by Carly Morgan
“Sure thing, sir.”
The partition went back up. Max studied his hands. Light from outside the vehicle struck his face, highlighting the scar trailing through his eyebrow. Again, she stared, trying to remember why it brought up a memory that remained just out of reach.
“What?” he asked when he caught her watching him.
“Your scar, how did you get it?” She leaned forward as she spoke, hoping that if she got close enough, the memory would return.
“It’s a funny story, actually. I threw a baseball up in a tree.” He paused, shaking his head.
His words brought the memory flooding back. “You were using a slingshot to shoot rocks at it. Then the baseball fell out of the tree and hit you in the head,” Katie said, touching the scar.
“That’s right,” he said, surprised. “How did you know?” His eyes searched her face. She gazed back, amazed. “It was you,” he said after several moments.
“Yes, I’m the girl who yelled at you about not killing a squirrel.”
“That’s right.” He took her face in his hands as though seeing her for the first time. Chills ran the length of her body.
“You became a rock star,” Katie whispered.
“And you became a lawyer.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Well, no. I thought that’s what I wanted.” She pulled away, suddenly embarrassed.
“Hey.” He took her hand, shaking it lightly.
“We’ll see.”
“Yes, we will. Tell me what happened to you? Why didn’t I ever see you again?”
“My parents separated that summer. They got back together eventually, but not before my mom sold the house and we moved. I stayed with her in a little apartment across town until she and Dad worked things out.”
“Crazy.”
She laughed. “Yes, it is.”
Max’s place was on the Upper East Side. The entrance had a set of large double doors. Next to them stood an elderly doorman in a blue and gold uniform.
“Hey, Herbert,” Max said, pausing as the man opened the door.
Herbert tipped his hat. “Sir.”
“Thank you,” Katie said as she went inside.
“You’re welcome, miss,” Herbert responded with a smile.
Katie followed Max through the lobby and to the elevators, where they rode up in silence. Katie didn’t know why Max was quiet, but she felt nervous.
“It’s this way,” he said, tugging lightly on her sleeve.
There was only one door on the entire floor. “Aren’t you fancy?”
“Oh yeah, I’m super fancy.” He chuckled as he unlocked the door and held it open. “Here we go.”
She walked through, startled by how modern the place was. “This is nice.” The walls were light gray. All the furniture was contemporary and clean in white or black. Everything had a place. The apartment was so clean it didn’t appear to be lived in. The only item that didn’t seem to fit was the acoustic guitar leaning against an end table. The far wall was lined with windows with the most amazing views she’d ever seen. She walked toward it, mesmerized.
“Yeah, I like it.” He went to the kitchen and washed his hands. The cupboards were stark white with stainless steel appliances. The countertops were cement. A large island with a glass bowl filled with lemons took up most of the kitchen. The island’s cupboards had been painted black.
“You should.” She glided into one of the black leather stools tucked snugly under the island countertop. “It’s amazing. The whole place is. This island is bigger than my whole kitchen.”
“Don’t you live with Birdy? I know for a fact her father has a lot of money. I’m surprised you aren’t living in a place even nicer than this.”
“She didn’t want that.” Katie’s throat closed as she thought of her friend and she had to clear it before she could continue. “So instead, her dad bought the whole building. He keeps telling her to have an architect come in and recreate the space, but she doesn’t want that. She likes living the simple life.” Katie laughed so she wouldn’t cry at the injustice of Birdy’s situation. “At least that’s what she tells me. Sometimes I wonder.” Katie shrugged.
Max nodded, then seemed to decide it was time to change the subject. “All right, let’s get to work. Why don’t you wash your hands? I need you to whisk the eggs and cut the bananas.”
She made a face, pretending she was shocked by his request. “Hold on. I thought you were cooking for me?” She crossed her arms. “I’ve been robbed.” Despite her words, she went over to the sink.
“It’ll be fun,” he said, going to the refrigerator.
“We’ll see. I am skilled at the fine art of burning water.” Katie washed and dried her hands.
“Wow, that is a talent.” He took a glass bowl from the cupboard. “So, do you know how to crack eggs?”
She took an egg from the carton. “More or less.”
“That doesn’t fill me with confidence.” He tried to take the egg from her, but she moved it, holding it out of his reach. “I think you should sit back down,” Max said.
“No way. You got me over here. I’m going to help you out.”
He backed off, pushing the bowl toward her. “I need two whole eggs and three egg yolks.”
“Okay,” she said, and then considered him. “Wait, just the yolks? How does that work?”
He gaped at her, his expression a humorous mix of curiosity and horror. “You’re kidding, right?”
Katie laughed so hard she doubled over. “I got this. Watch.” She cracked two eggs, tossing the shells in the trash.
Max placed a small, glass bowl next to the big one. “You can put the whites in there.”
“Cool.” She cracked three more eggs, separating the whites from the yolks. Heat crept up her neck when she saw Max was studying her with deep interest. When she finished, she met his gaze and smirked. “See, nothing to worry about.”
Max chuckled. “Good. I’ll whisk while you cut the bananas.”
“Sure.” She scooted over, and got to work peeling two bananas. “Where’s your cutting board?”
“There,” he pointed to a small cupboard.
“Great.” She pulled out a cutting board, found a knife and started slicing. The room was quiet, except for some noise from the city below.
Max had found a whisk from somewhere and began mixing up the eggs. “Want to listen to some music?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, just say, ‘Alec, play some music from’ and then say who you want to hear.” As he spoke he added melted butter, milk, cream, and vanilla to the eggs.
Katie watched him a moment.
“Go ahead.”
“Hey, Alec, play music by Max Legend,” Katie said, smiling as she spoke.
He chuckled and she giggled.
Alec said, “I’ve found music from Max Legend.” Then one of Max’s songs, “Oh My Soul,” started to play.
“Cool,” she said, going back to chopping. “By the way, that smells good,” she said, finishing up.
“Oh, it’s just getting started,” he said.
With just half of the second banana left, the knife slipped and cut her finger. “Ouch.” Blood dotted the side of her finger.
“You’re bleeding.” He took her finger in his hands. Despite the irritating pain, a rush of warmth overcame her at his concern. “Rinse it under some water and I’ll get a bandage.”
He went over to one of the cupboards and took down a small tote filled with various first aid necessities. “Let me see your finger.” He took it and dried it with a clean towel. “It doesn’t look like it needs stitches.” The bleeding had already stopped. “Let me put some ointment and a bandage on it.”
“So, you want to be a nurse when you grow up?” she teased, doing her best to imitate his tone on the day they first met all those years ago. She still couldn’t believe gangly, awkward boy with the slingshot had grown into the amazing man before her.
He gave her his megawatt smile, then brought
her finger to his lips and kissed it. “All better.”
She smiled, basking in the heat of his touch. “Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He turned on the grill to the right of the stove and placed a flat iron griddle over the top. “This is ready. Why don’t you go sit down?”
“If you’re sure,” Katie said, moving back around the counter.
“I’m sure.” He chuckled as he whisked the batter one last time.
She bit her lip as she watched him spray the griddle, then dunk some bread into the egg mixture before placing it on the sizzling surface. “I wanted to tell you about Lance, if that’s okay?”
Chapter 16
Max glanced up at her, obviously surprised. But his features softened and he smiled. Katie noticed the skin on the sides of his eyes crinkle and she relaxed. It was time to tell him the truth about her brother. She wanted him to understand her hesitation and why she kept resisting the idea of dating him. But as she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She didn’t know how to begin.
He looked at her patiently. “I’m listening, Katie.”
She breathed out heavily, took in another breath, and held it, focusing on where to begin. Max flipped the french toast and waited. She blew out the breath she’d held in a gusty sigh. “My brother was in a band too.”
“Oh?”
She’d surprised him again and she smiled, which somehow warmed the cold feeling churning in her gut. “He began singing his senior year in high school. It was just for fun at first, but he got really good. He and some of his friends started an online channel and began playing their music. Sometimes live. Sometimes they would prerecord it. They did two videos as well. It was all their own music and while I thought it was too hard rock, a lot of people loved it. By the time he graduated, their group had more than five million followers.
“What’s the name of his band?”
“Green Guardian.”
“I remember them. They were everywhere and then suddenly they weren’t.”
Katie nodded. “Foxhole Records signed them. They released their first single and it rocketed to number one. The group’s followers went from five million to fifteen million almost overnight. That time was crazy. A year after he graduated, Lance was a millionaire. Suddenly everyone was giving him whatever he wanted. Cars. Money. Drugs. Women threw themselves at him everywhere he went. Magazines interviewed him. He was asked to model a line of clothes. My parents kept telling him to save, to be smart with his money, but he did the opposite. He moved out. Bought himself an apartment in New York. And owned at least five cars that we knew about.
“He became the face of the band. The others didn’t like all the attention he was getting and they began fighting. After that, things went downhill. The label asked him to make a solo album. He left the group after only one album and released his own within six months.
“I was away at college most of the time, but my mom told me a lot and I saw even more on the news.
“In a matter of eighteen months, he went from my sweet little brother to an arrogant, narcissistic pain in the butt that I couldn’t stand to be around. He was constantly high or drunk, always with scantily clad women and flashing his money. It embarrassed me. They never said anything, but it embarrassed my parents too.”
Katie paused and looked up at Max. He was watching her, their french toast sitting on plates, getting cold. “You doing all right?”
“I’m fine. Just worried about you.” He reached over the island and squeezed her hands.
“Thanks.” Max had placed a glass of juice in front of her and she took a sip. “A little over three years ago, his money was gone. The label had dropped him, his possessions had been repossessed, and he had nothing. My parents invited him to live with them. He brought his stuff there, but never stayed more than two or three days at a time. One of the days he was home, I returned to spend some time with my parents. I caught him in my mom and dad’s room. He was stealing Mom’s jewelry to buy drugs.” Tears filled her eyes at the memory. “I yelled at him. Told him he was disgusting and that he should leave and never come back.” She shook her head, remembering how horrible she’d been to her brother. “He smiled, a sad smile, and told me he wouldn’t. I haven’t seen him since.” She wiped at the tears falling onto her cheeks.
Max handed her a napkin. “Here.”
She took it and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. It’s not something I usually talk about. I was awful to him.” A sob lurched from her throat. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to keep herself from breaking down.
Max came around and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against him. “Hey, it’s okay.” He caressed her back with his hands. “You did the best you could. He was stealing and you were trying to protect your parents. You can’t beat yourself up over that.”
“Maybe,” she cried into his chest, “but it’s been years since I’ve seen him, years since my mom and dad have heard from him. We don’t know where he is, whether he’s alive or… or worse. And it’s my fault, Max. It’s because of me that he went away and hasn’t come back.”
“It’s not your fault, Katie,” Max whispered. “It was his choice to steal from your family, and his choice to leave and not come back. Until he was ready to choose to change his life and get clean, there was nothing you or anyone else could have done. And if you want to look for him, I’ll help you. It’s going to be all right. I promise.”
She shook her head. “No, it isn’t. The world he lived in—” She paused and pushed away from him before continuing. “The world you live in changed my brother and I’m afraid it’ll do the same to you.” That was her harsh reality. The truth behind the defenses she’d placed over her heart. She didn’t want to fall in love with him and have him leave her.
“It won’t, Katie. I get to choose how to respond to situations thrown at me in this life, and I choose not to be the guy who uses drugs or drinks. And like I said before, I’m a one-woman kind of man.” He smiled his megawatt smile.
Katie’s heart softened. She believed he meant what he said. And Max was older than Lance had been, had already found himself walking that path, and chose to go in another direction. She knew all of those things, but her heart still wasn’t convinced. “I believe—”
The door to Max’s apartment opened, and four guys came in, including Wolfgang, whom she recognized from their performance at The Attic.
“Hey, Legend, where’ve you been?” He walked in and picked up a piece of the french toast, taking a bite before glancing at Katie. His mouth froze mid chew. “Are we interrupting something?” He set down the remaining bread and went over to the other guys, whispering something as he shoved them toward the door.
Katie heard the words, “crying” and “serious” and felt her cheeks flame.
“But we need to discuss the details of our tour,” another guy whispered.
“You’re leaving?” Katie wiped her eyes quickly. “You said yes to the tour after all?”
Max growled in frustration.
“Well,” he smiled sadly. “After talking with you earlier, I thought it was the right thing. Our agent called me right after the arraignment. I just haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”
Her heart began to race and her stomach rolled into knots. She folded her arms over her middle to keep from throwing up. Max was leaving. But maybe it was for the best. Many more afternoons like this one and she’d never be able to walk away without a broken heart. She took a deep breath, afraid her heart might be breaking anyway. “I’ll let you get back to them. It’s obvious you’re needed.”
“Hang on.” He grabbed hold of her crossed arms and looked deep into her eyes, his concern for her evident. “Don’t move. Okay?”
She debated a moment, but finally nodded.
“Good.” He went over to his band mates. “I need to finish a discussion with Katie. Please stay and eat breakfast. She and I are going into my bedroom to talk. Keep it down. Play nice. I’ll be back.” He sounded like a f
ather talking to his young sons.
“Fine,” one of them said.
“But don’t be too long.”
“I’ll be as long as I need to be,” Max said. Under other circumstances, she thought one of the guys might have said something suggestive about the two of them heading for Max’s bedroom together. She appreciated their restraint; unsure she could handle being teased at the moment. He came back over to Katie. “Come with me.” He led her into his bedroom and closed the door.
His room consisted of a bed, two nightstands, and a TV that hung on the wall opposite his bed. His bedding was white. Tons of pillows were piled on top in reds, grays, and blacks. That was it. Very minimalistic.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know they were coming over.”
“It’s okay,” Katie said, feeling slightly more collected, but still really sad.
“The tour is six months, but it won’t start for another two. We’re travelling all over the United States and it takes time to get things ready. While I’m gone, I thought I could take a couple of days every month to fly in and see you. I hoped we could continue to date. Or at least be forever friends?” He studied her face.
She gave him a tight smile, still too emotionally raw to form words. Tears fell onto her cheeks again and she quickly wiped them away.
“Look, I meant what I said about helping you find your brother. We can start looking today if you want. Aside from that, I need you to know that I am not Lance. And I will never do what he did.” He smiled wryly. “I’ll probably make my own mistakes because I’m definitely not perfect either. But I won’t do drugs and I will never drink, and if you say the word, I will always be here for you.”
She turned away from him, desperate to make the blasted tears stop flowing. “But you won’t be. You’re leaving.”
Max came around and gently lifted her chin. “I’m going on tour, but if you’ll let me, I’ll come visit. I’ll call or text you every day. We could even go old school and I’ll email you instead.” He flashed a lopsided grin before his look turned serious. “I want to stay in contact with you.” He paused. “If that’s something you’re interested in.”
