13. Max
13
MAX
I knew getting mixed up with Theo was going to be weird, but the call I’d just gotten from him was next-level strange.
He’d outlined the scenario he was facing in a low, quiet voice that would have been sexy if I hadn’t been able to tell how irritated he was. Apparently, Pam had shown up at his office with a sob story about Ford, only to make yet another pass at him. Theo was still trying to salvage the deal with Ford—God knows why—which meant he needed Pam to decide to leave on her own instead of him physically throwing her out on her ass. And he figured the fastest way to make her leave was for me to show up.
The phrase “You’re like Pam-repellant” was used. I don’t think Theo realized that comparing a girl to bug spray left a lot to be desired, compliment wise.
Luckily, I just happened to be scouting a location right next to the marina that housed his office. I hung up the phone and headed over.
I squinted at the familiar-looking man loading some tools into the back of his truck in the marina parking lot. No , it couldn’t be. It was too much of a coincidence.
“Ford?” I called out tentatively.
He turned around and once he recognized me, broke into a wide smile. “Max! Hello there, nice to run into you!”
“Hi there. What are you up to?” I pointed to the bed of his black truck, which I now realized was a top of the line model that had been totally tricked out for him, with gigantic wheels and a shiny boat hitch.
“Checking up on a former client. I always bring my tools, just in case. Funny how the minute I step on board my clients always discover a towel bar that needs adjusting or a strip of baseboard that has come loose. It’s the sort of stuff their steward could handle, but I think they only trust me with their babies.” He chuckled. “Are you visiting Theo?”
I realized that the chance meeting could work in my favor. “I am, and I’m sure he’d love to see you! Can you swing by for a few minutes to say hi?”
He glanced down at the chunky watch on his wrist. “Sure I can.”
I wondered if I should give Ford a heads-up that Pam was already at Theo’s office but decided that the element of surprise would work in our favor.
Theo had told me that the main door was unlocked, and I should come right in. I pushed the door open and nearly bumped into him pacing around the lobby.
“Hey, baby,” I said, giving him a loaded glance as I leaned in for a quick hug. I wished I could’ve held on for a few extra seconds. Any excuse to touch him. “Look who I ran into!”
“Hi there, Theo,” Ford boomed, which caused Theo to shoot a glance over his shoulder toward his office. “Fancy meeting you here.”
“Ford,” Theo said. From the look he shot me, I could tell he wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad development.
Trust me , I thought.
He seemed to get the message.
Theo shook Ford’s hand, a professional smile on his face. “What a surprise. Great to see you. Funny coincidence, though; you’ll never guess who’s here. Let me show you.”
We followed him as he swept into his office, and I nearly giggled out loud when I saw what was going on.
Pam was seated on the edge of his desk with her duster artfully draped off one shoulder. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and she was swinging one bare foot.
It was an absurd scenario but … something weird twisted in my gut. Pam was, well, Pam, but I had to admit that the woman looked fantastic. A quick tryst with her might even seal the deal for him, since it seemed like Pam was the main force holding things up until she got her way.
I glanced over at Theo, wondering if he’d been at all tempted. It sure didn’t seem that way, given how he’d called and practically begged me to come. Was it just that Pam’s pushiness turned him off? Was she not his type? Or was it the infidelity that bothered him, especially since it concerned a man he intended to go into business with? If Pam was an unmarried woman who’d invited him into her bed, would he have accepted?
Even if the answer was yes, why should I care? It wasn’t like I was his actual girlfriend. If he wanted to get freaky with some bored ex-model, it was fine with me. Totally his choice. At least that’s what I told myself as I tried to ignore the rumblings of jealousy rolling around my stomach.
“ Ford !” Pam jumped up and snatched her lavender duster closed. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, hello, sweetheart, I should be asking you the same question,” he responded. “What in the world is going on?”
Ford glanced between Theo and Pam with a confused expression, suspicion furrowing his brow. Pam’s pose had been the opposite of subtle.
I pointedly draped an arm around Theo’s waist. “Pam was stopped by to chat. Theo called me immediately, since he knew I’d want to see her and say hi.” I smiled and held Ford’s gaze, making sure that he understood the unsubtle point I was making—that Theo has no interest in being alone with Pam.
Because he had me.
Ford looked back and forth between Theo and me. And then he slowly nodded, the suspicion fading from his face. In its place was something that just looked…tired.
“I was … I was in the neighborhood,” Pam stammered out, “and I dropped in to find out … find out what brand of champagne he served the last time we were together. So I can serve it during our brunch with the Fosters.”
“Oh, of course. Right,” Ford replied. He smiled curtly at his wife. “Mission accomplished?”
She scowled at me. “I guess.”
“Hey Ford,” Theo began in an overloud voice, “while you’re here let me show you some new projections I’ve been working on, taking your business into account. I’m being a little presumptuous since we still don’t have a signed contract, but that’s how sure I am that we will soon. Right over here.”
He led Ford to his computer leaving Pam to head my way to retrieve her sandals by the couch. She scanned me up and down as she slipped them back on.
“Theo said you’re going to an important client dinner. You sure aren’t dressed for it.”
I glanced at my t-shirt and miniskirt, thinking fast. “I actually am. We’re meeting with a couple from Paris who’ve never had authentic Mexican food, so we’re taking them to our favorite taqueria. If I were to wear something like what you have on, I’d stick out, looking like a tourist.”
It scared me how easily the lies came to me. And I loved throwing in the dig about looking like a tourist. There was no greater insult than mislabeling a Miami local.
She grumbled her way over to where Ford and Theo were standing, pretending to be interested in the projections.
“So that’s it. Impressive, right?” Theo asked.
Pam harrumphed.
“It really is,” Ford said, amazement evident in his voice. Apparently, you could soothe his personal pride by appealing to his professional pride. “I appreciate your vision.”
I held my breath, waiting for him to say something about the contract, but he leaned closer to the screen.
“I’m glad you agree. So when do you think we can wrap this deal up?” Theo asked, crossing his arms.
“I think we can get the signed contract to you by the end of the week.” He shot a quick glance at Pam then refocused on Theo. “Work for you?”
I bit my lip to keep from cheering. Finally .
Theo maintained his poker face. “It does. I’m eager to kick this off. So, by Thursday?”
I smiled at him trying to nail down an exact date.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Ford said. “Now I’m guessing we need to get out of your hair. I’m sure you lovebirds have something fun planned.”
“Taco night with new clients from Paris,” I said quickly, before Theo could answer. “They wanted to try authentic Mexican cuisine.”
“Sounds like a fun night,” Ford said. “We’ll have to go as a foursome soon.”
The corner of Theo’s mouth turned down. “Sure, once we make everything official, we can go to Palme d’Or to celebrate. I’m sure we’ll be sharing quite a few meals.”
“And that way our ladies can get to know one another better.”
Pam sneered at me from behind Ford’s back, and I smiled sweetly in response.
“Looking forward to it,” Theo said, extending his hand to Ford. “Thursday.”
Ford laughed again. “I’ll see what I can get that lawyer of mine to do. Might require a kick in the pants.” He turned to Pam. “Shall we, my dear?”
They left the office and Theo let out a frustrated sigh.
“Holy shit,” he breathed, leaning back against his desk. “That was fucking weird.”
“Tell me everything. How bad did it get?” I perched on the back of one of the chairs.
He opened his mouth and made vague gestures in the air, like he wasn’t sure how to begin.
I thought of the seductive way she’d been posed when we walked in. Jealous feelings churned in my belly again.
“You know what, never mind,” I said. “You don’t need to tell me?—”
“She started crying,” he blurted. “And then she sort of threw herself at me. I dodged, and somehow she fell on the floor?”
I couldn’t help it. I started snickering. “You can’t be serious. What did you do?”
He snorted. “Made up an excuse to leave the room to call you. Then I took an incoming business call as well, to kill some time.”
Now I was really laughing hard. “Was it hard to focus on your professional call with her staring daggers at the back of your head?”
“What do you think I am, an amateur?” He grinned. “I could take a business call in a hurricane.”
“How crazy is it that I ran into Ford? It was kind of perfect.”
“Yeah. I don’t get it. The man’s a perfectionist about his craft, but he seems fine with having a shitty marriage.”
I shrugged. “Maybe it works for them? You never know what goes on behind closed doors.”
“Yeah, look at us,” Theo laughed. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job selling our story. People actually believe we’re a thing.”
“Crazy, right?”
He stared at me for a beat longer, the storm clouds in his dark eyes finally receding. “What are you up to tonight?”
“Big plans: frozen pizza and The Bachelor .”
“Let me take you to dinner. As a thank you for tonight.”
A different feeling started percolating inside of me, because the invitation felt like a date. There were no plans for us to plot out, we were done with all of that. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about spending a purely fun night out with my… well, my employer.
“Not necessary. I just did what I had to do. It’s part of my contract, right? Plus, you offered to pay me a bonus fee.”
“Yeah, but you were basically on call for me tonight, and that wasn’t part of it. Remember? We mapped out all of the upcoming official wedding dates. And you specifically said you didn’t want to deal with Ford and Pam anymore. This was you doing me a pretty major favor, at the last minute. So let me take you to dinner to thank you. We’ll go somewhere special.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek as I considered it. I was hungry. I didn’t have plans. And Theo looked so damn good that all I wanted to do was spend more time staring at him.
“But I’m not dressed for special. As usual.”
He grinned at me. “It’s crazy to me that you don’t seem to realize that you always look incredible. And my idea of special doesn’t necessarily mean fancy.”
My face burned from the compliment. “Okay, okay, I’m in. Take me somewhere special, Theo.”
He was shutting down his computer and switching of lights before I even finished speaking, and so began my first official unofficial date with Theo Barnes.