6. Max
CHAPTER 6
MAX
I t had been harder than Max had expected to put Billie out of his mind. The night they’d spent together had been truly extraordinary, and not just the time they’d been in bed. Talking to her had been both fun and thought-provoking, even though they disagreed on just about everything. Plus, she was gorgeous, and that was hard to forget. Taking her to bed was a memory that would stay with him forever.
Yet when Max had woken in Billie’s bed on Saturday morning, with her long brown curls splayed across the pillow and a soft smile on her lips as she slept, he’d known immediately what he needed to do. As much as a part of him wanted to stay, perhaps to have breakfast together or stroll through the chilly November streets side by side, he’d known that he needed to leave. Right away.
He and Billie were just too different. She loved the holidays and helping children and her family. Max loved his work and little else.
Even if they’d been more similar, though, they couldn’t have had anything more than a brief, passionate one-night stand. Max just wasn’t cut out for love. He’d had a few relationships before, but they’d all ended… not badly, exactly, but not well, either. The women he’d dated had always wanted to be his priority — something Max was never able to give them. Without him, Bluebell Diner would sink, and all his father’s hard work, not to mention his own, would go down the drain. No matter how much he might enjoy dating, he couldn’t prioritize one woman over a whole company.
It didn’t matter anyway. Max was sure that Billie understood as well as he did that they didn’t have a future together. He fully intended never to see her again — and he fully intended to ignore the way that thought made his heart ache.
Perhaps, Max thought as he slipped out of her apartment, leaving a note on the table before he went, Billie represented a different kind of path, one Max could never take. She was sweet and kind and generous, all things that Max could never allow himself to be. Yet she was also headstrong enough to argue with him. If things were different, if they could have been together… well.
Max tried to put all thoughts of Billie out of his mind as he hailed a cab and headed home. After a quick workout in his home gym and a cold shower, he felt more like himself. He headed out, stopping on his way to the office for a pastry and a coffee from a café just around the corner, and went to work.
Ever since Max was a child, he remembered his parents working hard every day of the week, including Saturday. He’d admired their dedication, so, as an adult, he followed in his father’s footsteps and put in an extra day at the office each Saturday. Max didn’t require any of his employees to come in, but a few were always here, working on tasks left over from the previous week, or getting a head start on the next week. Max greeted the few people he met in the hallways with a nod, then went into his office and got to work.
The thing Max appreciated most about Saturdays in the office was how quiet it was. With few meetings and few people to distract him, he always got more done on Saturdays than the rest of the workweek combined.
Today, though, Max was distracted despite the quiet. He wondered what Billie was doing and if she’d gotten the money she needed for her Christmas program. He was sure she had. She was charming and passionate, and Max knew that wealthy benefactors would be tripping over themselves to fund her programs. She’d seemed worried at the bar, but surely she’d woken up Saturday morning to a flood of calls and emails offering funding.
Still, he wondered.
Sunday was a little warmer than Saturday had been. Max spent a few hours in the morning in his home office, then the afternoon working out and getting his ducks in a row for the upcoming week. Most of his staff would be off on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, which meant that the beginning of the week would be busier than usual.
The day slipped by quickly and, before Max knew it, it was Monday morning. On the way to work, he checked his schedule and had to stifle a groan. The first thing on his agenda was a meeting with Stephanie and the PR team. Hopefully, they just wanted to share thoughts from the Grateful Gala and let him know that he could forget about charities, and their beautiful founders, for the rest of this year and well into the next.
Max was not so lucky. Stephanie and her team were already waiting in his office when he arrived, and they looked all business.
“Good morning, Max.” Stephanie gestured for him to take a seat, even though this was his office.
“What brings you by?” Max asked. He sat in his desk chair and leaned back.
“We wanted to check in after the gala on Friday,” Stephanie told him. “Over the weekend, your social media and tabloid appearances have been trending up, thanks to a few pictures of you mingling with a more charitable crowd.” She showed him a post on her tablet, which showed Max shaking hands with Billie. He vaguely remembered posing for that picture, but the sight of Billie in the long, flared red skirt and tight sweater she’d worn brought back a lot of other memories that Max tried to put out of his mind.
“Great. So, it looks like this endeavor has been a success.”
“Exactly. We’ve proven that engaging with charity is good for your image, which means that it’s time to move on to Phase Two.”
Max did not like the sound of that. “Phase Two?”
“We need you to engage with a charity directly,” Stephanie informed him. “The public should see that you’re willing to put your money where your mouth is. Did you meet any charity representatives who you’d particularly like to support? It would help if you were promoting a cause you believe in.”
Max’s mind went blank. He’d spoken to numerous people at the gala, but only one stood out, and he couldn’t very well name her charity.
“Come on, you must have heard about at least one cause you believe in,” Stephanie prodded.
“Sweetest Surprise,” Max blurted. It was the first — and only — charity he could think of. Plus, Billie deserved any money she received. She was probably swimming in donations already, but a check from Max couldn’t hurt.
“Oh, wonderful. That Christmas gift charity. Perfect.”
“So, I just write a check?” Max asked.
“Here’s the problem.” Stephanie leaned forward. “A check isn’t going to cut it. It’s a good start, but the public needs to see you actually engaging with a charity. Giving your time. Being part of the cause.”
Oh, no. This was getting worse and worse. “So, you want me to work with Bil— Sweetest Surprise?”
“Exactly.”
“I’m not sure that the director will be very excited to work with me.” Not after we spent a passionate night together and then went our separate ways in the morning without even saying goodbye. Not when she knows that we disagree about charity, and that I’d only be there for the publicity.
Stephanie waved his concerns away with a flick of her manicured nails. “I can be very persuasive. I’ll call over this afternoon and work everything out.”
“Maybe it’s better if I speak to them in person.”
“Good idea.” Stephanie nodded slowly. “I’ll set an appointment for this morning and see if I can get a big check made up in time. A photo of you handing over a big check would be a great start.”
“No, I mean, I should speak to them and make sure that the organization is okay with this. It’s a lot to ask.”
“Hardly. Every charity needs funding, and publicity like what we’re offering will only bring in more funding, on top of the donation you make.”
“Still.” Max wasn’t budging on this. If he was going to drop back into Billie’s life uninvited, he needed to be the one to speak to her about it. He needed to make sure that she was okay with collaborating in a professional capacity with him. “Let me talk to them before we proceed.”
“All right.” Stephanie tapped on her tablet. “How about we go over together around eleven? I’ll get a check made up by then. How much are you willing to donate?”
“I’ll cover her Christmas program,” Max said. “I have a flier somewhere around here with the amount she needed. Actually, I’d like to give a little extra.”
“Good, good.” Stephanie nodded approvingly. “ Now you’re getting it. I’ll track down the amount the organization needs and make sure the check covers that and a little more.” She got to her feet, and the rest of the team followed suit. “See you around ten thirty.”
They swept out, leaving Max alone in his office. He dropped his head into his hands. He knew already that this was going to be a disaster. A complete and total disaster. Billie wasn’t going to want to work with him. She might not even accept his donation if she had enough money for her Christmas program anyway. Which she probably did by now. Then Max would be scrambling to find a different charity that he was even less excited to work with.
In retrospect, Max wished he’d named a different cause. But Billie’s charity was the first that had popped into his mind — and if he were being honest, he did think that her Christmas gift program was worth supporting. He just hadn’t expected to actually have to ask to work with her.
Max sighed and put the whole sticky situation out of his mind. He still had several hours until he needed to leave to meet Billie, with Stephanie at his side. In the meantime, he had work to do — work that was vital to the future of his company, instead of just good for his image.
For the next few hours, Max reviewed contracts and approved budgets and gave the go-ahead for a few last-minute details for the Colorado Springs branch of Bluebell Diner that was due to open in a few weeks. Usually, he was an expert at tuning out stresses from outside of work while he was in the office, but today he still found it hard to put Billie out of his mind. Would she agree to work with him? Would she accept his donation? Would she hate him for turning up at her place of work after the night they’d spent together?
In a matter of hours, Max would find out. And he had to admit, part of him was looking forward to seeing Billie again — even though he knew it wasn’t going to go well.