Page 42 of Solid Foundation
Max gave me a sad smile that sent nerves flooding through me.He’s going to end it. Just try to play it cool.
“Even though this relationship is really new, I like you. A lot.”
“But?” There was always a but with sentences like that.
“But I’ve got to go back to New York. I don’t have a choice. As much as I’d love to find a reason to stay in Port Grandlin, for now, the city is where I live.”
I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “I get it. It’s been great to get to know you. Honestly. Maybe next time I’m up there, we can get together?”
Max frowned and shook his head. “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’twantto leave you.”
“All good things come to an end.” I cringed at the platitude.
He put his hand on my thigh. “Jake. Stop saying goodbye. What if we… I don’t know, tried long-distance for a while?”
I furrowed my brow. “Long-distance?”
“Yeah. I’ll come down on the weekends when I can, and vice versa. What do you say?”
My frown deepened. “You don’t want to break up?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No. Definitely not. Itisvery new, but I want to give it a shot. Don’t you?”
My face relaxed into a smile. “Yeah. Of course I do.”
“That’s settled then. Now… you want to come inside while Sterling’s still at the wrap party?” There was a wicked gleam in his eye.
“Hell yeah,” I said, sliding out of the truck.
I could hardly believe two months had passed since we’d wrapped production on the show, since Max had convinced the curator at the historical society to display the letters, and since I’d started a long-distance relationship with Max. He’d stayed as long as he could—an extra week after production ended on the show—but eventually the lease on the rental had run out and he’d headed back to New York. It sucked, doing the long-distance thing, but we visited every couple of weeks and we were making it work.
To that end, he was making a special visit, and I paced my house anxiously, smoothing my button-down shirt repeatedly, waiting for Max to arrive. Right on time, a knock came from my front door. Before I had a chance to respond, the door opened, Max making himself at home, as always. I just wished there were more of it.
“Hey there,” I said, Max’s soft smile making my chest ache.
He rushed to me and threw his arms around my shoulders. “I missed you.”
Dipping my head down to meet his lips with mine, I hummed in agreement. When we parted after the quick kiss, I murmured in his ear. “Likewise.”
Max pulled me in for a deeper kiss and we stood there for several long moments before his phone buzzed in his pocket, drawing a reluctant groan from his throat as we parted. He pulled the phone out and checked the notification before looking back at me. “We’d better get going if we’re not going to be late.”
“We can be late,” I said between pressing kisses to his jaw. “They can start without us.”
He laughed and shoved me away. “You know that’s not going to happen.”
“Fine.” I sighed reluctantly. “But you owe me.”
“Good God, it’s like we broke your dry spell and now that’s all you want to do.” He grinned and winked at me. “Not like Imindor anything. Just stating a fact.”
I pulled his hand to me and kissed his palm. “I think it’s more about the person and not the act, but we do have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
“Later, I promise.”
We headed outside and got into the truck. I took us downtown to the Radiance Theater and grabbed a street parking spot a few blocks away. The day was nice—the weather just starting to cool off—and there were a ton of people milling around. Once we reached the theater, I spotted my boss Levi standing out front and greeting people, with his husband Soren by his side.
“Hey!” Levi called when he spotted us. “If it isn’t the man of the hour himself.” Soren elbowed him and Levi grunted. “You’re right. Men of the hour. Jake, the house looks great. I couldn’t have done a better job myself. Really proud of the work we’re producing these days. And Max, we’re really excited to see how the show turned out.”
Max grinned and started up a conversation with Levi and Soren, thanking them for hosting the premiere and chatting about what to expect. After a few minutes, we both thanked them again and said our goodbyes, heading into the theater to take our seats.
