Page 27 of Shadowed Rubies
Molly nodded before saying, “But that’s not all. He never told anyone this next part. I just pieced it together on my own.”
Even though I was aware that she was baiting me, it was working. I was desperate to hear the rest of the story, although I refused to let her know I cared by asking.
After what seemed like an interminable silence, she finally said, “Max evidently saw the red stain on the back of your dress when you got up from your lunch table. Rather than letting anyone else notice the blood, he slid into your seat to cover it up.”
I was slightly embarrassed that young Max had seen that, but impossibly touched that he would go to all of that effort to save me from humiliation with my peers. It was surprising that he had never mentioned it.
“When he stood up, one of the guys noticed blood on his pants, so they dubbed him ‘maxi pad.’ Rather than outing you, he said it must be chocolate or something. They ridiculed him relentlessly about it, but he never said a word. When my mom was doing the laundry and asked him what he got on the back of his jeans, he said it was ketchup. She bought it, but I figured out the truth.”
Molly was watching me closely, obviously trying to gauge my reaction to the impossibly sweet story. I knew she wouldn’t stop staring until I weighed in, so I said, “That was really kind of him.”
“Kind?” Molly spat. “That was one of the sweetest, most thoughtful, grand-romantic gestures I’ve ever even heard of. I’d love to have a man, who isn’t related to me, that would look out for me like that, and all you can say is that it was kind?!?”
“What do you want me to say?” I practically yelled at her. “I guess Max was quite a bit nicer when he was a teenager than he is now because I just caught him making fun of my bathing suit body.”
“No way,” Molly whipped her head back and forth so vehemently, I thought she might shake it right off her neck.
“Yes,” I nodded just as fervently before adding, “I heard it with my own ears.”
“You must have misunderstood.” Molly refused to believe the unflattering truth about her brother. I could relate to that because I would feel the same way about Dean.
Softening my tone because I knew she was just defending her brother, I said, “I’m afraid not. It’s probably best if you just go.”
She seemed to be at an uncharacteristic loss for words as she gathered her purse and scurried off our front porch. Once she was gone, I sighed sadly and stared out at the harbor. It really was a sweet gesture for Max to cover for me like that in high school. It was too bad he’d morphed into such a jerk since then.
30
Max
Iwas as nervous as a pimply sixteen-year-old on prom night as I stood on the Waters’ front porch and tentatively knocked on the fire-engine red door. I’d asked Molly to come and help smooth things over with Dani, but I shouldn’t have done that.
Why had I thought it was wise to send my kid sister in to do a man’s job? We weren’t in high school any more.I needed to take care of this myself. My relationship with Dani was the most important thing in the world to me, so I needed to treat it as such.
I could tell by the wary way she opened the door and peered out at me through half-lidded eyes that Dani was pissed, and she had every right to be. I was here to apologize for taking things too fast last night and to promise to take things slowly going forward. It would be hard to keep my hands off her impossibly sexy body, but I would force myself to do it, if it meant I might eventually win her heart.
“What?” She snapped without preamble.
Her harsh tone surprised me enough that I forgot my intended speech. Instead, I said, “Umm, hi. Did my sister come over to talk to you?”
“Yep, but I’m not sure why you bothered to send her over here to talk you up. The only thing she managed to do was convince me that youusedto be a nice guy.” Dani’s lips were pursed like she had just sucked on a bitter lemon.
“I still am a nice guy, Dani. I’m really sorry about last night.”
“It’s fine,” she said, even though I could tell it wasn’t.
“What can I do to make it up to you? I’ll do anything.” I was starting to sound desperate, but I didn’t care.
“No need,” she said brusquely as if it made no difference to her. When the silence lingered over the threshold, she finally went on in the same flippant tone. “I get it. We were barely dressed, and pressed up against each other, so your base instincts took over.”
“Yes,” I nodded, hoping that she truly understood as well as it seemed. Adding fervency to my tone, I told her, “It won’t happen again.”
“Oh, I know,” she interrupted, before I had the chance to say ‘until you want it to.’
I stared at my feet, not quite able to believe I had truly blown my only chance with this amazing woman. I wasn’t sure what else to say. She took the pressure off me by speaking.
“You would have probably had the same reaction with anyone in that situation. It didn’t mean you were attracted to me.”
I tilted my head as I tried to process her words. “Wait, what? Of course, I’m attracted to you––to the point of distraction. I have been for years. Isn’t that what we’re talking about? I let my uncontrolled desire for you take over, and I shouldn’t have. Not yet, anyway.”
