Page 20 of Max

“Honestly, no. I’m just a small-town girl at heart who grew up in rural Virginia. I keep my nose out of other people’s business, and I try to help as many people as I can. That’s how I was raised. People might call me a diva, but I’m not. I promise you, I’m not. I’ve just learned to protect myself, and I don’t let the outside see who I really am. I let them see who I want them to see.”

“That’s understandable, given what you’ve been through.”

She laughed, the sound as bitter as day-old coffee grounds. “Tell that to the public.”

“Fuck ’em.”

“What?” She glanced up, head tilted.

“Fuck ’em. They don’t know you, but they feel like they can judge you. It’s the same thing I tell Desi. Let them believe what they want and say fuck ’em to the assholes who want to judge you.”

“Some days that’s all I want to do, but being who I am, I can’t afford that type of attitude. If I became a bitch, people would tune out and I’d be let go. Then what would I do?”

“Is acting all you ever wanted to do?”

“I used to think so.”

“But not anymore?”

“Since my miscarriage, I’ve been thinking about a lot of things. I love acting, but the demands on my time are getting old.”

“Is there something else you wanted to do?”

“Theater. I was thinking of maybe starting my own theater and opening it up to at-risk kids. Showing them there’s something better they can do with their time instead of turning to drugs and other bad behaviors. That takes a lot of money, though.”

“There’s always investors.”

She shook her head. “No. If I take investor money, then I can’t make the decisions. Their money guarantees them a say in how the program is run, and I don’t want to see my dreams of what the program could be turn into the bottom-line discussion.”

“I have a feeling you’ll figure it out if it’s that important to you.”

Shay yawned.

“Getting sleepy?”

“I’ve been up since three yesterday, and it’s after four now, so yeah, I’m tired.”

“You go on to bed. I’ll be out here on the couch if you need anything.”

“Let me grab you a pillow and some blankets. You’re welcome to use the guest shower. It’s just off the living room through that hallway there.”

“Thanks.”

Once Shay had brought him the bedding, she excused herself and went to her bedroom. Max made quick work of making up the couch. His eyes felt grainy, and he needed sleep in a bad, bad way.

Making a snap decision, he called Jasper.

“It’s after four in the morning.”

“I know. That’s why I’m calling.”

“Did something happen?”

“No, but I’ve had two hours of sleep in the last seventy-six hours. I need someone to come help you today while I sleep. I won’t be able to do shit if I don’t get at least eight hours.”

“Fuck. Why didn’t you say something yesterday?”

“Because we had shit to do yesterday. Can you grab one of the guys to sit outside the apartment door or downstairs? I’d rather have you up here if possible.”

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