The Better Man (Chicago Sisters)

by Amy Vastine

  “So, you said nothing inflammatory?”

  Max shook his head. “She even harassed the people I was with after I left.”

  “You did the right thing by not engaging her in public. She could easily turn that around on you. Remember that any time you two have to interact.”

  “I’ve been nice up until now,” Max said, leaning forward. “I accepted supervised visits and all the roadblocks she’s put in my way. But I’m ready to give it as good as I’ve been taking it.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “She has a history, too. I know who she was before she was this model citizen. She drank a lot and partied hard when we first met. I’ve noticed when she drops off Aidan for visits, she’s sometimes disheveled and disorganized. Maybe we need to ask the judge—”

  Wayne held up a hand to stop him. “Hold on. I want you to think long and hard about going this route. You could come across as very unsympathetic if you make a bunch of false accusations. Judges only want to know about the right now, not five years ago.”

  “How come the same’s not true for her? She can talk about what I was like when we were together, but I can’t? She can use everything I’ve done or not done against me and I just have to sit quiet?”

  “Anything bad you say about her doesn’t automatically make you look better. You’re the one who let her be the sole caretaker of your son from day one. If you thought she was unfit or worried about her drinking and still left him in her care, you are just as negligible.”

  Max hadn’t thought of it that way. It seemed all he did was make mistake after mistake. The last three years were filled with nothing but regret. His choices had left him with so few options at this point. If he wanted to be in his son’s life, he saw no other way than to fight. “I need to do something, Wayne. She won’t work with an arbitrator because she thinks she can win with a judge. I want to ask for full joint custody, legal and physical. I’ll drag her through the mud to get it if I have to.”

  Wayne puffed out an exasperated breath. Leaning back in his seat, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll do whatever you want, but I’m going to warn you that taking the offensive on this might not be the way to go.”

  It might be a risk. It probably wouldn’t work, and if it did, he would be turning his son’s life upside down. How was their little boy going to come out of this fight unscathed? Max had no idea. He could only hope Aidan would be resilient enough. Max wanted Katie to know how it felt to be him. This seemed the only way to accomplish that.

  * * *

  THE NEXT DAY, Kendall was conveniently missing from Sato’s. Owen was in charge and said she was working from home on another project. Max had to bite his tongue to stop himself from asking if Simon made it to school. He had to forget about Simon. That was the way Kendall wanted it. She wanted him to forget about both of them.

  Maybe if she hadn’t left her mark on everything in the restaurant, that would be a little easier. Kendall was in all the details—the artwork, the charming accessories, the quiet beauty of the space she’d created. Of course, there was also the mural. An undeniable showpiece, it was an obvious labor of love and left him in awe of her talent.

  He couldn’t afford to be infatuated with her, though. Feelings like that were the reason he tried to keep his relationships shallow at best. When he cared too much, he ran the risk of getting hurt. Aidan was the only one for whom he’d risk his heart.

  The restaurant was opening in a little over two weeks. There wasn’t time for anything but work and his son, anyway. Owen had given him the punch list and offered to walk around with him to make sure everything was getting fixed to his satisfaction. The waitstaff had orientation next week. Chef Yamaguchi would be working with the kitchen staff the week after.

  Max was busy, which was good. He was much too busy to think about Kendall and the way her smile made him want to compliment her so she’d do it again. He couldn’t waste time focusing on what she might have felt like in his arms. Or how he hoped Simon hadn’t needed to be too brave today. His head fell on his desk.

  “Everything okay?” Owen popped his head in the office.

  Max sat up and ran a hand over his hair. “I’m fine. Everything out there going smoothly?”

  “Smooth is my middle name,” Owen joked. “There’s no other way it could go.”

  “Good. I’m taking off soon to go see my son and I need to know everything’s all right before I leave.”

  “Should be. I talked to Kendall and she said she’s going to come in over the weekend and finish the mural.”

  “Did Simon go to school today?” he asked, unable to resist now that he was never going to see her again. She would make sure of that.

  Owen seemed taken aback. “As far as I know.”

  “Don’t look so surprised,” Max grumbled. “Although the rumor around town is I don’t care about anyone, I do care about some people.”

  Owen threw up his hands. “I’ve heard no such rumor. I’m sure you care about a lot of people. I just wasn’t aware Simon and Kendall were two of them.”

  Max froze. Had he let something slip about Kendall?

  “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone and ruin your reputation,” Owen said. “I wanted to know if you want to take a look at the newly repaired bathroom tile before I let the guys leave for the day.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Max stood up, regaining his bearings. He followed Owen out and was unpleasantly surprised to find Jin talking with two men at one of the tables. “When did he get here?”

  Owen casually glanced in Jin’s direction. “A few minutes ago. He didn’t want to talk to me or you, so I left him alone.”

  Max planned to do the same. He didn’t need any trouble from Jin when he needed to get to his visit with Aidan. The bathroom tile was fixed as Kendall had promised it would be way back when. He’d given her such a hard time in the beginning. No wonder it was so easy to believe the worst about him.

  “Max!” Jin called as he attempted to return to his office.

  “How can I help you?” he asked with some effort.

  “This is Harold James from the Chicago Tribune. He’s here to interview you and Chef Yamaguchi, who should be here in...” he checked his watch “...a half hour.”

  He had to be kidding. Max felt his face warm. As much as he wanted to strangle his boss’s son, he managed to keep his cool. He turned his attention to the reporter. “Well, there’s nothing more I’d like to do than to promote Sato’s opening. I wish Jin had given me a heads-up, though, because, unfortunately, I’m on my way out. Perhaps we could come up with another time that works for both of us?”

  “There is no other time,” Jin interrupted. “This is the time.”

  Taking a breath, Max looked at Jin and tried to deal with him like he would an unreasonable customer. “I hear what you’re saying. I really do. Unfortunately, I have to go. How can I make this up to you?”

  “Excuse us,” Jin said to the reporter and photographer. Both men nodded then gave each other a look. Jin pulled Max over to the bar. “What exactly is so important that you can’t do this interview, Mr. Jordan?”

  “I have a visit with my son. I had one with him on Monday that I missed because you showed up unexpectedly then, too. You might want to try sending me an email or giving me a call the next time you want to schedule a meeting with me.”

  “The restaurant deserves a manager who puts it first, who is here when we need you to be here. If you don’t think you’re cut out for this job, I suppose I’m glad we found out now.”

  Max was finished being told what or who should take priority in his life. He was done being worried about not being good enough. No job was going to be his excuse for not being in Aidan’s life. “My son comes first. If your father has a problem with that, I’d like to hear that from him.”

  Jin’s gl
ower created little creases on his forehead. “My father? My father listens to me.”

  “That’s funny because I remember you telling me that you agreed with Kendall about the sushi bar, but your father agreed with me. I also remember you telling me I wasn’t your first choice for this job, but your father told me I was his. Let’s be clear about who’s in charge here. Your father is my boss. Feel free to give the Tribune reporter my phone number and he can call me to reschedule my interview.”

  He didn’t wait for Jin’s reply. He went back to his office and packed up. On his way out, he wished all three men good-night. He hoped he’d still have a job in the morning.

  * * *

  MAX PULLED UP to the counseling center without a moment to spare. He got out of his cab and noticed Aidan entering the building in front of him. The little boy wasn’t holding on to his mom’s hand today. Instead his stepdad, Jason Michaels, was there to drop him off.

  Hands on his hips, Max closed his eyes and asked God to give him a break. Wasn’t Jin enough torture for one day? Now he had to deal with Katie’s husband? Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. Dealing with Katie had to be worse.

  They were waiting by the elevator. Max watched as Jason bent down and tied Aidan’s shoe. While crouched down, he tickled Aidan’s stomach and playfully pinched his nose. Aidan giggled with glee and gave his stepdad’s nose a pinch back. Jason kissed Aidan’s forehead before standing back up with the little boy in his arms.

  Max’s heart sank. All the rationalizing he’d done over the years seemed so ridiculous now. He had convinced himself that Aidan was too little to notice if his dad was around or not. He had told himself these were the years a kid needed his mom, not his dad. Dads weren’t important until later. All the while, Jason was bonding with Aidan. Giving Aidan the attention he needed when Katie couldn’t and stealing Aidan’s heart.

  He came up behind them just as the elevator arrived. Jason didn’t recognize him immediately, but his smile faltered slightly when the connection was made.

  “How’s it going?” Jason asked, pressing the button to the correct floor.

  “Not bad.” Max nodded. “How are you guys?” He touched Aidan on the arm. His little head quickly burrowed in the crook of Jason’s neck. Max’s heart sank deeper.

  “We’re good. Right, buddy?” Jason tried to cajole Aidan to look up and say hello. When that failed, he tried to make conversation. “Katie’s mom took a turn for the worse this morning, so she’s been over there all day.”

  “I had no idea Katie’s mom was sick,” Max said, feeling stupid.

  “Pancreatic cancer. We found out about three months ago.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” That was around the same time she’d written to Max and asked him to give up his rights. Had her mother’s illness been what prompted all of this? You never know someone’s story until you ask. Max hadn’t bothered to ask Katie what was going on in her life.

  “It’s been tough. Her dad is having a real hard time with it.”

  Silence filled the elevator as it continued up. Max patted his pocket for his phantom cigarettes while Jason tapped his foot and chewed on his bottom lip as Kendall did when she was nervous.

  “I’m sorry about yesterday, by the way,” Jason said as the elevator came to a stop on their floor. “Katie’s under a lot of stress, but she shouldn’t have lost her temper like that. Especially in front of this guy.”

  Max had no idea how to respond. He wasn’t sure if Jason was for real or not. In Laura’s office, Jason set Aidan on the ground.

  “Have fun with your dad, okay? I’ll be back to pick you up like Mommy usually does.” He bent down and kissed the top of his head.

  Aidan grabbed his leg. “Daddy, stay.”

  Max was pretty sure his heart dropped out of his chest. Jason tugged the little boy loose. “We talked about this. This is your dad’s time with you. You were excited to play cars, remember?”

  Aidan looked up at Max, then back up at Jason. “Bye, Daddy.”

  “Bye, bud.” His eyes lifted to Max. “He wants to show you some of the cars he brought from home. They’re in the bag.”

  “Thanks,” Max said dumbly.

  “No problem. He really was excited about coming. It sometimes takes him a minute to warm up. He doesn’t talk around my parents until the last five minutes of any visit. Kids are so funny.”

  Maybe Jason wasn’t the bad guy Max had made him out to be. The thought scared him as much as it created a little hope. As he pondered that, Aidan pulled out a rectangular box with Hot Wheels written across it.

  “Let’s have a race, Dad.”

  Max had been wrong. His heart hadn’t fallen out of his chest because he could definitely feel it beating in there. In fact, it was almost as if it hadn’t ever been there until now.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “HI, THIS IS KENDALL, Paul’s daughter-in-law. Is he available?” Kendall was obviously desperate. She still hadn’t told Simon that Max wouldn’t be taking him trick-or-treating. Her plan was to have so much family there on Friday, he wouldn’t be as disappointed when Max didn’t show.

  “Hi, Kendall,” Paul’s assistant replied. “Just one second.”

  Since she hadn’t brought Simon out to Lake Forest in over a month, she figured inviting Paul for trick-or-treating would assuage her guilt. There was a distinct possibility he wouldn’t be able to make it anyway.

  “Kendall, is everything all right?” Paul wasn’t accustomed to her calling him at work...or calling him at all, for that matter.

  “Everything’s great,” she said, trying to sound upbeat. “Just wanted to invite you over tomorrow for Halloween. My parents and my sisters will be here and we’re taking Simon trick-or-treating around four. Of course, you’re welcome to stay for dinner afterward.”

  “Let me check my calendar.” She was pretty sure he put her on hold to ask his assistant if he had any conflicts. The phone clicked. “Looks like I have a quiet afternoon. I can take off a little early.”

  Kendall cringed. “Great. Well, I’ll let you get back to work.”

  “Wait,” he said. “How’s Simon doing?”

  “He’s okay. He hasn’t missed any school in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, he keeps that up.”

  “With boys, you have to be firm. Trevor knew what the expectations were and met them. The moment you get soft, they’ll take advantage. You baby him a little, Kendall. Trevor wouldn’t want you to do that. He’d want Simon to be strong like he was.”

  If Trevor wanted Simon to be strong, he shouldn’t have gone back to Afghanistan, she wanted to sass back. Trevor was perfect. He was raised by perfect parents. He went to the Naval Academy where he got perfect grades. He became a perfect Marine officer. He could do no wrong. Kendall could never say otherwise.

  “We’re working on it,” she said instead.

  “Being a parent is hard. It’s the hardest job around. You only get one chance to do it right. I did it right with Trevor. You’ve got to do it right with Simon.”

  No pressure.

  “I have to let you go, Paul. I have another call coming in. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Her excuse was a lie, but it felt necessary. If she didn’t hang up, she was going to go off, and then he’d probably evict her.

  Luckily, he let her go and she set her phone on her desk. Today was her second day in hiding. She was pathetically avoiding Max. Thankfully, Owen didn’t give her a hard time about it. Things were winding down at Sato’s. The project would be complete sooner than later and Max Jordan would be nothing but a memory.

  A sad memory.

  She tried and failed not to think about the dejected look in his eyes the last time she saw him. The hurt that came off him in waves, waves that knocked her over and threatened to drown her in their sadness.

  Kendall had to tell herself over and
over it was the right thing to do. Better Max get hurt now rather than Simon getting hurt later. Her reasoning felt solid until Owen told her Max had asked about them yesterday. He didn’t care. That was what she told herself to make all of this okay. But what if he did?

  She couldn’t think about that. She needed to finish the presentation boards for a potential new client and meet Owen for lunch. Worrying about hurting a grown man’s feelings was pointless. Max Jordan was fine.

  The phone rang and a breathless Owen was on the other end. “Drama at Sato’s, K. You are missing all the action.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “So, last night Jin Sato showed up, throwing around his nonexistent weight, and Max basically told him to jump in the river. Today, Jin shows up again, goes back to Max’s office and all hell breaks loose.”

  Kendall sat forward, her interest piqued. “What happened?”

  Traffic noise came through Owen’s end of the call. “There was some yelling. I heard Max say something like, ‘If you think I’m going to explain everything I’ve done to get this restaurant up and running just so you can take it over, you are more delusional than I thought’ and Jin told him to get out.”

  “Seriously? He fired him?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, his dad owns the place. I suppose he can fire people, right?”

  “I don’t know.” Kendall leaned back in her desk chair. “I don’t think Mr. Sato is going to be too happy about this.”

  “I guess he’s on a plane to California right now. Max tried to get him on the phone but couldn’t.” Owen’s heavy breathing was distracting.

  “Why are you running around outside?” she had to ask.

  “I’m trying to find Max. He took off.”

  Of course he did. The going got tough and Max ran away. Wasn’t that what his ex-wife said he did?

  “I thought he could use a friend,” Owen added.

  Kendall’s chest ached. A shot of guilt filled her veins. Owen was a good friend to have and it sounded like Max could use one of those. Even though she couldn’t be in Max’s life, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling sorry for him.