15. Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Fifteen
I t had been a long day.
A productive day.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Owen put away the tools while Maxi turned off the trouble light.
The more time he spent with Maxi, the more he enjoyed her company.
He wondered if he should be worried that they were getting too close.
He brushed off the concern. He assured himself that Maxi was just becoming a good friend. Nothing more.
The heat of the day still lingered. He swiped the back of his hand over his damp forehead. He needed a cold shower and some fresh clothes. And then he was thinking he would take Maxi to dinner.
“What would you like to eat tonight?” he asked.
Maxi shimmied out of her gray overalls. “I can’t.”
“Can’t what? Eat?”
“I don’t have time.”
He wasn’t giving up so easily. “You have to take time to eat.”
Knock-knock.
He turned toward the door of the garage. “Hey, Mom.” And then realizing he hadn’t introduced Maxi to his family, he said, “Mom, I’d like you to meet Maxi. Maxi, this is my mother.”
His mother stepped into the garage. She bestowed a smile upon Maxi. “It’s nice to meet you. Please call me Patty.”
Maxi returned the smile. “It’s nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for letting me use your garage. You don’t know how much it means to me.”
“I’m glad we could help. I’m so sorry about your car. But thankfully, you’re all right.” His mother paused. “You are all right, aren’t you?”
Maxi nodded. “I am. Just some bumps and bruises.”
His mother’s gaze moved to the car. “Do you think you’ll have it repaired in time for the race?”
A frown pulled at the corners of Maxi’s beautiful face.
Owen spoke up. “We aren’t sure. There’s a couple of parts we still need, but we can’t find them online.”
“Oh, no. Is there anything I can do?”
“Thanks,” Maxi said. “I don’t know if there’s anything anyone can do. If I have to get new parts, they’ll have to be custom made. And besides the expense, it would take time—time I don’t have.”
“Don’t give up. You’ve made it this far.” His mother’s gaze moved between the two of them. “Now, I’d like to invite you both to dinner. It’s nothing special but it should taste good.”
His gaze moved to Maxi. He wondered if she’d still be busy now that the dinner invitation was coming from his mother. He hoped not. He wanted to spend more time with her.
“Thank you,” Maxi said, “But I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline the invitation. I’m supposed to be at the carnival in…” She checked her smart watch. “In a half hour.”
His mother nodded in understanding while Owen was left to wonder if she had a date with someone else.
As the thought took hold, an uneasiness churned in his gut.
He wanted to ask her who she was going to the carnival with, but he wouldn’t allow himself…
even if she was supposed to be his pretend girlfriend for the week.
“I hope you have a good evening.” His mother made her way back to the doorway, where she paused and looked back. “It’s really nice to meet my son’s girlfriend. His last girlfriend never came around. So, this is really nice.”
In his mind, he was freaking out. What was his mother bringing up Regan for?
And it wasn’t his fault she never met his ex.
He wanted it to happen but Regan was staunchly opposed to it—always saying things like it was too soon.
It wasn’t until summer was almost over and Regan was packing her things to leave the island that he learned the truth about her.
A culmination of anger, embarrassment and hurt had churned within him—still churned in him when he dwelled on the past, which he tried not to do.
He didn’t say a word as his mother walked away. There was no defense for his stupidity. All he could do now was to learn from his mistakes.
Maxi’s gaze moved in his direction. “I can tell by the look on your face that there’s a story to go with your mother’s comment. I wish I had time to hear it, but I have to go.”
And then she was out the door. He was left alone with his thoughts. And his thoughts were all about Maxi.
She had to hurry.
A few minutes later, Maxi rushed into her aunt’s house. She raced up the stairs and jumped in the shower. It might have been the fastest shower she’d ever taken, but she couldn’t be late.
She opted for a pair of aqua shorts and paired them with a white cotton top. She left her hair down. And she’d put on some makeup. Not a lot but enough to make her look like she’d made an effort.
She rushed down the steps and called out to her aunt. “I’m leaving for the carnival.”
“Have a good time.”
And then Maxi was out the door. She was supposed to meet a Lily Adams at the booth. She hadn’t met Lily yet. But her aunt had assured her Lily was very nice and around her age.
Maxi used her aunt’s bike and rode to Beachcomber Park.
It wasn’t hard to find the booth she was supposed to volunteer at for the evening.
It was a white tent that had colorful posters all over it as well as pamphlets on the counter in front.
There were T-shirts with Bluestar Island logos hanging along the back of the tent.
They were for sale as well as postcards and water. It seemed simple enough.
She parked her aunt’s bike behind the tent.
When she walked to the front, she found a couple of people had stopped by the booth.
A young woman with short dark hair, styled in a pixie cut, was talking to them.
A smile lit up her golden-brown complexion.
She wore a little bit of makeup, but she didn’t need it, because she had a natural beauty about her.
Maxi stood off to the side of the booth until the other people had moved on. And then she stepped up to the booth. When the young woman turned to her, Maxi smiled. “Are you Lily?”
“Yes, I am.” Lily sent her a big friendly smile. “Are you Maxi?”
“I am. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Come on in.” Lily lifted a section of the wooden counter.
Maxi stepped into the booth, which was lit up with numerous strings of lights. Her gaze landed on the cardboard boxes beneath the counter. Her worry mounted.
She raised her gaze to meet Lily’s. “What do I need to know about this job?”
“First, you need to stop looking so worried.” Lily sent her a reassuring smile. “This job isn’t so hard. All you have to do is smile and talk to the people like you’ve known them forever.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is.” Lily glanced around before turning back to her. “Here comes someone. You take them.”
“I don’t think so. What if I don’t know the answer to their questions?”
“I’ll be right here with you. I’ll step in if you need help. Just give it a try.”
Maxi’s stomach shivered with nerves. Nothing like being thrown directly into the deep end of the pool.
She told herself she was used to interacting with the public at the auto shop.
This wouldn’t be much different. Instead of cars, they’d be talking about sightseeing on this beautiful island. How hard could that be?
Maxi pasted a smile on her face and strolled over to the counter where an older couple was browsing through the various pamphlets. “Hi. Is this your first visit to Bluestar Island?”
The woman greeted her with a big smile. “Yes, it is.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat. Bluestar has a lot to explore.” Maxi went on to mention some of the famous sites.
Ten or so minutes later, the couple moved on with their hands filled with information about various small businesses and a number of sites on the island. Maxi was proud of herself, and best of all, she’d enjoyed conversing with them. In that moment, she’d felt like a genuine resident of the island.
In the next breath, she was struck by the thought. The thing was that she never even entertained living anywhere but Meadow Valley, Virginia. Of course, over the years her aunt had tried to talk her into moving to the island, but Maxi had always gently brushed off the suggestion.
“You did really great.” Lily’s voice drew Maxi from her thoughts. “You’re a natural.”
“Too bad I couldn’t get a job doing that. I love talking about the island.”
“As a matter of fact, you could.” Lily sent her a smile.
“Yeah, right.” She thought Lily was joking.
“I just happen to know the person who runs the Welcome Center.”
For a second, she considered the idea. Then reality came crashing in on her. “I don’t know.”
“If you are worried about the pay, don’t. The town council has made tourism their priority, so the Welcome Center is well-compensated.” And then Lily mentioned the starting salary that left Maxi floored.
Still, the thought of selling her family’s home and giving up the garage was too much for her. She was letting herself get distracted, and right now she had to stay focused on repairing the car for the race—the whole reason she was on Bluestar Island.
Things quieted down as dinnertime arrived. Maxi sat down and pulled out her notebook with the notes about the car. As she sat there, she focused on the letters until they formed into words in her mind.
At one point, Lily glanced over her shoulder. “Did you draw that?”
Maxi glanced at the other page, where there was one of her drawings of the car. She knew she could do better than that. “Uh, yes.”
“So you’re an artist too. And you know how to work on automobiles.
In addition to being able to interact with the public.
You’re very versatile. If you have some art pieces to show, you could join our arts festival next month.
We’re going to have a lot of vendors, but we could make room for one more. ”
Maxi shook her head. “Thanks, but it’s just a hobby.”
“Too bad. You’re good.”
If Lily knew that she’d never even finished high school, she would realize Maxi wasn’t worthy of her kind words. “I’m a mechanic. That’s it.”
“Well, I know an artist when I see one.” Lily sat in the chair next to her. “You might wonder why I know you’re an artist. It’s because I’m also one. And I recognize a kindred spirit. I own The Lily Pad. It’s a craft shop. You should stop by some time.”
Maxi’s mouth formed an O . “I know that place. I mean I’ve been by it numerous times. It’s so cute.”
“And yet you haven’t stopped in.” Lily raised a brow.
Maxi was saved from responding by more people who wandered up to the stand. It appeared that dinnertime was over because the booth was getting pretty busy. Maxi set aside her notebook and got to work.
She felt as though she’d stumbled across a friend—someone she could become good friends with. The thought was so tempting. Too bad it wouldn’t last. Soon she’d be heading back to Virginia.