Page 17 of A Love So Sweet
Treat had heard this story dozens of times, but not until now did he understand the depth of his father’s feelings of something inside him falling into place. That’s how he’d felt when he’d finally met Max.
“But her heart…” His father looked up and away, as though he could see his wife standing in the distance. “Her heart was as sensitive as a newborn bird. The wrong word, the wrong look, and that bullheadedness that had angered you a minute before would wash away as quick as rain. And just like that, you’d crush her spirit.”
Just like Max.“What did you do when that happened?”
His father looked at him for a long moment before responding. “Son, I did everything I could, that’s what I did. There was nothing I wouldn’t have done for her. My ego did not exist when it came to your mother, and heaven knows she knew it, too.” He laughed under his breath. “I swear that woman used it to her advantage.”
Treat was too busy mulling over what his father said to respond.
His father stood and set a hand on Treat’s shoulder. “You want to talk about her?”
“Mom?”
He shook his head. “The woman who’s got my son so tied up in knots that he’s coming to his daddy for relationship advice.”
“Dad,” he scoffed.
“Don’t deny it, son. I’ve been there. Ain’t no use pretending that noose around your heart doesn’t tighten every time you see whoever this woman is.”
Family knows no boundarieswas their family creed, and while it played into taking care of one another, it also meant they would push their noses into each other’s business when they felt one of them was hurting. But Treat was already formulating his plan, and he didn’t need his father’s advice. Every time he thought of Max, he had that feeling—the same one his father described—and there was no way he was going to ignore it.
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Chapter Nine
IT WASN’T UNTIL Max stopped to buy coffee on her way to the festival that she realized she’d left her purse in Treat’s truck. After she’d gone back to her apartment, she’d tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw his eyes looking back at her with so much emotion that it sent her mind into a whirlwind of embarrassment interlaced with gratitude at his understanding. She’d tossed and turned all night.
When she got to the office, Max consumed enough caffeine to hold her through the morning. Now her stomach was growling as loud as could be as she and Chaz went over reports and plans for the day. The second day of the festival always ran smoother than the first. She was amazed at how much more responsibility the staff could handle after a single day of being thrown feetfirst into the fire, and she was thankful for the breathing space.
“Want to take a break for lunch?” Chaz asked.
“No. I’m fine.”All these figures are blurring together, and I see Treat on every page, but I’ll get through it.Stopping would only give her more time to think about how she’d ended their romantic evening. What must Treat think of her after she’d first turned him down in Nassau and then stopped them last night?What do I think of myself?
She didn’t have an easy answer, but one thing was for sure. She was pissed at herself. It had been years since that awful night, and she was still letting it haunt her. Her stomach gurgled loudly, as if it agreed.
Chaz closed the ledger and stood. “Nonsense. We’ve been at it all morning, and your stomach is growling. Come on. We’ll go to Kale’s and grab a bite.”
“I don’t have my purse.”
“Seriously? That’s the lamest excuse ever. My treat.”
She wondered if it would be rude to ask him to refrain from using the wordtreat. She pushed herself to her feet with a sigh. “Okay, you win.”
“What’s up with you today?” Chaz asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this tired.”
I was this tired the two weeks after your wedding when I was too heartbroken to function, but you were on your honeymoon.“I didn’t sleep very well last night.”
“You must have had a good time at the party after all.” Chaz held the door open for her.
She shrugged, avoiding real communication.
They were graced with another warm afternoon, and Max tried not to let the beauty of the day get lost in her lingering mortification. She’d never allowed herself to get carried away as she had with Treat last night, telling him she wanted to touch him and urging him on. But she’dwantedto make love to him, and those primal urges were so new, they felt unstoppable—until the worry overcame the desire and she had been powerless to continue.
At the restaurant, she picked at her salad while Chaz caught her up on all the new things the twins were doing. Her phone vibrated, and she pretended not to hear it, wishing she had forgotten her phone instead of her purse. She was too embarrassed to speak to Treat, and she knew he’d call.
“Aren’t you going to check that?” Chaz asked.
“No.”
