22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
"W hat are you doing?"
Owen was full of anger when he turned in the parking lot to find Regan rushing up to him. He was angry at Regan for insisting on bidding on him when he'd told her he never wanted to see her again.
He was angry with Maxi for running off before he could explain to her why he hadn't mentioned the engagement ring.
The truth was that he didn't know why he hadn't said anything about it.
Perhaps it was because it crushed his pride.
Or maybe he was embarrassed about how he'd let himself get reeled in by Regan's lies.
In the end, he didn't know what parts of their relationship had been real and what was nothing more than fantasy.
But most of all, he was angry with himself for messing things up with the one woman who'd brought the light back into his life. Maxi had helped to heal his wounded heart. She brought the smile back to his face. She'd helped him to picture his future—a future he envisioned sharing with her.
And now it felt as though it had vanished like a puff of smoke slipping through his fingers. But it wasn't a dream, because the intense pain of loss in his heart was undeniably real.
He pressed his hands to his sides as he glared at Regan. "You had no right to do that."
"What? Have the winning bid?" She sent him a Cheshire cat smile.
He remembered cringing at that smug look as they’d said their last words to each other. "You know that I'm with Maxi, right?"
Regan arched a penciled brow. "Really? Because it didn't look like it to me. If you are with her, where is she now?"
His back teeth ground together, holding back a string of anger-fueled words. They wouldn't help the situation. "Regan, you need to leave."
"Not until I get the date that I bought and paid for." When he frowned at her, she said, "Unless you want me to go back inside and get my money back."
He did. He really did. But he had foolishly signed a paper agreeing to go on a date with the highest bidder. And he knew the hospital could use the additional funds.
"Fine," he said in a terse tone. It was the best he could do in the moment. "Let's get this over with."
Regan moved to his side and slipped her hand in the crook of his arm.
He jerked away from her touch. "What are you doing?"
"Oh. Relax. I don't know what you're making such a big deal about. You used to love having me next to you."
He shook his head. "That whole relationship was a lie. You were a lie. There's nothing left between us."
Her eyes flickered with surprise. "Do you really believe that? If so, then you’re the one that’s lying to yourself."
She certainly was the most stubborn person he'd ever met. And that was saying a lot.
He let the subject go. Nothing good would come of discussing their past. He was sorry he'd brought up the subject. "Where do you want to eat?"
"How about your place?"
"No. Pick again."
"But I thought I paid for the right to choose."
"Pick again or this whole thing is over. Right here. Right now."
She sighed. "Okay. You don't have to be so testy." She tilted her head to the side, as though giving it some thought. "Isn't there a hibachi place on the island?"
He nodded. "Little Moon Hibachi Grille. Let's go."
She sighed. "You don't have to act like you're being dragged off to jail or something. Remember? We used to have a good time together."
He bit back his words because it didn't appear to matter what he said to her. She didn't listen. But somehow over dinner, he had to make her understand that there was only one woman for him—and that woman was Maxi.
It was the first time he'd admitted it to himself. But now that he had, he didn't want to take it back. He was falling for Maxi hard and fast.
But could he get her to trust him again? He didn't know, but he would deal with that after he went on this oh-so-brief date. It definitely wouldn't be short enough for him. He wanted to go see Maxi and repair what he'd broken. Was that even possible?
She'd made the biggest mistake of her life.
Maxi had taken a walk on the beach and even that was a mistake because it only made her remember her time there with Owen. It made her broken heart hurt more.
Even though she'd only seen Owen moments ago, she missed him intensely.
There was now this immense divide between them.
She was amazed at how quickly she'd come to rely on their friendship.
Right now, she needed her best friend to vent to about the guy who just broke her heart, but she could no longer open up to him.
She couldn't help but wonder what else he was keeping from her. The part that hurt the most was having to learn about his almost-engagement from his ex. And now he was out on a date with the woman that he'd at one point wanted to marry. How much would it take for him to fall for her again?
Maxi turned away from the beach. Her stomach growled with hunger, but she didn't really have an appetite. Instead of taking time to eat, she headed in the direction of the parking lot at the school.
Owen’s brothers had called to ask if they could move the car to its respective white tent, and due to the time constraint, she had agreed.
Her heart wasn't into the race any longer.
Still, if she won, it would help her aunt, and for that reason, she would stick around and give the race her best shot.
When she entered the tent, she was amazed that they’d made it to this point.
She walked to the front of the car and stared at the corner that had gone into the wall.
The repair wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but it was passable.
And they weren’t able to match the paint color.
So, it was a slightly darker shade of red than the rest of the car.
She could repaint the whole car when she got back to Virginia.
As much as she tried to distract herself with thoughts of the car, her thoughts immediately circled back around to Owen. She didn't know if she'd ever look at this car without thinking of Owen.
She turned away from the car and began walking again. She had so much pent-up energy she still wasn’t ready to go back to her aunt's place. She knew, eventually, she'd have to face her aunt and answer her questions.
Maxi needed the walk to collect herself. Even though her heart ached, she felt as though she should put on a strong front with her aunt. She didn't want her aunt to worry about her. She would be fine. Someday.
Maxi didn’t know how long she’d walked when she found herself back on Main Street. When she turned a corner, she couldn't believe her eyes. There was Owen with Regan in his arms.
Maxi came to a halt. She continued to stare, not believing what she saw. She blinked, but they were still there wrapped in each other’s arms and now his lips were pressed to Regan’s. A painful gasp tore from Maxi’s mouth and tears stung the backs of her eyes.
Unable to stomach the scene, Maxi turned away. How could he do this to her? And right here in the middle of town for anyone to see. Her chest tightened as though in an effort to keep her heart from crumbling into a million pieces.
Gathering herself, Maxi turned and retraced her steps. Anger surged through her veins. They had gotten back together much faster than even she had imagined. Tears burned the back of her eyes. They blurred her vision. She blinked, but they splashed onto her cheeks. She swiped them away.
She never ever wanted to see Owen again. It was over. They were over.