Chapter Five
She liked them. It was the thought spinning in Maxie’s head when they left the restaurant. She liked them a lot.
Of course, the bourbon helped.
Her brain felt uncluttered for the first time all day, and her heart was light as they stepped out into the parking lot.
They’d drunk more than she’d expected and had stayed longer than she’d planned.
Still, it had been a good time. They’d stayed away from the more delicate matters and had just gotten to know each other.
She and the sisters—and she and Zac. Roxie was wild, funny and fearless.
Lexie was smart, cultured and friendly. And Zac?
He was observant and clever. Sexy and devious.
There were times over the course of dinner where even she’d forgotten they weren’t really a couple.
Which was dangerous in and of itself.
Twilight was settling in as they headed to their cars.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t bringing any relief in the weather.
Heat billowed around them. In the dimming light, Maxie could have sworn she saw waves of heat spiraling upwards from the cement.
Either that or the alcohol was making her vision waver.
“Whew.” Roxie wiped a hand over her brow. “It’s nasty hot out here.”
“And humid,” Lexie agreed, plucking at her close-fitting dress.
Humid was a mild word for the way the air felt. It was like walking through an invisible sponge. “Nasty,” Maxie agreed.
Zac smiled down at her and touched the tip of her nose. “You’re tipsy.”
She scrunched her nose at the tickle. “Maybe a little.”
She wasn’t a big drinker. When she did imbibe, she preferred mai tais and daiquiris to the hardcore stuff.
Still, the bourbon had loosened her up. As tense as she’d been, it had helped calm her down.
She had to admit, all those weird coincidences had shaken her—and secretly excited her.
It was strange to be part of something larger than herself, and not only a new family, but a more powerful, almost mystical connection.
She was even beginning to pick up on the invisible language she’d noticed before, the innate communication.
“I only had one or two,” she insisted.
“Or three.” He ran his hand lightly over her hair.
So, she’d had three. She still had her wits about her. She was relaxed or, at best, not quite as panicked as she’d been during this long, crazy day.
Roxie tilted her head back to look at the sky. The last streaks of color from the sunset were fading. The loss of the sun should have dropped the temperature, but instead the darkening sky felt like a lid closing over the simmering town. “I’m being poached,” she complained.
Lexie clutched her vase of flowers with one hand and fanned herself with the other. “I don’t know if the air conditioning in our room will keep up with this. It was having trouble before we left.”
“Where are you staying?” Zac asked.
“A place called the Inndigo. It’s down the river a bit.”
And right in the worst part of town.
Maxie frowned. The Inndigo wasn’t quite a dive, but it wasn’t far from it. “Maybe you should upgrade. There’s a nice bed-and-breakfast not far from my shop.”
“The Blue Morning? It’s booked full.” Lexie shrugged. “This place was all we could get with the art festival in town this weekend, but that’s all right. We didn’t want to wait to come find you.”
Unease began working its way back into Maxie’s chest. These two didn’t belong in that place. The Inndigo might not look bad, but it wasn’t safe.
Roxie groaned. “The bottoms of my shoes are getting gummy. Let’s get going.”
Maxie knew how she felt. Heat was radiating up her legs as her dress tried to cling to them. It was an uncomfortable, icky feeling—almost as bad as the idea of the two of them sleeping at the Inndigo. “You can’t stay there,” she insisted. “It’s not a good part of town.”
“We’ll be fine,” Lexie said.
“But the air conditioning.”
“I’ll have the manager come down to look at it.” She unlocked her car with her remote.
“But…” Maxie looked at Zac. Having them stay at the tiny motel was wrong.
The place was relatively clean and privately owned, but it was right along the interstate.
Indigo Falls attracted a lot of tourists, but they tended to stay in town.
The Inndigo served the kind of people who moved on through: long-range truckers, traveling salesmen and transients.
It was a crowd that tended to stir up unrest. Only a month ago, someone had OD’d there.
“Did you look in Freeman?” Zac was the sheriff. He knew better than anyone the kind of calls that came in from that place. “It’s another fifteen minutes down the road—not that we’re trying to get rid of you.”
Roxie held her hair off the back of her neck. “I’m too tired to find another place. Besides, I’ve stayed in worse. Hell, I live in West Cobalt.”
“No.” The word was out before Maxie realized she’d made a decision.
Bourbon, she thought musingly. It put words in your mouth before your brain had a chance to review them.
Still, it was out there, and she wasn’t going to let the sisters stay in that rundown place.
She’d never forgive herself if something happened to them.
“You can stay with me.”
Three heads turned towards her simultaneously. Lexie’s expression was cautious, while Roxie’s was happy. Zac’s was simply surprised.
“Are you sure that’s not the alcohol talking?” he asked low enough that only she could hear.
“I have plenty of room, and my air conditioning works fine.”
“Hallelujah,” Roxie rejoiced.
Lexie was a bit more hesitant. “But Cam should be here soon. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
Zac’s expression altered. It was subtle, but Maxie was beginning to learn how to read him too. She could tell as his mood went from surprised to disagreeable to thoughtful. When he turned towards the sisters, it had changed yet again. Calculating, she worried.
“The more the merrier,” he said. “We’d love to have you.”
We?
Maxie had thought her head was clear, but that one word jumbled it back up. “What?” she squeaked.
He smiled at her and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “You don’t think I’d let a strange man stay overnight with you alone, do you?”
She stared up at him.
He brushed a finger across her cheek. “I’m the big, bad, protective boyfriend. Remember, Beauty?”
She did when he stole a quick kiss from her lips. The hot brush of his mouth unhinged her knees, but he was already pulling back and jingling his keys at Lexie.
“Are you okay to drive?” he asked.
Besides him, she was the only one who’d watched her intake. One bourbon was all she’d managed to choke down before she’d switched to Diet Coke. She held up her keys, smiling. “I’m fine. What’s the address?”
Maxie followed along dumbly when Zac grabbed her hand. What had just happened? How had she filled her house with guests, including a pretend hot-and-heavy boyfriend?
“We’ll come to the motel and help you pack your things. You can follow us to the house.”
“Thank God,” Roxie said as she got into Lexie’s Acura. “You know how sweet I am. Let’s go before I melt.”
If possible, the air was even steamier when Maxie climbed out of Zac’s Jeep at the Inndigo.
The moisture in the air made it hard to breathe and the heat felt physically heavy.
Of course, that could have been the pressure she suddenly felt pushing down on her.
For a timid sort, she’d taken a huge, unsuspecting leap.
She glanced around the parking lot. The place wasn’t as rundown as she’d made it in her head, and it was relatively empty. The motel’s guests might be on the road or at the bars. Park Art wasn’t a big draw for these types.
She sighed. Maybe she’d blown things out of proportion, but she was glad she wasn’t letting Lexie and Roxie stay here. It was the addition of Zac that had her flummoxed.
Where was she going to put him? He wasn’t thinking he’d sleep with her, was he? How far were they going to push this deception?
“It shouldn’t take us long.” Lexie had the rental unit’s key in hand as she got out of her car. “We haven’t unpacked much.”
“Don’t forget all the trinkets you bought at the shops along the waterfront,” Roxie said.
Lexie grimaced. “Okay, it might take a bit longer than I thought.”
“I can help carry things,” Zac offered, following along.
They gathered at the door, but the moment Lexie opened the motel room, stifling heat swirled out.
“Holy steam baths, Batman.” Roxie pulled back sharply. “It’s even worse inside.”
Maxie stood on the threshold and felt the mugginess coating her skin. The air conditioning not only wasn’t working, it was pushing out heat.
Lexie braced herself before lunging inside. “Let’s make it fast.”
Together, they collected things and threw them in suitcases.
Maxie gathered sacks from the local stores and rushed them out to the car.
Zac went down to report the malfunctioning cooling unit to the manager, and when he returned, they loaded him down with suitcases to carry to the trunk.
It took only a few minutes, but by the time they had everything ready to go, they were all sticky with sweat.
“I can’t take it.” Roxie pulled her tank top away from her skin. She looked miserable as she panted for air. Turning around, she searched for relief.
“Get in the car,” Lexie said. “I’ll turn the A/C on high.”
Roxie didn’t hear her. She was already heading across the parking lot, her steps gathering speed.
Maxie watched her. What was she doing?
Her gaze focused on the only thing that could be Roxie’s destination. But she couldn’t. She absolutely couldn’t be thinking of—
But she was.
Astounded, Maxie watched as Roxie yanked open the gate to the chain-link fence that surrounded the outdoor swimming pool. Without hesitation, she started peeling off her clothes and tossing them onto a poolside chair. She seemed uncaring of her surroundings, any onlookers or any pool rules.
“Oh no,” Lexie groaned. “Roxie!”