“I didn’t think it was worth discussing and I certainly didn’t think it would mean it would lead to this.”
He didn’t think it was worth discussing?
Now it was me who I suspected looked like I’d been punched in the stomach.
I let that go, it wasn’t easy but I did it and instead, asked, “Did you read my e-mail?”
“I scanned it, I didn’t have time –”
Max got even tenser at my side but I was concentrating on the fact that I was getting tense too. Very tense. Ultra tense.
“You scanned it?” I asked quietly but I wasn’t being quiet in an effort to be gentle. I was being quiet in an effort to control my temper.
“Nina, things are busy at work, you know that, that’s why I couldn’t come with you on your holiday,” Niles replied, sounding like he was getting irritated though only mildly so.
“Niles, I didn’t ask you to come with me. The whole point of a timeout is to be apart so you can think about whether or not you want to be together. I explained that to you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Niles returned and that dangerous film of red that boded bad things started to coat my vision.
“Fuckin’ hell,” Max muttered while I concentrated on trying to clear my vision so I didn’t end up screeching like my mother.
“You can stay out of it.” My father entered the conversation by speaking to Max.
“Sorry, Larry, I’m in it,” Max shot back and if things weren’t going so very, very poorly I might have laughed. Dad hated to be called Larry, hated it.
“And who are you?” Niles asked, scowling at Max.
“I’m Holden Maxwell,” Max answered immediately, in other words before I could. “I own the house Nina rented. There was a mix up, I had to be in town on personal business and Slim didn’t tell Nina. She showed up at the house and I was there. Lucky I was. She was sick as a dog, lapsed into a fever so bad she was delirious for two days and I was worried I’d have to take her to the hospital. The fever broke and since then things have advanced between us. We’ve gotten to know each other, we both like what we know and, bottom line, you didn’t take care of what was yours. Now, as Nina has explained, you’ve lost it, I found it and it’s mine.”
As usual, Max didn’t mince words and Niles was now scowling at him but doing it with his mouth hanging open.
Max ignored Niles’s scowl and, his head swinging between me, Mom and Steve, he asked, “We done here?”
I heard Steve chuckle.
However, Mom declared, “I’m not done.”
“Yeah you are, sweetheart,” Steve said, pulling her back a couple of feet.
“I’m not done, either,” Dad stated and finally stood.
“You got nothin’ to say. Far’s I can see, this ain’t your business,” Max told him.
“She’s my daughter,” Dad declared.
“You fathered her but that doesn’t make her your daughter,” Max retorted and Dad’s face got red.
“As far as I can see, this isn’t any of your business either,” Dad returned.
“Then seems to me you aren’t seein’ very well,” Max replied.
Dad didn’t continue because Niles spoke.
“I lost it and you found it and now it is yours?” Niles asked Max and Max looked to Niles.
“That’s what I said,” Max answered.
I decided to wade in. “Niles, please, listen to me –”