Chapter 37
MAX
Iopen my phone, hoping to hear something from Avery. I sent her two messages once I got back to the apartment yesterday afternoon, but it still looks like she hasn’t read them.
Avery, I’m sorry about this afternoon. I know a lot happened, and I need to apologize for what my father said. Call, text, or come by when you can—I’d rather you hear it from me than sit with it alone.
All of it. Any question you ask, you’ll get an answer.
I thought about going to the coffee shop, but I don’t want to make her workplace uncomfortable.
Maybe she’s someone who needs a lot of space. Or she sees how messed up things are in my life and is getting out early.
Yesterday feels like a dream, and I’m trying to figure out what to make of it.
Even after a lengthy talk with Aiden, who was traveling back to Northern California, didn’t do much to help the tangle I’m in.
He said I should give her a few days to figure out what she wants, and maybe she’ll come to me.
When I didn’t show up at the airport, my father called my phone at least thirty times, the last one coming close to one in the morning.
Then nothing, which is suspicious.
I went to sleep just after that, sleeping until closer to seven. If I were in New York, I’d have been working for at least three hours by this point, which I now realize isn’t healthy.
While I don’t want to return to work completely, I know I need to reach out to my assistant and the department heads and check in.
It’s been a couple of weeks since I left New York, but it could’ve been months for the change I feel.
I need to do something so I don’t keep checking my phone, hoping I’ve missed a call or text from the girl next door.
I open my laptop, logging into emails. It takes nearly two hours to go through everything, and that’s looking at the abbreviated versions at the tops of most of the messages. I’ve saved the ones that need longer answers than a few words, then send a message to my assistant with my new phone number.
As expected, five minutes later, I get a call from a New York area code.
“Max?” Charlie asks when I answer.
“Hey, Charlie. Sorry for disappearing. How are things?”
He lets out a long breath. “I’m just glad you’re alive. There have been a lot of rumors going around the office.”
I laugh. “I can understand why. I’ll be remote for a few days but give me updates on where we are with the new stores. Then anything else we might need to tackle.”
“The most important part,” he says, “is probably the board meeting at the end of this week.”
I blow out a breath. “I should probably be there for that. Will you set up travel from the airport nearest Penrose Beach?”
“Where is that located, sir?”
I smile. “Southern California. And if I’ve never said it, you’re the best trip planner on the planet.”
“Um, thank you?”
“I didn’t realize how easy you make my life in all aspects. I’ll get paperwork to payroll that I’m upping your salary.”
“I-I’m not sure what to say,” Charlie replies.
“You don’t have to say anything right now. Just get travel prepped for that meeting and then a return flight for the day after.”
“How long will you be staying in Penrose Beach?”
I let out a long breath. “That’s still up in the air, but for a bit. I’ll fly out whenever I need to, but I want to see a few things finished before I make any final decisions.”
“I’ll get that taken care of, boss.”
“Thank you, Charlie.”
He’s efficient, and I start seeing several forwarded emails about other issues at the company. Sinking into the work, I get lost in it, which is exactly what I need right now.
I came back to the apartment after the interaction with Wolfgang and haven’t left since. I don’t want to leave, but I know that I have a lot going on back in New York. How do I balance all of this while still committing to the company? Is that still what I want to do anymore?
Penrose Beach has captured my heart in more ways than one, and if I can work and enjoy my time here, it would be the best of both worlds. There’s nothing to do but try it and see.
I glance around the flat, and I’m surprised by how horribly awful the furniture is. If I want to stay here for an extended amount of time, I definitely need to make something work in here, and it’s not this furniture.
With Aiden gone, I need help from someone close. Mike is probably working on a job around town. But it’s early enough that Marco might be free.
I call the number listed for the restaurant, and he answers with, “The Italian Rose, this is Marco.”
“Hey, this is Max. I need help with moving some furniture. Do you know of someone who helps with that?”
“I can help. I’ll bring my son. Where is it?” I didn’t expect Marco’s answer to come so quickly.
“It’s above the coffee shop.”
“Perfect. We come in ten minutes.”
If I’m going to stay here for a while, I need to make sure this space is something I can live with.
While I wait, I call Aiden. From the background noise, I can tell he’s probably at the airport.
“What if I stay here?” I ask.
“Okay, wait. Did I miss something? Because I thought you had this big argument with your father last night. What’s going on? Did something happen between you and Avery?”
My stomach sinks. “No. Sadly, nothing happened between us. But I realized how much I love it here, how much it’s changed my life in just a few short weeks, and I know that I can’t turn my back on that. I can’t go back to the way things were before.”
“That’s a big step. Are you leaving the company, or what are you planning?”
“No, but I’ll make some changes so that I can have a little more freedom in where I live and have actual time off instead of burning through the midnight oil for years at a time.”
“Okay, so where does that leave you and Avery?”
“I don’t think I can fix that part,” I say, and dread fills every part of my body at the thought.
“What are you talking about? There’s nothing you can’t fix. You’re the master at negotiating and putting people at ease. I think helping her see the reasons you did what you did might help the situation.”
Frustration surges and I don’t see a way through it. “I don’t think so, Aiden. The way she looked at me and how upset she was about me not letting her know anything…it crushes me to even think about right now.”
“You’re not even going to try?” Aiden asks.
“What do you suggest?”
“Become a fixture in this town. Show her that you could be anywhere, but you want to be here.”
“Okay, how do I do that?”
There’s a slight pause, and it’s suddenly quieter on his end. “Keep doing what you’ve been doing. Restore the building and work on your other properties. Get coffee from her every day. Show up to all the town activities.”
“That sounds rather stalkerish,” I say, chuckling.
“What’s her biggest fear about you right now?”
I swallow with difficulty. “That I’m not who I say I am. But I’ve shown her who I am the entire time I’ve been here, I was just using the name Max Luca, inspector.”
“Then she needs time to reconcile that those two people are the same person.”
For the first time in hours, I feel a flicker of hope.
“My first order of business is to get rid of this crappy furniture, then find pieces that are comfortable so I’d want to stay in the flat.” Although I have a strange attachment to the couch after our movie night.
Still, it’s not comfortable even for a few seconds, let alone hours.
“From what I’ve heard, Talia has a lot of good pieces that she fixes up and sells. Maybe check her first.”
“I didn’t think about her, actually, but that’s a good idea.”
“Keep me updated. I’ll live vicariously through you.”
Laughing, I say, “Or you can ask Talia on a date for the next time you’re in town.”
“My flight is boarding. Good luck, and I’ll call you later.”
That’s very convenient when I bring up his connection to my contractor.
I start taking down the weird art and put a bunch of the décor into a box while waiting for Marco to come.
There’s a knock on the door fifteen minutes later and I open it to Marco and a teenager behind him.
“Thank you for coming. We’re going to take this down to the curb.”
Marco looks over it all and then back to me. “It sell already?”
“No. I need something else. We’ll let people come get it for free.”
“We take to our house?” Marco asks, pointing to him and his son.
Surprised, I say, “Sure. Do you have a truck to carry the furniture?”
The teenage boy nods. “It’s downstairs in front of the building. I’m Gio.”
“Are you sure you want this furniture?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Gio says. “What we have is very old. This looks brand new.”
“Let’s go, then,” I say. We start with a section of the couch, maneuvering it around the bends in the stairs and out to the truck. The next section is a bit easier and fills the remaining space in the truck bed.
“Why don’t you go unload that and come back for the television cabinet?” I ask.
“We can do that.”
“Do you need a dining table as well?” I ask, wondering if maybe they could benefit from the entire setup.
Gio shrugs. “We have an older folding table. And a few mismatched chairs.”
I grin. “Perfect. We’ll get the dining room table brought down for you as well. Are you good with beds?”
Waving his hand, Gio says, “We’re good on those.”
“Come on up when you get back. I’ll start bringing some other things downstairs.”
I pull out my phone and text Talia.
What do you have by way of furniture that’s ready to sell?
It’s an easy way to support someone local.
That’s what I tell myself, anyway.
The truth is, I’m thinking about my old couch—and Avery curled into it beside me, both of us pretending it was more comfortable than it was.
As much as I’m wishing I could go back and start my stay as Max Bauer, I know I’ve got to make things work here. I’ve got to prove to her that I’m worth the leap.
I’ll take Aiden’s advice and stay in Penrose Beach—except for when I have to make it to a board meeting—and wait it out. I can be patient when waiting for the one person that makes me feel both alive and like I can do anything.
Avery is that person.