by Dana Wayne
“Thanksgiving? Already?”
She nodded. “Next week.”
Sky’s simple question gave him pause. Holidays were just another day for him. He’d known people who went all out, but he never had that pleasure. Suddenly, the idea appealed to him. A lot. “No. No plans.”
“Would you, um, like to join us for dinner?”
His mind raced with a myriad of objections. I’m no good for you. I have nothing to offer. I’ll only bring you down. But when he opened his mouth, something entirely different came out. “I’ve never had a real sit-down Thanksgiving dinner. Well, they did stuff for us in the service, but it wasn’t the same.”
Tight features softened, and she visibly relaxed. “I love the holidays. I want Maddie to always have fond memories to look back on.”
An idea formed, and the words came out before he could censor them. “How would you feel about cooking dinner at my house? I mean, you’d have to tell me what I need to buy and all.”
“Well, I—”
“I’ll have to make sure the oven works, though. I’ve never used it.”
“You’ve never used your oven?”
He shrugged. “No point for one person.”
He looked up to find her watching him as she fingered the tiny starfish dangling from a silver chain around her neck. “I haven’t cooked a meal like that in a while.”
“I’m guessing it will take a lot of time and effort on your part. I can’t cook, but I can shop.” His self-deprecating laugh was barely audible. “There is virtually nothing in my kitchen that isn’t fast food related. Other than coffee, of course, so, if you could just make me a list of things I need, I’ll get them.”
Her lips twitched, and a smile threatened. “So, you know how to choose the right turkey? The difference between corn meal and corn bread mix? Jellied cranberry or whole?”
Chagrined, he conceded defeat. “Okay. You have a point. What do you suggest?”
Slender fingers drummed on the table. “Do you have a roasting pan, pots, dishes?”
“To be honest, I don’t know.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You don’t know if you have dishes?”
“I have stuff. My shr—uh, a friend of mine stocked the place before I moved in. About the only thing I’ve ever cooked though is coffee and bacon and eggs. Yours are better.”
Eyes brimming with excitement met his. “Okay. If you don’t have what I need, we can use mine. No point in buying something you may never use again.” The tap, tap, tap of her fingers on the tabletop sped up as her face scrunched in thought. “The list will be pretty long.”
“I’m okay with that. Whatever you need to make it special. I mean, like you want it.”
She spun her cup on the table and lifted it to her mouth. “To buy everything I’d need for a…a traditional meal will be expensive.”
“More than a thousand dollars?”
She coughed and sputtered. “Heavens, no!”
“Then we are good to go.”
Uncertainty mixed with a quickly suppressed spark of excitement flashed in her eyes.
“If you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.” He forced his hand to remain steady as he drained his cup. “Just tell me what you think you’ll need…or however you want to handle it.”
She pushed an errant curl behind her left ear. “Maybe I need to see what you have on hand first, so we don’t end up with extra stuff.”
He snorted. “I have salt and pepper. And some pots and pans. I have no idea what a roasting pan is and seriously doubt I have one.”
“Okay. We start at square one.” Brows creased, she nibbled her bottom lip. “What if…maybe we could go together. That way, you’ll know exactly how much everything costs and can stop me if I suggest something you don’t like.”
He ignored the sudden jump in his heart rate. It’s not a date or anything. We’re going to the grocery store. No big deal. “When do you want to go?”
She hesitated, then met his steady gaze. “Tomorrow afternoon maybe? I’ll be working Monday and Tuesday of next week, and I’m off Wednesday and Thursday. But I’d rather not wait till the last minute to shop.”
The restrained excitement in her voice made his heart stammer. “I get off at three. How about I pick you up a little after?”
“Okay.” She blew out a long breath. “I’m taking advantage of your kindness again, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not.” He stood and placed his cup in the sink, then picked up the tool box. “I buy. You cook. I clean. We’re even.”
She stopped near the back door, arms folded across her middle. “Thank you, Max. For everything.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He needed to leave before he could act on the raging impulse to crush her to him. An impulse that skyrocketed when her gaze locked on his mouth, and she lightly licked her lips.
“Tomorrow.”
How could one whispered word hold so much promise?
“When’s Max gonna get here?” Maddie’s anxious question was followed by yet another trip to the kitchen window. “It’s already after three.”
“Any minute now.” Sky sat at the kitchen table reviewing her extensive shopping list. Even with just the basics, it would cost a small fortune to outfit his kitchen. For one meal. Okay, so there would be leftovers, and some ingredients he could use later, but essentially, one meal. She couldn’t remember the last time she was able to cook anything she liked without worrying about where the money would come from. They weren’t destitute, of course, but things were tight, making it necessary to watch every penny.
Just the thought of being able to shop unimpeded made her smile. Even Cade’s appearance right before she got off work didn’t quash her good mood.
He said he had good news for her, but she was busy and didn’t have time to chat. When the doors were locked a little later, he’d already gone. She had no idea what his good news was and, frankly, didn’t care. He was so not her type. Max, on the other hand, appealed to her on many different levels. True, they were essentially strangers, but at the same time, she sensed a connection with him from the beginning. An innate goodness that shone through his sometimes-gruff demeanor stood out, along with the patience and kindness he exhibited with Maddie. As did his masculinity. And sex appeal.
“Finally,” said Maddie as she hurried outside.
Sky rose and made it to the door in time to see Maddie tug him back toward the house. “Come on. Mama’s got her list all ready. I helped.”
She closed the door behind them and suddenly found herself nervous and unsure. Should she go through with this, trust her intuition? What if she was wrong? What if, what if, what if?
Maddie, on the other hand, was happy as a clam. “Mama’s a really good cook, Max. You’ll be happy you’re her male companion.”
Sky’s heart lurched. “Maddie!”
“Ma’am?”
She couldn’t look at Max. “Don’t say…male companion.”
“Why not?”
“Because not everyone is as smart as you,” offered Max, “and some people might not understand what it means.”
Pixie brows scrunched together. “Hmmm. Okay. Then what do we call you?”
“Just Max is fine.”
“But you will be Mama’s ma—friend, right?”
Hooded dark eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts. “If she’s okay with it.”
Sky blushed like a school girl on her first date and nodded.
“Good,” said Maddie as she zipped up her coat. “Can we go to the store now?”
Two hours later, Sky put away the final sack with an envious sigh. Her pantry would never be this well stocked. If her list said one of something, Max added extra, just in case. He stipulated she replenish the coffee, bacon, and eggs he’d eaten the night before, along with some snack items Maddie liked. She returned the favor by insisting he stock items other than canned chili and crackers for quick meals.
When the final tally appeared, she struggled for
air, suddenly embarrassed and inundated by guilt as Max paid the checker.
Once out the door, he touched her arm lightly, switching her focus to him. “This was my idea, Sky. If anyone should feel like they’re taking advantage of someone, it’s me.”
His comprehension of her unease should have bothered her. Should have. “Why do you say that?”
“You can cook. I can’t. You know how to shop for real food. I don’t. The way I see it, I’m the winner here.”
And just like that, her good mood resurfaced.
Sky roused herself and looked around the kitchen, noted the empty plastic bags scattered over the counter as well as the table, and gathered them up. “Did you put the turkey in the fridge?”
Max gave her an of-course-I-did look and didn’t reply.
“I forgot to ask about your schedule,” said Sky. “Will you be home Thursday morning? I’ll need to start cooking early. Some stuff I can do at home and just bring it over later if you’d rather.”
He pulled a key ring from his pocket and removed a key. “I work Wednesday and need to do a couple of things for Gail on Thursday.” He held the key out to her. “Here’s my extra key. Just do what you need to whenever you need to.”
She hesitated. A key to his house? That was a little too—something.
“It’s just a key, Sky,” he said softly. “With no strings attached.”
Once again, his perception of her feelings should have been disquieting but weren’t. She reached for the key. “Will it be okay if I come over Wednesday while you’re at work to do some of the prep stuff? Maybe bake that peach cobbler you wanted?”
When he smiled, her stomach did a somersault, and awareness raced through her like lightning.
“You’re going to leave me here alone with a fresh peach cobbler?”
Maddie’s gleeful laugh broke the spell. “You’ll get in big trouble, Max, if you nibble on stuff before Mama says you can.”
A flash of humor softened the hard lines on his face. “Then I guess I’ll have to wait.”
“Come on, young lady, we need to get home.” She gathered up her items. “You still have homework to do.”
The child pulled her coat from the back of the chair. “Can we have chili dogs for supper, please?”
Sky saw movement out the kitchen window and leaned over for a better view of who walked toward her back door. She couldn’t stifle a groan as Cade’s lean form came into view.
Max saw the sudden change in Sky’s posture and followed her gaze. Dammit.
Cade chose that moment to glance toward them. Even at this distance, Max saw his expression darken and his jaw tighten before long strides brought him to Max’s back door.
He looked at Sky for some indication of how she wanted this to go down. All he saw was apprehension and resignation. Max opened the door before Cade knocked.
“Hello, Cade.” Max worked hard to keep his animosity hidden. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanna to talk to Skylar.”
His sharp, clipped tone swung Max into protective mode in a heartbeat. He glanced to where she leaned against the sink, hands braced on either side. “Sky?”
She looked from one man to the other, then folded her arms across her chest. “About what, Cade?”
“I’m freezing my ass off out here.”
Max hesitated, dark eyes focused on the man who had made his high school years a living hell. “Watch your mouth,” he barked as he stepped aside for him to enter. “Maddie’s here.”
Cade didn’t glance at Max as he entered the small kitchen and addressed Sky. “Can we talk in private?”
Sky glanced at Maddie, who watched with nervous eyes. “Maddie, honey, why don’t you go start your homework. I’ll be there in a minute.”
The child looked from her mother to Max, who gave her a slight nod of encouragement.
“You may have one cookie and some milk before you do your homework,” said Sky.
Maddie wavered, then smiled at Max, completely ignoring Cade. “I had a good time today, Max.”
“Me too, Tink.” He tapped her nose with his index finger. “Run along like your mother said.”
Sky watched through the kitchen window as Maddie entered the house, then turned back to the two men. “What do you want, Cade?”
Max didn’t miss the strain in her voice or the tenseness in her stance, which heightened his protective instincts.
“To talk to you in private,” he snapped. “This is the third time I’ve been by since you got off. Where have you been?”
She ignored his question. “Anything you have to say to me can be said here.”
Cade stepped forward, and like flipping a switch, a charming man replaced the irritated one. He smiled and reached toward her. “I’ve got it set up for us to go to the dance next Saturday night.”
What the hell?
“I told you I have to work.”
“I got Louise to work for you.”
His self-satisfied grin made Max grind his teeth.
“You what? I have to work.”
The sharp edge in her normally soft speech surprised Max.
Apparently, Cade, too, because he flinched.
“You said you couldn’t go because you had to work. I got her to work for you, so now we can go.”
Max watched Sky’s transformation with a heady mixture of delight and desire. Face awash with color, eyes shooting daggers at Cade, her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled for control.
It was hot. And entertaining as hell.
“How dare you.” Sky took a step forward, hands fisted at her side. “You had no right to do that.”
Cade flashed his trademark smirk. “You need some fun in your life, babe, instead of being tied down with the kid and work all the time.”
Max almost felt sorry for the self-centered imbecile as he dug the hole deeper. Almost.
Cade reached for her hand, his timbre low and seductive. “Come on, babe. Stop with the games. You know you want to go out with me.”
She jerked back. “I am not your babe,” she hissed, “and my daughter is not a burden.” She took a breath. “And do not EVER interfere in my life again.”
“I was—”
“This is the last time we’re having this conversation, Cade. I’m not going to that dance or anywhere else with you. I told you before. I don’t date.”
Cade’s furious scowl settled on Max. “What about him?”
“None of your business.”
Max moved closer. Time for this asshole to hit the road. “I think the lady’s made her wishes clear. You can leave now.”
Cade focused on Sky, his face an unhealthy red, one purple vein pulsing at his temple. “I told you before. Getting involved with him is a mistake.”
“Good night, Cade.”
Sky’s voice trembled, whether with anger or fear, Max couldn’t tell.
“You heard her, Jackson. Leave. Now.”
Cade stiffened, hands fisted at his side, as he turned cold, dead eyes on Max. “Loser Logan,” he sneered. “You still don’t get it, do you? You’re not good enough for her or anyone else. You never were.” He jerked open the door. “And you never will be.”
It took a great deal of willpower not to follow through on the urge to plant his fist in Cade’s face as the man stormed outside.
“I’ve never encouraged him.” Sky grabbed up one of the plastic sacks and roughly stuffed it inside another. “I don’t know why he persists in asking me out.”
“You turned him down. That’s encouragement enough.”
Her back to him, Sky stopped and hung her head. “He sees Maddie as a burden.”
“He’s an asshole.” The knife-sharp words were out before he could stop them.
Her light laugh eased some of the tension in the room. “He is that.” She finished with the empty sacks and turned around. “These make handy liners for bathroom trash cans and trash bags for the car.”
Who puts liners in a bathroom trash can? “G
ood to know. Thanks.”
Those intoxicating, soul-searching eyes locked on his. “He’s wrong you know.”
Jaws clamped so tightly they hurt, he finally ground out a reply. “You don’t know that. You don’t know me.”
“I know all I need to.”
She placed her hand on his chest, and he feared he would combust on the spot.
“You’re a good man, Max, with a kind heart.”
He swallowed hard, unable to break eye contact. He couldn’t say who took the first step forward. Maybe they took it together. One minute they were three feet apart, the next his nose was filled with the citrusy aroma of her shampoo.
For her sake, he tried to be reasonable. “I’m no good for you,” he whispered as he drank in her beauty. “Cade was right about that.”
She ran her hands up his chest. “He’s an asshole. What does he know?”
Of their own volition, his hands slid around her waist, the dreaded words wrenched from his soul. “Afghanistan messed me up. I’m still not over it.”
“One day,” she whispered, “one thing at a time.”
Standing on her tip toes, her lips lightly brushed his.
And he was lost.
Her touch was a command, and he obeyed.
He slowly pulled her against him, lightly tracing the silky fullness of her lips with his tongue before delving inside to explore the softness hidden there. He pressed his mouth to hers, caressing more than kissing it, savoring the taste, the feel, the smell of her. A kiss for his wounded spirit to melt into.
She responded with a soft moan as her hands gripped his shoulders.
He deepened the kiss, and she countered, matching his fire with fervor of her own.
From…somewhere, willpower he didn’t know he possessed emerged, and he ended the kiss, resting his forehead on hers.
She shivered and gulped in air.
Old doubts and fears assaulted him. Cade was right; he wasn’t good enough. She was too good for the likes of him. He needed to stop now before things went any further.
“Please don’t do that,” whispered Sky. “Don’t shut me out.”
“I’m a mess.”
“Who isn’t?”
“You deserve better.”
“So do you.” She slid her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.
