by L. P. Dover
“Fuck,” I say a bit too loudly. As much as I want to hang out with London this week, with Yates and Vance around, and my parents coming to town, if I want to see her, we’ll have to sneak around.
Fuck that. I like her. Everyone can fuck the fuck off.
“What’s wrong?” By his tone, he thinks I’ve hurt myself.
Now, normally when I see my friends pull into a slip, I offer to help. Yates, he stays on his boat. Maybe it’s because he’s only wearing underwear and doesn’t want things falling out, or maybe it’s because he’s a lazy piece of crap. I’m going with the latter.
“Nothing, just trying to get tied down.”
“So, where were ya last night? My date had a friend.”
“Not having a threesome that’s for sure.” I’m not even sorry I missed his party.
“Her friend bailed.”
“Bummer for you.” I’m going to go shower.
“Not gonna tell me, huh?”
“Nope.”
My mother and stepdad show up at my boat around two in the afternoon. Her sing-song voice rings out as she says, “Hello, Maxwell.”
Ah, the full first name. Gotta love it.
I climb the steps that lead to my dock just as my parents’ step onto my boat. Kitty Bradley is dressed head to toe in white, not giving a rat’s ass about not wearing white after Labor Day. I take my mom in my arms instantly. Behind her, carrying his own six-pack of beer, is my stepdad, Mark Bradley, former tight end in the NFL. He holds up his beer and points. I wink and start to laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Mom asks.
“Nothing.” I squeeze her tightly around her waist and set her down. Instantly, her hand cups my cheek.
“You look tired.”
I am, but not because I don’t sleep.
“Yates and Vance are on either side of me,” I tell her. She gives me a knowing look and steps aside so I can say hi to her husband. We hug and pat each other on the back in a strong, manly way. I like him, always have. He’s been a great husband to my mom and has never once treated me like I don’t belong. I motion for my parents follow me below deck where I have a wine and cheese platter set up.
“Maxwell, you didn’t have to go to the trouble.”
“No trouble, Mom.” I hold the chair out for her and help her scoot in.
“So, tell me what’s new.”
Now’s my chance.
“Well, I met someone that I like a lot.” Kitty claps her hands together and I swear I hear her tapping her feet against the floor.
“Forgive your mother,” Mark says. “Some of the ladies at the club have recently announced they’re going to be grandmothers and now your mother has babies on the brain.”
Thank God I used condoms.
“Yeah, no babies.” My mom frowns.
“Tell me about her.”
I go ahead to tell them all about London and how she’s different from every girl I’ve ever known. She’s beautiful, has integrity, is determined to make her life better. I tell them where she works and what she does and immediately my mom grabs her bag and says she’s going to go introduce herself. It’s a good thing Mark is strong because it took both of us to stop her from leaving. “Later,” I tell her.
“I want to ask her to come to the regatta.”
“Perfect, she can sit with me,” Kitty offers.
I nod. Everything would be perfect except . . . “Dad and Drizella are coming, and you and I both know he won’t approve of London.”
My mom rests her hand on top of mine. “First off, don’t call your stepmother Drizella. I know you don’t like her, but she has a name. Second, if you like this young woman, then follow your heart. You only have to answer to yourself, Maxwell. Not to your father and not to me.”
Mom is right, but it’s easier for her to say that when my dad’s actions don’t affect her anymore. No matter what, I want London to be at the regatta, but I don’t want my dad or stepbeast saying anything bad to her.
“When can I meet this lovely London?”
I glance down at my watch, knowing London should be at work by now. “We can go now, if you—”
Kitty is up, out of her chair and already to the steps before I can finish. Mark and I finish our drinks and then follow my mom toward the restaurant. I’m not nervous, I’m downright petrified of what London is going to think when I tell her who is with me. The last thing London needs is for her boss to find out we’ve been messing around, although if she got fired, I’d ask my mom to make some calls.
The hostess greets me by name and my mom gives me a bit of a side-eye glance. Mark laughs and pats me on the shoulder. I ask to be seated in London’s section, which upon hearing my own request, think I probably shouldn’t have said anything.
We’re seated and within seconds, London is at our table. This time, I don’t let her get away with ignoring me or acting like we’re not. . .well whatever we are.
“London, I’d like for you to meet my mom and stepdad.”
London eyes me wildly, making me want to kiss the look right off her face. Without much thought, I squeeze her hand, hoping to reassure her.
“Kitty and Mark Bradley,” I continue. “Mom, Mark. I’d like for you to meet London Bauer.” I keep my eyes on her the entire time, hoping to convey that I’m not doing this because we’re sitting in her section, but because she means something to me. She pulls her hand away slowly and looks around, checking to see if anyone is watching.
“Oh, don’t worry about Lester. He and I go way back. Come sit.” My mom pats the chair next to her, but London doesn’t budge.
“Mom, she can’t.”
Kitty groans. “Drinks, tonight? What time are you off, sweetie? I want to get to know the woman who my son hasn’t stopped gushing about since I arrived in town today.”
London turns sharply toward me. Her eyes are wild, frantic. I’m not sure if she’s trying to be pissed at me or if she’s freaking the hell out.
For the record, I’m freaking the hell out.
I smile sheepishly and shrug.
Five
London
I know I look like a fish out of water when I meet Max’s mom and stepdad. His mother is gorgeous with her blonde hair and bright green eyes that are the same color as Max’s. From what I can tell, she seems genuine, very different from the rest of the clientele. It almost feels as if I stepped into an alternate reality. The last thing I ever expected was for Max to tell his mother about me. It changes things. And if I’m being honest with myself, it confuses the hell out of me. I don’t know what it all means.
After all is said and done, I agree to drinks with Kitty and Mark Bradley at their hotel tonight. Once they’re gone, I breathe a sigh of relief. The whole time I waited on their table, I was drenched in sweat. I kept stuttering my words and I know I looked like an idiot. If Max would’ve warned me beforehand, I could’ve prepared myself.
Usually, I want the days to go by quickly, and it never does except for today. The closer it gets to clocking out at five o’clock, the more nervous I get. At seven, I’m supposed to meet Max and his family at The Chandler Hotel, the ritziest place in Rhode Island. What does one even wear to a place like that? My stomach hurts just thinking about it.
Kim walks into the break room just as I’m clocking out. She hurries up to me and bumps me with her hip to move me away from the computer. “I take it you had a good time with Poseidon last night?”
Hearing her call Max that sounds ridiculous. I look around to make sure no one is within hearing distance. “I’m meeting him for drinks tonight at The Chandler with his mom and stepdad.”
Kim’s eyes widen. “Wow. Why didn’t you tell me things were that serious?”
I shrug. “I didn’t even know they were. I thought for sure he’d keep our relationship a secret.”
“Obviously, he thinks there’s more to it. The question is, what do you think about it?”
“I don’t know,” I say, wishing I knew the answer. Max isn’t at all who
I thought he’d be, but our worlds are completely different. I don’t fit in with his.
Kim hugs me tight. “Don’t worry about it, London. I’m a firm believer in what’s meant to be is meant to be. If you and Max are destined to be together, it’ll work out.”
I roll my eyes and hug her back. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t you need to get to work?”
She lets me go and winks. “Have fun tonight.”
Taking a deep breath, I grab my purse off the desk. “Wish me luck.” I head toward the door that leads out to the parking lot. The walk back to our house isn’t far and I really enjoy it at times, except for when it rains. Luckily, today it’s a perfect September day with clear blue skies. I breathe in the crisp, cool air and start on my way home.
“London.”
The sound of my name makes me stop in my tracks. I jerk around and Max is there by his sports car. He rushes over to me and grabs my wrists, pulling me in for a kiss. Stepping away from him, I gasp and look around. “What are you doing?”
He shrugs and smiles. “Kissing you.”
“What if people see? I could lose my job.”
His grin widens. “You don’t have to worry about that. No one’s going to fire you.” He reaches for my hands again and I let him. “There’s something I want to talk about with you later. Right now, I know we have plans, but once we’re alone I’ll see what you think.” Something has changed in him from last night and I like it.
“I’m intrigued,” I tell him.
He nods toward his car. “I can drive you home if you want. I’ll wait for you to get ready.”
I look down at his clothes; he’s wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a simple light blue polo shirt. “Are you wearing that?”
Chuckling, he glances at his attire. “Yep. Just because we’re going to The Chandler doesn’t mean we have to dress up. My mother doesn’t care what we wear. You can go dressed in what you’re wearing if you want to.”
I snort. “No, thanks.”
“Then come on, I’ll drive you. Not unless you’re embarrassed to be seen with me.”
“Terrified,” I tease. “I’m sure your uppity friends will have something to say about you hanging out with someone like me.” Not that I care what his best friends think; they’re asshats.
Max’s smile fades. “I don’t give a shit what they think, London. I have a mind of my own.”
Guess we’ll see when the time comes.
We walk over to his car and he opens the door for me so I can get in. Very gentlemanlike. That’s one of the things I’ve noticed about him since we started sleeping together. He’s different than what I thought he’d be.
It only takes a few minutes to get to my house and the driveway is empty. Holly is spending the weekend with her boyfriend, and Kim is still at work. Max peers up at the house and smiles. It’s a navy blue, old Victorian style house with white shutters. “It’s cute. And you live here with Kim and her sister?”
I open the car door. “Yep. At least until I save enough money to get my own place.”
Max follows me inside the house and to my room. My furniture isn’t fancy, but I have a queen-sized bed with a white lace quilt covering that has small light blue flowers embroidered on it. My grandmother had made it when she was still alive. My ex-husband might’ve taken my money, but he would’ve regretted taking any of my belongings. That quilt means more to me than any amount of money.
There’s a picture of me and my parents on my dresser and Max stares at it. “Where are your parents? Are they in Rhode Island?”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. I go into my closet and pick out a khaki skirt and a silky floral top. “They moved to Maine a few years ago. I work all the time, so I don’t see them much.”
“I’m sorry. I know that must be hard.”
I take off my work clothes and slide on the skirt and top. Max watches me with heat in his eyes and I love it. I sit beside him on the bed and turn my focus to the picture. I’m standing in between my parents, all of us grinning wide at the camera. It was taken right after my divorce. I remember feeling determined to get my life back on track.
“It is,” I admit honestly. “They wanted me to move in with them after my divorce, but I knew I needed to do all of this by myself. I’m too old to depend on them.”
Max places a hand over mine. “I think you’re doing pretty damn good. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Thanks,” I say, turning to him. “I’m trying.”
He squeezes my hand. “You ready to go? My mom’s dying to talk to you. I had to calm her down at lunch today. She’s really excited to spend time with you.”
“Speaking of your mother, thanks for not warning me.”
With a heavy sigh, he nods. “I know and I’m sorry. I just felt like I could tell her about you.”
“What exactly does this make us?” I ask. My heart is thumping so hard I’m surprised he can’t hear it. What do I want it to mean? I wish I knew the answer.
Max looks right into my eyes. “I don’t know. What I do know is that I want to be with you, London. No more sneaking around. No hiding. But I’ll leave it up to you though.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “This is all new to me, so I have no clue what to do.”
He chuckles and helps me up. “Same. We’ll get through it together. Now let’s go before my mom calls asking where we’re at. The sooner we get there, the quicker we can leave.”
I’m definitely down for that. “All right, I’m ready.” Actually, I’m not but I know how to pretend to be.
Hand in hand, we walk through the hotel lobby and everyone acknowledges us with smiles. I keep waiting for them to look down at me but none of them do. Maybe that’s just me being self-conscious. For three years, I’ve been talked down to by club members. The only reason I’ve put up with it is because of the money.
Max and I take the elevator to the top floor and my palms grow sweaty the closer we get to their room. We stop outside the door and he turns me to face him. “My mom and her husband aren’t like the people you’re used to. Just relax and have fun. We won’t stay long, I promise.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Okay. I can do this.”
He knocks on the door and it bursts open. His mother squeals and jerks me away from him, folding her arms around my body. “You’re here. I’ve been looking forward to this all afternoon.”
“Don’t scare her, Mom,” Max chuckles.
Kitty lets me go and waves him off. “Oh, hush. I’m just excited.” She takes my hand and leads me into the penthouse suite. It’s bigger than my entire house.
Mark comes over and holds out his hand. “It’s good to see you again, London. Would you like a cocktail?”
I shake his hand. “Sure. That’d be great, thank you.”
He walks off to the bar where two glasses await the fruity concoction. Mark fills each glass up and hands them to us, both with a single raspberry on the rim. Max kisses the side of my head. “You gonna be okay if I leave you alone with my mother for a few minutes?”
Kitty grins at me and it makes me smile. Usually, I get a fake vibe from people who are putting on an act, but she doesn’t come across like that. “I’ll be fine.”
Max squeezes my hips and winks at me before walking out the door with Mark. Kitty sits down on the couch and pats the seat beside her. “I have to say,” she begins, “I’m so happy to see a smile on my son’s face. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk about a woman the way he does you.”
“Not even Alyssa?” I counter.
Kitty snorts. “Definitely not. I was so happy when he broke things off with her. She was not good for him at all.”
“And you think I am?”
She stares at me as if I’ve lost my mind. “Of course, I do. You’re smart and beautiful with a good head on your shoulders. You’re working hard to build yourself up after everything that happened to you.”
I cringe. “Max told you about my past?”
“There’s nothing to be ashame
d of, sweetheart.” She pats my hand. “I’m divorced too. And because of that, I found an amazing man who loves me. And speaking of Max’s father, I’m going to warn you, he and his wife aren’t very friendly. When you meet them, keep your head up high. They like to talk trash about anyone and everyone who aren’t like them.”
“Great,” I grumble. “Maybe Max doesn’t want me to meet them.”
She takes a sip of her cocktail and shakes her head. “I don’t think you’ll have a choice. They’re in town for the regatta. Max will want you to be there.”
“He hasn’t asked,” I inform her.
Her lips pull back into a smile. “Oh, he will, honey. But don’t worry, you can sit with me and Mark.”
The door opens and Max and Mark walk in. I don’t want to think of the regatta. If he asks me to go, I can’t say no. Max lifts his brows in question as if he’s asking if I’m okay. I nod and his shoulders relax. We all sit in the main area of the penthouse and I listen to Kitty tell stories about Max when he was a little boy. The stories sound so normal. When you think of the rich and famous, you don’t think of them being like everyday people. We all talk for about an hour about life in general, politics, and just all the things going on in the world. Mark continuously filled up my glass with raspberry cocktails and I can feel the effects of it. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. Being around Max tonight has shown me a side of him I’ve never seen before.
Max drapes his arm over my shoulders. “You about ready to go?” he asks.
I nod. “If you are.”
He grabs my hand and helps me up. Kitty holds out her arms and hugs me again. “Thank you for coming tonight. I can’t wait to see you again.”
“Same. I had a good night.”
She turns to Max and hugs him, kissing him on the cheek before he lets go of her. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom,” he says back. He shakes Mark’s hand and we wave at them before exiting the penthouse.
