Falling for Max: Book Nine of The Kowalskis

by Shannon Stacey

  Max handed over a twenty. “Put the change in the donation bucket.”

  “Appreciate it.” He flipped open an ink pad and stamped a fluorescent orange pumpkin on the back of Max’s hand. “Tori’s around here somewhere. She’s...I don’t know. I think she’s some kind of bag lady or something, but I’m not sure.”

  “I’m sure I’ll run into her,” he said, not wanting to sound too eager to see her.

  There was a good chance he’d run into everybody, since it looked like everybody was there. There were kids everywhere, princesses and superheroes with costumes bought or made too big so they fit over warm clothes. He saw Josh’s brother Mitch dressed in a farmer’s outfit and he didn’t have to look far to find Paige in a matching farmer’s dress. It looked like Sarah was bundled up under a fat strawberry costume with a green knit hat, complete with stem and leaves. With them was Liz, dressed in a police uniform, but he didn’t see Drew.

  The first person he ran into that he knew well was Matt, who was dressed as a game warden. Hailey was next to him in a disturbingly good zombie getup. He hadn’t thought she could be unattractive, but he’d been wrong.

  “Warden Barnett, that’s a remarkably authentic costume you have.”

  Matt laughed. “Yeah, I know. I’m here in a somewhat official capacity. There are ATVs and kids and a party, so I’m just serving as a visual reminder not to get stupid. If somebody does, my capacity will become very official very quickly.”

  “And Hailey, how many kids have you made cry tonight?”

  The bloody zombie mouth, complete with flaps of...something, grinned. “Most of them. Have you seen Tori yet?”

  “No, I—”

  Then he spotted her across the yard and it was like everybody around him disappeared. She was wearing a white dress—or maybe it was a nightgown—that went almost to her shoes, with a long green coat over it. Only the top few buttons were done, letting the dress show. She had on a black, flat-topped hat and was carrying a basket of flowers. Her face was smudged with black. Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady.

  It wasn’t the sexiest costume he’d ever seen, but it still took his breath away. She’d chosen her costume for him.

  “Excuse me,” he said to Matt and Hailey as he walked away from them.

  It seemed to take forever to get to her, and the look in her eyes when she saw him coming could have set him on fire. She didn’t move, but just waited for him to get through the crowd.

  “Do you have slippers for me in that basket?”

  “Ha.” She lifted her chin defiantly, which made him want to kiss her and he didn’t care who was watching. “This is my horror movie costume.”

  He laughed. “The ending’s not that bad.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “You look gorgeous.”

  “It’s the soot, isn’t it? Really does wonders for my complexion.”

  “Everybody seems to have coordinated their costumes. I should have come as the professor.”

  “I think the world’s most famous serial killer mask suits you.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s pretty creepy, actually.”

  “Have you eaten yet? I wonder if there are any fava beans.”

  She punched his arm. “Don’t do that. And no, I haven’t eaten yet.”

  He offered the arm she’d just walloped and she shifted her basket to the other hand so she could take it. They took the scenic route to the back side of the lodge so they could admire the “costumes” on the four-wheelers. One of the first in line looked somewhat like a pirate ship, so he guessed that was Josh’s. There was also a space ship and what looked kind of like a banana.

  “The parade will be fun to watch,” Tori said. “They’re going to ride around the property, I guess, and some of the businesses donated prizes.”

  “Josh asked me to judge, but I passed. I’m not good at picking and choosing.”

  She bumped against him, chuckling. “It’s because you’re such a softie.”

  “That’s a funny thing to say to a guy in a Hannibal Lecter mask.”

  Behind the house, Andy and Drew were manning the big kettle grills, handing out burgers and dogs. There were three tables laden with chips and salads of every variety and several coolers at the end.

  Tori and Max ate and mingled, chatting with everybody, and Max realized it didn’t seem to occur to either of them to separate. When the parade went by, they applauded and cheered along with the spectators, especially when one family went by on one ATV doing an impressive, if precarious, reenactment of the hillbilly Clampett family’s arrival in Beverly Hills.

  “I hope they have that rocking chair strapped down tight,” he yelled to Tori over the roar of the crowd.

  Nobody was surprised when The Beverly Hillbillies family won the grand prize, which was a generous gift certificate to the Trailside Diner. As the families with children started heading home, the party took a turn and it wasn’t long before the sound of beer can tabs being popped punctuated the chilly night.

  “Are you warm enough?” he asked Tori, worried about her being in a dress.

  She lifted the hem enough so he could see the tops of her ankle boots, and the wool covering her legs. “I’m wearing long wool underwear under this getup. It’s not my first outdoor Halloween party. What about you?”

  “This is my first outdoor Halloween party, but not the first time I’ve been outside in November. I’m wearing thermals, too.”

  “Good. We can both stay longer, then.”

  He nodded and put his hand on her back to guide her as they moved through a crowd of people. Usually he couldn’t wait to make his excuses and leave any kind of function, but tonight he wasn’t going anywhere.

  * * *

  Tori had known the party would be enjoyable. Whitford knew how to have a good time, whether it was Old Home Day or the Fourth of July, and coming together for a fund-raiser at the Northern Star Lodge was no different.

  She hadn’t anticipated enjoying it quite so much, though. Good food, good fun, good friends and Max. He was having a good time, too, and it showed in how relaxed he was. Everybody thought his Hannibal Lecter mask was hilarious, and he’d probably spoken to more people in the last few hours than he had in all the years since he’d moved there.

  Now, as the adults mingled and did their best to ignore the fact they could see their breath when they talked, they made their way toward the fire Andy had started in a metal ring. It wasn’t a big bonfire, but everybody could warm their hands for a few minutes before giving somebody else a chance.

  Tori hardly felt the cold. With Max’s hand on her back and desire pumping through her veins, it would take more than the chill of an autumn night to cool her off.

  They squeezed in next to Liz and Drew, who didn’t seem to mind getting closer to each other to make room. She looked exhausted, which didn’t surprise Tori. She’d been the star of the night, since word had spread fairly quickly about her pregnancy. Drew had wanted kids for a long time and baby-watch fever in Whitford had rivaled that of the royal family for a while.

  “How come you’re not in costume?” Max asked Drew.

  “Dad and I cooked, so we were exempt. As the chief of police, I felt it was my civic duty to point out manning the grills in any kind of costume could be dangerous.”

  Liz snorted. “Please. You guys whined and Rose and I gave in. There was no civic duty about it. I’d found the best prison jumpsuit online, too. We would have matched.”

  “Speaking of that, don’t let me forget those handcuffs Monday morning.”

  “Maybe I should put them on you so you can’t miss them.”

  “I’m ready to go home. You?”

  Tori laughed and then hugged Liz when she announced she was done for the night. “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. Paige is covering the early morning, just in case, but I’ll be working tomorrow morning. You should come and...” Her gaze flickered to Max and back. “Visit.”

  Once they were gone, Tori set her basket next to her and he
ld her hands over the fire.

  “Are you cold? I have a coat in my car. I can run and get it.”

  “No, I’m fine. My hands are getting a little chilly, but the fire’s nice.”

  Butch and Fran wandered over and chatted for a while. Butch was wearing his work uniform, which wasn’t very original, but at least he’d tried for the spirit of the occasion. Fran was wearing a fancy cocktail dress, with her hair up and jewelry glittering in the moonlight, though at some point she’d conceded to the cold and had a flannel shirt over the dress.

  “I’m a Real Housewife of Whitford,” she explained, and Tori laughed. Max just looked confused, which didn’t surprise her.

  “Oh, like those women on that show,” he said about two minutes later, and they all laughed. “I was flipping through the channels one day and there was a show called the Real Housewives of...somewhere. I dropped the remote over the end of the couch and watched fifteen minutes of it before I got the ambition to get up and fish it out.”

  While Fran, who was obviously not on her first beer, recapped a television franchise none of them watched, Max looped his arms around Tori’s shoulder and pulled her close. He was warm and she pressed against him.

  “I feel bad for everybody who has to ride home on four-wheelers,” she said when Fran paused to take a breath.

  “Most of them already left,” Butch said. “But there will be a few who’ll need cocoa and a hot shower when they get home.”

  Tori noticed a couple of women edging toward the fire and she and Max had been there awhile. “We should move on and give somebody else a turn.”

  When they were out of earshot, Max dipped his head close to hers. “Now we know what Fran does all day at the store.”

  “I knew she’d taken to having a TV on under the counter, where she can see it from her knitting chair, but I’ve never paid any attention to what she was watching.”

  “Now you know.”

  “In detail.”

  They wandered for a few minutes, before Max pointed toward a group clustered near the edge of the house. “It looks like Matt and Hailey are getting ready to leave, if you want to say goodbye to them.”

  “Matt and Hailey brought me, actually. Gavin took my car to Kennebunkport and, when he stopped by to switch vehicles, he put his truck keys in his pocket out of habit and because he was so nerved up, he forgot about them. And Uncle Mike can’t find the spare set.”

  “You have no vehicle?”

  She shrugged. “It’s only for the weekend and I can walk almost everywhere. He felt bad and was going to drive all the way back, but that would have been stupid.”

  “So you have to leave with them?”

  Tori knew she should say good-night to Max and leave with Matt and Hailey. They’d drop her off at home and she’d go to bed and tomorrow, when she woke up, everything would be the same. That was what she should do.

  “Unless you want to drive me home.”

  He locked gazes with her and she wondered what he was thinking. With Max, she couldn’t be sure. He could be contemplating the fact she’d spent the entire night at his side and was inviting him to drive her home. Or he could be calculating time and gas mileage to determine who would be the more logical driver for her.

  “Of course I’ll drive you home.”

  “I should tell them.”

  “I’m going to find out where people are getting those cups of hot chocolate. I’ll meet you back here.”

  Hailey saw her coming and met her halfway. “I was just coming to find you. Matt had a long day and I hate to drag you away from the party, but he’s ready to go home.”

  “You can go. Max is going to drive me home.” She said it casually, like it was no big deal, but that didn’t stop Hailey’s eyes from widening.

  “Seriously? Like...he’s driving you home or he’s taking you home? Or going home with you?”

  “He’s driving me home. That’s what I said.” She blew out a breath, which hovered in a white cloud for a second in front of her mouth. “It’s not a big deal. Instead of you and Matt driving me home, Max is driving me home.”

  “Hailey, you coming?” they heard Matt call.

  “You’d better call me tomorrow,” Hailey said. “And tell me everything.”

  “I’ll be able to do that by text. Max drove me home.”

  Hailey gave her a look over her shoulder, then hurried to join Matt. Tori laughed and went in search of Max. She found him deep in conversation with Mitch, a foam cup of hot cocoa in each hand. When she stepped up beside him, he handed her one of them. After cradling it in her hands for a moment to warm them up, she took a sip. It was delicious.

  “We were discussing trestles,” Max said. “Um, train bridges and such.”

  “I’ve seen some done in HO scale, at expos and such, and they’re pretty remarkable,” Mitch said. “And since you’re here, Tori, I want to thank you for being there for Liz. And for Paige, of course.”

  She was going to brush it off as nothing, but they were his wife and his sister, so it wouldn’t be nothing to him. “I’m glad my other job is flexible, so I can help as much as possible.”

  “Where is Paige? I haven’t seen her for a while.”

  “She went in to put Sarah to bed and I haven’t seen her since, so I’m guessing she went to bed, too. She’s working in the morning, but she’s not taking the baby since I managed to free up a couple of weeks at home. That means I’ll be getting up at the ass-crack of dawn, too.”

  “I offered to do it, but Paige doesn’t think I’m a four-thirty in the morning kind of girl.”

  He laughed and shook his head. “Paige has opened at the diner since she bought the place and we were all raised here at the lodge, so we’re a whole family of early risers. Though Sarah’s taking it to a whole new level.”

  Tori laughed, but a chill hit her and she shivered. Instantly, Max’s arm was around her shoulders, offering her warmth.

  “We should get going,” Max said, and he let go of her just long enough to shake Mitch’s hand.

  Her teeth were starting to chatter by the time they’d said all their goodbyes and reached his car. Max opened her door for her, then hurried around to get in. It seemed like forever before the engine started generating heat and he would hold his hand in front of the vent every few seconds. Once he deemed it warm enough, he cranked the fan up. She didn’t miss the way he pointed the vents in her direction and she put her hand over his where it rested on the gear shifter.

  “Thanks,” she said when he looked over at her.

  He just smiled and rubbed the side of her hand with his thumb. Tori breathed in the warming, Max-scented air of the car and felt her good intentions crumbling around her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Max pulled his car into the bank lot, which was considered overnight tenant parking after the businesses were closed, and parked next to an old beat-up truck he assumed was her cousin’s. He killed the ignition and put the keys in his pocket as he walked around the car. He grabbed her flower basket from the backseat, where he’d tossed it along with his serial killer mask, then opened her door.

  She laughed when he offered his hand. “I just got warm and now it’s back into the cold.”

  “Only for a minute.”

  Once she was on her feet, he tightened his fingers slightly, not letting her hand drop away as they walked around the corner of the bank to her door. She had her keys in her other hand, though she made no move toward the lock. But Max was hoping for more than a quick good-night kiss on the sidewalk.

  “I should walk you up,” he said.

  “You didn’t last time.”

  “But it’s Halloween. People get up to no good on Halloween.”

  She smiled and shook her head. “Last night was Halloween night. Tonight was just the party.”

  “Call it curiosity, then. It doesn’t seem fair that you’ve rummaged in my closet and dresser drawers, but I’ve never seen where you live.”

  She didn’t totally buy the excus
e that rolled so easily off of his tongue. He could see that in her eyes. “That’s true.”

  “Plus I’m carrying your basket.” Which weighed less than a hardcover book, but it was the chivalrous thought that counted.

  He had to let go of her hand so she could unlock the door and let them in. After following her up the stairs, he had to wait while she unlocked the interior door, too.

  “It’s a little messy.” She flipped on the light switch as they entered. “Actually, compared to your house, it’s probably a lot messy.”

  It was essentially a wide-open space, like a loft, which meant he could not only see the living, kitchen and her work areas, but—bam—there was her bed. And unlike him, making it wasn’t the first thing she did in the morning.

  She had one of those old-fashioned quilts made of bright-colored blocks stitched together, but it was shoved back so he could see the tangle of white sheets. She was a restless sleeper who liked a lot of pillows, and knowing that sent heat rushing below the belt.

  “See?” She waved a hand. “You can see the whole thing from right here. Except the bathroom, of course, but it’s pretty standard. Sink. Shower. Toothbrush. All that bathroom-type stuff.”

  She was nervous. It wasn’t really a nervous babble that gave her away, because she was a talker all the time, but he could sense it in her. It surprised him because she was always so confident and he hadn’t guessed having a man in her apartment would throw her off.

  “It’s warm in here,” he said, setting the basket of fake flowers on the floor next to the door.

  “I have one of those programmable thermostats and I’m usually working this time of night. I sit still most of the time, so I have it set a little warmer. I’m going to go wash this crap off my face. I don’t have any decaf, but I have hot cocoa cups for the brewer, if you want one.”

  He wandered a little while she was in the bathroom, not being too nosy, but wanting a feel for her home. Despite what she’d said when they entered, it wasn’t messy. It suffered from a lack of closets and storage spaces, so more of her belongings were out than his, but she was tidy and he’d guess there was a method to her organization.