17. Max
CHAPTER 17
Max
I can’t stop thinking about Charlie being home alone on the ranch when the plumbing crew comes.
I know she’s capable. I don’t doubt her. It’s when it’s strangers.
I text her as I turn down my parents’ long drive.
Max: Text me to let me know you’re okay.
Charlie: I’m okay! :)
Max: I meant once the plumbers come.
Charlie: okay, I will. Thanks.
I nod and set my phone on the dash.
It chimes right as I hit the cattle guard that keeps the cows from wandering into my mother’s yard.
I snatch my phone up and read the new text.
Charlie: Does this mean we’re texting buddies now?
I swerve to miss hitting the giant pothole that’s been part of the driveway since I was little. I loved riding my bike through it when I was young—especially if it was full of muddy water.
Max: Let’s not go too far with this.
I park my truck next to my dad’s.
Charlie: I said texting, not sexting .
I smile at that as I climb out of the truck.
Max: We’ll keep it PG.
Charlie: Are you capable of that?
Max: For now.
I can’t quite wipe the ridiculous grin off my face as I knock on the door twice and then step inside. The knock is more of an announcement that I’m home. My parents welcome me home at any time. Honestly, I think they’d be thrilled if I moved back home and used my old bunk bed again.
“Max!” Mom, with her wavy brown hair and familiar smile lines, rounds the corner from the kitchen and hurries over to hug and kiss me. “You look so good. And happy!” She exclaims.
I can see the relief on her face as she pats my arm and leans up to kiss my cheek again. “I’ve missed you, sweetie. It’s so good to see you smiling.”
The last time she saw me, I’d still been mad at my brother for going behind my back.
I’m not about to tell her what has me smiling so much right now. And that that thing has a name: Charlie Baxter.
“Hey there,” Dad says in his booming voice. He greets me with a big bear hug. We’re the same height, but he’s starting to walk slightly hunched. Years of hard work have started to take their toll on him even though he’s more fit than most men my age. “Good to see you, sport.”
“Hey, Dad,” I pat his shoulder as I step back and survey them. They’re looking at me tentatively. “Why are you looking at me like my dog died?”
Mom glances at Dad and then back to me. “We just—” She lowers her voice. “We want to know you’re okay. That the breakup was okay.”
“Mom, I’m fine.” And I’m beginning to think I am fine. I liked the idea of my ex-girlfriend more than I actually liked her—or even knew her. But her dating my brother at the same time? That told me everything I needed to know about her.
“Of course you are,” Dad says gruffly. He doesn’t sign up for a spill-your-guts session the way Mom does—Dad’s old school. I’ve only seen him cry when he’s lost someone he loves. To him, that’s the only acceptable time to cry. But he was never a skimper when it came to affection. I had the luxury of growing up with a dad that was constantly telling me he loved me and was proud of the man I was becoming.
“I know you didn’t want to come to Christmas this year, what with Logan and his fiancée being there?—”
“Mom, it’s not that I don’t want to be here. For one, I still have cows calving. I can’t be gone for long. For two, it’d just be weird to be here this year with Logan and Jessica.”
Dad starts coughing loudly and jerking his head in the direction of the kitchen.
Mom looks around in a panic when the back door slams and a low murmur of voices reaches my ears. I look sharply at Dad. He holds up his hands and mouths at me, “Not my idea.”
In walks my brother Logan and his fiancée Jessica. My ex-girlfriend.
“Bloody…” I mumble as I rip off my baseball cap and tap it against my leg as I stare at a blue eyed version of me. The St. James mold is strong, and even though Logan’s a year and a half older than me, we could almost pass for twins.
“Hey, Max,” Logan greets me as he takes slow, tentative steps into the living room. He’s trying to smile, but he has a furrow in his brow.
“Hi, Max,” Jessica smiles brightly and gives me a little wave. It’s like nothing ever happened.
“Let’s all sit down a minute before we eat lunch,” Mom says with a nervous laugh.
I look to Dad, who grimaces and shakes his head as he walks for his recliner that’s older than me.
This is ridiculous. Mom knew I was coming to visit today to avoid this exact situation.
But to avoid causing a scene, I walk into the living room after her and lean against the mantle.
“Sit down, sweetie,” Mom urges me.
“I’ve been sitting for the last three hours. It feels good to stand.”
Logan and Jessica sit down on the loveseat couch next to each other.
“How have things been?” Logan asks me as he scoots forward on the couch.
“Good.” Because it’s the quickest possible answer to give.
“That’s good.”
It’s dead silent in the living room until the fire pops. Mom jumps at the sound.
“How are the dogs?” Logan tries again.
I’m about to give him the same answer but then I see the worried look in my mom’s eyes. “They got into a skunk.”
Jessica laughs at that. “Of course they did. They’re always doing that.” She wouldn’t know that. She wasn’t around long enough to ever smell them when they got sprayed by a skunk.
Charlie’s been exposed to more of my dogs’ bad habits than Jessica ever was.
I meet her eyes and don’t say anything. I hold her gaze until the smile falls from her face. She’s trying too hard to pretend like there is nothing strange about this whole situation. And honestly, I don’t have a desire to get to know her.
Logan shifts uncomfortably and Mom buries her face in her hands.
I glance at Dad and see that he’s on the verge of laughing. I kind of feel like joining him.
“We’re getting married in April,” Logan finally says.
“Good.”
“We’re getting married here,” Jessica says. “And we’re making it a destination wedding.”
“That’s nice,” I manage to say stiffly. I don’t dare make eye contact with Dad. Destination wedding? I can just picture them setting up an arbor right next to the pile of rusty fencing supplies Dad has saved for thirty years.
When I look at Logan, I see the consternation on his face, as though this is the first time he’s heard of it. I finally risk glancing at Dad’s face, which is turning red with the effort to hold in his laughter.
“Would you be my best man?” Logan blurts out.
“Guess I did introduce the two of you.”
Logan leaps to his feet. “That’s not fair. I’m trying to include you here!”
“Is that what this is?”
Mom starts moaning, Jessica starts talking a mile a minute about how they want to put everything behind them, and Dad is sitting in his chair shaking with laughter.
“You’re not letting us extend an olive branch here!” Jessica exclaims.
“Someone extended something very different,” I mutter. A week on a tropical vacation with my brother?
Logan frowns at me and I turn away.
“Y’all have a good day. Great to see you, Mom.” I give her a hug as I walk by.
Dad follows me out to the driveway as he tries to get his chuckling under control.
“What the heck was that?” I ask him as I chuckle a little myself.
“I think your mom was hoping Logan and you could work things out. I was hoping he’d apologize at least.” Dad shrugs. “He’s always had a hard time taking responsibility for his actions. Honestly, I’m hoping he’ll wake up enough to call this damn wedding off. I don’t want to make excuses for your brother, but he told me that he thought the two of you had broken things off before he and Jessica got together.”
I snort; even if he did think we had broken it off, he sure jumped all over her pretty quickly. “Honestly, I hope that’s true.”
Dad shakes his head. “Are you doing okay? I should have warned you about this, but I wasn’t informed until an hour ago.”
“Meh, I feel bad for mom. But I’m not ready to sit down with Logan yet.”
“You’re not actually hurt about Jessica?”
I shake my head. “I’d rather find out now than in five years.”
Dad nods. “You’ll find someone as loyal as you are. It’s why it hurt you so much when your brother broke that trust.”
I nod because he’s right. What Jessica did stung…what my brother did shattered me a bit. It’s something I need time to work through—but it didn’t hurt standing there talking to them. It was awkward as hell, but it wasn’t painful to see the two of them together.
“I assume you won’t be here for Christmas?” Dad jerks his thumb toward the house. “Those two clowns are going to be here for the next couple of weeks.”
“Nah, I’ll be at the ranch with Charlie and her grandma.”
“ Her grandma?” Dad’s bushy eyebrows shoot up. “And who’s Charlie?”
I smirk. “She’s not Jessica.”
Dad grins at that. “Good to hear. You’ll have to introduce me sometime.”
“You’d like her. She tells me like it is.”
“Don’t let that one get away.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I have the right to ask her to stay.”
I stand in the driveway and talk with Dad for another hour before heading back to Pine Ridge. It was great to see my parents, but I’d much rather spend the day annoying Charlie than try to make awkward conversation with my brother and his fiancée.