickly stepping out of Tom’s embrace. “What are you doing here?”
