Baby Be Mine(Spinsters & Casanovas Series Book 1)(10)

“But…”

“What’s wrong, Maxy boy? Scared of us?” Whitney asked from behind him.

Max was already shaking in his boots.

“Yes, Max. You better say your congratulations to Clarice or I might have to sweet talk you into doing it,” Elise added.

Max wasn’t looking forward to Elise sweet-talking him. The last time he got on Clarice’s wrong side, he ended up doing his cousin’s chores for a whole week, and he didn’t even know he had agreed to the deal in the first place. And as for her other friend, Whitney, the one he liked to secretly call the Wicked Witch of Oz, was no better either. If Elise used the sweet approach, then the Wicked Witch used her spells to torment him, which mainly involved painful words that eventually led to punishment, not by her hands, but by his very own cousin Clarice.

Both of them were wicked, and if he didn’t know any better, Clarice was also. But out of the three, he had to admit he had great affection for Elise, the sweet one. But then again, he couldn’t help hanging around any of them. It was like they produced this spinster’s pheromone that attracted him to their clan. Not that he was in love with them or anything. It was more along the lines of a sibling relationship whereby every time he hung around them, he felt safe and happy, like they were his long-lost sisters. That was why he made it his mission to make sure they were all safely married and never remained the Three Spinsters for too long.

“Now where were you when the others were here?” Clarice eyed her cousin’s attire. “Why are you all dressed up?”

“Not telling,” Max teased.

“Maximilian!” Clarice warned him again.

“Just out and about with friends,” he said cheekily, trying to avoid the hidden truth.

“Where?” Whitney asked in her serious tone.

“Mmmm, a nightclub,” he finally admitted.

“Maximilian,” they all said simultaneously.

Right now was one of those times Max thought he was their little brother, with their eyes staring at him like any big sisters would, before laying out the ground rules and punishing him.

As for Clarice, she couldn’t believe her young cousin would attempt to do such a thing. Never in her mind had she ever thought he would attend a nightclub. When she was his age, all she’d ever do was work and study. She didn’t even have time to admire the view around her, let alone go clubbing.

“There was hardly anyone there, though. It was too early and I didn’t even get a sip of alcohol. So there, I didn’t do anything wrong.” He rambled his confession.

“But, Max, you’re only in high school,” Elise said.

“But I don’t want to grow up not being able to experience drinking alcohol. I’ve only got one life,” Max whined to Elise. “Plus, I want to experience it before I turn twenty.”

When Max said this, Clarice felt her world spin around, her tears almost overflowing again. Before they could escape, though, she wiped them clean while the others were too busy with their argument to notice her change of expression

Since growing up, Clarice had never had a chance to get drunk. In fact, she had never even been near to or tasted alcohol since the moment she was born.

No, wait. That was a lie. She had been near alcohol. In her life as a dentist, she had been near the Bunsen burner many times, with its purple spirit, making impression trays for the molding of her patients’ teeth. But that’s the alcohol required for lighting flames, not the drinkable sort.

“You’re underage, Max,” Elise said, cutting her thoughts.