Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sam
N aomi’s not gone two minutes before someone slides onto the bench across from me. I look up from my phone into the smiling face of Max, the caretaker of the guys’ property on Merit Island, the close island neighbor to Faraday.
Max is an old sage and has been known to swoop in to help many people solve problems with his surprisingly astute insights. I know Avery, for one, makes special trips over to Merit just to seek out his council.
I haven’t had as much of a personal relationship with Max as the other guys. I don’t spend much time at the Merit mansion, but he and I have a comfortable friendship built over years of seeing each other at events and around town.
“Hey, Max. How are you?”
His big buddha smile beams on his round, happy face. “Enjoying the only day I was given.”
I laugh at the perfectly Max response and nod. “That sounds about right. What brings you to Faraday?”
“I just had a feeling I should come to this place. ”
I stifle another grin. It’s hard to keep a straight face in the presence of this peacefully joyful soul. “Well, can I buy you a drink?”
“It appears you already have two,” Max observes.
“I do. I have a…a date, I guess.”
“A date he guesses. I see I chose the right table to sit down at.”
I narrow my eyes at his still smiling face. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You tell me.”
I take a long sip of my water through a straw as the bartender sets a glass down in front of Max. The old man pulls his drink toward himself without taking his eyes off me. He takes a sip and continues to watch me.
Finally, I lose the battle. “I’m sleeping with Dom’s little sister, and I think I might be in love with her.”
Max’s grin grows impossibly wider. “Fantastic.”
I shake my head. “It might be fantastic, but I know Dom’s going to freak if he ever finds out.”
“You know nothing.”
A deep sigh escapes my lungs at his answer. I was hoping for some advice, not a cryptic fortune cookie message, no matter how well meaning. “I guess.”
“Tell me about the woman.”
I feel myself involuntarily smile. “She’s amazing. She just has this essence about her, like the warm bath I’ve been searching for my whole life. Like I can relax for the first time. Honestly, I hadn’t even realized how hard I was searching for my person. How much mental energy went into worrying that I would never find her. But now that she’s here, I feel like a weight has been lifted. Like I stepped out of a fog.”
“But you would consider walking away from this to not risk upsetting your friend. ”
“I don’t see what choice I have, really. If Dom isn’t on my side…” I stop, not ready to admit my greatest shame. Not even to this seemingly safe third party.
“You worry about upsetting Dominic because you’ve come to believe that you are the lesser of your friends due to your family’s financial situation. And having Dominic as a close friend and business partner offers you the financial security you feel is necessary for your continued belonging in the group.”
My mouth falls open. “How do you know any of that?”
Max just sips his drink, calm smile still plastered on his face. “It’s written right across your face.”
I rub my hand over my face absentmindedly, as if I could feel my darkest secrets written there in braille.
Max’s smile widens. “This is a wound from your childhood that you need to heal in order to move on. If you want to move on, that is. You don’t have to.”
“What do you mean I don’t have to?”
He looks at me pointedly. “You don’t have to do anything. That’s the beauty, and the curse I suppose, of free will. You have made a nice place for yourself here in this life. You have the resort, and you have your friends. You have comfort and financial security. Many people would be very happy to live out the rest of this lifetime in your position, not rocking the boat.”
I can feel the but coming. I don’t even bother to ask for it.
“But if you’re not content with what you have, then boat rocking is your only option.”
The truth of his words strike through me with actual, physical pain. I feel myself grimace as I look down at the straw between my fingers.
I already knew this.
I already took inventory of my life. Found it overflowing with opportunity and happiness and blessings.
And found it lacking.
“But…” I start, not having any idea what question to ask to get the answer I need.
“But what if you get wet?” Max offers.
I nod.
He shrugs. “A special design feature of human beings.” He taps the skin on his arm with two fingers. “We’re waterproof. And we dry quickly.”
“Hi,” Naomi says, climbing back onto the bench beside me.
“Hello, my dear,” Max coos at her, rising a bit to extend both hands across the table toward her.
Naomi’s face cracks into a smile as she takes them both and lets him hold them.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you.”
I grin at the look on Naomi’s face. It’s not uncommon for people to fall so quickly under Max’s spell. She’s smiling at him wide eyed, still holding both of his hands.
When he releases her and stands, she turns her head up, forehead creasing. “Do you want to join us?” she asks.
Max shakes his head. “Alas, my own boat is waiting.”
We watch him walk away in silence.
After a long moment, Naomi turns to me. “Who was that guy?”
I smile up at the bartender as he sets two plates of blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, and crispy bacon in front of us. “Max. He and his wife live on Merit Island where the guys have another house. He’s a bit of a local counselor.”
“Ooh,” Naomi says, mostly to her steaming plate. “Did he offer you any advice?”
I shove my loaded fork into my mouth to buy myself some time. I’m not sure how much of what Max said is worth sharing or how much I’m brave enough to share.
What would it mean to admit all this to her? All my feelings and fears? How deep I am in the pit of worry about what’s going to happen between us?
And what will happen to me if I end up making the wrong choice?
“He told me that if I rock the boat, I’m going to get wet.”
She raises her eyebrows, pausing midchew to gape at me. “And?”
I shrug, eyes on my plate as I load my fork once more. “And he reminded me that I’m waterproof.”