Page 16 of Shadowed Rubies
“You broke up with Molly.” I groused.
“What?!?” Dean sounded utterly perplexed when he said, “That was months ago.”
I huffed out an exasperated breath before giving him a cryptic explanation that only served to confuse him further. “I know, but I’m feeling the repercussions of it now.”
19
Max
That had to be one of the most epically awkward ambulance rides in the history of ever. Even the EMT seemed tense. He was probably thrilled when the three of us finally made our way off his rig.
After all of these years of daydreaming about Dani, my chance to impress her finally came, but my sister ruined it with her bitter feelings toward Dani’s brother. Normally, I love it that Molly is so spirited and opinionated, but if there was ever a time that I wished she would just forgive and forget, it would be now.
Dean’s a great guy, and he can’t help who he fell in love with. I’d known about his feelings for Josie for years. In fact, I had tried to warn my sister when she started dating him that he wasn’t truly emotionally available, but did she listen to her big brother?? The answer to that would be a big, fat no.
Staring at my sister as we waited for a doctor to come check her head injury, I realized that she had every right to be bitter over the way Dean dumped her, seemingly out of the blue. Her intense, lingering anger effectively made it impossible for me to forge a real connection with Dani, though. Molly can hold a grudge like no other, so she would likely make family functions horrific if she ended up at anything with Dean and Josie.
Sighing, I decided that it was probably for the best if I didn’t see Dani anymore. She was probably heading back to Boston soon, anyway. So, my sister was probably saving me from the inevitable heartache of losing Dani to the draw of the big city. Her medical career was bound to have many more, widely varied opportunities down there than it would in this small town.
Molly’s sour attitude alleviated any temptation to try to start something up with Dani while she was in town. Well, it should have removed the temptation, but now that I’ve seen Dani again, all of the familiar feelings and aching desires I’ve had for her since middle school were churning up to the surface in my mind and heart. It was time to tamp those firmly back down before Molly came along and stomped on them.
Hours went by as we waited for news from Molly’s doctor. It was all I could do to keep from going to check on how Dani was doing. I told myself that it was the polite and honorable thing to do, but deep down, I knew that my real goal would be to ask to see her again.
The woman was my weakness, so it was probably best just to avoid the temptation. Honestly, I knew it would never be enough. The more I saw of her, the more I would want to see of her. I’ve spent years apart from her, and I’ve dated plenty of other women, but Dani was still never far from my mind. She’s the total package, and daydreaming about her was an addiction that I simply couldn’t get enough of. Dating her in real life might push me over the edge into the madness that some call love.
Once Molly received the all-clear, I took her home to get settled. Damn if I didn’t crane my neck around as we headed out, hoping for a glimpse of Dani––even though I had spent the entire evening convincing myself that the woman was bad news for me. Old habits die hard, I guess.
Molly wasn’t supposed to be left alone, so I camped out on her couch for the night and played nursemaid. Lapping up the attention, my bratty sister demanded a bell to ring to summons me, but I put my foot down and refused to find her one.
It’s hard to believe that, within just a few hours, I could go from being so worried about her that I would give anything to have her back with me––safe and sound––to so annoyed that I’d gladly sell her to the highest bidder, but here we were.
She was a stubborn, demanding patient. When my alarm finally went off in the morning, I was thrilled to get the reprieve of going to work. My sister was a handful, so I was glad my shift watching her was over. I’d gladly let Mom deal with her for a bit. Those two generally didn’t get along for more than five minutes at a time, but I’d already done more than my share.
I decided to walk to work, and I felt like whistling as I made my way along the sidewalks. Yesterday was impossibly stressful and fright-inducing, but everything worked out. As much as I loved my sister, I was glad to be free of her for a bit.
As I walked past the newspaper holder, the enormous black-and-white picture on the front page of The Brunswick Bay Gazette caught my attention. The photograph of me and Dani’s little rat-dog was prominently displayed. Seeing that made me want to pump my fist in the air, but I refrained, since Mrs. Branson was coming toward me. That busybody would probably start a rumor that I’d gone loopy, if she witnessed me having a celebration-for-one on the sidewalk.
Beaming what I hoped was a handsome smile at the old woman, I inserted extra enthusiasm into my voice when I said, “Morning, Mrs. Branson!”
Turning up the charm must have worked because the woman practically tittered as she responded, “Why, good morning, Maxwell.”
Only the old people in town still called me Maxwell. The formal moniker didn’t bother me when it came from one of the elders, but if one of my friends dared to call me that, we would quickly come to blows.
As soon as I passed Mrs. Branson, I allowed my mind to wander to that picture on the front of the paper. I couldn’t have planned it better myself. Dani was bound to see it and seek me out to thank me for saving her pooch. I’d get to see her again without having to stoop to telling her about the dog rescue. It wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if I bragged about it, so having the newspaper tout it up was perfect.
I rounded the corner to enter the firehouse and discovered the paper’s cover story had already worked its magic. Dani was standing next to the shiny red truck looking fresh and beautiful. She’d used more makeup than normal––likely to cover the cuts and bruises from her time with Kevin. While I normally liked a more natural look, Dani was beautiful enough to make anything work.
Since I’d been eyeballing her, I’d failed to notice the three guys that were gathered around her, hanging on her every word. These men were supposed to be my brothers. I counted on them to save my life, when the time came, and they trusted me to do the same. Right now, I wanted to throttle them all.
When Riggins said something that made Dani tip back her head and emit a sexy, throaty laugh, my hands fisted involuntarily at my sides. Riggins wasn’t that funny. I ached to be the one bringing out her unbridled laugh––and any other passionate noises she might make.
Walking directly up to the gathered group, I used my deepest, most authoritative voice to say, “Don’t you boys have work to do?”
I wasn’t normally one to throw around my seniority like that, but I was desperate to have Dani’s full attention focused on me. I didn’t need any competition to distract her from me.
The men paused for a long moment, seeming shocked by my uncharacteristic abruptness. All at once, they began moving and scattered to find jobs that needed to be done.
Dani turned to look up at me with one perfectly-arched brow raised, but she didn’t comment on my borderline rudeness.
