"Why don't we try Natolino's for lunch? A friend from work told me it's excellent," he said.
Kylie made a face.
"What’s wrong? I thought you loved Italian food.”
"I do, it's just last time we had Italian…." Kylie didn’t finish her sentence and realized she shouldn’t have started it in the first place. God why did she say that?
Max stopped walking and got that mischievous grin that told her what was coming. "We were very, very naughty."
“Don’t make it sound so innocent.”
“It was innocent, like two teenagers sneaking out at night. We had a little too much to drink. That’s why teenagers shouldn’t drink. They’re naughty, very naughty.”
Kylie had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from grinning. She ought to know better. She might’ve started this but boy did he know how to use it. "No actually we’re grownups, adults, and maybe we were a little bit delirious,” she returned, regarded the potted plants to suppress giggling.
Max started walking again. "Delirious! Then lock me up and throw away the key."
Kylie just shook her head. "Max, you are incorrigible!" She pretended to be shocked yet couldn’t help falling prey to his charms.
"If you say so, my dear." He gave her that heart-stopping smile and Kylie knew that Max's middle name was trouble.
The restaurant was far nicer than anything Kylie had ever seen in the city. That was mostly due to the fact that the terrace dining overlooked a vista of mountains, the city of Rocksdale and the Roy River that separated the two. But even though the scenery was too beautiful to ignore, Max couldn't take his eyes off Kylie, and she couldn't help but watch the woman seated to the left of them that wouldn't take her eyes off Max.
"That woman, sitting alone over there is staring at you." Kylie motioned in her direction.
"Oh Yeah." Max said nonchalantly, his mind on other things.
"I mean she's really staring at you," she glanced over quickly at the woman. "Not only that, the weird thing is I think I saw her at the Hardware store." Kylie frowned.
Max snapped out of his daze long enough to look directly at the woman who made no effort to look away, but smiled at him instead. Max smiled back then turned back to Kylie who looked completely shocked.
"What's the matter?" Max had to contain the urge to laugh.
"Well, did you see that? I just can't believe she just smiled at you like that!"
"Why? I'm single aren’t I?" He gave her that mischievous look.
Her shoulders slumped. “Well yes, but she doesn't know that!"
The warm glint in his eyes made it hard to get upset with him. She took a deep breath and ordered herself to calm down. What did she care if this woman outwardly wanted him?
"I'll tell you something to put your mind at ease. She's not my type." Max stated.
Kylie decided it was his arrogance that was upsetting her as usual. "I really don't care."
"Could have fooled me." Max leaned forward and stared into her eyes.
Kylie was caught off guard again. Something tugged at her insides and for a moment her breath got caught in her throat.
“Listen to me for a second. I think your beautiful, not her.”
They stared at each other for what seemed to be an exaggerated length of time. If that woman was still watching them, Kylie thought, she might just change her mind about their status.
Kylie pulled back first. "You’re impossible Max!"
"Well thank you, I try," he smiled.
"I'm sure you do," she smiled back.
The food came and Kylie almost forgot the strange but pretty woman sitting adjacent to them. She popped a shrimp into her mouth, and listened to Max tell stories about him and his brother and all the innocent trouble they used to get into growing up. He’d had a good childhood despite his mother’s passing. It sounded like it was partly due to his father’s wonderful sense of humor and the great bond of love he had with his brother. It reminded her of how she felt about Lucy.
It was getting hot and the sun was working its way around the table's umbrella. Kylie picked up her glass of iced tea and absorbed its coolness through her hands then brought it up to the light and admired its pretty, amber color. When she looked back up, Max was staring at her just as she was hoping he would be. He was so handsome; he sent shivers up and down her spine. She didn't want him to want her but it was hard not to like all the attention. Damn it, he was getting to her, she thought.
"Are you ready to go?" She asked softly.
Max was so busy fantasizing he couldn't answer fast enough.
“Are you ready to go?”
"I guess so. What are you thinking about?" Kylie asked him.
"You." Max said frankly.
Her head dropped slightly then she looked at him very seriously. "I think you should just forget about me." But as she said it, it didn't sound convincing enough for her, and she wondered how it sounded to him.
Max got up from his chair and picked up the bill. "You do what's best for you and I'll do what's best for me. How does that sound?"
Kylie felt bad and reached for the bill, but he grabbed her by the hand. "It’s ok," he said, but Kylie knew he didn't mean the bill.
He held on to her for a minute and she felt so right. He knew she was just scared. It had to be that, he thought. He didn't imagine that she was staring back at him a few minutes ago and he sure as hell didn't imagine the other night.
He took her hand in his own and led her out of the restaurant as if it was the natural thing to do. They passed the arrogant woman on the way out who was now sitting with a man. Kylie cringed as she looked down at her. Maybe the women thought she knew Max and it was just a misunderstanding. Still, something didn’t feel right.
Late that afternoon after putting up the patio set and relaxing by the lake, Kylie had renewed energy and decided to rake the lawn. She still felt bad about Paul and couldn't get it off her mind, but thought that a little work might change that. She’d left him a message on his answering machine twice, but he never called her back. It was true that if he never wanted to speak to her again, it was justifiable; she simply wished that he would give her the chance to explain. Except explain what, she reflected. That she had nearly made love to the man she lived with. No, that wouldn't work at all. She might as well resign herself to being alone for the rest of her life. Surely Paul was the nicest man she had ever met, and if she had messed it up with him, she knew she’d regret it for a very long time, she thought.
Suddenly, as if from out of nowhere Kylie felt a hand touch her on the arm, and she nearly tripped over the rake as she whirled around.
"Hello." Said the, oh too familiar woman standing before her. “I'm Leslie McKenzie.”
Kylie could hardly speak. She quickly glanced around for Max, but he wasn't around, so she turned to face her strange visitor and squeaked out something that sounded like a "Hi".
The woman took a step back. "I'm sorry if I startled you. I meant to say hello this morning at the restaurant, but I wasn't sure if I had the right people."
Kylie started to put two and two together but still wasn't buying it. "Yes we saw you too. Do you live around the lake?"
"Yes, just a few houses to the left of yours."
The pretty but too heavily made up blond standing before her, explained that she had seen them move in and was wishing that they could be friends. But Kylie didn’t buy it. Wasn't she staring at Max in the restaurant or maybe she was wrong. Nothing seemed to be clear to her anymore.
Max finally walked down from the house with an equally suspicious look on his face. "And who do we have here? Our mysterious Madame X!" He exclaimed.
Kylie felt like running but bit her bottom lip instead. "This is Leslie ...McKenzie did you say?" She turned to the woman.
"That’s right." Leslie smiled then shook Max's hand.
Kylie felt a vibe run through her, it felt like jealousy but it couldn't be.
Max was smiling at the woman and had started a
conversation; however, Kylie couldn't follow it. She was too busy observing the subtle seduction this woman was performing on him. God she was good! And Max was sucking it all up!
She snapped back when she heard Max invite her to stay for dinner. "You’re staying for dinner?" was more of an accusation then a question.
"Yes, I would love too!" Leslie smiled innocently at Kylie.
"That's great." Kylie heard herself say but was focusing on Max who had a mischievous grin on his face again. Now what was he up too? She fought the urge to pull him aside and ask him. She didn’t know him well enough to presume that he was up to something. She supposed that she’d have to wait it out and see.
Deliberately, she trailed behind them. Watching, as Leslie delighted in every word that came out of Max’s mouth. When he turned around to include Kylie in the conversation, she’d nod her head absently. She simply couldn’t focus with the cloud of blond hair panting like a dog in front of her.
Max considered the situation carefully. It was true that sometimes it was easier to go with the flow, in fact he usually did, but it was evident that Kylie did anything but. The incredulous look on her face that was inching its way to anger, made him wonder why she hadn’t continue her raking instead of putting herself in a situation she didn’t enjoy; politeness probably.
Still, there was that tell all look on her face, which indicated that she wasn’t happy. Was it possible that she was a little put off by Leslie because she was jealous? He wasn't sure but it wouldn't hurt to find out.
Max led them back up to the house, then he and Kylie showed Leslie around.
Kylie was even more uncomfortable at the dinner table. Her sky blue eyes turned dark teal in the fading light as she examined the situation.
It seemed like there was a devil in the air tonight, and she for one was not happy about it. She focused first on Leslie, studying the way her eyes bulged out of their sockets when she feigned surprise or delight. She was definitely not the most attractive creature on the planet. Then Kylie turned her attention to Max, who seemed all to content to suck up the bizarre energy from this overgrown Chihuahua. For a moment, she thought of excusing herself but it was much too entertaining, she decided.
Max on the other hand knew that the devil in the air was undeniably him. He didn’t need to do much to provoke Leslie; actually he didn’t need to do anything at all. She would take him straight to bed this instant if he wanted. He knew that. He also knew that if Kylie truly didn’t care about him, she wouldn’t be wiggling in her seat like a fish out of water. Every time Leslie touched his arm or his hand, Kylie looked the other way.
“So you’re not married, isn’t that funny, I thought you were.” Leslie smiled like a Cheshire cat.
Kylie flipped the napkin off her lap and was about to get up from her chair when Max decided he’d end the games.
“No. At least not yet.” He said as nonchalantly as possible.
Kylie sat back down and stared at him in disbelief
“But you told me you two just met.” Leslie said through clenched teeth.
“Yes, that’s right,” Max let it go and changed the subject. “So tell us what you know about the murders around the lake?”
“Oh, the murders,” Leslie was disappointed. “Well, they’ve affected me directly you see,” she hesitated, looking them over closely. “My husband was murdered recently and my mother was murdered many, many years ago,” she said quickly.
Kylie thought that if her hair were cut short, it would be standing straight up in the air right now. Could this woman have said it any more bluntly than that? She looked over at Max who appeared to be unaffected.
“I’m sure it must have been horrible, I’m very sorry,” Max said sincerely.
“Well, it was,” Leslie sighed, “I’m just glad it’s over. The months that followed were exhausting.” She got up and walked over to the window and peered out at the lake. “You know, reporters, police, all asking hundreds of questions.”
“But it’s not over,” Kylie stood up and started clearing the table; stacking the plates and cutlery into a pile.
“Well it’s over for me.” Leslie shot her a look.
“I’m sorry,” Kylie told her. “It’s just that there are still people in danger until they catch this guy. I think we should all try and help, but I understand your trepidation.”
“I did all I could Kylie; it’s in the hands of the police now.” Leslie grabbed her purse. “I really should be off; I have a million things to do in the morning.”
They walked her to the door and said their goodbyes. Kylie stood in the doorway watching Leslie’s fancy Mercedes crawl across the gravel then she closed the door and leaned against its heavy wooden frame.
Max stared at her, sunned at her obvious transformation. He was sure that this was the first time Kylie had smiled all evening.
After the dishes were cleaned, Max turned down the lights and carried their wine glasses into the living room. The sun had gone down and the night was settling in. Kylie followed his lead and sunk down into the sofa.
Maybe she was getting used to him, he thought. Having her sit this close to him was a small triumph. It wasn’t as if they’re bodies were touching, but the distance between them, was that of people who had an intense fondness for each other. He watched as she crossed her legs slowly then smoothed out the tiny pleats in her skirt. Her long fingers moved gracefully across the supple material. She was so lovely; it made something tighten in his chest.
They hadn’t really talked about what happened since Leslie left. Max was curious to see what she thought. He already believed he knew what her answer would be, but he asked her anyway. “So what do you think of Leslie?”
“I don’t know. She scares me.” Kylie admitted.
“Why?” Max was caught off guard; somewhat surprised by her answer.
“There’s something very insincere about her.” She muttered.
“Do you think she’s hiding something?”
“I…I’m not sure.”
“It’s probably the fact that she has a relationship to the victims that’s giving you the creeps.”
“Well, she told us about it with very little compassion, don’t you think?”
“It’s probably hard for her to talk about it,” he assured her.
“I suppose.” She smiled halfheartedly but didn’t buy it.
Max grinned, grabbed the remote and then put his arm around the back of the chair.
“Anyway, you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about it. It has nothing to do with you.” He squeezed her shoulder gently then flicked on the TV.
It was true; it didn’t have anything to do with her. But something was nagging at the back of her mind. Then as soon as she made the connection, she felt really stupid for not thinking of it sooner. Leslie had said that she lived right next door to Jeffery Williams. Did she know him? She would have to, if they were neighbors. Or maybe when people called him a recluse it meant he never came out, ever. Still, he’d have to get food from somewhere. But then he must have servants for that.
“Let it go Kylie,” Max said softly.
Kylie relaxed back into the sofa. She didn’t like it when Max read her mind and she gave him a look, a kind of playful warning.
At least Leslie was gone, and who knew if they’d ever see her again; hopefully not. Max was himself again and it was nice to feel his warmth only a few inches away from her. Her emotions began to war against each other as if she were two completely different people. One part of her told her to pull away, but it was the best she had felt all day, so she let her head lean back against his arm and sipped her wine. After all, his arm wasn’t completely around her, just over the back of the sofa, and if she moved, it would cause tension, and then they would just start arguing, she told herself.
So they watched the movie this way, together, neither one moving a muscle.
Chapter 7
Early the next morning, Max snuck into Kylie’s room and shook her awake.
“Hey gorgeous, wake up.”
Kylie jumped up, half trying to make her way out of the covers. “What’s wrong?”
The alarm in her voice made Max laugh. “Nothing is wrong; I just wanted to talk to you.”
She flopped back into the bed leaving him unable to speak. He crouched down and brushed the silky hair off her shoulder and then took in her sensual form which was hardly covered by the little nighty and thin sheet.
“What time is it?” She pulled at the covers and turned her back to him.
“It’s 6:30.” He whispered as if not to wake her any further.
“What!” She pulled herself up and looked at him questioningly.
“I have to go to work. I have a couple of meetings today, but I wanted to tell you something first.”
“Okay,” she looked at him through sleepy eyes.
“I called my friend Rob this morning to see if he wanted a lift to work. We got to talking, and I mentioned Leslie. He said his wife knew her very well.”
Opening her eyes wide, Kylie blinked against the misty light.
“He said, Leslie hated her husband and that they were going through a bitter divorce when he got murdered. Rob’s wife hasn’t spoken to her since. He said she kind of had the spooks after that.”
“What do you mean the spooks, does his wife think that she did it?” Kylie was sitting up straight now.
“No, I don’t think so.” Max slipped down on the bed carelessly, and propped himself on an elbow. “I didn’t ask. Rob did mention that Leslie knew the last victim. But rumor is, she told the police that she didn’t.”
Kylie turned around to face him. “Maybe it was a cover up.” She raised her brows and slid down on one elbow.
Max stared at her then traced a line down her cheek to her shoulder with the back of his hand.
Kylie looked into his eyes, now nearly black with the lack of light. “You’d better go to work.” She whispered.
“Yeah, I’d better.” He lingered, then laughed and sat up. “Now don’t you go getting yourself into any kind of trouble. I’ll see you later.”
A Familiar Star (Romance Mystery) Page 8
