found themselves. Thailand had been purity until the moment she left. London had been her high, induced by alcohol and sex.
“You don’t belong in all this. You seem lost. I’m getting you out of here.”
That one voice had Stevie sculling as much of the alcohol as she could. It made her heart pain just thinking about the sweetness that laced his voice and the want to save her in his eyes.
“If you’d let me, I’d save you. Keep you away from this destructive path you’re on, Stevie.”
Another flash of his pale green eyes had her taking another mouthful before she set the bottle on the grass of the ninth hole. She raised her palms and covered her face. Different memories made it harder for her to breathe. Screams and begs echoed through her ears as they came bursting back, demanding attention.
“Mind if I join you?”
Stevie kept her face in her palms and closed her eyes tightly, trying to regain her self-control. When her heart started to settle its erratic beats, she peeked up to see Max standing in front of her with a bottle of whiskey.
“Only if you share.”
Max had tilted his chin up at Stevie before he sat next to her, staring out at the lake. He didn’t say anything as he unscrewed the bottle of Jack Daniel’s and took a swig. Then he had passed it over to Stevie. She held the bottle in her hand and sighed. Julian was a trigger. It wasn’t his fault for the things she did in London, but he brought back the memories. Years of making up for her mistakes seemed pointless. If he only knew what she had been like, then he’d run. Stevie froze at the thought. He’d know the monster she really was. She brought the bottle to her lips before throwing back a mouthful and passing it back to Max.
Maybe he needs to know what I’m capable of.
It might be the only way he’ll stay away.
“Why are you sitting on the ninth and getting drunk?” Max asked.
Stevie scratched her head, not wanting to make eye contact. “My past won’t leave me. I can’t make things better.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed Max taking another mouthful of whiskey. “I hear you on that.”
“You fixed things, Max,” Stevie tried to reassure.
He replied with a sarcastic laugh. “No. I fucked up big time. I’ve done shit I’m not proud of. I hurt my best friends more than once. I’ll never make things better, Stevie. I’m what my father calls a fuckin’ disappointment.”
Her eyes found Max’s light brown eyes, and she nodded. “I know the feeling; except I think I’m more my mother’s disappointment.”
“Why? You’re beautiful, Stevie. And you’re smart and you’ve got that mouth on you. You’re hardly a disappointment.”
She had let out a short laugh before she took the bottle from Max, throwing back some of the whiskey. Then she handed the bottle back to him. She hated the taste, but it numbed the pain inside of her. She was willing to make the sacrifice.
“I am. I refuse to love her,” Stevie stated, shifting her focus towards the lake. After a few moments, she laid back on the cold grass and stared up at the orange and red sky. Then she wished she was anyone else and wished she hadn’t done the things she had.
“I refuse to love my father. I understand what you mean,” he said.
Stevie propped herself on her elbows and gave Max a sad smile.
He set the whiskey on the grass and leant back on his elbows, mirroring her. “So, Stevie Appleton, what are you doing with your life?”
She burst out laughing. “You sound like my father.”
Max loosened his tie and grinned at her. “Father Max. Ready for your confessional.”
Stevie sat up and shook her head.
“Where’s the ‘Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned’ line? We were having a moment, Stevie.” Max raised his brow at her.
“We weren’t having a moment!” She playfully pushed his shoulder. “I start my marketing internship at Rogers & Co. on Monday. And I plan on moving into Clara’s apartment on Sunday. The sooner I leave my dad’s place, the more independent I’ll feel.”
“There you both are!” Ally said, walking up the green.
Stevie peered past Max to see her struggling to walk on the soft ground. When Ally was a metre away, she stopped, took off her heels with a huff, and then proceeded towards them barefoot.
“If it isn’t Miss Socialite,” Max teased once Ally sat next to him.
“You’re so