Kari smiled. “I’ll bring you the names of a few good counselors who might be able to help. Communication between the two of you, getting all your worries and fears out on the table, would definitely be a great start.” She should practice what she preached, she thought.
“Thanks. I appreciate your help.”
Kari’s attention shifted toward the window where she could see Max in the pool, bronzed muscles rippling through the clear blue water.
“He’s always been a great athlete,” Breanne said without prompt. “Swimming, water polo, and, of course, football.”
Kari already knew where Molly got her athleticism. Her daughter excelled as a dancer, a basketball player, and a swimmer.
“Do you think you’ll be able to help Max?” Breanne asked.
“Dr. Stone is still running tests,” Kari said. “He’ll make the final decision about Max’s future in the NFL, but healthy eating and a good exercise program is a good start.”
“I can’t imagine life without him. Since our father’s death, Max has been the backbone of our family. Financially, he’s helped our entire family, but more than that, he’s always been a positive role model for me and my sisters.”
Breanne took a seat on a stool while Kari unloaded the groceries onto the center island.
Kari put the blackberries, artichokes, and brussels sprouts in the refrigerator. “When did your father pass away?”
“It seems like yesterday when our father died, but it happened fourteen years ago, right after my oldest sister, Sally, graduated from high school.”
“Around the same time Sally threw her high school graduation party,” Kari said.
Breanne’s eyes widened. “You’re right. Sally had a graduation party. Boy, did she get in trouble for that one. I missed the party because I was in Santa Barbara with my parents. We were visiting Nana.”
Breanne looked thoughtful for a moment before she added, “Max surprised us all that weekend by coming home from college for a visit. Two days after the party, we returned from Santa Barbara. It didn’t take long for Max and my father to get into it...a stupid argument about me, since I was hell bent on going to a rock concert. Max thought I should get to go.”
Breanne shook her head. “Max and my father always butted heads, so it wasn’t anything new. I was only twelve. God, I remember that day as if it happened last week.” Her voice softened. “Max told Dad he was being ridiculous. Dad folded the newspaper he’d been reading and set it on the coffee table. Then he stood and opened his mouth as if he was about to say something, but no words came out. He just slumped back into his chair and stopped breathing...just like that.”
Tingles raced up Kari’s spine. “What did you do?”
“Max gave Dad mouth-to-mouth while I ran through the house screaming. By the time I returned with Mom, Max was holding Dad in his arms. It was the only time I ever saw my brother cry.”
An image of Max’s mother looking distant, almost robotic, when she had gone to Max’s house to talk to him, came to mind. Max hadn’t been home. Kari had no idea Max had lost his father during that time. Two months later, Kari remembered going to Max’s house again. His mother answered the door and this time Kari handed his mother a letter addressed to Max, asking her to pass it on.
Kari looked at Breanne and realized she must have said too much because Breanne was looking at her as if she’d suddenly grown horns. Kari busied herself with opening a box of noodles.
“How did you know about Sally’s party?”
Wishing she hadn’t opened her mouth, Kari said, “I used to live in Roseville. I graduated the same year as Sally.”
“No kidding? What a small world. Does Max know that?”
Kari shook her head as she set the ricotta cheese and mozzarella on the counter. A movement outside caught her attention and once again she found herself watching Max through the window. He climbed out of the pool and the sight of him half naked, his strong athletic body glistening beneath the morning sun, took her breath away. Some things never changed.
“He seemed riled yesterday,” Breanne said, breaking into Kari’s thoughts. “Max doesn’t rile easily.”
“Is that right? What was he riled about?”
“You.”
Kari tried to ignore the heat climbing upward to her face. “I can’t imagine why.”
“He said you mentioned that the two of you met before, which makes sense now that I know you used to live in Roseville.”
Kari nodded. “I used to see Max in the morning when he delivered papers. The memories are foggy. It was a long time ago.”
“Did you ever watch him play football in high school?”
“I remember my father mentioning seeing Max’s name in the paper every once in while...you know...for leading number of tackles, or whatever. It’s all sort of a blur really.” Not.
“Well, take it from me,” Breanne said, “Max is definitely smitten with you.”
Nervous laughter escaped Kari as she fumbled around for something to do. She opened the carton of eggs.
“I’m serious,” Breanne went on. “Before he went out last night, he rambled on about the importance of my getting plenty of nutrients while I’m pregnant. I think you’ve created a monster.”
“It can’t be that bad. I’ve only spent one day with him.”
“Oh, yeah? He tossed the deli sandwich I bought right into the garbage, all the while spouting off about the horrors of nitrites in processed cold cuts.”
“He did that?”
“I told you he was smitten. What kind of macho man like my brother Max would remember anything about nitrites if he wasn’t smitten?”
“Who’s smitten?”
At the sound of Max’s voice, Kari turned toward the French doors leading from the pool area into the kitchen. With his hair slicked back from his face and water droplets trickling down hard bronzed abs, she found it near impossible not to stare.
“You are,” Breanne answered matter-of-factly. “I was telling Kari what you did to my salami and cheese sandwich and how any man who would ruin a perfectly good sandwich because of a few stupid nitrates must be smitten with their nutritionist.”
“True,” Max said with a grin. “I am smitten.”
Breanne winked at Kari. “I told you so.”
Kari busied herself with looking through cupboards for a measuring cup. The last thing she wanted to talk about was her and Max.
“Did you know that Kari used to live in Roseville?” Breanne asked Max.
Kari’s heart skipped a beat. Thank God she was half hidden in the pantry because otherwise they might have seen the horror on her face. She was definitely not ready for this. After seeing Max in Dr. Stone’s office, and having more time to think about the whole crazy situation with Max, it no longer surprised her that Max didn’t remember her. She was eighteen at the time...had lost twenty-five pounds since...spent a year in braces...and her hair was much longer now. It was no wonder he hadn’t recognized her.
“No kidding,” Max said.
“That was my response,” Breanne told him. “Kari even remembers you riding around on your bike delivering papers in the neighborhood.”
A long stretch of silence followed before Kari changed the subject. Stepping out of the pantry, she held up the measuring cup she’d found. “Time to get to work.”
Max rubbed his chin. “What are we doing today?”
“I’m going to teach you how to cook a few healthy meals. Since you’re fond of Italian food, I thought we’d start with a vegetarian Spinach Lasagna. I stopped at the store on my way here. There wasn’t a cameraman in sight.”
Breanne wrinkled her nose. “Those people can be annoying, can’t they?” She slid off the stool. “I’m going to go run a few errands and let you and Max do your thing.”
“You’re welcome to stay,” Kari said, “and learn a thing or two about cooking a healthy meal.”
Max shook his head. “She’s not interested.”
“I can take a hint. I�
��ll see you two later.”
“See ya,” Max said as he scooted around the granite island and tried to sneak a bite of mozzarella cheese.
Kari waved goodbye to Breanne, then scolded Max for sticking his fingers in the food.
Wearing a purple and white-striped towel wrapped around his waist, Max made focusing on what she was doing more than a little difficult. “Maybe you’d like to get dressed before we get started.”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
She used the metal whisk for emphasis, pointing it at him. “Honestly, I won’t be able to concentrate if you don’t put something on.”
“I’m flattered.”
She groaned. “Fine. Walk around naked if it suits you. I could care less.”
He didn’t budge. “Great.”
“Good. If you could grab two boxes of frozen spinach,” she said, “I’ll start mixing some of these ingredients.”
Max opened the freezer and hunted around for the spinach. After realizing he might never find what he was looking for, Kari reached under his arm and grabbed the spinach from the side door.
With one arm on each side of the freezer door, Max trapped her. “Do you really expect me to cook?” he said with a sexy drawl.
She looked away from his chest and into his eyes. “I-I think it’s important for all of my clients to learn how to make a few healthy meals.”
He leaned closer, his mouth inches from hers. “Why?”
“Uhm...because mealtime is a—a good time to bond with your family.” She ducked under his arm and returned to the stove where she could feel his eyes on her as she opened the box of spinach and dropped its contents into the pan. “Mealtime,” she went on, “is a good time to connect with friends. And,” she added smugly, “an opportunity to impress your date with a favorite dish.”
“Since you brought it up,” he began feebly, “about that woman you saw me with last night. Cole set the whole thing up. I had forgotten all about it when I asked you out yesterday.”
She dropped the noodles into the pot of boiling water next to the pot of spinach. “Don’t worry about it. What you do or who you see is no business of mine. I already told you I don’t date my clients. I’m only concerned with what you eat and how much exercise you’re getting.”
“I like you, Kari.” There was a long pause before he added, “Some rules are made to be broken, don’t you think?”
“By the time I’m done with you,” she said in a cheerful voice that belied the angst she felt inside, “you’ll be steaming, poaching, and broiling your food instead of frying it.” She didn’t care if she was babbling, because she couldn’t stop herself. He was standing so close she could feel the heat from his half-naked body. Every time she stopped talking, she found herself looking at his chest, which made her knees all wobbly and her insides gurgly as if she were eighteen again. Been there, done that. Focus, she told herself. Focus. “Could you grab a large bowl?”
He was back in a jiffy with a bowl. “Did you hear what I said?” he asked.
She sighed. “I like you too, Max.” She handed him three eggs and a bowl. “Please put one whole egg and two egg whites in that bowl.”
He obediently cracked all three eggs into the bowl. After throwing away the shells, he used a spoon to scoop out two of the yolks. “Are you ever going to tell me where we met?” Max asked as he rinsed the spoon in the sink.
“I already told you I mistook you for someone else. Are you ever going to let it go?”
“Not unless you agree to have dinner with me this Sunday. It’s your day off.”
“I can’t.”
“No fraternizing with your clients?”
“That...and Lindsay and I are going bowling.”
He lifted a curious brow.
“Birthday party for my daughter.”
“I see. I’m not going to give up easily, you know.”
“You’re wasting your time, Max.”
He busied himself with rinsing a bowl in the sink. After a moment he said, “My mother and sisters will be arriving next week. Still planning on sticking around?”
“It’s my job. I don’t have a choice. That is, unless you fire me.”
“And let you off the hook that easily? I don’t think so.”
For the next five minutes, they worked quietly side by side. She stirred the spinach while he stirred the noodles.
“Who picks your daughter up from school every day?”
“Usually one of Lindsay’s daycare assistants picks Molly up from school.”
“Molly,” he said. “Nice name.”
“Thanks.” She couldn’t look at him. A part of her wanted to tell him, but another part of her couldn’t do it. Max had his chance to be a part of his daughter’s life and he’d blown it.
“So,” he said, “you spend all day with all of your clients?”
“Most.”
“Men clients?”
She set the lid on the pan and turned up the heat. “Yes. I’ve worked side by side, just as we’re doing now, with many of my male clients.”
“I don’t think I like that.”
Exasperated, she went to the pantry to look for a colander.
“Why are you playing so hard to get?”
She turned about, surprised to find him so close. The man was like a cat on the prowl, sneaking up on his prey.
“I’m not playing anything, Max.”
“But you think I’m playing games...and you think this thing happening between me and you is just a game to me?”
“There isn’t anything happening between us.”
“But you do think my pursuit of you is all a game?”
“Yes.”
He dazzled her with a smile right before he cupped her face between his palms and covered her mouth with his.
She hadn’t seen it coming. If she had, she would have stopped him. And she was going to stop him...soon...very soon. The kiss was tender and lovely. Warm and intoxicating. Tears gathered, mostly because she realized she couldn’t stop him. She knew it. And now he knew it.
For a few glorious seconds, she couldn’t remember why she’d fought her attraction to him. She could hardly think. The only thing she felt was the warmth of his lips as he deepened the kiss and wrapped his strong arms around her, his chest a safe, warm cocoon.
Images of a time long ago crept into her mind; a time when Max held her as he was doing now.
You’re stronger now, Kari. You’re older and wiser. You can stop him.
She willed her hands to his chest and gently pushed him away. Stepping back, she wiped her eyes and tried to catch her breath.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was out of line. You do something to me, Kari. I felt it the instant I saw you in Dr. Stone’s examining room.”
She headed for the stove.
“The fact that I asked you out and then was discovered with another woman last night makes you think I’m a player, doesn’t it?”
Kari needed a moment to regroup. Her hands were shaking. But Max continued the conversation as if he hadn’t just turned her world upside down with a single kiss. “Honestly, Max. Seeing you last night with a woman whose name you couldn’t remember did little to change my original opinion of you.”
“And your original opinion of me was based on what? Magazine articles and tabloids?”
“Pretty much.” She turned back to the stir the ingredients on the stove, unwilling to let him see that a mere kiss had such a debilitating affect on her.
“I don’t think you’re being fair-minded,” he said.
Her heart raced as she wondered why he was being so persistent, so determined to make her want him. Why the hell did he have to come back into her life now? She’d read enough about Max Dutton over the years to know that he enjoyed a challenge, nothing more. Annoyed with herself for being so easily enamored, she turned to face him. “I don’t care what you think, Max. I’m not your girlfriend. I’m not even sure I’m your friend. For the next few weeks, I’m your nutritionist...and I
’ll never be anything more than that.”
CHAPTER 6
It was eleven a.m. on Sunday morning when Kari pulled her jeep into the crowded parking lot. Lindsay sat in the passenger seat, fixing her hair and complaining about her split-ends.
“Mom,” Molly said from the backseat. “I’m a little old for a bowling party, don’t you think?”
“Don’t be silly. It’ll be fun. Remember when you used to beg me every single day to bring you to the bowling alley?”
“I was six—maybe seven...” Molly looked out the window. “Oh my God! That’s Grant Parker. What’s he doing here?”
“I invited him,” Kari said, pulling into the first available parking space. “I thought you liked him.” Kari looked to Lindsay for help, but didn’t get any. “I thought she liked him,” she said again.
Molly slinked low into the back seat. “I’m not getting out. Tell Grant and everyone else that the party has been canceled. Tell them I died.”
Kari put the car in park, opened the door, and climbed out. “Get your butt out of the car right now or you will die of embarrassment when I roll down this window and tell Grant to come over here so he can see what a baby you’re being.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
“She would,” Lindsay warned as she flipped shut the mirror on the visor.
“I thought you were my friend,” Molly said to Lindsay. “How could you let her do this to me?”
“I had no idea she invited Grant,” Lindsay admitted with a shrug. “And who would have thought she would plan a bowling party for a thirteen-year old?”
Lindsay shook her head at Kari. “I must admit that I’m impressed though. Your mother does not like the idea of her baby girl turning thirteen, let alone talking to boys, but because she loves you, she invited the hottest boy in town to your party.”
“Thanks,” Kari said to Lindsay before she turned to her daughter. “So, what’s it going to be? Should I go get Grant?”
“I’m coming,” Molly muttered as she uncrossed her arms and sat up. “But I want you to know that you could very well be ruining not only my life, but my reputation as a semi-cool girl on campus.”
Taming Mad Max Page 6
