Waiting for Willa (Big Sky, #3)(15)

“Sounds good to me. I’ll make pot roast.”

Mom leaves just as Max and Alex come back in. Max hugs my mom in greeting and asks her to give his best to Ken when she sees him.

Yes, Max is a likeable man.

He watches me as he walks my way, his eyes happy and full of humor.

“Mom, we got four sandwiches, just in case,” Alex says.

“In case of what?” I ask.

“In case we want more,” Alex replies with a shrug, just the way Max would, and it makes me laugh.

“It’s good to be prepared.”

It doesn’t take me long to close up shop for the night.

“I’ll follow you home,” Max says. “It’s icy. Be careful.”

“Your car—”

“Alex told me all about it,” he interrupts, and I stare at my son in surprise.

“You ratted me out?”

Alex giggles, and Max pushes my hair over my shoulder.

“Do you need a lesson on the car?” he asks.

“Too late. I think I have it figured out now. Oh! Except the mirrors. I can’t figure out how to get them to fold out.”

His lips twitch as he opens the door and pushes a simple button.

“That was not there this morning.”

“Buttons do magically appear,” he says with a nod, and I bump his hip with mine.

“Don’t be a smartass,” I mutter, glaring at him in jest.

“Let’s go, I’m hungry,” Alex says from the backseat of the Range Rover.

“You heard the man,” Max says, walking to his Mercedes. “We’re hungry.”





Chapter Five


Max


“WILL YOU PLEASE PASS me that paintbrush?” Jenna asks the next day. We’re standing in one of her rental properties. The former tenants moved out, and she’s sprucing it up for the next ones.

I hand her the brush, and she gets to work painting the trim on the window in the master bedroom.

“How much do you rent this for?” I ask, looking around. The house is older, in an original neighborhood in Cunningham Falls. It’s near schools and downtown.

“Fifteen hundred,” she replies with a smile. “I snatched it up when the market was down.”

“You could get more than that.”

“Not everyone can afford more than that,” she reminds me with a shrug. “It covers the mortgage and the upkeep with a little extra, so it’s fine. If you want to start on that wall, the roller is over there.”

“How did I get roped into this?”

She offers me a bright smile.

“You love me, and you miss me. This way, you get to spend time with me.”

“You’re engaged to a movie star, and your brother has more money than any one person should. We could pay someone to do this.”

She stares out the window for a second, contemplating, then shrugs again. “I like to do it. You don’t have to paint if you don’t want to. Just chat with me.”

“I can do both,” I reply, loading the paint on the roller, then gliding it onto the wall.

“How’s Willa?” she asks.

“Beautiful,” I reply immediately. “Funny. Sexy. Smart.”

“But how do you really feel?” she asks with a laugh. “I think it’s great you’re spending time together again. Do you like Alex?”

“He’s great.” I turn back to the tray of paint to reload my roller. “She’s done a good job of raising him. He’s not a brat, he has manners, and he’s a kick in the butt.”

“Alex is the best,” Jenna agrees. “He’s so fun-loving and sweet.”

“Like his mom,” I say softly. “But I see a lot of Cary in him, as well.”

“Agreed,” Jenna says with a sigh before taking a sip of her coffee and examining her handiwork. “They’re a cute little package.”

“And I’m squarely in the friend zone,” I say in disgust. “I don’t think I can do it, Jen.”

“Be her friend?”

“Be just her friend. She’s still the most amazing person I’ve ever known. I don’t want to be her buddy.”

“Of course, you don’t,” Jenna says, surprising me. “Willa was never just your friend, Max. She was your girl. It makes absolute sense that you want more now.”

“I don’t know what to do about it,” I admit. “She fights me at every turn. I offer to help with things, simple things, and she immediately puts up a wall and says, ‘that’s okay.’ She’s so damn stubborn.”

“It’s been just her for nine years,” Jenna reminds me. “She’s had to depend on herself. Yes, she has parents and friends who help, but it’s not the same as having a partner. So, it makes sense that she is resistant to accept help from a man. A man that she has feelings for but who hasn’t been a part of her life in a very long time.”

“Are you a shrink now?” I ask, setting the roller down and propping my hands on my hips.

“I’m smart,” she says. “You’re not the only one in the family with brains. So, here’s the million-dollar question.”

“I’ll pay you a million dollars if we can change the subject,” I reply, making her snort.