Last on the List (Wait With Me #5)(110)

Breathing heavily, I sit back down in my chair and slide the paper over to him.

“Cassandra, I don’t even know what positions I’ll have open at the company,” Max says, looking flustered for the first time since I broke his heart on his driveway. “There are still a lot of interviews we have to conduct with the new staff. And I’m not sure this is a good idea, considering our history.”

“Look at the top line,” I state, cutting him off. “It’ll tell you what position I’m applying for.”

His focus shifts down to the sheet of paper in his hands. Lips parted, he looks up at me, his eyes wide and full of so much shock and…maybe even excitement, that I dare myself to hope.

“Future wife?” His voice is thick as his eyes rake over my face.

“It’s a little presumptuous, I know. But why do less when you can do more?” I shoot him a wobbly smile and shrug. “Plus, I’ve been reading a lot of Mercedes Lee Loveletter stories, and that woman loves a grand gesture. But if you read on, you’ll see all the reasons I think I might be a good candidate for the position.”

He blinks back his shock, refocusing on the sheet that I stayed up half the night creating over an old bottle of wine that I needed to polish off in my fridge. The more I drank, the more genius my idea became. And in the light of day this morning, I thought it looked crazy and I’d be a fool to show this to Max.

Then I remembered that Max likes my weird, and I am strong enough to present this to him and finally lay my cards out on the table.

I’m too impatient to sit here in silence as he reads, so I begin narrating everything I included. “I love Everly is the number-one attribute I possess. Like…love her with all my heart. Like, I’ve been hiding my tears from her the past few days, knowing this is my last week as her nanny. Spending my days with her has been the greatest summer of my life, and I mean that more than you’ll ever know.”

Max’s jaw muscle tics as he continues reading and not looking at me. Not a good sign.

“I also think the differences you and I possess that once scared me are actually what will make us work long term. I’ll be there to remind you to do less and take care of yourself when your job gets stressful, and you’ll be good at inspiring me to do more and follow my dreams and maybe be a touch less willy-nilly about life?”

Max looks up at me with furrowed brows. “Is that really what you want?”

“I want you,” I reply quickly, my heart pounding in my chest at the unreadable expression on his face as I repeat, “I want you.”

His Adam’s apple moves slowly down his neck as he looks back at the sheet to continue reading.

“I think my skills as a nanny are subpar at best, so it’s probably better if I shift into a more friendship or mentor role with Everly. But I still think that will add value to my position as a future wife.”

I lean over the table to peer down at the sheet to see what I listed next. “Oh yes, we both come from close families, so I think we’ll understand the need to help them out from time to time or attend family functions. Said family functions will be more tolerable with each other. Don’t you think?”

Max continues with that annoying unreadable expression that I’m sure drives his clients crazy in a boardroom. It’s currently driving me crazy, and I talk faster because of it.

“And I know I’m not a good swimmer, but as you can see, I wrote a willingness to expand that part of my skill set with a different swim instructor since I got the impression you weren’t a big fan of Ryne. Also, being a strong swimmer makes you well-suited to be my future husband because I know you can lift my dead carcass out of the water and save me the embarrassment of being dragged out. That’s a big plus for you, I’m not gonna lie. Oh, and did you see that I’m also willing to do continuing education on cooking if my inability to make pancakes is a bother to you?”

His lips purse in irritation? Annoyance? Anger? God, I can’t tell. I have to finish this quickly so I don’t lose my nerve. Clearing my throat, I recap the last several line items. “My biggest selling point is my companion skills. All those nights you spend when Everly is with her mom and worrying about you being lonely will be filled with me. We can go on dates, watch movies, and do bubble braid tutorials. You can watch me sand wood while I watch you swim laps. We can have pool parties with your friends. I can take you to my family’s farm and show you the sheep…though I think that’s a better activity to do with Everly. We can jump on the company jet to Aspen, or we can drive while I give you road head. I could get involved in the Rainbow Project, unless that’s just yours and Jessica’s thing…that’s fine too. I just want to be a part of your life, and I want you to be a part of mine.”

“Cassandra,” Max cuts me off, and I realize I’ve been rambling this entire time, and he has yet to say anything. “This isn’t enough.”

“What?” I gasp, my breath catching in my throat. “Oh! If you turn the sheet over, there’s a list of kinks on the back. Between my affection for light choking and your obsession with marking my body, plus the number of other kinks that popped up through the course of our time together, I think this résumé shows that I am an excellent candidate for this position.”

“I need more qualifications,” Max states sadly, setting the paper down and sitting back in his chair like he’s ending this interview.