Chapter 2
Two
T he deep-throated purr of Max’s car engine cut abruptly as he shut the vehicle off in Margot’s driveway, Annabeth’s cryptic message still fresh in his mind.
Margot could use a distraction.
Like, what the hell did that mean? Were the girls extra ornery today? Had something happened? When he replied to ask why, she ghosted him.
So, here he was with a carton of Margot’s favorite pineapple passionfruit gelato, hoping she wouldn’t be pissed that he’d shown up unannounced when she’d had a rough day.
Pebbled gravel crunched under his flip-flops as he walked up the short path to her front door. The little pale-yellow bungalow with its pink front door could fit inside his living room, but Margot insisted it was fine for her and the twins. He and the others had tried to convince her the other house she looked at closer to his would be a better fit and give her and the girls more room, but she wouldn’t be swayed. The neighborhood was nice, and she could literally step out her back door and yell for Annabeth, which, Max was sure, had been the deciding factor. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to be near her friend. She’d moved thousands of miles from home to a foreign country after a major life change. It was probably comforting to have her best friend close by.
Through the wooden front door, he could hear Emily screeching. One side of his mouth lifted. That girl was hardly ever quiet. Usually only when she was asleep.
Raising a fist, he knocked on the door.
Thirty seconds passed with no answer, so he tried again. “Margot?”
When another thirty seconds went past and she still hadn’t answered, he tried the door. It was unlocked.
Pushing the colorful door inward, he stepped inside. “Margot? It’s Max.” The small living room he walked into was empty, though it looked like a tornado tore through it. From the short hallway to the left, he heard splashing and Emily’s shriek of joy. A moment later, Lily joined in. Now he understood why she hadn’t answered. It was bath time.
With a few strides, he crossed the living room and rounded the corner to the hallway, looking right into the bathroom. Margot sat on her knees on the floor, water splotches all over her clothes. As he watched, she scooped a cup of water out of the bath and dumped it over Lily’s soapy head.
“Margot.”
She yelped and spun around. “Jesus!” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Max!” Closing her eyes for a moment, she inhaled a breath through her nose. “You scared me. I didn’t hear you.”
“I noticed. The door was open, so I let myself in. Need a hand?”
She spared a quick glance at the girls, who were busy pushing plastic fish through the water at each other. Em looked up and saw him. With a wide smile, she lifted her fish out of the water to show him, spraying her mother with soapsuds in the process.
Margot closed her eyes for a second and sighed. “Um… no. I think we’re about done. What are you doing here?”
He held up the gelato carton. “Annabeth said you needed a distraction. Pineapple passionfruit gelato fixes everything.”
Margot looked away, a hardness settling over her face that confused him. “I’ll just bet she did,” she mumbled.
“What?” He frowned.
“Nothing.” She waved a hand, looking at him again. The smile she sent his way didn’t reach her eyes. “As much as that sounds wonderful, I need to get these heathens to bed. I’m sorry you came all the way over here for nothing.”
Max narrowed his eyes, sure now more than ever that something was wrong, and Annabeth was right to send him over. “I didn’t. Put them to bed. The gelato—and I—will be waiting for you when you’re done.”
“Max—”
He ticked a finger. “No arguments. I don’t know what you need a distraction from, but Annabeth was right that you do. I’ll be out there when you’re done.” He tipped his head toward the kitchen and living room as he stepped back.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Then we can enjoy our gelato and some light conversation before you go to bed.”
She stared at him for a beat. “Anyone ever tell you you’re pushy?”
“All the time, babe. All the time.” Grinning, he faded into the hall and walked away before she could truly kick him out.
Entering the kitchen, he took one look at the sink full of dirty dishes and the mess on the island and put the gelato in the freezer. It could wait.
No wonder she hadn’t wanted to relax after the girls were in bed. She couldn’t.
He found a dish rag in a drawer and a clean sponge and set to work. Squirting dish soap in the sink, he turned on the faucet. While he waited for the sink to fill with hot, soapy water, he scraped the last bits of food from the girls’ plates into the trash, then did the same with the skillet. All of it went into the pile of dirty dishes on the other side of the sink.
When the sink was full, he shut the water off, then cleaned the small island Margot used as a table. Once it was clean, he wiped out the girls’ booster seats, then set about washing the dishes. He had them all done and in the drying rack by the time Margot emerged from the hallway. He’d also picked up the toys scattered around the living room and put the crayons back in their box, stowing them on a shelf with the coloring books.
Her reaction to him cleaning up was not what he expected, though. He’d thought she’d be surprised and thank him, or, considering her attitude in the bathroom, get a little defensive that he’d taken the chore off her plate.
Instead, she burst into tears.
Eyes wide and feeling more confused than ever, he crossed to her side. “Margot. Hey, honey, what’s wrong?” He put a gentle hand around her bicep and tugged, pulling her into his chest. When she didn’t back away, he wrapped his arms around her and stroked the back of her head. The silky blonde hair under his fingers was cool to the touch and just slightly damp.
She clutched the sides of his shirt and buried her face in his neck. With a hiccup, she looked up. “I’m sorry. I’m—” Another sob choked off her words. She inhaled a breath, making a snort-snuffle sound.
Max took her hand and led her over to the couch, handing her some tissues from the box on the end table. “Take a breath. Tell me what’s wrong.”
She took the tissues and dabbed at her face. “Nothing.”
“That’s crap, and you know it. Tell me what’s going on. Why did Annabeth say you need a distraction?”
“Annabeth has a big mouth.” She sniffed and wiped her face again.
“She’s worried about you.”
Margot sighed. “I know.”
“So, what’s going on? Why are you so upset?”
“I’m not.”
He snorted. “The tear tracks on your face tell me otherwise.”
“I’m not upset. Just… overwhelmed.”
“Because of the girls? What did Em do today?” That girl could try the Pope’s patience.
She barked a short laugh. “It wasn’t Emily.”
“No?”
“No.” She reached over him for more tissues, then blew her nose. When she finished, she stared at the wad of white in her hand.
He lightly touched her forearm, trying to gain her attention. “So, should I keep guessing?”
Margot lifted her head. The bleakness in her eyes punched him in the gut. He hadn’t seen that look since he’d first met her when her life was in total turmoil.
“I got a phone call today. From a detective in North Dakota.” She rolled her lips in for a moment, then let them go on a slow exhale. “My ex-husband is dead.”
Shock made him sit up straighter. He stared for several seconds, a frown forming as he mulled her words over. “You said a detective called? Not the medical examiner’s office?”
“Yeah. I don’t know many details. He didn’t seem like he wanted to discuss it too much over the phone. Apparently, um…” She trailed off and rubbed at her temple. “Um, he was… decomposed, so they’re not completely certain it’s him.”
Max’s eyes narrowed. “How did they know to call you, then? Why did they call you? You’re divorced.”
“They found keys in his clothing that went to a car they’d found abandoned months ago. I guess something in it gave them his name.” She paused, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “The girls are his next-of-kin, which makes me his next-of-kin since they’re so young. He doesn’t have any other family except for a few distant cousins. The detective asked if I could submit a DNA sample from one of the twins. Dental records weren’t an option. He—” She stopped, swallowing hard. “He was missing quite a few teeth, he said.” Her gaze dipped, then she turned her head away.
His inner radar went off. It was something about the way her gaze darted off. He set a hand over hers, squeezing. “There’s more, isn’t there?”
Her eyes met his, then she looked away again, pulling her hand out from under his. “Stop reading me.”
“It’s not like I really have to try, Margot. Your face is an open book. What else does the detective want?”
She sighed and muttered a soft curse under her breath before she met his gaze again, piqued. “He wants me to come up there and identify him from the things they found in his car. He’s got questions too.”
Like a lightbulb illuminating the darkness, Annabeth’s reasons for sending him over became crystal clear.
Max nodded. His fingers itched to reach out and touch her again, but he didn’t want to push things. “You plan to go alone, don’t you?”
“I don’t have anyone else.” Margot shifted in her seat, looking over her shoulder toward the hallway where the girls slept. “Annabeth and Dean are watching the girls. I’m an only child to two elderly parents who didn’t really want to be parents. I’m not even sure where they are right now.”
Max’s eyebrows met his hairline. “You realize you have a town full of people who would hop on a plane with you in a heartbeat, right? Any of us would drop everything and go with you. All you have to do is ask.”
She pushed to her feet and stormed into the kitchen, throwing open the freezer to get to the gelato.
He got up and followed her. “Margot.”
She aimed a glare at him as she yanked open a drawer and withdrew an ice cream scoop.
He stayed by the island, not wanting to crowd her. Why she was so angry, he didn’t understand. Her attitude didn’t put him off their discussion, though. If anything, he wanted to know more—wanted to understand why she was so surly. And somehow, he had to get her to see that she wasn’t a burden but part of their small, ragtag family.
She heaped gelato into two bowls, tapping the scoop on the side with a little more force than necessary. “I know I’m being unreasonable, but—” She flattened her lips, glancing away. When she met his gaze again, moisture shimmered there.
With a sniff, she grabbed a spoon, jabbing it into her gelato. “First, I’m not used to having help. Before Tad, I did everything alone. It’s the curse of having parents who were in their forties when I was born and didn’t really want me. They left me alone. A lot. Even when they were home, I had a nanny.” She swirled the gelato in her bowl, staring at it. Deep furrows etched her brow. “Second, you all have done so much for me already. What happened with Tad—it’s my mess.”
Hoping to diffuse some of the frustration and anger he saw brewing in her eyes, Max inched closer, trying to offer her a shoulder to lean on without actually touching her. “Okay, I understand the alone thing. But how is this stuff with Tad your mess? The man left you with no notice.” He didn’t know much about what happened with her ex. She never talked about him, but he knew that much.
“Something drove him away.” She jabbed the spoon into the gelato again, then gave the bowl a soft shove before bracing her hands on the edge of the counter. “Whether it was my drive to succeed or becoming parents unexpectedly—I’m not completely blameless.”
Max closed the distance in one quick step. He’d heard enough. Grasping her chin, he tipped her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. “He left you. No discussion, no expressing his concerns. He just up and left. Whether he didn’t like something about you or the life you two had, it’s not your fault.”
Margot opened her mouth to say something, but he shifted his hand, cupping her jaw and slipping his thumb over her lips. “You are not the problem. He is. Nor are you a burden to people.”
He could feel her jaw flex beneath his hand as she held his gaze. After a moment, she shook her head, her eyes telling him she wanted to refute his words.
He soldiered on before she could. “And as far as helping you goes, that’s what friends do. Especially our group of friends. We’re more than that. We’re a family.” Max’s heart thumped at the swirling emotions that blazed through her blue eyes. They moved too quickly for him to discern what she was thinking, though.
After a beat, she stepped out of his hold. “But I’m not. Not really. I’m just Annabeth’s tagalong.”
Max forced his hands to stay at his sides. He wanted to grab her and shake some sense into her; at the same time, he wanted to hold her close. This was a side of Margot he’d never seen. She was an unsure, almost scared woman waiting to be hurt.
In all the time he’d known her, she’d been on the quieter side—except around her daughters and Annabeth—and it suddenly made sense why. She felt like she was on the outside looking in.
The realization overrode the part of his brain that cautioned him to go slow and to give her space. He laid his hand over one of hers. “No, Margot, you’re not. The moment Dean brought you into the fold, you were part of the family. You and the girls.”
This was not a subject he was willing to debate, so he changed the subject. “Now, have you booked a flight north yet?”
She pulled her hand away again and snatched her bowl off the counter, cradling it against her chest. Picking up the spoon, she waved it at him. “I know what you’re doing, Max. Changing the subject won’t magically make things different.”
Stepping back and giving her some space, he picked up his bowl and spoon, fighting a frown. “No, but maybe by doing so, eventually you’ll come to realize I’m right. Now answer my question.”
She stabbed her gelato again. “No.”
He arched an eyebrow. “No, you won’t answer my question or no, you haven’t booked a flight?”
“No, I haven’t booked a flight.”
His lips stretched in a smile. “Good. I’ll get on that and book us on one. When do you want to leave?”
“Max…” she ground out through clenched teeth. If he’d been frozen, like their gelato, the fire in her eyes would have melted him.
He pointed his spoon at her before taking a quick bite. “Don’t argue with me. Not on this.” He softened his voice a bit. He didn’t want to push her too far. Yet. “You need someone with you. I’ll follow your lead, but I know we’d all be happier if you didn’t go alone. You don’t know what you’re walking into or what the cops are thinking. Let me be the shoulder to prop you up, to have your back? Please?”
She stuffed a spoonful of gelato into her mouth and looked away, the angry frown on her face turning slightly less belligerent and more thoughtful. Finally, she looked at him again. “This is hard for me. Accepting help. Annabeth badgered me into moving in with her when Tad left; otherwise, I’d still be in Texas, struggling while I spent ninety hours a week at the hospital and the rest trying not to be a stranger to my children.”
The vulnerability in her eyes cut deep into Max’s heart.
“She’s the only person—other than Tad—I’ve ever truly trusted, and I need her now to watch my kids while I straighten this out.” She swirled her spoon through her treat once more. “But you’re right. I don’t want to go alone. I’m dreading going at all.”
“So, does that mean you won’t protest if I tag along?” he asked when she paused.
Margot scooped up another bite of gelato, slipping it past her lips. She glanced away, a deep furrow forming between her eyes, and sighed. “I suppose not.” She pinned him with a narrow-eyed look. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you buy my ticket.”
Max shoved a bite of his own gelato into his mouth, hiding a smirk. One way or another, he’d get his way. “How about you let me arrange all the travel? You can pay me back.”
She snorted. “No. I know you. We’ll end up in first class, which I can’t afford.”
He turned up the wattage on his smile, hoping to persuade her to see his side of things. “But I can. For both of us. How about this? I get the first-class seats, but you pay me for the cost of an economy ticket?”
Her frown returned. She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised a hand, cutting her off. “I don’t want to sit in economy for a flight that long. I’m too tall, and I can afford not to be smushed. I also don’t want you to sit alone. That’s just dumb.”
Which was true, but if she pushed back too hard, he’d suck it up so she didn’t have to sit by herself. He hoped she didn’t, though. They would both be much more comfortable in first class. “And it’s not like an extra first-class ticket will break me. I’m not Brooke rich, but you know I’m far from poor.”
She pursed her lips and blinked at him. Finally, her expression relaxed. “All right, fine. You win. But can we not stay in a super fancy hotel? The local Holiday Inn is fine.”
“I will see what they have there.” And if the local budget hotels were all booked up, he’d not shed a tear if they had to stay at a fancier place.