Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Max spent the next several days working in the garage in the futile hope of keeping his mind off Carissa. It didn’t help that he hadn’t heard from her since they left Bea’s. He wanted to give her space, and if he was honest with himself, he wasn’t ready to put it behind him. Her reactions had reminded him uncomfortably of many similar arguments he’d had with Melody. Listening without offering suggestions of how to fix things wasn’t how he was wired, but he’d tried, and he wished that counted for something.
Their break from each other would be coming to an end soon. They were supposed to meet for the final caterer tasting that evening, and Lanie was excited about it.
He’d considered not going. It would make things a lot less awkward if he stayed home. But over the summer, he’d made such a fuss about being a part of things that a sudden change of heart would raise his daughter’s suspicions. Besides, he wanted to go if for nothing else than to spend more time with Lanie.
As he finished up in the garage, the door to the house swung open, and Lanie came in. Her face was lit up with an exuberant smile he tried and failed to return.
“Are you about done?” she asked as she admired his handiwork.
“Yeah. Just need to clean up the dust and debris, then I’ll change, and we can head out.”
To his surprise, Lanie grabbed a broom and started sweeping. “I can’t believe how fast time is flying. Next week is the middle of October.”
“We’ll need to pull out the Halloween decorations soon,” he said.
“About that.” She stopped sweeping and rested her hand on top of the broom handle. “Steven and Rose invited us to the town’s fall festival this weekend. In addition to the hayrides and pumpkin patch, I heard there’s going to be a haunted house. Would you want to go?”
To buy some time, he busied himself with putting away his tools. Ever since Carissa had turned him down for that very festival, he’d been determined to avoid it. Thinking about it, then, only added to his miserable mood, and he wasn’t sure he could muster up the enthusiasm to go in time. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin his children’s fun with his sour attitude.
“I’m not sure. When do you need an answer?”
Her smile faded, and she returned to sweeping. “Um, tomorrow, I guess?” She glanced at him. “Maybe you could bring someone.” A shadow passed over her face. “But maybe not Carissa.”
His heart seemed to stop. “Did it bother you that I brought her apple picking?”
She kept her eyes on the floor. “I suppose I was more surprised. On the one hand, I appreciate that you’re trying to get along with her, but on the other…”
“We’re not dating.” He forced a laugh to disguise the bitterness in his tone.
“Good.” Her answering chuckle sounded hollow. “I appreciate you keeping your word.”
Instead of responding, he focused on putting away his tools. How would Lanie feel if she learned he and Carissa had had lunch together? Would she believe it was an innocent outing? He shook his head. I don’t even believe that.
Once Lanie finished sweeping, she helped him cover his pieces. They went into the house together, and he headed upstairs to change.
He stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As he waited for the water to warm, he mulled over his conversation with Lanie.
“What else can I do?” he asked his reflection. “Carissa already said no, and Lanie just reiterated she doesn’t want me to date her wedding planner.”
Of course, things were already awkward between him and Carissa. He sighed as he climbed into the shower. The tense silence he’d felt since she’d left Bea’s would likely get worse once they were in the same room together. Perhaps he should open the lines of communication before he left.
As soon as he was out of the shower, he typed a quick text. He kept it simple since he had neither the time nor the wordsmithing capabilities to make it more detailed. After he hit Send, he dressed and made his way downstairs.
His phone pinged, and he checked the screen. We’re good. Sorry I haven’t been in touch. Decided to consult on corporate retreat.
He frowned. She’d taken the consulting gig after all? Well, he wouldn’t ask her about it that night. But he hoped they could get together soon to talk more. He wondered what had made her choose to go forward with it after everything that jerk CEO had put her through.
“Ready to go?” Lanie came into the hallway with her coat hanging over her arm.
With a curt nod, he grabbed his coat and opened the door. They climbed into his truck, and he drove to The Muddy Oar. If nothing else, he had a delicious piece of chocolate cake to look forward to.
When they arrived, Carissa and Nate were already there. The hostess took them to a back room with a private table, where they would have the final tasting. Several hors d’oeuvres were already laid out on the table.
“Help yourselves,” the hostess said. “The chef will be with you momentarily to discuss the options he has prepared.”
Lanie and Nate sat together on one side of the table, leaving Max to sit next to Carissa. His stomach knotted at the sight of her, but she acted like everything was fine.
“I’m sorry I haven’t called,” she said in a low voice. “But I have a lot to tell you.”
“Maybe we can meet up for coffee tomorrow.”
“I was actually hoping you’d be able to stay after and have a drink with me.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Lanie’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Nothing of importance,” Carissa said quickly, leaning away from Max.
Before Lanie could press the issue, the chef returned carrying a tray. Max pushed his concerns aside as the delicious scent of roasted meat and herbs washed over him.
“Good evening, everyone,” the chef said. “Tonight, I wanted to start you off with lemon-and-herb-roasted turkey with a side of baked parmesan asparagus.”
“Ooh.” Lanie clapped. “It sounds delicious.”
The chef set the tray on the table. Everyone took a generous helping, though Max tried to hide his displeasure at the asparagus.
But Carissa wasn’t fooled. “Not a fan?”
“It’s not my favorite,” he admitted.
“Well, I love it,” Lanie said, taking a bite and smiling. “And it’ll be a nice change from green beans.”
“I may not love the asparagus,” Max said after devouring the turkey, “but the turkey has my vote and should be one of the entrees.”
Nate laughed. “We still have three other entrees to try.” He waved a fork at Max. “Don’t fill up on the first option.”
As if on cue, the chef emerged again with a tray of steak and an array of vegetables. “We have filet mignon with baked potato and a roasted vegetable medley.”
Without waiting for an invitation, Max helped himself to a filet and dug in. He could get used to wedding tastings if it meant he got to eat such delicious food. Maybe he could convince Carissa to allow him to accompany her on meetings with future clients.
“Dad!” Lanie cried out. “You’re not supposed to have red meat.”
Max harrumphed. “The doctor said I can in moderation.”
“You and I have very different definitions of what counts as ‘moderation.’”
“Why can’t you have red meat?” Carissa asked, her eyebrows pinching together.
Just as Max opened his mouth to respond, Lanie cut in. “Because of his cholesterol.”
“It’s a little high,” Max replied, unable to keep the growing irritation out of his tone.
“A little?” Lanie scoffed. “If you don’t get it under control, you’re going to have to start taking medication, and we both know how much you hate the side effects.”
“I’m fine,” he growled, stabbing his fork into the thick cut of beef.
“What do you think of the options?” Carissa asked, clearly trying to prevent another argument.
“I tend to agree with Max on the turkey,” Nate said. “And it fits our Christmas theme perfectly.”
Lanie pressed her lips together and nodded. Once again, Max found himself silently thanking God for Nate. He only wished his future son-in-law wasn’t always needed to step in and defuse the situation between Max and Lanie.
The rest of the meal passed in a tense silence. After the last entree had been served, Carissa handed out scorecards to everyone to help determine which dishes would be included in the final menu. Each card had four options: steak, turkey, crab cake, and ham.
“Rank your favorite dish from one to four, with one being what you liked best and four representing what you liked least. The two entrees with the most votes will be served along with the vegetarian dish we selected last time.”
Max ranked his favorites as steak, turkey, crab cake, and ham. Although he enjoyed the crab cake, it was the most expensive option, and he wanted to be mindful of Lanie and Nate’s budget. He assumed they would choose either the turkey or the ham for their Christmas theme.
“All right,” Carissa said after tallying their responses. “It looks like turkey and steak received the most votes for first and second place.”
The chef returned and took the cards from Carissa. After a brief conversation, he signaled for the servers to clear the table.
Carissa checked off the caterer. “We’re all set! The last thing the caterer will need from us is a final head count, which is due about two weeks before your wedding. Your invitations arrived yesterday, and we need to get those out by the end of next week.” Her face relaxed into an easy smile. “We’re right on track!”
Lanie breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.” She hugged Carissa. “We couldn’t have done this without you.”
“It’s what I’m here for.” Carissa patted Lanie’s back. “Now, why don’t you two kids go have some fun?”
“Sounds good to me.” Nate grabbed Lanie’s hand. “Thanks for everything, Carissa.” Without another word, he led Lanie away.
Max stared after them, wondering if that meant he was heading to his house alone.
“How about that drink?” Carissa asked.
Max tore his gaze away from his daughter’s retreating back. “Sounds good to me.”
They left the small dining area and headed to the bar. The bar was mostly empty, and they had their choice of seats. After they sat near a quiet corner, the bartender came over.
“What’ll you have?”
Max glanced at Carissa. “Ladies first.”
“I’ll have a whiskey, neat.”
His eyes widened, but he ordered the same. After the bartender walked away, he stared at her. “I didn’t take you for a whiskey girl.”
“Normally, I don’t drink hard liquor straight like that, but it’s been a week, and I want something that’s going to burn on the way down.”
“Speaking of that,” Max said, his tone betraying his hesitation, “do you want to talk about it or…?”
She nodded at the bartender, who was preparing their drinks. “Let’s wait until we’ve had a round.”
Once the drinks were in front of them, Carissa closed her eyes and took a sip. “Just what I needed.”
“I half expected you to take it like a shot,” he joked.
“Don’t tempt me.” She laughed. Her sips did become more pronounced, and soon, she was waving the bartender over for another.
“You as well?” the bartender asked.
Max glanced at his drink, which he’d barely touched. “I’m good for now.”
An amused smile pulled at Carissa’s lips. “You need to keep up.”
“I’ll get there.” Max took another sip of his whiskey.
After Carissa had her second glass in front of her, she curled her fingers around it. “So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I decided to work with Imaginavigation Enterprises after everything that’s happened.”
He nodded, saving himself from speaking by draining his glass. The bartender must have expected that because a second later, he’d poured another two ounces for Max.
“It’s not as bad as I originally feared. I’d be working mostly with Colin, and I wouldn’t have to go into DC unless I wanted to.” She proceeded to tell him the entire conversation she’d had with Colin Fields.
When she finished, she downed half her second round of whiskey. Her eyes watered, but otherwise, it didn’t seem to impact her at all.
“At least you’re not working directly with the CEO.” Max ran a hand through his hair. “But can you trust Colin with your idea?”
She snorted. “I can’t trust him to pull it off without me, no. That guy has barely planned a birthday party, let alone something as complicated as a retreat. Still, he’s given me no reason not to trust him to serve as an intermediary between Jacob and me. Besides, as I told you the other day, this is the first real chance I’ve had to branch out and expand my business.”
Max twirled his now-empty glass on the bar in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was discourage her dream, but he couldn’t quite shake the bad feeling swirling around in his stomach. From everything she’d said about Jacob, he sounded like bad news, and Max couldn’t see any good coming from the job.
But he forced a smile and kept his opinions to himself. “It sounds like you’ve put a lot of thought into this, and it does seem like a good opportunity.”
“I hear a ‘but’ in there somewhere.” Carissa raised an eyebrow.
Biting back a smile, he cleared his throat. “Just… Be careful. Jacob sounds like a real snake.”
Her eyes softened, and she took his hand. “I appreciate your concern, and I promise to take it to heart.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“I want to apologize,” she continued, running her thumb over his knuckles. “I shouldn’t have left so abruptly from Bea’s.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry I tried to fix it when it was clear you needed to vent.”
“I know you meant well.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m sorry I’ve been MIA the last few days. Between receiving the news I wasn’t chosen and starting to work with Colin as a consultant, I’ve had a lot going on lately, and it’s important to me to keep my work life separate from my personal life.” Her smile faded. “I’m usually better about maintaining a balance.”
“It’s a new venture for you. It’s understandable that it’s going to take up more of your time.”
“But I’m glad I got a chance to see you again.”
“Yeah?” His chest filled with warmth.
“I’ve missed you.”
Impulsively, he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. “I’ve missed you too.”
Her eyes widened, and her gaze darted nervously around the bar. As it was a weeknight, there weren’t many other patrons around. Still, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. He lowered his hand and shifted away from her.
With a sigh, she placed her glass on the bar and signaled to the bartender. “It’s getting harder and harder to keep my distance from you.”
“I know what you mean.” His voice came out huskier than he intended. “But the wedding is in just over two months.”
Her lips quirked up. “I’ve never been so ready to be done with an event I was planning.”
They paid for their drinks and left the restaurant. He walked her to her car and tried to ignore the familiar pull that seemed to draw them together like magnets.
“Will Lanie still be against us dating after the wedding?” she asked as she unlocked her car door.
“Why would she?” Max frowned. “Her fear seems focused on how our relationship might make things more stressful for her if we broke up before the wedding.”
“I hope that’s the case.”
He stepped back to allow her to climb into the car, and once she was settled, he closed the door. As he walked to his truck, he sent up a small prayer that things would work out with her new business venture. But deep down, he feared it was all going to blow up in her face.