A Turn in the Road (Blossom Street #8)(38)

“How much?”

“Not enough to set the casino back any.”

The music pounded in the background and seemed ten times louder than before. Bethanne had lost track of popular tunes and musicians years ago; she couldn’t have identified the singers’ names or the song titles. In fact, she was aware of nothing except the man sitting next to her.

After several minutes Max sent her a pained look. “Do you like this music?”

“Not particularly.”

“Wanna take a ride on my bike?”

She nodded. She wanted to get away, too. With him. It was difficult to think, but she couldn’t blame that entirely on the music. “Have your ribs healed?” she asked.

“Not quite, but I’m willing to risk it again.”

“You’re a brave man.”

They stepped outside and the contrast to the ear-splitting music was almost shocking. She started to tell him how much she appreciated the fact that he’d found her, but he shook his head.

“What did you say?” he asked. “My ears are still ringing.”

“Just that I’m glad you’re here.” Bethanne hadn’t intended to admit that. Yet it was true. She hadn’t expected to see him again, hadn’t believed it was even possible. The explosion of surprise mingled with joy gave her pause. Bethanne had planned to use these weeks away to consider her future with Grant. This wasn’t the time to confuse the issue by indulging some romantic fantasy about a man on a motorcycle.

Max studied her with those intense brown eyes. “I’m glad I’m here, too.” He clasped her hand and intertwined their fingers. Bethanne’s heart raced like that of a teenage girl on her first date. Get a grip, she told herself. As they walked out of the casino she kept reminding herself how ridiculous being with Max was. This was a dead-end relationship. A dead-end everything.

Although it wasn’t nine o’clock yet, it remained light out. “Any place you’d like to go?” he asked.

Being unfamiliar with Las Vegas, Bethanne didn’t know what to suggest. “Not really.”

“Okay, I’ll choose.”

They reached his bike in the parking lot and he removed Rooster’s helmet from the older man’s Harley, which was parked beside his, and handed it to her. She climbed on the back of Max’s bike and set her feet where he’d shown her before. Max took his seat, started the engine with a roar and turned out of the parking lot.

Bethanne slipped her arms around his waist and held on, although less tightly than the first time she’d ridden with him. Closing her eyes, she felt the breeze rush past and after a few minutes she relaxed. She wasn’t sure where Max was going. It didn’t matter.

When he slowed the bike, Bethanne realized they were completely out of the city, on a hill that overlooked the valley. Night had settled in and the casino lights lit up the sky.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he said, after they’d parked and taken off their helmets. He looked down at the city, and Bethanne joined him.

“I used to sit up here and just stare at the lights,” Max continued. “It’s so crazy down there and so peaceful up here.” He stood beside her in silence for a few minutes. “Tell me about your ex-husband,” he suddenly said.

“Grant?” she asked, uncertain what to say.

“You have more than one?”

“No. Your question surprised me, that’s all.”

“Is it difficult to talk about your divorce?”

She shook her head. “Not anymore. I guess it comes down to a case of the two of us growing apart. He found someone else and the sad part is, I was so involved with his career, with our children and friends, that I didn’t notice. I mean, a wife’s supposed to sense these things, right?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Did you…did you ever cheat on your wife?”

“Never.” His answer was quick and decisive. “I wasn’t even tempted.”

“At the time, Grant and I had been married nearly twenty years. We’d grown comfortable with each other. Complacent, I guess. He wanted me to be a stay-at-home mother and I enjoyed that role. I hosted dinners, arranged all his travel… I considered myself a full partner in his life and his career—and yet I didn’t know about Tiffany. I honestly didn’t have a clue. If someone had told me, I swear I wouldn’t have believed my husband was capable of betraying me that way.”

“Were you unhappy?”

“No, not in the least. But after Grant moved out, I was an emotional mess. I felt lost, bewildered, defeated. As if I’d suddenly been blinded, with no idea where I was or how to find my way out. It took weeks—no, months—to come to grips with the situation. I’m a different person now. The years have given me perspective. I can understand better what happened and why Grant was attracted to Tiffany.”

“Sounds as if you’re making excuses for him.”

“Does it?”

“Yes.”

She looked down at the ground and moved the dirt around with the toe of her shoe. Maybe she was making excuses for Grant; if so, it was probably because he’d recognized how wrong he’d been and told her so, over and over. “Grant’s sorry about it now…. I mentioned before that he wants us to get back together. He had roses delivered to the hotel.”