Falling for Max: Book Nine of The Kowalskis

by Shannon Stacey

  She looked up at Liz, who’d said nothing while Tori had gone around the counter and made her own dessert. One of the perks of being an employee, even when it wasn’t her shift. “I have feelings. I intend to kill them with ice cream.”

  “Would these feelings have anything to do with the tall, blond guy with the impressive...television?”

  “Nobody in this town can keep a secret.”

  “Oh, were you and Max supposed to be a secret? I might not be the best person to offer this advice, since my attempt to keep my relationship with Drew a secret from my family lasted like a hot minute and ended up with my brother punching him in the face, but the next time you’re at a party with most of the population of Whitford, you guys might want to chill on the smoldering looks, the touching and the leaving together.”

  “There was no smoldering.” Tori shoved a huge spoonful of ice cream, chocolate and whipped cream into her mouth, glaring at her coworker over the spoon.

  “You looked like a frumpy bag lady with coal smudged on your face and still, when Max looked at you, I wanted to cover Sarah’s eyes.”

  “I wasn’t a bag lady. I was Eliza Doolittle. You people have no culture.”

  “Every time I looked, he had his arm around you.”

  “I was cold. Some idiots decided to have an outdoor party the first night in November and he was trying to keep me alive. As friends do.”

  Liz laughed at her and reached under the counter for a stack of napkins, which she set next to Tori. “It’s too bad we don’t have any of those disposable bibs the rib places give out. And zip that hoodie up the rest of the way or you’re going to have jimmies between your boobs.”

  Scowling, Tori yanked the zipper up enough to protect her cleavage from falling chocolate sprinkles and shoveled another bite into her mouth. So maybe she should have kept Max at arm’s reach. There was a lot of touching at the party. They’d probably looked like a couple, just without the matching costumes. If she was honest with herself, they’d felt like a couple, and she’d liked it.

  And that was the four-scoop problem. It was one thing to like sex. It was another to like couple-type touches—walking around with his hand at the small of her back or his arm around her. That was affection and affection grew into other things. Things that would eventually hurt both of them.

  She was halfway through the so-called sundae of doom when Gavin walked out of the kitchen, drying his hands on the full apron he wore.

  He looked at her and winced. “This isn’t a good look for you.”

  Tori pointed the business end of the spoon at him. “Do I look like a woman who wants to discuss looks right now?”

  “You have whipped cream on your nose. And your chin.” He paused. “And your sweatshirt.”

  She grabbed a couple of the napkins and swiped at her face. The hoodie she didn’t bother with. The deeper she got into the dish, the more melted the ice cream was and the messier she got.

  “You want to talk about it?”

  Tori shook her head. What, exactly, would she say? Well, there’s this awesome guy I’m into and I guess he’s into me and we had sex and it was incredible and now I’m drowning myself in ice cream because...

  Just because. The disappointment she’d felt when she didn’t wake up cuddled against Max was a problem, as was her annoyance that he’d played the morning-after game so cool. He’d been dressed and ready to walk out the door by the time she woke. Stabbing at a cherry, she swore under her breath. She’d made the rules and now she was moping because he’d played by them.

  “I don’t want to talk about it. But I want you to sit down and tell me how the tryout went,” she told him. “You didn’t even text me to tell me you were back.”

  “I was going to call you on my break, but Liz said you were out here demolishing our ice cream stock.” He paused, and then a slow grin lit up his face. “They offered me the job.”

  Her happiness for him chased away her bad mood. “Gav! That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”

  “It’s a huge step. A new job. A new town. It’s three and a half hours away, Tori.”

  She reached across the counter and grabbed his hand. “You’re ready for this, Gav. I know you are. This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.”

  “Your hand is really sticky.” He pulled his free and wiped it on his apron. “I already told Mom and Dad. And Paige. I have two weeks to help her figure something out.”

  They talked for a few more minutes, mostly about how they’d have to get together and plan his big move. Once he’d succumbed to the ice-cream-coated hug she insisted on giving him and he’d gone back to work, she walked around the counter to get rid of her half-empty dish before the melting caused a dairy tidal wave down the counter.

  After washing the counter and her hands, she waved goodbye to Liz and Gavin and walked outside. Whitford was a quiet place on Sundays and she had no idea what she was going to do with the rest of her day.

  The library was closed and Matt rarely worked on Sundays, so she didn’t want to bother Hailey. Max, even if she was ready to face him again, would have a houseful of people. She ran through a mental list of her other friends, but Sundays were for couples.

  With a sigh, she walked back to her apartment, slowly, since her stomach wasn’t sure about ice cream sundaes of doom for brunch. As soon as she closed her door, her gaze fell on the bed and her mind filled with memories of last night.

  She needed to work. But first she yanked the quilt off the bed and tossed it onto the couch. Then she stripped the sheets and pillowcases, shoving them into the laundry hamper in the bathroom. Taking another set off the shelf, she remade her bed with crisp white sheets that wouldn’t smell like Max. She smoothed the quilt over the top, then brewed a cup of coffee and prepared to get her head screwed on straight.

  * * *

  Max spent the morning worrying and overthinking, until he finally caved and hit the button to call his oldest brother, Colin. He and Ben were both married, but Colin had had more experience with women before settling down. And, when push came to shove, he was the oldest.

  “Hey, Max! How the hell are ya?”

  Colin’s voice was deep and booming in his ear, and Max smiled. His brothers were definitely loud. “I’m good. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Sure. Let me head out to the man cave.” Which was a garden shed the size of a half-bath, but it worked for Colin. “What’s up?”

  “I need some advice. About a girl.”

  “I had this talk with you when you were like twelve years old.”

  “I remember. I also remember Chelsea something-or-other punching me in the face because girls do not, in fact, like when a boy pinches her ass to get her attention.”

  “Ben must have told you that one. I’d never steer my little brother wrong.”

  Max laughed and refrained from reciting the many entertaining moments Colin had engineered for his own amusement thanks to having a gullible and very literal younger brother. “In all seriousness, there’s a woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

  “Damn, Max. It’s about time. Does she know about this?”

  “She knows I’m attracted to her.”

  There was a long silence. “Because it’s you, Max, I have to ask. Are you sure? How have you expressed your attraction?”

  “We had sex last night.”

  “Oh. Well, that’s a good indicator. So what’s the problem?”

  That was a complicated question. “She was helping me find a wife, but now I don’t want to find somebody else. I want her, but her parents are assholes and she doesn’t believe in love anymore.”

  “Whoa.” Through the phone, Max heard the pop and hiss of a can being opened. “Slow down and start from the beginning.”

  He talked for twenty minutes, starting with his growing awareness of being lonely and wanting somebody to share his life with and meeting Tori and his dates with Nola and, finally, the Halloween party and taking her home.

  “She was ve
ry firm about it being a casual thing, because that’s all she wants. So this morning I behaved very casually, and she was disappointed. I should have stayed in bed. I should have pushed.”

  “Are you sure she was disappointed? You know sometimes you’re not good at reading people.”

  “I know her and I can tell. That’s the thing, Colin. She knows me, too. She likes me. She doesn’t think I’m boring and weird. She recognizes when I need a minute to process what’s going on and she doesn’t push me. She drags me out of my comfort zone, but it’s okay because she’s with me and she makes me laugh.”

  “Wow.” His brother was quiet for a long moment. “She sounds like she might be the one for you.”

  “She is. Should I send her flowers? I don’t think Whitford has a florist. I could order them online, but... Should I send her flowers?”

  “No. That’s too generic. It’s easy. I think you need to spend time with her and put the friendship back on solid ground. That’s the foundation of your relationship.”

  Max sighed. “What about the fact she doesn’t want to get married ever?”

  “That sounds like something only time and trust between you can make happen. But the opportunity for that to happen will only come if you keep the friendship solid.”

  “I don’t know how to do that.”

  “What have you been doing together for the last month?”

  “Practicing me going on a date with another woman.”

  “Oh. You should probably stop doing that.”

  Max laughed. “It’s something of a unique situation.”

  “You’ve always been unique, little brother. Can’t expect anything less when it comes to problems with women. So we need a reason for you two to get together, but not something that puts too much pressure on you.”

  Max felt some of the tension ease out of his shoulders. Colin would help him. Sure, his brothers had had a lot of fun at his expense growing up, but there was never a minute they didn’t have his back when it came to the rest of the world.

  “Maybe you should just stop in the diner for a meal when you think she’s going to be there,” Colin said. “Not today, but don’t wait too long. Tomorrow if you can. It’s a normal interaction for you guys, it allows her to set the tone and you can see how she’s acting. And you’ll have coffee and food and stuff to focus on, rather than just being in an awkward situation you can’t manage. Bring a book or a paper to read if it seems like she’s avoiding you, so you don’t feel too self-conscious.”

  “I can do that.” He exhaled slowly. “I have a plan.”

  “Don’t be too rigid about the plan, though,” Colin cautioned. “You have to be flexible, Max. I know it’s hard, but you have to try. She sounds really special.”

  “She is. Thanks for the talk. I have to get ready for the game, but I feel better now.”

  “Anytime. Love you, Maxi Pad.”

  He rolled his eyes at the old childhood nickname. “Love you, too, Colon.”

  Colin barked out a laugh. “Mine’s still funnier.”

  “Remind me to thank Mom and Dad for that.”

  Feeling better than he had since walking out of Tori’s apartment that morning, Max started preparations for company coming. He wasn’t sure how many people would come, due to the party last night, but he’d be ready, just in case. It was a big game against a conference rival and nobody would want to miss it if they could help it. With it being the four o’clock game, there was time to get stuff done before start time, too.

  He caught himself whistling while he moved around the kitchen, and the song from My Fair Lady made him smile. Tori had made for an exceptionally charming Eliza Doolittle and Max knew he’d never see the movie or even a photo of Audrey Hepburn again without thinking of last night.

  The first car pulled in well before game time, and it didn’t sound like Butch’s truck. He popped the tray of pizza rolls into the oven and set the timer before turning to see who it was.

  When the door opened and Tori walked in, his carefully orchestrated plan fell apart and he froze.

  Chapter Eighteen

  It wasn’t the first time Tori had run into a man with whom she’d spent a night, but it was the first time that man’s reaction could only be described as horror.

  The look on Max’s face when he saw her walk in the door would have been comical if it hadn’t taken all of her nerve to get in the car and make the drive over. “I guess I shouldn’t have come.”

  He recovered quickly and reached for her arm, maybe to stop her if she tried to leave. “Why wouldn’t you come? You enjoyed yourself last time.”

  “I saw your face, Max. Let’s not pretend you were happy to see me.”

  “I had a plan.”

  She waited, but he stopped talking. He clasped his hands together near his waist, his right thumb pressed hard against his left palm, and she recognized his method for not fidgeting under extreme pressure. “What was your plan?”

  “I wasn’t sure where our friendship stood now and I didn’t know what to do, so I called my brother. And he said I should go to the diner when you were working because I’m comfortable there. And I’d be able to tell if you wanted to talk to me or not and I would bring a book to read if you didn’t, so I wouldn’t feel awkward. So I had a plan. And then you walked in and...I don’t have a plan anymore.”

  It hurt her heart to watch him stare at the cupboard door over her shoulder. “Max, look at me, not at the cabinet. We’re friends. I know you’re not very experienced with the whole friends-with-benefits thing, but that’s where we went last night. It happened. It was amazing and, no, we’re not letting it change our friendship.”

  “You seemed different this morning.”

  Because she was different this morning. No matter what she might say, what she felt for Max wasn’t casual anymore. But seeing him so wound up now just reinforced that she was doing the right thing in keeping him at arm’s length emotionally. The potential for hurting him was too great.

  “I was fine, Max. You know, I was a little worried about our friendship, too, so I was also feeling it out. And I think we were both so careful, we made it weird.”

  His hands relaxed. “So we’re okay.”

  “Of course we are.”

  “Amazing, huh?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Give me a knife and I’ll help you chop those vegetables for the platter.”

  They started working, standing on opposite sides of the island, but he paused to look at her. “I’m glad you came today.”

  “I am, too.” She chopped the ends off of a carrot and then sliced it lengthwise. “I was trying to work, but I knew the guys would be coming over for the game. I wasn’t sure if you’d be prepared for how much ribbing you’d get about last night and if you get overwhelmed, you get tense. I didn’t want you to say the wrong thing and damage a friendship because they don’t know when to quit. I figure if I’m here, it’ll be kept to a minimum.”

  “Will you stay after and watch a movie again?”

  She looked up from the carrots and grinned. “I had Hailey grab me Thor: The Dark World from the library last week. It’s in my car.”

  “Excellent. Thor or Loki?”

  She snorted. “Loki, of course.”

  “You can have the sectional corner today.”

  Laughing, she went back to the carrots, hoping he wouldn’t notice the slight tremble in her hands as she sliced. She hadn’t wanted to come today. After her failed attempt to kill her feelings with ice cream, she’d tried to work. She’d actually managed to finish off a job before Max invaded her head again.

  It was Sunday and all she could think about was how much teasing he was going to have to suffer through. And they were all his friends and it would all be in good fun, but if it went too far, she knew Max might not be able to cope. Best-case scenario, he went to his room or the basement and collected himself. Worst case, he’d say something wrong and put a strain on friendships that were important to him.

  The one thing t
hat would keep them from acting like gossiping frat boys about last night was her being in the room. So she’d sucked it up, put on a happy face and driven to his house.

  Back when they were little kids, her parents had brought her for a visit to Whitford. Even though she was a bit older, Tori and Gavin had run wild outside for the entire day, his younger brother, Todd, still being too young, until they’d been called in for dinner. Gavin had then discovered a tick on his testicles and the face he’d made was almost identical to the face Max had made when he saw her. Like he’d found a tick on his balls.

  Not one of her finer moments.

  But the important thing was that they were back on an even keel, more or less. She just needed to keep it that way.

  Butch showed up while she was combining dip mix and sour cream in a bowl. He looked a little rough today, and she wondered how many beers he’d had, trying to keep the cold at bay. For that matter, she wondered how Fran looked today.

  “Some party last night,” he said, snagging a pizza roll from the plate Max had just set out. But other than a quick glance at Tori, he said nothing else about it.

  Mission accomplished, Tori thought.

  Everybody showed up for the game, which kind of surprised her since they’d all had a late night at the lodge. The game was a close one and there was a lot of yelling at the television, but other than a few speculative glances, nothing was said about Max bringing Tori home last night.

  Of course, the flip side of the coin was that everybody would consider them a couple now. They’d looked like a couple at the party and then left together. And today she’d been at his house, in his kitchen, like she belonged there.

  But being a real couple wouldn’t be as interesting to the gossips, so things would quiet down eventually. As long as she and Max knew what was going on, nobody else mattered.

  She breathed a sigh of relief when everybody left. Since she didn’t follow football, she wasn’t sure what was so intense about the game—other than a close score—but they’d been like a pack of feral wolves today. It was so bad she hadn’t even been able to grab a minute with Josh to talk about the ATV club’s logo. They’d chosen one of her designs and he’d wanted to talk to her about the next step in the process, but it was obvious today wasn’t a good time. She was pretty sure she saw Butch actually foam at the mouth at one point.