Page 38 of It's a Wonderful Knife
“Or maybe he got what he wanted, so now he’s not interested.”
I sighed. “Could be.”
“You should have seen the shock on her face. She couldn’t believe her ears. Ialmostfelt sorry for her, but mostly I just think she’s icky. She and Santiago both.”
“Huh. I’m still curious about why he rejected her. He sure seemed raring to go earlier.”
Max shrugged. “Maybe she was a bad lay.”
“He certainly sounded like he was enjoying himself.” I chuffed.
“He might be afraid of getting caught. Amelia did look homicidal when she saw them after their rendezvous. Plus, it wouldn’t be easy to sneak away unnoticed.”
“Or perhaps Amelia confronted Santiago about what she saw, and that’s why he’s toeing the line now.” I sighed. “It could also be he just didn’t want to risk it because someone in the room might have overheard her. You did.”
“True.” He sat up on his elbow. “I’m still leaning toward the idea that he’s had a taste, so he’s lost interest. Some guys like the chase the best.”
I frowned. “Why are you looking at me with such a serious expression?”
“I’m trying to decide if that describes you.”
Scowling, I pulled him down again. “You know that doesn’t describe me, so hush.”
He laughed. “Just checking.”
I rolled my eyes.
“It is weird, though, how people who aren’t happy often stay together,” he murmured. “I don’t think Mona and Ezra are any happier than Amelia and Santiago.”
“That’s probably true.”
“I suppose what keeps Mona and Ezra together is the farm and the fact they share a son. But Amelia and Santiago, I don’t get that pairing. To be honest, Gianna might be a better fit for him than Amelia.”
I sighed. “It’s easy to misread things when you’re on the outside. We have no idea what Amelia and Santiago are like when they’re getting along. We’ve never seen that side of them. They’ve been fighting since we set eyes on them.”
“True. River and Lucas make a better pair than they do.”
“Yeah, that’s another weird relationship. Are they more than friends? Who knows? Sometimes I think they’re more, but then River flirts with me and makes me doubt it.”
Max said, “River is a snake.”
I smiled. “He was very sweet with Lucas tonight.”
“Oh, please. All he did was the bare minimum. Helping someone on with their coat doesn’t exactly qualify him for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“I know. Simmer down.”
He mumbled, “I’m so tired of the way he looks at you. It’s really annoying. Why can’t we just chop our Christmas tree down tomorrow and go home? Why do we have to stay the whole week here?”
Surprised at how frustrated he sounded, I said, “You really want to do that?”
He shifted restlessly. “I just have a bad feeling about this place. There are so many unhappy people, it’s depressing. It’s not what I pictured.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Max. It’s turning out to be a bit of a dud.”
He smoothed his hand over my chest. “It’s nothing to do with you. I’ve enjoyed every second we’ve been alone. It’s the others. They’re so annoying.”
He sounded like a peevish child, but I didn’t let it get to me. “You said you’d put up with them.”
