Along Came Mr. Right (9 page)

“Did she release you from the contract?” Connor asked.

“No.”

Connor shook his head. “Guys do stupid things for love all the time, but this might be the stupidest thing you’ve ever done.”

“At the time it seemed like a good idea,” Max said in his own defense. “I had no way of knowing I would meet Olivia.” Just saying her name did weird things to his insides. “Olivia found out about Annalise, and she says she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Do you blame her?” Connor asked.

“No.” Max plunged his hands through his hair. “I’ve made such a mess of everything.”

Connor leaned forward, giving Max a sad smile. “Annalise has a serious problem if she thinks lies and deceit will get her what she really wants.”

“They always have before. You know what a tyrant her father is.”

Connor shook his head. “At least tell Olivia what’s going on.”

“I can’t because of the NDA.”

Connor’s brow rose. “But you told me.”

“I trust you not to say anything that’ll cost me a million dollars. And if you do, you know I’ll take it out of your hide.”

Connor laughed. “Point taken. I still think you should tell Olivia the truth.”

“I’ll tell her the truth eventually . . . when she gets to know me better, when she starts to trust me.”

Connor’s smile slipped. “Lies always catch up with you in the end.”

Max shook his head. “I haven’t lied about who I am or about my feelings for her.”

“I’m no relationship expert, Professor, but this scenario you have going on with Annalise doesn’t seem to be the best way to start something ‘real’ with someone else. Tell Olivia everything before it’s too late.”

Max forced a laugh. “You know I can’t do that without sacrificing Annalise’s happiness and probably a million bucks.”

“But you like this Olivia person.”

“More than like.”

Silence settled between them for a long moment before Max replied, “It’s only for a few more weeks.”

“A new girl and lies . . .” Connor shook his head. “Sounds like trouble’s brewing.”

“I can handle it.” He hoped he was right about that.

“All right,” Connor said with a sigh. “If you’re determined to go through with this crazy scheme, then how can I help?”

“You said you knew a guy who does off-road biking.” Max smiled at his friend. “I need you to arrange a little something for me.”

“Why?” Connor asked in a sarcastic tone. “So you can go on a date?”

“Yes,” Max said as both men stood.

Connor released an exasperated sigh. “If you want me to support you in this harebrained scheme, fine. But know someday I’m going to expect you to return the favor.”

“Anytime, man. Anytime.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The springtime rain from the past few days had vanished, leaving the Seattle skies a dazzling blue. Looking out her condominium window, Olivia wondered how she would keep herself busy today. Since it was Sunday, there was no pressing need to go into the office. What she didn’t want to do was sit around and think about Max.

Unbidden, the image of Max sitting beside her on the Ferris wheel floated across her mind. She closed her eyes and every detail came back to her: his smile that always seemed to be filled with humor, the warmth of his skin when he pulled her close, the two of them laughing as the wind buffeted them on the outside deck of the ferry. Missing him blossomed into an ache. Olivia opened her eyes and turned away from the window. It was time to get dressed and fill her mind with anything but memories of a man who was already taken.

She’d invited Paige to go with her to see a play at two o’clock that might help the teenager better understand the Shakespeare she’d been studying. But they weren’t meeting for hours yet, and Olivia needed to fill her day until then. Moving toward the closet, she knew she needed to get outside and walk until her feet hurt, and she knew just where to do that. The Cherry Blossom Festival was in full swing at the Seattle Center. There would be music, food, and lots and lots of distracting people, as well as the always inspiring sight of the cherry trees in bloom. The playhouse where she would meet Paige was close by. Spending the afternoon with her “Pal” seemed like the perfect way to end the day, and avoid any further walks down memory lane involving Max.

Ten minutes later, dressed in a sweater, jeans, and a sensible pair of shoes, Olivia made her way from her Belltown apartment to the Starbucks on the corner for her morning cup of coffee. Sipping her demi-cup, she walked briskly along Fourth Avenue. The air felt cool against her cheeks. She was glad she’d grabbed a knit scarf before shutting her door.

The sounds of a koto and flute filled the air with traditional Japanese music before Olivia reached Broad Street. Instantly, her mood lifted as she stepped across the grass to one of the walkways that wove through the Seattle Center complex. She hurried past the shiny building that made up the Experience Music Project, past the Space Needle, and toward the Mural Amphitheatre, where there would no doubt be Kabuki players. The traditional theater performance would help her forget.

Olivia found a place to stand a bit back from the stage. Within minutes she found herself smiling at the comedic stunts of the all-male cast performing both female and male parts. When the performance ended, she moved along to the row of vendor tents set up to entice attendees to shop or learn more information about local charity groups.

She’d considered having a booth at the event. Lots of Seattleites still knew nothing about the Tomorrow Foundation and the work they did in the community, and there was always an ongoing need for volunteers, foster parents, and donors. Maybe next year she and Krissy would put in an application for a booth. For now she’d look at the other vendors to gather ideas about what worked and what didn’t.

The Seattle Fire Department was there with an educational booth, a local beekeeper offered jars of amber-gold honey, a woodcarver was selling Sasquatch statues carved from Northwest pine, Cornish College’s upcoming seniors displayed their artwork, and the row of vendors went on and on. She stopped at the next booth.

“Olivia?”

She lifted her gaze and looked into a familiar pair of gray eyes. A smile came easily to his lips.

“Max?” She couldn’t keep the strain from her voice or stop the leap of her pulse at the sight of him. “What are you doing here?”

Max gestured toward the laptop off to his left. “I need a couple hundred more participants in the Matchmaker database before my meeting with the potential buyers in a few weeks.”

She shouldn’t care about Max and his algorithm. But she did. She had really started to like the guy before his deception had been revealed. “You’re going to sell your invention that soon?”

He nodded as his eyes filled with humor. “It’s time.”

She leaned against the table as her attempt to remain disinterested vanished. “What will you do after you sell?”

“Every year my teaching contract runs out in June. I haven’t decided to renew it yet.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected from him, but it wasn’t that. He’d told her the other night that he wanted to work with kids who needed his support. He’d told her he wanted to change the world, to have an effect on society and people’s lives. Marrying a Seattle heiress and selling his invention seemed contrary to that goal.

But what did she know about Max, truly? Everything he told her could have been a lie. She should just walk away and leave him to his lies, but her feet remained firmly planted to the concrete path. Instead Olivia released a frustrated growl. “I don’t understand you at all.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

Max could be a good person; she knew that, despite his recent lies to her about his availability. With Matchmaker 2.0 he seemed to hold fast to virtues like commitment and love, values society didn’t cherish as much as it once had. What was Max all about? Did he see love as a safe harbor or a stormy sea? A way to make a buck or the means by which to change the world? “Deep down you seem like a good person, but you lied to me.”

“You lied to me, too.”

She frowned. “About what?”

“Meeting me Saturday at the waterfront.”

“I couldn’t meet you for a date. It wouldn’t be right.”

“I’m not engaged, Olivia. Not really.”

Exasperation left her speechless. She pulled out her phone and opened Facebook, turning the screen and all the pictures of him and Annalise his way. “Your fiancée seems to think otherwise.”

Sincerity reflected in the depths of his eyes. “Those pictures definitely suggest one thing, but they aren’t the truth.”

Another line from the
Cheater’s Handbook
?

She frowned. If only he weren’t so good at delivering those lines. “Why should I believe you?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Tell me one thing about yourself that is the truth. One thing you’ve never admitted to another person.” It was a test, and he knew it. Not that she’d know if he was lying or not, but what he chose to tell her would reveal a lot about the man before her.

He shoved his hand through his hair, and his gaze dropped to his computer. “All right. If you really want to know something deep and dark about me, I have a terrible relationship with my father. I resent how he treated my sister and me growing up. I hate that his life is all about money. When he used that money to buy off my sister’s boyfriends, making her miserable and doubting herself, I knew our relationship was through. I haven’t seen the man in five years, and I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.”

“But he’s your father.”

Max came around the table to stand beside her. “That’s true, but there’s more to being a parent than biology. You should understand that better than anyone.”

“I do understand.” She felt her resolve m
elting. If she was a sucker for anything, it was a misunderstood child or, in Max’s case, a young adult. “Are you and your sister close?”

“Yes, Clarisse and I became very close throughout our middle school and high school years. College separated us. I went to Yale on the East Coast. She went to Berkeley on the West. Even so, we kept in touch.”

“Where’s your sister now?”

Pride reflected in his eyes. “She and her husband and baby live on the Eastside. And much to my father’s dismay, she became a teacher as well.”

“Does she teach math like you?” Olivia asked.

Max shook his head. “She teaches English at Lake Washington High School.”

Both he and his sister took after their mother and her teaching career. Olivia wanted to probe further but realized she’d probably asked more questions than she had a right to already.

“Is that enough the truth for you?” Max asked.

She nodded. “Thank you for that insight into your family.”

“May I ask you a question?” Max asked.

“I owe you that much.”

Sliding his laptop full of test questions back at her, he asked, “Will you take my Matchmaker test again? I fixed what was broken last time.”

“What’s the point, Max? You’re engaged, and I’m committed to my work.”

The reality of their situation tore through her. She really ought to leave. Yet walking away from him seemed almost impossible in that moment.

“The point is that we’re compatible. I want the data to prove what’s in your heart even though you refuse to acknowledge it.” Max reached for her hand.

She pulled her hand away and instantly felt the vacancy. “You don’t know what’s in my heart, Max. No one but me does.”

“That’s a fair point.” His gaze narrowed. “But you must admit, you’re trying to avoid spending time with me.”

“I see you every school day. How is that avoiding you?” she replied a little more defensively than she’d intended.

“Then prove to me you’re not avoiding me. Have breakfast with me.”

Too late she recognized the trap. If she refused, it would indeed prove she was avoiding him. The truth was she was insecure about being alone with him, even in public. There was something about this man that drove her to make rash decisions.

“Well?”

“Can you leave your booth?”

He scooped up his laptop and placed it in a bag. He spread his flyers out across the table so that passersby could easily take one. “I can come back after breakfast and pick up where I left off.”

Feeling battle-worn, she stared up at him. He seemed rather pleased with himself as he stared back. But then his expression shifted, became something more. He looked at her in a way no other man had ever looked at her before, as if she mattered, as if this moment mattered.

A rush of emotion passed through her in a single heartbeat. Olivia maintained eye contact as long as she could before she glanced away. “I thought you were taking me to breakfast?”

“Let’s go then. I know a great place not far from here,” he said, taking her hand and walking toward the monorail.

Olivia shook her head, clearing it of the thoughts that seemed to invade every time she looked into his bottomless gray eyes. What was wrong with her? She was an adult. She knew how to dine without drooling . . . or throwing her meal partner on the table for casual sex. She smiled a little to herself as she fell in step beside Max.

As they walked, sanity returned. The trouble with being around Max was that she liked him despite the fact he was engaged. Her own fiancé had been dating another woman for three months while they’d been engaged. The two of them had spent weekends away together. He’d made excuses for the time away, and had effectively hidden Blair from her until the end. Olivia never wanted to be “the other woman.” Her experience with Damien had taught her how it felt when the truth came out. Even though she didn’t even know Annalise, she couldn’t think of Max in any other way but as an engaged man from this moment forward.

To her, Max was simply a very handsome, hard-to-ignore . . . friend whom she’d see on a regular basis while they tutored Paige for a few more weeks.

Olivia released a soft groan that brought a curious look from Max.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“Life’s not fair.”

Max turned his head, but not before she saw a strange light in his eyes, as if he was thinking about something in his own life. Something painful. “I couldn’t agree with you more.”

At breakfast Max sensed Olivia wasn’t ready to talk about their relationship, so he kept the topics light, focusing instead on the safe subjects of the weather, great meals they’d eaten in Seattle lately, and Paige. Even though their conversation had been pleasant, an underlying tension existed, and Max cursed himself for a fool for asking her to spend this time with him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be there with Olivia. He could think of no better place on earth to be at the moment than staring into Olivia’s brown eyes. What made the meal difficult was how much he longed to tell her the truth. He’d had to bite his words back many times so as not to invalidate the NDA he’d signed. But even his silence on the matter did not curb his need to kiss her, right there in public. That would be not only foolish but dangerous. Simply being with her was dangerous enough.

If the paparazzi found them together, and those photos made their way back to Annalise or her father, there would be hell to pay. Max would willingly take that risk for himself but not for Olivia. He’d hurt her enough already with the lie of his engagement to Annalise.

Across the table from him, Olivia checked her watch. “Goodness, it’s late.” She scooted out of the bench seat to stand. “I’m sorry, Max. I have to go. I promised Paige I’d meet her at the Center Theatre.”

“That’s not far from here. Let me walk with you.”

Olivia nodded as she slipped her scarf around her neck.

Max knew he should let her go, but he couldn’t seem to say good-bye. Not yet. Together they headed across the Seattle Center, toward the first floor and the Center Theatre. “Can I ask why you’re meeting with Paige on a Sunday?”