“Nina bought that for me,” Max informed her and Mom’s eyes got happy wide, her face beaming and she looked at Steve.
“You hear that, Steve, darling? Nina bought Max a creamer.” And Mom said this like she would say, “You hear that, Steve darling? Nina just declared her undying love to Max and they’re going to be surgically attached at the hip tomorrow.”
“I heard it, love,” Steve said, grinning at Mom’s obvious happiness for it was doubtful Steve was thrilled about the creamer.
“Lovely,” Mom muttered and put down the creamer and then started opening and closing cupboards, still muttering when she said, “Now, bowls.”
“Max,” Steve called, I looked to him and I suspected Max did too for Steve kept talking. “I hate to cut into the usual madcap Nellie-Nina reunion but we gotta talk about that jackass Lawrence.”
There it was, the reason for their visit, just as I would have guessed if I’d had time to make a guess.
Mom was dumping stuff into a bowl but she leaned into me and stated, “Steve has a plan. Steve always has a plan.” Then she winked at me and went back to dumping stuff in the bowl.
“What’re you thinkin’?” Max asked.
“I’m thinkin’ after breakfast we leave the women up here and go down the mountain and have a talk with Lawrence at his hotel.”
My body got tense again.
“Works for me,” Max said instantly.
“Um… I don’t –” I started but stopped when Max squeezed my waist.
“We’ll be back, less than an hour,” Max told me and I twisted to look at him.
“Max –”
“Duchess,” Max cut me off, “it’s as good as done.”
I hadn’t had time to contemplate my predicament, my escape or scrutinize the fact that I consistently seemed to allow myself to get thwarted and end each day in bed with Max. However I was relatively certain that I didn’t want Max to team up with Steve to send my father packing. I didn’t know why, I just thought that was family business and Max wasn’t family. And I didn’t know why, but I thought if he did do this, he’d be that one step closer to being family. What I did know was that I wanted him to be family and I also knew I shouldn’t.
“Max, can we talk about this?” I asked.
“We can though you ain’t gonna change my mind.”
“Max –”
He used his hand at my waist to turn me to face him then his arm went back around my waist and pulled me close.
“Let me explain somethin’, Nina. He’s in town and he’s thinkin’ about f**kin’ with you. You said your piece yesterday, made your point clear and he still thinks he can f**k with you. A man’s any man at all, no one f**ks with his woman, not even her father. He thinks he can, until I make it clear he can’t, he’ll always think he can. So better now than later he learns he can’t. Yeah?”
“Max, I just don’t think it should be you. Maybe I –” I stopped talking when I got another squeeze.
“Honey, he showed you zero respect yesterday and he upset you. You think I’m gonna let that happen again?”
“Max –”
“I’m not.”
“Max –”
“He won’t have a choice but to show me respect.”
“Max –”
“Especially if I got your family at my back.”
“Max!” I shouted.