Wanting to Remember, Trying to Forget (Meet the Shepards #1) Read online

  She walked into the kitchen and saw Max. From the lack of stubble that had been on his jaw the night before, she could tell that he had already shaved and showered. How did he always mange to look so fresh? It was a Saturday morning. Why would he willingly wake up early on the weekend? Freak!

  “Good morning,” he greeted, extending a hand holding a steaming mug. “I made coffee for you.”

  She smiled. That was another pro. He made her a cup of coffee every morning. She took a sip and groaned her pleasure. It was sweet and creamy, just the way she liked it. She took a seat on one of the barstools next to the island counter on the opposite side of Max.

  The kitchen was relatively small, but the island counter allowed for freedom of movement. All the cupboards had a light oak finish and the counter tops were an off-red sort of color. It was hideous, but at least it was a break from beige.

  Max took a sip of his own coffee and resumed finishing the crossword puzzle he had started.

  “Did you see the living room?” Danny asked. She was just about to start bragging about how much better it looked with curtains instead of blinds when he looked up at her, and he did not look very happy.

  “It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie,” he said. “You know; the blinding light that the aliens come out of before they take over the world. We have to change it back. It’s just too bright…”

  Oh, no. He was rambling again. He always complained excessively if he didn’t like something, but if he did like something he would limit it to just one word like nice or fine. He was so hard to please.

  “Okay, Spawn of Dracula, would you just chill? It’s not like you’re going to melt or burst into flames. The curtains are nice.”

  He quietened, silently accepting defeat. She waited for the vein on the side of his neck to stop twitching before she thought it safe to speak again. “So…you didn’t say anything about dinner last night.”

  “It was…edible,” he replied cautiously. “It was a bit salty and way too creamy but the cheese was a nice touch. I’ve never had mashed potatoes topped with cheese before.”

  Her face dropped in absolute horror. “It was macaroni!”

  “Well…” he began, choosing his words carefully so as not to upset her further, “I guess that explains the cheese.” He placed his hand over hers and smiled reassuringly. “Look on the bright side. At least from this point on, you can only get better. I don’t think it’s possible for you to get much worse.”

  “Thanks,” Danny said sarcastically. “You always know just what to say. Maybe—”

  She was cut off by a knock at the door. She stood, walked to her bedroom, and pulled her robe on over her Winnie the Pooh boxer shorts before she made her way to the entrance to answer it.

  “Hey, Lauren,” she greeted chirpily when she opened the door. “What brings you to our neck of the woods?”

  Lauren Banner was the senior editor at Banner and Coopers by title but in actual fact she was the senior editor, team builder, guidance counsellor, unofficial matchmaker, and receptionist when Charlene called in sick. She was probably the nicest person ever. As in ever! Perhaps a little too nice, like if you slit her wrist, she would probably bleed pure honey.

  She was twenty-seven years Danny’s senior yet even with pushing fifty-two, she was still the most elegantly beautiful woman Danny had ever seen. She had absolutely flawless skin and the perfect posture. Her sandy brown hair was always neatly pinned up and she had a presence that could dominate a room. She could draw all eyes on her without even realizing it.

  Lauren was the only person at B&C that had ever cut Danny any slack. As a junior intern fresh out of college, she was assigned the fascinating job of working the photocopier for her first three weeks. Dazzling. Though as mindless as the job appeared, she had not known how to work the damn thing. She had come top of her class in journalism, but learning how to print on both sides of an A4 page was like nuclear physics to her. But Lauren had taken her under her wing and gave her assignments that had eventually earned her some credibility.

  “Morning, Lauren,” Max said as he stepped out of the kitchen into the hallway.

  “Good morning, Maximillian.”

  “Please refrain from calling me that.” Max leaned over Danny and kissed Lauren on the cheek once she stepped inside.

  Lauren had become a second mother to both of them over the last few years. Not that Danny had ever had a first mother. Both her parents had been killed in a botched robbery when she was only a few months old. She had no recollection of them, not even a photograph. She didn’t even know what ethnic group she belonged to. Her hazel eyes, long, dark brown hair and caramel skin could fall into a number of racial categories. At twenty-five years old, she was still trying to figure out her heritage.

  She had spent years looking at pictures in magazines, trying to find some resemblance to anyone, hoping maybe the person smiling back at her was some distant relative who could help her find some closure.

  She had been sent from foster home to foster home, but finally when she was eleven, she was thrown into the arms of the most caring man, Jake Peterson. It was then that she finally made peace with her broken past. The first time he hugged her, all the questions melted away and it was the first time she felt like she belonged.

  He had raised her with more love than most normal families had. He gave her everything a girl could want and the only thing he ever asked for in return was that she get good grades so she could earn a scholarship to college.

  She had done just that. Everything she had, everything she accomplished was all thanks to good ol’ Pappa Jake.

  Life was perfect until the phone call she received late February last year. Jake had had a heart attack, pronounced dead before she had even climbed into her car to drive to the hospital. Just like that her life had fallen to pieces. Just like that the world had become a dull and morbid place. Were it not for Max, she would probably still be living in that world and were it not for Lauren, she would still be feeling like she had no real family.

  “Can I offer you something to eat or drink?” Danny asked.

  “Oh, no thank you, Danielle. I cannot possibly eat another bite. I completely stuffed myself over breakfast this morning.”

  And by that she meant that she had an entire bowl of bran flakes and a yogurt.

  “I thought I would just pop by and see how you two were doing,” Lauren continued. “I come back from my vacation and find out that the offices have moved earlier than expected and you have moved. It’s like the whole world has gone topsy turvy.”

  Danny could only smile. Lauren had a way of sugar-coating everything. Where a normal person would say, “Who the hell do those assholes think they are? Moving offices without informing me first?” Lauren would simply smile pleasantly and take it in her stride. It was not in her nature to be vulgar or rude. She did everything in a lady-like manner. She spoke eloquently, pronouncing each word separately. Another habit she had was always addressing people by their full names. She never took shortcuts in the English language, which explained why she was the senior editor of the biggest publishing house in California.

  Lauren moved to the living room, sat down, and tucked one ankle neatly behind the other. “I see a lot has changed since you moved in, Danielle. The curtains are lovely.”

  Danny cast Max a look of sheer arrogance before turning back to Lauren. “It is, isn’t it?”

  She sat down on the sofa adjacent to Lauren while Max stood a few feet away, leaning against the wall.

  “So you two are living together now. How delightful. It must be such fun.”

  Max laughed. “I give her three more weeks before she’s completely bored of me.”

  Danny looked up at him and smiled. “Max, I could never get bored of you.” Their eyes locked for a long time and it was only when Lauren spoke again that she remembered she was actually in the middle of a conversation.

  “Tell me, Danielle. How is Richard? Is he back in town?”

  “Fuc
k!” Max snorted under his breath and walked back to the kitchen, looking highly irritated.

  “Oh, Richard is fine,” Danny responded after Max left the room. “He’s still in Miami doing a photo shoot. He should be back in a week or two. Fashion models have pretty demanding jobs.”

  And Richard deserved every single cent that gorgeous face earned him, Danny thought. He had the most perfect features, hand-sculpted by the Gods themselves. Immaculate bone structure. Jet-black hair. Seductive green eyes. Killer smile. The man just exuded sexiness. And his body… Someone get a mop and wipe the drool off the floor!

  Strong arms, broad shoulders, and a chest that was made to pillow a woman’s head.

  Let’s assess. Absolutely, positively, fall over yourself trying to get a better look gorgeous. Check. Super-duper sexy. Check. Rich. Check. Caring and sensitive. Check. That should actually count two points. Double check.

  Oh, what do you know? Richard was the perfect man. And she had been lucky enough to nab him before any of those cheap, gold digging, please sign my G-string sluts managed to get their grubby paws on him. In eight days, they would be dating for exactly nine months and what a blissful nine months it had been. Love was definitely blossoming. Scratch that. Love had already bloomed. Happily ever after. Check.

  “How do you do it, dear?” Lauren asked. “It must be so difficult maintaining a relationship when you hardly ever see him.”

  “It is difficult, Lauren. I get really lonely sometimes and long distance phone calls aren’t always practical, but I know Richard loves me.”

  A look came over Lauren’s face. It was a face that Danny had grown to hate, a face that meant that Lauren was going to try for the umpteenth time to convince her to break-up with Richard. “Of course he does, but do you not ever wish for a normal relationship with someone who is always there for you when you need him?”

  “I love Richard, Lauren. I take the good with the bad. He’s perfect for me. I could never find another man like him.”

  “Maybe you are just not looking in the right places, dear.” Lauren cast a quick look to the kitchen. “Your Mister Right could be right under your nose.”

  Oh, for goodness sakes! Had this been a one-sided conversation? There’s no need to look, Lauren, Danny shouted in her head. Mister Right has already been found.

  She was about to give her a piece of her mind when the sound of a vibrating cell phone stopped her.

  Lauren dug in her purse, pulled out her phone, and sighed. “I must be going, Danielle.” She stood up and headed towards the door. “My butler is not too sure that my husband will be able to put up with my grandchildren for much longer, but I will see you on Monday morning, bright and early.” She turned to Danny before she stepped out. “Think about what I said.”

  Danny rolled her eyes and shook her head. There was no talking to this woman. “I’ll think about it.”

  She shut the door, went back to the sofa and plopped down. What was wrong with Lauren? Any woman would jump at the chance to date Richard and here she was trying to push her into the arms of another man. Max also had an extreme dislike towards Richard and had tried on several occasions to persuade her to end their relationship. And then there was her friend, Amber, who seemed to be under the impression that Richard was only after one thing.

  Danny sighed. Everyone just needed to back off. This was her life and Richard was going to be apart of it whether they liked it or not.

  * * *

  Danny met Amber on the sidewalk outside Madame Fouche’s Day Spa.

  “Hey, you,” Amber greeted, her auburn hair shimmering in the sunlight.

  Amber was Danny’s closest friend, second to Max. She was an average height, about the same as Danny, and brought to life the expression dynamite comes in small packages. They had gone their separate ways after college, but when Amber moved back to Los Angeles a year ago, it was like they had never been apart. They met for lunch as often as they could but no matter what, at least once a month they accompanied Lauren and Jennifer to the Day Spa.

  They walked to the reception area where Jennifer and Lauren were already waiting. They were led up the stairs to the quiet rooms, where they each received a hot stone massage and an intense back rub. The scented candles and the soft music playing in the background allowed Danny to feel the relaxation she had not felt in weeks. She closed her eyes as Alicia’s hands worked their expert magic down her spine.

  After the massage, they pulled on their white robes and walked to the shady area near the pool. They stretched out on the long pool loungers, waiting for the next session that would start in half an hour. Danny had just begun to relax when Jennifer started complaining, as usual, that her masseuse had not used enough pressure to work out the knot on her shoulder.

  Jen was Lauren’s youngest daughter and although both Amber and Danny were not too fond of her incessant complaining, they tolerated her for the pleasure of Lauren’s company. Jennifer had inherited her good looks from her mother, her sandy hair and brown eyes, but by no means had she inherited Lauren’s good nature. Unlike Lauren, she was neither well-mannered nor reserved and she could definitely run her mouth off when she was unhappy about something.

  Jen unclipped her bra and rolled over onto her tummy so her back could get an even tan. “So now that you’re living with Max, I think it’s time you set me up on a date with him like you promised.”

  Danny coughed out a laugh. “I promised no such thing.”

  She lifted herself onto her elbows and glowered at Danny. “This is the sixth time I’ve asked you and you keep making excuses. If you don’t do it, I’ll…I’ll…I’ll get my mom to fire you.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen either,” Amber chimed in. “It doesn’t matter anyway. You are s-o-o-o not his type. He doesn’t like loose women.”

  Danny fought a smile. Amber had always had a soft spot for Max and the last thing she wanted was for Jennifer to get her hands on him. She was just protective that way. Amber was the type of person that never took slack from anyone. She was hard and told things as they were. She was feisty for someone so small. Even her boss was scared of her. Danny had learnt a lot from her over the years. Amber had taught her how to be more confident and more assertive. The only difference was that Danny knew when to hold her tongue. Amber, on the other hand, felt no need to keep her opinions to herself, no matter how offensive they might be.

  “You’re such a bitch, Amber!”

  “It takes one to know one, Jennifer.”

  “We are ladies,” Lauren interjected as she adjusted herself on the pool lounger. “How about we start acting like it?”

  Jen rolled her eyes, clearly upset that her mother had not taken her side. She let out a disgruntled snort, quickly stood up and stormed off.

  “Fuck, Lauren. How do you put up with her?” Amber asked.

  Lauren let out a deep sigh and shut her eyes. “With an insane amount of effort, Ambrosia.”

  Amber and Danny giggled at her laid back response.

  “Now, hush, ladies. After all, we did come out here to relax.”

  * * *

  Max sighed. He had been staring at his computer screen for the past forty-five minutes and still could not find any inspiration for his new web design. He usually never suffered from a creative block, but it seemed like all he was able to concentrate on lately was Danny.

  Granted, a huge chunk of his day was generally spent thinking about her. That was the way it had been for the past six years but ever since she moved in with him two and half weeks ago, he could not get her out of his head. She would traipse around the apartment, wearing her tiny shorts and her tight little tank tops, and all that meant for him was another unproductive day.

  The message tone that rang on his phone was a further distraction. He knew before he even unlocked it that it was his sister, Jordan. She had not texted him in four days so he was expecting something either outrageously funny or mildly nerdy. But he was wrong. It was outrageously nerdy.

  Jorda
n: How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb? NONE. That’s a hardware problem.

  Max: Lame! I expected more from you.

  Max: P.S I’m not a programmer anymore

  Jordan: Aren’t all IT guys the same?

  Max: I’m not gonna dignify that with a response. Keep trying though.

  He placed his phone back on the desk and stood up. Maybe some coffee could jump start his brain into working again. He walked to the office kitchen and took out a mug from the cabinet. He heard footsteps enter the kitchen behind him and he could tell by the exasperated splutter that it was Charlie.

  “Well, if it isn’t Mister I-forget-my-friends-as-soon-as-hazel-eyes-moves-in.”

  Max smiled and shook his head. “That’s a pretty long name.” He turned to face his very irate friend. “You can’t think of anything shorter?”

  Charlie sneered his irritation. “Oh, you think this is funny? It isn’t funny, man. I told you letting her move in was a bad idea. That’s two weekends you bummed out on me. Not one, two. And for what? To pick out fucking curtains?”

  “I’ve been told they’re really nice curtains.” He read the unimpressed look on Charlie’s face and decided to be more serious. “Would a sorry help?”

  “I need more than a sorry. I had Tekken 6. We haven’t played that game in ages and now Dave—”

  “You had Tekken 6?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I had my whole Saturday planned and you went and ruined it. I spent the entire weekend playing with myself.”

  Max raised his eyebrows. “That just didn’t sound right, Charlie.”

  “You know what I meant.”

  “When does Dave want it back?”

  “Tomorrow.”

  Max sighed heavily. “Okay, ask him to extend it and I’ll loan him Gunstar Heroes.”

  “That’s not gonna cut it, Max. I think you forgot how hot Lili looks in that one. I mean, like smoking hot. And Christie Monteiro…I have no fucking words.”

  “I’m not really in to CGI characters, but I’ll take your word for it.” Max took a moment to think about their options. He had to make it up to Charlie.