Page 22 of Maximum Dare
“You don’t mind driving on the other side of the road?” I asked, simply trying to make conversation.
Max gave me a sexy smile. “I’m versatile.”
This forbidden crush I was developing was making me feel guilty. It was the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the way he shifted the gears with confidence. Not to mention his gorgeous profile. I suspected he knew I was stealing glances.
Considering Max was used to driving on the right, he was handling the traffic well—like someone who lived here. Yet he lived a million miles away.
“So…you and Nick have the same mum?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, her name is Gillian.”
“How well do you and Nick get along?’
“The older we get, the easier it gets. I was eight and living in São Paulo when Nick was born.”
“That must have been hard. Having your mum here, I mean.”
“It is what it is.”
I wanted to say that he must have missed her a lot, but I didn’t want to bring us both down.
I turned to him. “Did Nick say why he couldn’t make it?”
Max threw me a glance. “He has a meeting with a coach from Manchester United.”
That actually made me feel a little better. “Oh, he couldn’t miss that.”
“Thank you for understanding, Daisy.”
“I’m keeping my eyes, fingers and toes crossed for him.”
Nick’s dream was coming true. He’d sacrificed so much along the way, attending every after-school soccer training day. His talent had been spotted young when he’d played in the little leagues—though his famous father had probably helped shine a spotlight on him. Nick’s focus on the sport had intensified to an obsession when he’d finally believed in his own talent.
His entire life was football.
As a senior player, he was being offered the chance of a lifetime—to play for Manchester United. The money would be amazing, but that had never been Nick’s motivation. It had always been the game. The chance to prove he had what it took to play in the premier leagues. To join the same team that had made his dad an icon.
I’d been there to help Nick get to this point, supporting him any way I could. But now I’d not be able to see him cross the finish line and achieve his dream. That realization stung because it had been my dream, too.
“Want to talk about it?” asked Max.
“I’m fine.”
“I get it. I’ve been there.” He saw my look of disbelief. “I used to be geeky in college. I was the student who always got straight A’s. I loved hanging out in the library. Always had my head in a book. This, I discovered, wasn’t enough to keep her.”
“Keep who?”
“The prettiest girl in school.”
“What happened?”
“She broke my heart. Ruined me for all other girls.”
“There must have been someone else?” My heart stuttered as I waited for his response.
“I run a busy law firm. I’m unable to devote the kind of attention that a serious relationship needs to flourish. But I do date, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
