Chapter 14 #2
"We have chemistry. You know that as well as I do," he said pointedly. "And I can be a convincing boyfriend. At least for a few hours. Give me a chance."
She stopped at a light, not trusting the playful smile on his face. "This seems like a terrible idea."
"It will be more fun this way."
"I think you're just missing being a spy."
"Maybe. But I'm doing this for you. Your family will love me, and they'll get off your back for a while."
"It would be nice to go to a party and not be the perpetually single girl. Okay, let's do it. But nothing too over the top. We're just seeing each other. It's casual."
"Casual," Max repeated. "Got it. No grand declarations of love."
"Absolutely not."
"No getting down on one knee."
"Max!" she said with alarm.
He laughed. "Just teasing."
She shook her head. "You are enjoying this idea way too much."
"I'm just getting started. This will be fun."
"I shouldn't be having fun. I'm in the middle of a case."
"That's why you need a break, a few hours to not think about it. I find the puzzle pieces fit better when I stop trying to shove them together in a desperate attempt to go faster."
"Speed could save lives. It's hard for me to let go when I know what's at stake, how a minute can make a difference."
"It can make a difference, but you're not Superwoman.
You can only go as fast as you can go. And you can only do so much on your own.
You have a team behind you, who are also working hard.
And I have people who are trying to get me information, too.
For the next few hours, let's take a break, have a drink, maybe some food, talk to your family, convince them that your future is bright, and when it's over, we'll go back to work. "
That sounded really nice. She pulled into the public parking lot across the street from Hannigan's Pub and shut off the engine. "Are you ready? Because I'm not sure I am."
"Absolutely. Come on, fake girlfriend. Let's convince your family you're not going to die alone."
"I hate you a little right now."
"No, you don't."
And the terrible thing was, he was right. It wasn't going to be that difficult to pretend she was interested in him. It would be much harder to pretend she wasn't.
As they crossed the street, Max grabbed Kara's hand.
"We don't have to start yet," she protested.
"You never know who's watching," he replied as he wrapped his fingers around hers, enjoying the simple contact more than he probably should.
He'd never been a hand-holder. It wasn't something he thought about, and when his girlfriends had wanted to take his hand, he'd always felt a little awkward.
But tonight, he wanted to hold Kara's hand, probably because she didn't want him to.
She prized her independence. She fought for her own identity, and he admired that.
He also wanted to see a more relaxed version of her, one who wasn't racing against time, desperate to find a bomber, obsessed with work.
And if he were being honest, he wanted to see that version of himself, too, a version he'd forgotten about over the last decade.
"Here we go," Kara said, taking a deep breath as he opened the door to the bar and they stepped inside.
Hannigan's Pub was exactly what Max had expected—dark wood, brass fixtures, Guinness signs, and walls covered with firefighter memorabilia and faded photographs.
The place smelled like beer and fried food, and the air was loud with conversation and laughter.
Jimmy Buffett played from the jukebox in the corner, and a huge three-tiered sheet cake sat on the bar.
There was energy and friendship and love in the room, and when Kara's face lit up when she spotted her uncle across the room, he felt something he couldn't quite name—envy, maybe.
A longing to be a part of something like this, but it wasn't real, and he shouldn't forget that.
"Kara," the tall, broad-shouldered man said as he broke into a huge grin and walked through the crowd to give her a big hug.
As she let go of his hand, he felt very much like an outsider, but he couldn't afford to show that emotion on his face.
"Happy birthday, Uncle Danny," she said as they broke apart.
"Wasn't sure you were going to make it."
"I couldn't miss it."
Danny's gaze shifted, assessing him with the practiced eye of someone who'd spent decades sizing up people in dangerous situations. "And who's this?"
"Max Malone. Danny Reid," Kara introduced.
He extended his hand. "Happy birthday. Thanks for letting me crash the party."
Danny's handshake was firm, measuring. "A friend of Kara's is always welcome. How do you two know each other?"
Before Max could answer, a woman in her late fifties with Kara's dark hair and eyes appeared at Danny's elbow, her gaze moving between them with undisguised curiosity.
"Kara, you made it," the woman said.
"Hi, Mom." Kara gave her mother a big hug.
Apparently, this was a hugging family.
"Who's this?" her mother asked as she let her daughter go.
"Max Malone. My mother, Maggie Reid," Kara said. "And my aunt, Beth Reid," she added as another woman edged Danny out of the group.
Beth was a curvy blonde with bright blue eyes. "Hello. It's nice you brought someone, Kara."
"A nice change," her mother added, still giving him a speculative look. "Please tell me you're not just one of her coworkers who is going to drag her away in five minutes to finish some job."
"Mom," Kara protested.
"I'm not her coworker," he said. "And I can't imagine leaving a party as fun as this after only five minutes."
"Good," Maggie said with approval. "I like him, Kara."
Kara rolled her eyes. "Don't get carried away, Mom. We're just getting to know each other."
"Well, I know you, Kara, and you wouldn't have brought him here if he wasn't a little special," her mother said.
"Oh, he's special, all right," Kara said as he put his arm around her shoulders.
He gave her mother and aunt a smile. "Actually, Kara is the one who's extraordinary," he said. "I feel like I won the lottery."
"You are so sweet," Maggie said. "And you're right, my daughter is extraordinary. I'm glad she finally met someone who can see that."
"Okay, that's enough," Kara said. "I'm going to get us some drinks. Anyone else need anything?"
"No," Maggie said, waving Kara away as she urged him to take a seat at a nearby booth.
As Kara fought her way through friends and family to get to the bar, he was peppered with questions by Maggie, Beth, and a younger woman named Ria, who was apparently Beth's daughter and was planning a wedding in May.
Her first concern seemed to be whether Kara would bring him to the wedding, since she had said she was coming alone.
Her mother instantly cut her off, saying they could always make room for him, which sparked a bit of a tense discussion between the two before Ria left to find her fiancé.
Wanting to change the topic, he asked Maggie about her teaching job, and she blossomed with his questions; her passion for her career and her students more than clear.
She also mentioned that Beth did music therapy with her students, which led Beth into a conversation about how music could help kids get over trauma.
Kara eventually made it to the table with two beers, and he gave her a smile as she handed him a frosty mug and sat down next to him. Putting his arm around her shoulders, he said, "I missed you."
She flushed a little. "Sorry, I kept getting stopped to chat."
Beth slipped out of the booth. "I need to say hello to someone. I'll speak to you later."
She'd no sooner left when Kara's cousin Sean slipped in next to Maggie.
And as he sipped his beer and met various family members over the next thirty minutes, he felt more and more comfortable.
While a few people asked him about his work, he was able to stall any deep dives into his business by just making everything sound a little boring.
He couldn't help noticing that everyone was eager to talk to Kara, too.
Apparently, she hadn't been spending much time with family since she'd joined the FBI, and everyone was eager to catch up.
He enjoyed seeing her relaxed and loved.
She seemed softer than she had before and very, very real—in a way that made his chest tight.
She belonged here, in this loud, warm, chaotic place where everyone knew her favorite food and teased her about her terrible karaoke skills and asked about her job with genuine pride and concern.
She had roots so deep they were unshakeable.
He had never had roots like that, not when he was a kid, and not when he was an adult.
The time passed quickly with food dropped off at their booth: burgers, fries, chicken fingers, salads, an assortment of other side dishes, as well as beer and wine, and they ate their way through many conversations.
But eventually, they found themselves alone in the booth, and that's when Kara gave him an apologetic look. "I told you it would be a lot."
"I'm not complaining. Your family is great. You're lucky."
"I know I am. Sometimes I forget." She paused as the crowd hushed and her Uncle Danny stepped up to thank everyone for coming.
As Danny talked about his family and friends, the support he'd always had in his life, calling out his wife and kids, he got a little emotional. Beth put her arm around his waist as he said, "I have to say that every birthday is bittersweet without my brother."
At his words, he felt Kara tense and impulsively put his arm around her shoulders again. She didn't seem to notice as her jaw tightened, and her gaze was fixed on her uncle.