Wanting to Remember, Trying to Forget (Meet the Shepards #1) Page 7

  Max tried to smile, wondering if it would have made any difference if he left the card in his own handwriting instead of asking the florist to print it out. “He’s quite a charmer,” he said despondently, trying his best to keep the hurt out of his voice.

  “And everyone at the office was just going on about it. Like, oh, your boyfriend’s so sweet and I wish I had a guy like that. Amber almost fell off her chair when I called her to tell her about it, but you know Amber. Richard can do no good in her eyes. She doesn’t think he’s the type to do this sort of thing.”

  Max pulled his lips in and tried not to make a comment about that. How was it possible that everyone could see it except her?

  “And Lauren thinks I have a secret admirer because the card isn’t signed, but I know its Richard.”

  “Of course, it is,” Max said softly.

  That stupid stick had slapped him pretty hard this morning. He found himself wondering why the hell he had done it in the first place. As much as he hated Richard, he had decided to swallow in his pride and make the noble sacrifice. Only he wasn’t feeling too noble right now. He felt as if Cupid had shot that fucking arrow straight through the heart and the pain just wouldn’t go away. It was torture to watch her swoon over those wretched flowers that Richard hadn’t even sent. This abyss of emptiness threatened to consume him. It was devastating. It was suffocating. He was drowning, but Danny was too blinded by Richard to even notice.

  * * *

  “That was not five spaces,” Danny said irritably. “You were supposed to land on jail.”

  “No.” Max moved his ship-shaped bead from the jail space Danny had placed it on to the one next to it.

  After the burnt chicken schnitzel Danny tried to prepare for dinner, they settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and Max suggested a game of Monopoly to lighten her mood. Not that it took much. She was still glowing because of the gifts Richard sent today. This was the first time since she moved in that they were actually using the dining table for something other than work and she seemed glad about that fact.

  “Count it,” she said, placing her forefinger on the space his ship had occupied. “One…Two…Three…Four…Five. See? You were supposed to land on jail.”

  “But I wasn’t on that space,” he explained.

  “Go to jail, Max.”

  “…I was on the one next to it…”

  “Go directly to jail.”

  “…so I would land on this space…”

  “Do not pass begin. Do not collect—” Tired of arguing, Danny reached over the table and tried to grab his ship, but he snatched it before she did and clutched it tightly in his hand. “Must you cheat at every game we play?” she asked impatiently.

  “I didn’t cheat,” Max said, nipping his lower lip.

  “Liar! I saw that, Max.” She climbed onto the table, grabbed his hand and desperately tried to uncurl his fingers. “Just go to jail so we can get on with the game.”

  Max smiled as he watched her. Her lips were curled in, an expression she made when she was really concentrating on something. Favorite facial expression, number three.

  “Max,” she said through gritted teeth, “would you just let it go!” Then without warning, she bit down into the side of his palm.

  He fiercely jerked his hand away from her mouth, but she holding on so tight that the sudden reaction brought her sliding across the table, knocking the board, and everything on it, onto the floor. She flew into him, toppling him off the chair, and sending both of them crashing to the carpet. Her head hit his chest. They stayed on the floor in a pool of cards, paper money, and little red and green houses for quite some time trying to recover.

  “Ow,” he groaned, shifting in pain as he tried to sit up.

  Danny lifted her head from his chest as he did so. Her knee was digging into his thigh and she moved her leg to relieve the pressure, straddling his hips, yet she made no attempt to get off him.

  “There are other ways of getting what you want without using violence,” Max said.

  “Maybe if you didn’t cheat at everything, I wouldn’t have to resort to violence.”

  The retort was supposed to be firm, maybe even harsh, but it didn’t come across that way. Her hand slowly moved up to remove a little green house that was lodged in the collar of his shirt and her fingers lingered there even after she had discarded the house. She inhaled a shaky breath as her eyes slowly moved up his neck; her gaze dwelling on his lips for a few moments before it moved up to his eyes.

  Max swallowed hard, his throat feeling awfully dry all of a sudden. The way she was looking at him was just not friendly. Her hazel eyes were asking for something he so wanted to give. In six years, this was not the first time they had found themselves in such a compromising position but in six years, this was the first time it looked like she wanted to compromise, compromise this friendship and meet him half-way.

  But then something clicked inside her and it was like the moment never happened. She quickly removed herself from his lap and looked awkwardly around the room. Her eyes caught sight of the large white and red teddy bear still sitting on the sofa and the last smidgen of anything she felt dwindled from her eyes. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense and still nothing was said.

  There was a knock at the door and Max exhaled a breath of relief. He felt awkward and exposed and the presence of someone else was not just welcomed, but necessary. He slowly stood up and went to open the door.

  “Sofia!” he said, surprised. “You’re here! Well…of course you’re here…’cause I’m looking right at you…but what…what are you doing…here?”

  His eyes moved up and down the length of her. She was dressed in black skirt that hugged her hips and flared at the knee. Her light blue shirt was tight, but not too tight and her dark, luscious curls hung beautifully over her shoulders. It was not the most revealing attire and yet she still managed to make it look sexy. Not many women had that gift yet she did it effortlessly.

  Sofia smiled at his stuttering. “Your colleague, Charlie, I think his name is…caught me in the parking lot and told me that any plans you made had been cancelled. He gave me your address and said I should just come by.”

  Max laughed nervously. “Oh, he did, did he?”

  He found himself mentally writing out Charlie’s eulogy. Of course getting time off from prison so he could attend the funeral might pose a slight problem. They rarely showed compassion to those who committed murder in the first degree.

  “I’m sorry,” Sofia said. “I should’ve called first. You’re probably busy. We’ll do it tomorrow as planned.” Looking hurt and rejected, she turned to walk away.

  “Don’t be silly,” Max said quickly. “I’m not busy.”

  She turned around and he stepped aside. “Come in.” He led in a few feet, where Danny had begun cleaning up the mess they had made.

  She looked up at them when they entered and her eyes widened.

  “Danny, this is Sofia Panadero.” He turned to Sofia. “This is my roommate, Danny.”

  She extended her hand and Sofia gave it a quick shake.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Sofia said pleasantly.

  “You, too,” Danny responded with a little less sincerity.

  “Sofia and I are going to be working on a web design for Bit-by-Bit,” he said before his attention settled on Sofia again. “Let me grab a jacket and we can leave.”

  “You’re going out?” Danny asked, looking confused. “What about your series? You never miss it. You’ve been talking about this episode all week.”

  Max saw the ploy instantly. He had never chosen another woman over Danny before and she seemed perplexed that he was doing it now. But he had had enough of an emotional run-around for one day. First watching her excitement for the gifts Richard had not sent, then watching a magical moment evaporate into nothingness because of those very same gifts.

  He needed to stop obsessing over moments like that, which probably meant nothing to her. He needed t
o get away from this apartment, away from her. He needed to move on with his life and Sofia presented him with the perfect opportunity. He didn’t know where this might lead. All he had to go on was two winks and a smile, but at least it was a step in the right direction, on a path that did not lead to Danny. “I’m sure Charlie’s got it covered,” he said as he left the room.

  He grabbed a thin, black jacket from his bedroom and made his way back to the living room.

  “That is the cutest teddy bear,” he heard Sofia say as he approached.

  “Yeah,” Danny replied boastfully. “My boyfriend sent it to me. It was so thoughtful of him. He isn’t even in town. Things like this just make me love him even more.”

  “He sounds like a great guy.”

  “He is. He’s perfect.”

  Max shut his eyes. He was such a fool. Anyone else would have gotten the hint after two years at most, but not him. No. He had to be hopeful and stupid and pathetic. Only an idiot would pine for a woman he knew he could never have. Only an idiot would hold on to hope after hearing that woman claim to love another man over and over again. Only an idiot would be content constantly being second best.

  He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to focus on his New Year’s resolution. Pulling on his jacket, he headed straight for the door. “Let’s go.”

  “Well, it was great meeting you,” Sofia said, quickly wrapping up the conversation. “Hopefully I’ll see you again sometime.”

  Max did not spare Danny another look as he left the apartment.

  * * *

  Max pulled out a chair and allowed Sofia to sit down. After much deliberation they decided to have dinner at a quiet bistro. It was not over-the-top fancy but professional enough for them to have their business meeting. The waitress came to take their orders. Sofia ordered a tuna bagel while Max decided to try the club sandwich. He already had dinner, but he found himself with an appetite. The grilled cheese sandwiches had not hit quite the right spot.

  They spoke business for a grand total of five minutes before Max made a comment about Luke Skywalker and Sofia made him aware of the fact that Sky was actually his middle name. He should have been introduced as Luke Walker but as soon as people, like Mister Marsden, found out his middle name, they felt compelled to use it.

  She then started talking about all her co-workers and moved onto what a great cook Terrence Truman’s wife was, which led to them talking about all kinds of food in general, which led to a conversation about how obesity was becoming a growing epidemic around the world, which led to Sofia making a statement about kids being overweight because of things like video games. Apparently she thought it was mindless and required no brainwork whatsoever. Max had thought it best to end that conversation there.

  They continued chatting about other meaningless things until eventually the meals had been eaten, the drinks had been drunk, and all that remained was an insignificant portion of their chocolate mousse dessert.

  Max had stuttered for about the first half an hour, but he had calmed down substantially since then. The nerves were not altogether gone though. Every now and then she would look at him in a certain way and the bumbling side of him would return. She was easy to talk to nevertheless and fun to be around. She was witty and intelligent, entertaining to the mind and the eye all at the same time.

  He liked listening to her. She spoke English fluently, but her Spanish accent made everything she said sound so interesting. She pronounced R’s, even if they were supposed to be silent, and her lips rounded absolutely perfectly whenever she used the letter O.

  “Do you like your job, Max?”

  “I love it,” he replied instantly. “I actually studied Computer Science. I dabbled a bit in programming after I graduated and I was bored within a few months. I prefer the creative element of web designing. I think I’ll stick with this for a few more years.”

  “And where did you study?” Sofia asked, lifting another spoonful of mousse to her full lips.

  “Oh, right here in Los Angeles…UCLA. I moved here from Montana; wanted to see what the LA lifestyle was really like, I guess. It was a really big adjustment from the wide open spaces to all this hustle and bustle. I tend to get home-sick every once in a while.” He noticed her sapphire eyes caressing his face and the nervousness returned. “Where…where did you get…uh…your…eyes?”

  Dear God, he thought. Please say it isn’t so. He shut his eyes, hoping that he did not just ask the beautiful woman across him where she got her eyes.

  “What?” She snickered. “My eyes?”

  She laughed and he lowered his head. It would appear that he had said something that stupid. He meant to say degree but his mind obviously was not co-operating in this conversation.

  “Um…my mom has blue eyes,” she explained, a slight giggle still in her voice. “She’s Caucasian, my dad’s Latino, the combination is me.”

  Max nodded slowly. “Good…combination.”

  She blushed and bashfulness lifted the corners of her mouth.

  “So tell me about the name Panadero,” Max said, subtly trying to change the topic. “It sounds very exotic.”

  She giggled again. “No’ really. Panadero actually means baker in English.”

  He was pleased with himself for asking that particular question. It made her say R and O in the same sentence but it also made him aware of the way she said ‘not’, where she had only half-pronounced the T. He noticed that she was waiting for a response and made an active effort to stop dissecting every movement of her lips and focus on the conversation. “Really?” he asked. “It means baker?”

  She nodded.

  “Wow! So at this table we have Sofia, descendant of the great Bakers and Max, descendant of the great…Shepards.”

  She giggled and leaned forward, leaving a very marginal gap between them. “I think I like you, Max, descendant of the great Shepards.”

  He smiled. “I may just like you, too, Sofia Baker.”

  Max sat back and made a mental note to thank Charlie when he saw him again. This was just what he needed. In fact, he wanted this date disguised as a business meeting to go on for as long as possible. He looked up at Sofia and smiled. “I think we should get another chocolate mousse.”

  * * *

  Danny switched off the television, walked to her bedroom, and threw herself on her bed. She was angry and maybe a little hurt. Max had turned her down. He had never done that before. Why now? Why this woman? There wasn’t anything exceptional about her. Okay, so she was beautiful…and sexy…and she had pretty eyes…and she was sweet. What was so great about all that anyway?

  She tossed over onto her stomach and pulled the pillow under her chin. Something didn’t feel right. Max had not had a girlfriend in three years and she was beginning to feel a little threatened. She remembered how he had stuttered when he opened the door. That alone was a very clear indication that he liked her and that was also the cause of her insecurities. It had started off as irritation, but that disappeared somewhere along the line and all she wanted was to be with Max right now, even if all they did was play Monopoly. And that revelation troubled her because it was Valentine’s Day. So why didn’t she want to be with Richard?

  It was almost two o’ clock when Danny heard the key being slotted into the keyhole. She jumped off her bed and was already in the hallway before Max stepped inside. “So,” she said before he even closed the door, “how was your date?”

  “It wasn’t a date,” he replied innocently. “It was more of a business meeting.”

  “Business meetings don’t last until two in the morning.”

  He walked into the kitchen, went to the fridge and took out a bottle of apple juice. “It was late. She lives close to LAX. I wasn’t about to let a woman travel alone at night. It isn’t safe, so I offered to follow her home. What are you doing up anyway?”

  “I was reading a very interesting book,” she lied. “I couldn’t put it down. So you drove all that way? That’s so far out.”

&nb
sp; That knowledge upset her. He drove so far just to make sure Sofia got home safely. The gesture was as thoughtful as it was infuriating. Or maybe it was infuriating because it was so thoughtful. She couldn’t decide.

  Max opened his apple juice and gulped down half its contents. “It’s not that far. And since when do you read?”

  “I read all the time. It’s kind of a gigantic part of my job. Since when do you follow your business associates home?”

  Max seemed slightly annoyed with the interrogation. “Okay, fine,” he admitted. “It was a date. Is that what you want to hear? I went on a date with one of my clients and I had a damn good time.”

  Danny stood there, stunned. Her mouth opened and yet no words seemed to formulate. That was not what she wanted to hear at all. She wanted to hear that the date had been dreadful, that Sofia was boring, a pretty face with no personality.

  “You do realize that dating one of your clients is…unethical?”

  Max leaned back against the fridge and smiled. “Unethical? How’d you figure that?” He took another sip of juice and pondered a bit. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you read anything other than text books and fashion magazines. Reading books as a hobby is something you don’t do.”

  “She is one of your clients, Max,” she scoffed irritably. “You’d think that you’d be able to figure that one out by yourself. And I studied English. Our text books are reading books for normal people. That counts as leisure-time reading.”

  “No, it doesn’t. Normal people don’t read Shakespeare at their leisure.” He tossed his empty juice bottle in the bin and resumed his previous position, leaning against the fridge. “Need I remind you how you met Richard in the first place? You were doing an article on him for your blog, remember? But that didn’t stop you from dating him.”

  “That was different,” Danny countered quickly.

  “I don’t see a difference at all. I think you should come out and admit it.”

  “Admit what?”

  “You weren’t reading and you’re jealous.”