Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
~MAX~
“ W ill you please pass me that paintbrush?” Jenna asks the next day. We’re standing in one of her rental properties. The former tenants moved out, and she’s sprucing it up for the next ones.
I hand her the brush, and she gets to work painting the trim on the window in the master bedroom.
“How much do you rent this for?” I ask, looking around. The house is older, in an original neighborhood in Cunningham Falls. It’s near schools and downtown.
“Fifteen hundred,” she replies with a smile. “I snatched it up when the market was down.”
“You could get more than that.”
“Not everyone can afford more than that,” she reminds me with a shrug. “It covers the mortgage and the upkeep with a little extra, so it’s fine. If you want to start on that wall, the roller is over there.”
“How did I get roped into this?”
She offers me a bright smile.
“You love me, and you miss me. This way, you get to spend time with me.”
“You’re engaged to a movie star, and your brother has more money than any one person should. We could pay someone to do this.”
She stares out the window for a second, contemplating, then shrugs again. “I like to do it. You don’t have to paint if you don’t want to. Just chat with me.”
“I can do both,” I reply, loading the paint on the roller, then gliding it onto the wall.
“How’s Willa?” she asks.
“Beautiful,” I reply immediately. “Funny. Sexy. Smart.”
“But how do you really feel?” she asks with a laugh. “I think it’s great you’re spending time together again. Do you like Alex?”
“He’s great.” I turn back to the tray of paint to reload my roller. “She’s done a good job of raising him. He’s not a brat, he has manners, and he’s a kick in the butt.”
“Alex is the best,” Jenna agrees. “He’s so fun-loving and sweet.”
“Like his mom,” I say softly. “But I see a lot of Cary in him, as well.”
“Agreed,” Jenna says with a sigh before taking a sip of her coffee and examining her handiwork. “They’re a cute little package.”
“And I’m squarely in the friend zone,” I say in disgust. “I don’t think I can do it, Jen.”
“Be her friend?”
“Be just her friend. She’s still the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I don’t want to be her buddy.”
“Of course, you don’t,” Jenna says, surprising me. “Willa was never just your friend, Max. She was your girl. It makes absolute sense that you want more now.”
“I don’t know what to do about it,” I admit. “She fights me at every turn. I offer to help with things, simple things, and she immediately puts up a wall and says, ‘that’s okay .’ She’s so damn stubborn.”
“It’s been just her for nine years,” Jenna reminds me. “She’s had to depend on herself. Yes, she has parents and friends who help, but it’s not the same as having a partner. So, it makes sense that she is resistant to accept help from a man. A man that she has feelings for but who hasn’t been a part of her life in a very long time.”
“Are you a shrink now?” I ask, setting the roller down and propping my hands on my hips.
“I’m smart,” she says. “You’re not the only one in the family with brains. So, here’s the million-dollar question.”
“I’ll pay you a million dollars if we can change the subject,” I reply, making her snort.
“Why haven’t you asked her out?”
I blink at her, then scowl. “Because this is Willa. ”
“And?”
“And up until a couple weeks ago, we weren’t even speaking.”
“You are now.” She sips her coffee. “And Willa is a woman, Max. Not just a mom or your old girlfriend. She’s a woman who wants some romance. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.”
“Huh.” I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re smart, but you’re too stuck in your head. You romanced her once before, and it worked because she was head over heels in love with you. Do what you did then but on steroids. Court her.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” I check the time on my Apple watch and grin. “It’s lunchtime.”
“Are you thinking of food now ?” she asks.
“No. I’m going to take Willa some lunch and ask her out.”
“Atta boy,” she says, offering me her fist to bump. “Go get your girl.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and paint?”
“Yeah, I do want you to stay and paint,” she replies, making me pause and stare at her. “Kidding. Get out of here. I’ll call Willa later and get all the details.”
I grin, then hurry out of the house and to my SUV. If I remember correctly, Willa could never resist the tacos from José’s, so I swing through there and order her favorite—chicken tacos with chips and salsa—then walk down the block to Willa’s shop.
The bell over the door dings as I walk inside. There are no customers, and Willa isn’t behind the counter. I set the bag down and go looking for her.
“That won’t work for me,” I hear her say. She’s in her office and on the phone. She sees me walk in and smiles, holding her finger up to signal that she’ll be just a minute. “I ordered those blouses ten days ago and paid for overnight shipping. You’ll refund all of my money and send the blouses, today, or I pull my business from you altogether. And that’s a lot of lost money for you. …That’s right. See that you do.”
She hangs up, crosses something off her to-do list, and smiles at me.
“Hi,” she says.
“That was damn sexy,” I reply. I want to pull her against me and kiss the ever-loving hell out of her, but this isn’t the time or place for that.
Not yet.
But soon.
“Me complaining is sexy?”
“You running your business like a damn boss is sexy.” I drag my knuckles down her cheek. “I’m proud of you, Wills.”
Her cheeks redden, and she offers me a shy smile.
“I don’t like people who don’t run their business well,” she admits. “And this distributor has been on my last nerve.”
“Time to find a new one.” I take her hand and lead her out of her office. “I hope you’re hungry because I brought food.”
“You feed me a lot,” she says, but her eyes light up when she sees the bag from José’s. “Chicken tacos?”
“Of course.”
“You know I can’t resist these.”
I laugh as she tears into the bag and takes a bite of her taco. “I know.”
I clear my throat, suddenly as nervous as I was the first time I asked her out when I was sixteen.
“I also came by to ask you out,” I blurt. Willa stops chewing and stares at me with wide, brown eyes. “Why do you look like a deer caught in the headlights?”
She shakes her head and swallows the bite in her mouth.
“Like, on a date?”
I smile, trying to hide the fact that her lack of enthusiasm is killing my ego.
“That’s usually how it works, yes.”
She scoops some salsa onto a chip but just stares at it while she seems to think it over.
“If you’d rather not?—”
“That would be fun,” she says at the same time.
“Friday night?”
She nods. “Sure. What time?”
“Six,” I reply, an idea taking shape in my head.
“I’ll be ready,” she says with a sweet smile. “And thanks for lunch.”
“You’re welcome.”
Her porch lights are on, and my Range Rover is parked in front of the garage. It’s snowed every day, so I stopped by while she was at work to shovel for her.
I don’t like the idea of her working her ass off all day, then coming home and doing more. I know she has enough to do with Alex.
Shoveling is the least I can do.
Willa’s home is a beautiful farmhouse that sits on about ten acres. When you think of the houses on Christmas cards, well, this is what you see.
It’s tasteful and pretty, just like Willa.
I get out of my car, smooth my hands down my jacket, and take a deep breath.
You’d think I’d never been on a date before.
I just don’t want to fuck this up. This is Willa.
I climb the steps to the porch and ring the doorbell. When Willa answers the door, I just about swallow my tongue.
She’s in a pretty pink sweater that falls off one shoulder, black leggings, and grey boots that go up to her knees.
“Hey,” she says with a smile, stepping back to let me inside. “I’m just about ready. Mom just left with Alex.”
“Sleepover?” I ask, my dick twitching at the thought of Willa being free all night long.
Calm the fuck down, Hull.
“Yes, and he was excited. He was also sure to remind me to ask you to come to his birthday party tomorrow afternoon. No obligation, of course.”
“I’d love to,” I reply honestly, relieved that I thought to pick him up a present earlier this week. “What time should I be here?”
“It starts at two. There will be a herd of young boys here, my mom and Ken, and Cary’s parents on FaceTime.”
“That’s cool,” I reply. “I’ll be here at two.”
She grins and drapes her jacket over her arm, then reaches for her small purse and nods. “I’m set.”
“Perfect.”
I wait while she locks her house, then open the car door for her. Once she’s settled in her seat, I shut the door and hurry around to the driver’s side.
“What’s on tap for tonight?” she asks as I pull away from her house.
“I thought we’d start with dinner at Ed’s.” I glance over to see her lips tip up in a grin. “And maybe a movie after.”
“So, our first date all over again?”
“Is that too cheesy?”
She laughs. “Not at all. It’s actually really sweet. And comfortable.”
I reach over and link her fingers with mine, the same way I did on that first date, and she sighs happily, gripping my fingers in return.
“You do have a nicer car now,” she admits.
“You didn’t like my old Datsun truck?”
“I mean, it was fine. It got us around. But it didn’t have heated seats or satellite radio.”
“It didn’t have a radio at all,” I reply with a laugh. “And it broke down more than it ran.”
“I think that’s how first cars are supposed to be,” she says with a shrug. “Maybe I’ll feel differently when it’s time for Alex to have a vehicle. Thank God we’re a few years out from that.”
I blink, thinking about Alex as a teenager. I hope I’m still a part of their lives then. I’d happily buy him any car he wants.
“Speaking of cars, have you heard anything on yours?”
“Still at least a week until it’s finished,” she says with a sigh. “If you need the Rover back, I’m sure I can borrow my mom’s.”
“That’s not why I was asking. You can keep it.”
She stares at me in shock. “Until my car is done.”
“Sure.”
I glance over to find her eyes narrowed.
“You didn’t mean I can keep it forever.”
“What if I did?”
“I’d laugh and ask you if you’ve been drinking.”
My lips twitch. Most of the women I’ve dated over the past ten years would have simply said, “ thanks, I’ll keep it.”
Not Willa.
“I don’t need it.”
“Then why did you buy it?” she asks.
“Good question.” I sigh and slow down to stop at a red light. “Because I can? Does that make me sound like an asshole?”
“No, it makes you sound rich,” she replies.
“I am rich, Wills. No more Datsun trucks for me. I can buy pretty much anything in the world.”
“I have so many questions,” she says with a smile. “And not in a bad way, in a truly curious way.”
“Let’s get inside, and you can ask me anything you like,” I say as I park outside Ed’s Diner and escort her in. We’re given the booth in the back corner, the same one we always sat at when we were kids.
“Did you do this on purpose?” Willa asks.
“Nope, just coincidence,” I reply.
Of course, I did it on purpose.
But a man has to have a few secrets and tricks up his sleeve.
“Can I get y’all something to drink?” the waitress asks.
“Chocolate shake for me,” I say.
“Can I share yours?” Willa asks, making me grin.
“One chocolate shake it is,” I say. The waitress nods and leaves us with our menus. “What are those questions of yours?”
“Let me start by saying, I’m so proud of you, Max.”
I stare at her, surprised. This isn’t what I expected at all.
“You grew up middle-class like the rest of us. And you took advantage of every opportunity to get an excellent education, to work your butt off, and it’s paid off for you in spades. I’m not just talking about the money, but all of your success. You’re respected, and you’ve earned all of that and more.”
“Geez, Wills. You’re embarrassing me.”
“And now for the good stuff,” she says, leaning in after the waitress drops off our shake. It’s huge, and there’s more in the steel malt cup she brought with it. “What’s it like to have that much money? I mean, I do pretty well, but I still have a budget, and I have a small retirement plan and a college fund for Alex, that sort of thing. What you have is on a whole other level.”
I nod, trying to think of how to explain it.
“Honestly, it’s like everything is free for me.”
Her eyebrows climb into her bangs.
“Really.”
“Really,” I confirm. “When I spend money, it doesn’t matter. I don’t even have to think about it because no matter how much I spend, it’ll never make a dent in my bottom line. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah,” she says with a nod. “It does.”
“But, I also enjoy the game of the financials, so I have a team of accountants who help me with investments and taxes.”
“I don’t even want to think about your taxes,” she says, shaking her head.
“No. You don’t.” I laugh and reach out to take her hand in mine again, needing the skin-on-skin contact. “I love to invest, so I have real estate all over the world.”
“Where?” she asks.
“Here, California, Seattle, New York, London, and Paris. I’ve been looking at a cabin on Lake Tahoe.”
“Wow,” she breathes. “That is a lot.”
“But at the end of the day, I’m still just me,” I insist as our burgers and fries are set in front of us. “I love French fries with ketchup and my coffee black.”
“Ew.”
“No ketchup?”
“No black coffee. I need it sweet.”
I grin. “I like to go on dates with my beautiful Willa, and I love my little town.”
“So, you’re just Max with a lot of money.”
“Yep.”
“That’s not why I’m here.” Her face is serious now. “I don’t care about the money, Max. I’m proud of you, and happy for you, but that’s not?—”
“I know,” I say, squeezing her hand, then letting go so we can eat. “That’s one of the reasons why we’re here tonight.”
“How are your parents?” she asks. “I didn’t get to talk to them much at Brad’s wedding.”
“You probably know that they live most of the year down in Arizona now,” I begin. Willa nods, and we spend the next half hour enjoying our food and talking about our families. Our businesses.
Alex.
“He’s started drawing pictures of puppies and sticking them on the fridge. He thinks he’s being nonchalant,” Willa says with a laugh. “Like I don’t notice the new pictures every couple of days.”
“He’s campaigning for what he wants,” I say with a smile. “He’s smart. Is it working?”
“It’s all in vain,” she says with a laugh. “I chose a puppy weeks ago. We’re going to go pick it up tomorrow after his party.”
“He’ll be over the moon,” I say. “You’re an excellent mom, Willa.”
Her eyes suddenly fill with tears.
“Shit, what did I say?”
“Nothing bad,” she says, dabbing at her eyes. “Thank you. Being a mom is hard. Harder than I ever thought it would be, and there are days that I don’t think I’m very good at it.”
“Have you seen Alex?” I ask. “He’s great. A lot of that is because you’ve done your job.”
“I’m lucky,” she says, her eyes drying up. Thank God. I never could stand to see her cry. “Alex was an easy baby. So laid-back and sweet. He wasn’t colicky or high-maintenance. It was like the universe knew that I was already a wreck, and it cut me some slack.”
“I’m glad,” I murmur. “Should we get out of here?”
“Sure.” She stands, reaches for her purse, and I follow her out to my car.
“Can I take you somewhere else?” I ask.
“Of course. Where do you want to go?”
“Paris.”
I watch as she goes pale, and her mouth drops, making me laugh.
“Just kidding. We’ll save that for another time. I’d like to take you to the movies.”
She laughs and reaches over to smack my shoulder.
“Ouch. I don’t remember you being this violent.”
“I don’t even have a passport.”
“Oh, sweetheart, we need to change that.”
She doesn’t say anything as we pull away from the diner and head toward my house. I know this is a lot, and moving fast, but I don’t know any other way to be with Willa.
I stayed away for so long, it’s like I feel as if I have to make up for lost time.
I pull into my garage and cut the engine.
“Uh, I thought we were going to the movies?”
“We are.” I grin and hop out of the vehicle, then open the door for her and lead her inside. “You’ve been here before with Jenna.”
“True, I have,” she says with a nod. “You’ve never been here.”
“Well, now I can give you a proper tour.”
It takes us a half hour to make our way through the big house on the lake. The last room is the theater room with a popcorn machine, candy, and soda. It’s decorated with movie posters, including one of the show we’re going to see tonight.
I did that on purpose, too.
“Do you want popcorn?”
“Of course,” she says. “And Milk Duds.”
Just like that first date.
“Coming right up.” I toss her the Duds, put in some fresh popcorn to pop, and cue the Blu-ray disk.
“What are we watching?” she asks.
“You don’t remember what we saw on our first date?”
She frowns. “It’s been about fifteen years, Max. I don’t remember.”
“ Pirates of the Caribbean ,” I reply as I pass her some popcorn and a soda. I hit play on the remote, and the lights go down, the curtain goes up, and the screen comes to life.
“Leave it to you to have a real movie theater in your house,” she says playfully.
“It’s handy,” I say. “Besides, we could have watched this in my car on my iPad. We went to the drive-in on that first date.”
“It’s a bit cold for that,” she concedes and snuggles up against me on the soft red loveseat in the middle of the room. “And this way, we can snuggle.”
Or, I could lay her back, strip her bare, and fuck her right here in my theater.
Instead, I shove some popcorn into my mouth and watch as Captain Jack Sparrow slurs his way through the movie.
After Willa sets her empty popcorn bucket aside, I yawn, stretch my arm high over my head, then drop it over her shoulders.
She gives me the side-eye, but her lips are tipped up in a grin.
My fingers play against the soft skin of her bare shoulder before moving up into her silky hair. Her chest rises and falls in a deep sigh, and I know she’s as turned on as I am.
Using my moves from back in the day, I lean in and press a kiss to her earlobe. The next thing I know, she’s turned, plunged her hand in my hair, and my lips are on hers, hard and sure, drinking her in like I’ve been lost in the desert for a month.
She’s sweet, giving, and so damn good. She hasn’t changed at all.
I need her. All of her.
When we come up for air, her forehead is pressed to mine, and we’re both breathing hard.
“God, I’ve missed you,” I whisper.
“Me, too,” she whispers back.