24. Max
24
MAX
I was getting way too comfortable at Theo’s place.
I liked my little apartment, but given the choice of the two of us trying to cram into my tiny bed or being able to stretch out on Theo’s California king together, it was a no-brainer. Then there was the balcony, the view, the theater, the shower, the high-end coffee machine, and every other amenity I could dream up. Theo made a show about offering to trade spaces now and then, but we both knew that nothing could compare to his condo.
I was up early, prepping for a major shoot for Miami Magazine , a now-and-then story about how the city has changed over the past thirty years. I was going to be running all over town trying to check off half of the images required for the piece. My entire day was meticulously plotted out to take traffic and hours of operation into account.
But first? Coffee.
I opened the pantry and was shocked to find a few bags of hazelnut Dunkin’ Donuts next to Theo’s ridiculously expensive imported beans. I’d tried to stomach what he brewed up, but I preferred a kinder, gentler brew to start my day.
He’d made a special trip to pick up my brand. Aw .
“There are steel cut oats in the cupboard,” Theo’s rumbly voice echoed behind me. “I know you prefer them over instant.”
I jumped, startled by him.
“You were dead to the world three minutes ago,” I said, holding my hand over my racing heart.
“I felt your hunter-gatherer vibe and decided to come out and help you,” he said, trudging over to me to collect a hug. “Good morning. Big day, huh?”
I loved the way he looked in the morning with sleepy eyes and wild hair.
“Major day,” I squeezed him back and wished I had the time to strip him down and kiss him all over.
“Worried?” he asked, drawing back to study me.
I shook my head. “Not about the work itself; it’s the ancillary stuff that’s stressing me out. All the driving and coordinating schedules with the building managers.”
Theo paused with one hand on the coffee machine. “Shit. Do you want me to have my driver take you? That would make things easier, wouldn’t it?”
I considered it and realized that he was right. But reallocating a car service for over eight hours wouldn’t come cheap. Obviously, he could afford it, but I wasn’t about to take advantage of his generosity. He was already doing so much for me. And no matter how many times I reminded myself he was nothing like Nick and he wouldn’t make any demands in return for his generosity, the massive tally of money he was spending on me still made me uneasy on some deep, subconscious level that I couldn’t really control.
“I should be okay. I’ve got every stop choreographed down to the minute, changing it now would just confuse me,” I lied.
He stared at me for a beat longer. “You sure? Because I’ve got Fernando on standby.”
“I’m good,” I said, ripping open the bag of coffee and nodding toward the machine. “Now you just have to remind me how to use this thing.”
The contraption looked like it belonged in a professional coffee shop, with levers and pulleys all over it.
“Let me brew for you while you prep oatmeal. Make enough for two, please.”
He’d made a face the first time I’d fixed oatmeal for myself, but after forcing him to try a mouthful he’d come around to the wonders of peanut butter and chocolate chip oatmeal.
Theo turned the music on, and I smiled to myself as we went about our now familiar morning routine. It felt downright domestic.
I wasn’t able to convince him to join me in the shower since he was well aware that I was running late. I got dressed in my multi-pocket pants and sleeveless tank, loaded up my camera bag, and crossed my fingers that the day was going to be a success. Getting Miami Magazine ’s blessing meant they’d keep me in mind for future gigs. There wasn’t much money in print work, but somehow this periodical managed to pay well.
Forty-five minutes later, I headed out the door and began my endless day, fortified by a lingering good luck kiss from Theo. I couldn’t help but smile every time I thought about him.
I was still on track by lunchtime, and I was downing a quick sandwich in between appointments when my phone rang. It was Rafe’s school. At midday.
Not good.
“This is Maxine,” I answered in my official stand-in mom voice.
“Hi, this is Judy from the main office at Central, and I wanted to check in with you. Rafe’s not in school today. We tried to reach out to his mother but there’s no answer. Do you know anything about his absence?”
My mind reeled from all of the possibilities. Rafe had been acting out lately. Maybe he’d cut school? If that was the case, I needed to think fast, because Nick would have his ass if he got caught skipping.
“Yes, of course, apologies for the hassle. Rafe isn’t feeling well and I think our mom just forgot to call you. I’m sure she ran out to grab some Pepto for him. She doesn’t always remember her phone and it drives us all nuts.” I laughed to really sell it.
Judy chuckled in reply. “Well, okay then. So will he be back tomorrow?”
“As far as I know, yes,” I replied, hoping it was the truth. “Appreciate the call, and again, my apologies for not being proactive.”
The minute we disconnected I immediately dialed my mom. It went straight to voicemail and my heartbeat kicked up. Had Nick done something?
I looked around the beautiful setting as I considered my options. I was on a bench in the shade outside my next appointment, at the Fontainebleau waiting to meet with the facilities manager so I could get up on the roof. It had taken half a dozen calls to wrangle the meeting, and the guy had only promised me twenty minutes to get all of the shots I needed. And once I finished here, I needed to drive to Churchill’s Pub immediately after to snag photos during daylight hours, which required a very unhappy night manager-slash-vampire to agree to meet with me. There was no way I could bail to deal with whatever was going on with Rafe.
But still. The feeling that something could be really wrong clawed at my insides. I dialed him directly, convinced that he wasn’t going to pick up either.
“ Max ?”
My stomach dropped when I heard the catch in his voice. He was trying not to cry.
“Rafe, are you okay? Where are you? The school just called. Where’s Mom?”
He sniffled. “She went to some sort of class for staging houses, something for work. I’m at home. I wasn’t feeling great this morning and I asked him to call the school but he wouldn’t. Said I didn’t look sick.”
“Are you?” I asked pointedly. Like all kids, Rafe had been known to fake illness to avoid tests he hadn’t studied for.
“Do you think I’d want to stay home with that asshole if I didn’t have to?” Rafe’s voice went up to a screech. “No fucking way. I have a headache, a really bad one. I’m trying to rest in my room and he’s working on some dumb project, making a lot of noise. Bookshelves that mom has been asking him to put together for months, but today’s the day he decided to do it. Right outside my door.”
“Rafe …”
“My head really hurts, Max.” The desperation in his voice rang through. “And I don’t want to be here alone with him.”
He said the last part in a whisper, like he was afraid Nick might hear him. Despite all of the tough-guy posturing, my brother was still just a boy.
I sighed. I had ten minutes before my meeting. I had to do something .
“Sit tight. I’m getting you out of there, okay?”
“Thanks, Max,” he said in a small voice.
A petite man in a light blue suit walked over to me tentatively. “Are you Maxine?”
I stood up quickly. “Yes, hi, you must be Phil.”
“Are you all set?”
“I’m excited!” I held up my phone. “I just need two minutes for a quick client call,” I lied. “Can I meet you in the lobby?”
He nodded, looking a little put out. I needed to make this fast. I dialed quickly.
Theo picked up before the second ring. “Hey Max, everything okay?”
“Hi, not really. Rafe is home sick today and he and Nick are going at it. My mom’s not there to referee. He called me and sounded like he’d been crying.” I lowered my voice. “I can’t leave but I need to get him out of the house. Is there any chance you can go get him? I know it’s a huge imposition, and it’s no problem if you can’t?—"
“On it,” he cut me off. “Of course. I’ll get him right now.”
I finally felt like I could breathe again. “ Thank you.”
“No problem. You focus on your work and know that he’ll be fine with me. Just keep me posted about when you’re finishing up, and we can figure out dinner for the three of us.”
I smiled. “That would be great. Thanks. You don’t know how much I appreciate it.”
“Stop worrying and get back to work,” he scolded me gently. “Talk later.”
I hung up and took a steadying breath. Family drama was the last thing I needed, especially the type that required Theo to get involved, but at least he seemed up for it. He already knew that Rafe was a grumpy, hormonal teen, and he was probably going to be worse with a headache.
But I wasn’t worried, because somehow Theo always seemed to make everything okay.