24. Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
T he alarm sounded.
Maxi’s eyes sprang open. She stared into the darkness. It took her a moment to get her bearings and silence the alarm. And then she realized what day it was.
It was race day.
She didn’t move. Her heart just wasn't in it. After a night of tossing and turning, she didn’t get much sleep. She kept thinking about Owen and how much she missed him. The only thing she wanted to do was pack up her stuff and haul her car back to Virginia.
A second alarm sounded.
With a groan, she threw back the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
Once the alarm was silenced, she dragged herself out of bed.
The race wasn't for hours. She’d set the alarms long before things crashed and burned with Owen.
Originally, she’d wanted to be up early to have time to make some final tune-ups to the car.
She quietly opened the bedroom door. She glanced in the direction of her aunt's room. The door was still closed. Not wanting to wake her aunt, Maxi tiptoed to the bathroom and grabbed a quick shower.
When she was done, she glanced back at her aunt’s bedroom door. It appeared she was still sleeping. Maxi tiptoed back to her room. She felt like a little kid sneaking around.
Now dressed for the day and wearing a little bit of makeup, she took another glance in the mirror. Her hair was swept up in a messy bun. She just didn’t want to deal with it.
As she was about to head downstairs, her gaze strayed across the heart pin on the dresser. Her fingertips traced over it. She’d thought Owen finding it was some sort of sign from her mother that maybe he was the one. How could she have been so wrong about him?
She turned away from the dresser and moved to the hallway. She tiptoed through the hall and down the stairs. It was so early that if she left the island right away, she'd make good progress on her way back to Virginia.
The idea clung to her as she stepped into the kitchen.
She heard something. She stopped and listened.
It was the dripping of the faucet. It reminded her of why she'd entered the race in the first place.
And in that moment, she knew no matter how much she wanted to escape the island and all of the memories of Owen that she owed it to her aunt to stay and see if she could win the cash prize.
After all, her car was repaired now. There was no legitimate reason she couldn't participate. She made herself a cup of coffee. As she sat down at the table, her thoughts returned to Owen.
Her heart broke a little more every time she recalled seeing Owen with Regan in his arms. Why in the world did she think they'd shared something extra special? It wasn’t like he ever considered marrying her like he had Regan.
Maxi realized that they’d only shared a summer fling.
But to ask someone to spend the rest of their life with you, you needed a deep and abiding love. At least, she would need that.
The more she replayed the events of the last twenty-four hours, the more her head hurt. That wouldn't help her win the race. She finished her coffee and placed the cup in the dishwasher. She didn't have an appetite so she skipped eating.
With pent-up energy, she stepped outside. The sun was just rising. The horizon was painted in shades of brilliant pinks and purples. It was going to be a gorgeous day for the race. If only her mood matched the weather.
She noticed her aunt's old bike on the side of the house. Her aunt told her to feel free to use it whenever she wanted. Maxi ran back inside and jotted her aunt a quick note.
Buzz.
Immediately, her chest tightened. If it was Owen, she didn’t know whether to answer or not. She didn't see where they had anything to talk about. She didn't need to hear how sorry he was and how much he loved Regan. Just the thought made the coffee in her stomach take a nauseous lurch.
But when she checked the caller ID, she was surprised to see Lily's name. Simultaneously, she felt a wave of disappointment. Perhaps there was still a part of her that was hoping Owen would call her.
She really didn't want to talk to anyone. But it was Lily—her closest friend on the island. Her phone continued to ring as she debated what to do.
Valuing her friendship, she stepped outside and took the call. "Hello."
"Maxi, how are you? I've been trying to call you since last night."
"Sorry. I silenced my phone." The prior evening she hadn't been in any shape to speak to anyone. She was barely keeping it together right now.
"No problem. I was just worried about you."
"Thanks. I'm okay." Not really. But what else was she supposed to say? That her heart was torn and tattered? That she was foolish enough to let herself fall for a guy who was still in love with someone else?
"Then you are a better woman than me. If my boyfriend went off on a date with his ex, I would have lost it. Of course, I'd need a boyfriend first. Anyway, that's my way of saying I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do."
Lily didn't mention the kiss; however, from the amount of sympathy oozing from her friend, Maxi was certain Lily had heard about it. If Lily knew about Owen and Regan’s kiss, then Maxi suspected that most of the town knew.
She inwardly groaned. It was bad enough that Owen went back to his ex, but for the whole town to know was agonizing.
She couldn't get off this island fast enough.
Her gaze strayed back to her aunt's bicycle. It was ever so tempting. She couldn't escape the island on it, but she could avoid her aunt’s sympathetic stares and the curious looks from the town’s residents. She could ride out of town—away from it all.
"Maxi? Maxi, did you hear me?" Lily's voice drew her from her thoughts.
She hadn't heard a word her friend had said, which just confirmed her need to escape. She checked the time. She had a few hours before she had to be at the race.
"Sorry," Maxi said. "I'm just a little distracted."
"Do you want to meet for breakfast? We could talk."
"Thanks. I really appreciate the offer, but I don't think I'd be good company."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I think I'm just going to go for a bike ride."
"Before the race?" Lily sounded unsure about her decision.
"I won't be gone long. I just think it'll do me good."
"Oh. Okay. If you need me, just give me a phone call."
Once they wrapped up their conversation, Maxi rushed back into the house. It appeared her aunt was still sleeping so she tiptoed around. She grabbed her backpack, tossed in a couple snack bars and a bottle of water.
Buzz.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. It was Owen—the last person she wanted to speak to. She took her phone and placed it on the counter. She wasn't going to take it with her. The point of the ride was to unwind and get her mind on straight for the race.
She went outside, climbed onto the bike and set off with no destination in mind. As she biked south, she was surprised by how many people were out and about that early in the morning.
Some people waved. Others called out their sympathy. And others awkwardly pretended not to see her, as though they weren’t sure what to say.
Maxi pedaled faster. She couldn't get out of town fast enough.
She hoped Owen didn't continue calling her phone, because he was wasting his time. She didn't want to hear whatever he had to tell her. She shouldn't have trusted him in the beginning. She knew better. And now she had an unwanted souvenir to take home with her—a broken heart.
Where is she?
Owen checked his wrist watch for the tenth time in five minutes. He was waiting in front of her tent. He’d already checked to make sure the car was still there. He knew she wouldn’t leave the island without it.
He'd been pacing for a half hour now. The race was set to start in little more than an hour. Maxi should be there. If she didn't check in soon, she'd get scratched from the race. And he knew how hard she'd worked to be in the race—to win the prize money to help her aunt.
When he'd stopped by her aunt's house earlier that morning, Bonnie told him that Maxi was on the island, but she had no idea where to find her. So, where was she?
He'd tried reaching out to Lily, who didn’t answer the phone. He was certain she was giving him the cold shoulder because she was standing in solidarity with Maxi. He had no idea who else to ask about her whereabouts.
If he waited there long enough, she'd show up. He continued to pace.
"Hey, Owen." Liam and his nephew Tate approached him. "What are you doing here? The family is waiting for you at your tent."
"Sorry.” He glanced down at his nephew. “I’ll let you sit in the car after the race. Would you like that?”
Tate smiled and nodded his head.
Owen turned his attention back to his brother. “I'm waiting for Maxi. I have no idea where she is. And it's getting close to race time."
Liam’s forehead scrunched up. “That’s strange. I haven't seen her since early this morning."
"You saw her?" He was the first person who mentioned seeing her. When his brother nodded, Owen asked, "Where was she?"
"She was riding a bike."
"A bike? Where was she headed?"
"How am I supposed to know? It's not like I ran into the road, flagged her down, and asked her where she was going."
When his brother put it that way, Owen realized he was asking the impossible. But he wasn't giving up. "What direction was she headed?"
"South."
Just then Bonnie strode up to the tent. She looked inside and then turned back to him. "Where's Maxi?"
Owen sighed. This was all his fault. "I don't know. My brother said he saw her earlier this morning on a bike."
"I thought she rode it over here." Bonnie's face was creased with worry lines as she glanced around for Maxi.
"She’s not here.” Owen’s concern grew. “I take it both Maxi and the bike were missing when you left home?"
Bonnie nodded. “She left a note that said she was taking the bike for a ride.”
Something was wrong. She wouldn’t miss the race. "I'm going to look for her."
"But the race!" Liam called out to him.
"I'll be back." Owen jogged toward his cart.
He had no idea where he was headed. Did she bike all the way to Bluestar’s southernmost point? Or did she stop somewhere along the way?
There was only one road that ran the full length of the island. He started toward that road. Then he’d head south and hope he spotted her.