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Steph walked toward him with Tom in tow as if nothing had happened, while he felt as if someone had staked him in the heart and thrown him in a washing machine filled with too many emotions.
“Your car,” Max’s voice was gruff as his throat felt dry, and the shock made his system pulse.
“Hi, Max,” Tom greeted him with a friendly smile, holding out his hand that Max took automatically.
“Hey,” was all Max managed to say before turning toward Steph. “Can we talk?”
“I have to get going,” Tom said, looking at his wristwatch before turning to Steph. “I’ll draw up the additions, and we can chat as soon as they’re done and I’ve got the costing.”
“Thank you, Tom,” Steph’s face lit up as she smiled at the man.
An emotion Max had never felt before surged through him—jealousy, which pulled a rush of anger with it. He clenched his jaw and tried not to ball his hands into fists at his side, and he struggled to keep his raw emotions in check.
Tom said his goodbyes and left, but Max had to hang on to the words forming on his tongue that was ready to lash out at her while his brain tried to keep calm and instill some rational thought. But his aching heart was bleeding into his wounded soul that was crying out for answers, and where there was once a magical connection between them, there was nothing but silence from Steph.
“Steph, I have to go to a meeting in Naples, and I’m staying over,” Lorry informed her. “Would it be possible for Tammy to stay with you tonight, please?”
“Sure,” Steph said before Max could say anything.
“Thank you.” Lorry breathed a sigh of relief. “She didn’t want to stay with Mom because of Nicky’s baby.” She rolled her eyes. “I miss the younger version of my drama queen teen daughter.”
“I can relate at times.” Steph laughed. “I miss being able to buy clothes, toys, or anything really for my kids and having them love it.” She shook her head. “Now, just because I bought it, it’s not cool.”
“Don’t get me started on that.” Lorry held up her hands. “You know how Tammy is when we go shopping.”
“I’m sorry to break this up,” Max interrupted. “But I need to get to work.” He turned to Steph. “Can you take me and pick me up after work tonight?” He forced a smile. “I forgot to tell you last night that my car is going in for a service today.”
“Oh, shoot!” Steph hit her head with the palm of her hand. “I actually did remember that, as it’s on the calendar.” She shook her head. “I have porridge brain today.”
“Relax, little sister.” Lorry smiled warmly at Steph. “You weren’t well yesterday, which is a shock for everyone and you most of all, as you’re the super healthy one of us six sisters.” She glanced at her wristwatch. “I must go. I still have to stop by the apartment, get Tammy to pack, and get to the pool house.”
With Lorry’s hurried departure, Max and Steph were left alone in the wake of a tense silence. Max was still shell shocked from witnessing Steph in Tom’s embrace, and he wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. Uncertainty gripped him as he desperately sought the right words.
Breaking the oppressive quiet, Steph finally spoke. “Max, about the car, you can take it, or I can give you a ride to work. It’s your choice.”
Max hesitated for a moment. He was torn between a desperate need to talk to her and an equally strong desire to give them some private space away from the prying eyes and ears of their home. “Actually,” he began, “I think it might be better if you drop me off at work. It’s summer vacation, and I don’t want you to be without a car, especially with the kids. I can manage without a car for the day.”
Steph nodded, seemingly relieved by his decision. “Okay, but we’d better get going, or you’ll be late.”
They walked back to the pool house to grab her car keys. As they entered the empty pool house, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore outside seemed to amplify the quiet tension between them. The house was empty, and Max assumed the boys had gone surfing. He knew this was not the moment to address his concerns, as he wanted to shatter the fragile calm between him and Max.
But as Steph walked down the hallway with her car keys in her hand, he could not hold the words in any longer. Max blurted out, “Steph, I need to know, are you having an affair with Tom?”
Steph’s face contorted in a mix of astonishment and disbelief. She stared at him, momentarily speechless. “What? Max, where on earth is this coming from? What makes you think that?”
Max’s anxiety transformed into frustration, and he couldn’t help the edge that crept into his voice. “I saw you in Tom’s arms, Steph. You were laughing, and I... I don’t know what to think anymore.”
Steph’s temper flared, and her eyes flashed with irritation. “Are you serious, Max? Are you trying to appease your guilty conscience by accusing me of having an affair?”
Max was taken aback by her counter-accusation, and his confusion was palpable. “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”
Steph’s phone buzzed, lying on the nearby table as if on cue. It was an ill-timed interruption, and Max had to physically restrain himself from grabbing it to see if it was a message from Tom. Instead, he snapped, his frustration getting the best of him, “Is that him, Tom, checking to see if the two of you were busted?”
Furious and clearly upset, Steph threw her car keys at Max, who caught them reflexively.
“You know what, Max? Take my car. I’ll borrow my mom’s or gran’s if I need to go anywhere,” she said with a steely determination that he had rarely seen in her. She walked up to him and shoved her phone in his hands. “There you go. Snoop all you want. Heck, pull my phone records, too.” Her eyes flashed dangerously. He’d never seen Steph this angry. “You’re welcome to go through all my things to see if I have another phone as well. My purse is at the hotel if you’d like to rifle through that.”
With that, she pushed past Max and stormed out of the pool house, leaving it filled with tension, unanswered questions, and a heavy sense of betrayal. Max was left holding Steph’s phone, contemplating whether to unlock it and see for himself what messages were causing this uproar. But he hesitated, torn between wanting to know the truth, trusting Steph, and respecting her privacy.
