So Much Trouble When She Walked In (12 page)

But
now, with the passing of time, she was beginning to accept things as they
were.  She was not happy about it, not by a long shot, but she’d begun to
realize that maybe there were some things that were just not meant to be.

In
the last few days things had gotten busy around the shop and she was glad for
it.  She would not have been able to find the time to mope even if she wanted
to.  Lots of clients were getting ready for long trips over the upcoming
holidays so they were turning up in droves to get their vehicles tuned up for
the drive.  She didn’t mind at all.  When Suave told her the current status of
their bank balance she was all smiles.

And
then she remembered that apart from a brief call the following morning she
hadn’t heard from Max, not since he’d thrown her out of his house.  Well
actually, it wasn’t fair to say that since he’d only been trying to help.  But
still, what must he think of her, throwing herself at him like that?  That
night she’d begged him to kiss her and then she’d tried to divest the man of
his clothes.  God.  She still blushed every time she remembered it.  She must
have been out of her mind.

She
could only imagine what he must be thinking about her after that episode. 
Would she ever be able to look him in the eyes again?  She grimaced just
thinking about it.  She should probably avoid him for a while, at least until
he’d forgotten all about what had happened.  He hadn’t called her and maybe
that was for the best.  She, of course, would not call him either.

But
then, as she packed up that Friday evening and prepared to head home, she
couldn’t help thinking about Max.  He was the only one who knew how much she’d
been affected by the failed trip to the doctor and his refusal to reveal the
identity of their mother.  Not even Suave knew.  But Max, he’d been there when
she’d broken down in tears.

And
now she wished she could see him again.  Should she swallow her pride and call?
 She pondered that for a minute but then she sighed.  No.  Bad idea.  Better to
give him time to get over the shock of her bad behavior.

She
was climbing into her car when her cell phone rang.  She knew exactly what this
was about.  Suave had forgotten her shopping list again and, as usual, Silken
would have to remind her to get the stuff that they kept running out of, like
dishwashing liquid, ketchup and fabric softener.  Eggs, milk and cheese were
no-brainers but Suave could never remember the other stuff.

She
pulled the phone out of her pocket and stuck it to her ear.  “Hand towels,” she
said drily, “and dishwashing liquid and detergent.  Oh, and bring me some
garlic powder.  I used the last of it yesterday.”

“Anything
else?”

Silken
almost jumped out of her skin.  That wasn’t Suave on the other end of the call,
it was Max.  She laughed out loud.  “Max, I’m sorry.  I thought you were
Suave.”  And then, realizing she was on the phone with the man she’d been
thinking about all afternoon, her body went warm all over.  “How are you?”

“I’m
good,” he said, and he did sound good.  Deliciously so.  “What about you?”

He
didn’t say more than that but Silken knew what he meant.  He wanted to know if
she’d recovered from her meltdown at his house.

“I’m
fine,” she said, glad her voice had not even a little waver in it.

There
was the briefest of pauses and then he asked, “Are you busy this weekend?  I’ve
got tickets for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in Daytona.  Want to come?”

Silken
sucked in her breath but she didn’t scream into the phone like she wanted to. 
Did she ever.  “Are you serious?  I’d love to.  But wait.  Didn’t that happen
in June?”

“No. 
The tickets say July six.  That’s tomorrow.  And,” he said, sounding like he
was teasing a toddler with a piece of candy, “one of these tickets has your
name on it.”

“God,
I would love to,” she groaned, “but that’s all the way in Florida.  And it’s
tomorrow.  I probably couldn’t get on a flight even if I went out to the
airport, went down on my knees and begged.  Those flights must be booked solid
by now.”

“Let
me worry about the ‘getting there’ part,” Max said, his voice one hundred
percent confident.  “Just tell me you can be ready by four o’clock in the
morning and I’ll come get you.”

“I’ll
be waiting at the door with pom-poms.”

“Fine. 
Now tell me, would Suave like to come, too?  She’s welcome, you know.”

Silken
gave a snort.  “Suave?  At a racetrack?  I don’t think so.  She’d spend the
whole day pining about all the reading time she was losing.”  Then a thought
came to her.  “Hey, you think we’ll see Danica Patrick in action?”

“Absolutely. 
Probably the most popular female racecar driver in the country?  You bet your
socks she’ll be there.  She draws quite a crowd.”

“And
I hope she beats the shorts off all the male drivers.  Go, Danica.”

“Yeah,
yeah.  Save the cheering for when we get there,” Max said drily.  “She’s still
got Jimmie Johnson and Clint Bowyer to contend with.  We’ll see what happens
when we get there.”

Silken
was ready a whole half hour before the appointed time.  Suave was still lost in
dreamland.  It was way too early on a Saturday morning to wake her just to say
bye.  The night before, when Silken had told her about Max’s invitation, she’d
been excited to hear that Silken would be out of the house for the day.  Maybe
Suave wasn’t as unaware as she’d thought.

At
four on the dot Max buzzed the apartment.  “I’ll be right down,” she told him
then grabbed her jacket and her purse and flew through the door.

And
there he was, standing with his hands shoved into his pockets – his favorite
thing to do, it seemed – a beautiful sight for her sore eyes.  The last time
she’d seen him it had been through a film of tears but now her personal rain
had passed and she could see him clearly.  And she was enjoying the view.

Max
had been looking out over the parking lot and it took a couple of seconds
before he realized that she’d exited the building.  When he turned and saw her
his eyes brightened and his lips widened in a smile.  “There she is,” he said,
holding his arms wide.  “Ready to go watch some fast cars?”

Silken
was a bit surprised at his greeting but she did not hesitate.  She walked
straight into his hug, reveling in the feel of his arms around her, breathing
in the woodsy fragrance of his cologne.

Max
held her close and he seemed to be holding her just a heartbeat longer than a
friendly hug required but then he released her and stepped back.  “You look
good,” he said, smiling down at her.  “Smell good, too.”

“Thanks,”
she said, suddenly feeling shy.  It was like Max was turning her into a
schoolgirl again.  A blushing one at that. 

After
they’d settled in the seat of his Benz they took off for the airport where Max
had a private jet waiting.  Silken was impressed.  She’d never been on a
private jet before.  But, come to think of it, what else did she expect?  The
man was a billionaire, after all.

After
a five hour trip during which they were served a breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese
omelets and champagne, they arrived in Daytona as the morning sun rose high in
the sky.  The stands were already full of spectators gearing up for the races
but that was no problem for Silken and Max since they had reserved seats in
the  Tower Suites right at the finish line.  Another first for Silken, and she
was loving it.

And
then the races started.  Immediately the adrenalin rushed through Silken and
after several minutes of sitting there trying to be decent, she hopped up and
started cheering for her favorite.  Danica tore up the track and Silken
couldn’t have been more pleased.

“That’s
my girl,” she shouted with glee then she turned to Max who sat back in his
chair, an amused look on his face.  “Girls rule,” she yelled and pumped her
fist in the air.

“Yeah,
we know,” he said and this time he was laughing outright.  “Now sit back down
for a sec.  You’ve trampled my foot enough for one morning.”

“Sorry.” 
Silken gave him a rueful grin and plopped back down beside him.  And as the
races went on, she stayed still…for a while.  And then she was up again,
cheering for her girls because now it wasn’t just Danica, it was Chrissy and
Amber and Jennifer.  By the time she was done cheering she’d gone hoarse and
had to swallow gulp after gulp of water just so she would be able to talk.

That
day she feasted on hotdogs coated in ketchup, potato chips and soda pop.  No
healthy eating for her, not on a day when she felt so free, so alive and
so…happy.  Yes, she actually felt happy, cheering and laughing and just having
a good time.

And
it was all because of Max, this man sitting beside her, smiling at her so
indulgently.  He’d pretty much let her have her own way, hardly even
complaining when, in her excitement, she smashed his toes.

And
one time she even ended up on his lap.  Even now, as she thought about it, she
couldn’t help but laugh.  She’d tripped and he’d caught her before she fell,
pulling her into him, wrapping his protective arms around her.  And it had felt
so right.

Too
soon she’d had to slide off his lap and take her seat by his side.  But she
wished she could do it, that lap thing, again.

That
evening as they flew back to California Silken leaned back in her seat and
sighed.

Max
looked over at her.  “You okay?”  He rested his warm hand on top of hers.

“Perfect,”
she whispered and gave him a smile of gratitude.  He had no idea what he had
done for her.  How could he?  It wasn’t even something she could explain.

But
today with Max she’d begun to feel joy again and as he closed his eyes and
settled back into his seat she watched him, the way his strong brows relaxed,
his mouth softened and his breathing slowed to a soft, calm rhythm.

And
she wished she had the courage to tell him…because how could she dare say the
words?

Max,
I think I’m falling in love with you
.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

The
rest of July shot by like a bullet.  Where was the time going?  Maybe it was
because things had got so busy at the shop or maybe it was because lately she’d
been feeling on top of the world.  Silken didn’t know which, but the days came
and went so fast it made her head spin.

And
maybe, just maybe, time seemed to have accelerated because she was having the
time of her life…with a man who made her heart skip every time she thought of
him.

Okay,
so maybe it was a bit sudden, this falling in love bit, but since they’d gotten
back from Daytona Max and she had spoken every day…every single day…and he’d
been the one doing the calling, not her.  And what normal girl wouldn’t be flattered
by so much attention?

And
they’d gone out, too, three times this month already, to the best restaurants
in Cupertino, places she’d only heard of but never entered.  Not because she
couldn’t, of course, but because she’d never had occasion to…until now.

And
tonight they would be spending time together again.  Max had invited her to yet
another restaurant but she’d suggested his house instead, as long as he
promised to cook her dinner.  She’d really enjoyed the meal he’d prepared last
time she’d been there and although the restaurant cuisine had been exquisite,
she was getting a bit tired of having to dress up every time she wanted to see
him.  At least at his house she could wear jeans or a summer dress.  The high
heels, she could do without.

And
tonight, hopefully, he would kiss her again.

They’d
kissed each time they’d gone out, but once it was in the car and then at the
entrance to her apartment.  The last time he’d come up in the elevator with her
and kissed her in front of her door.  But always, she’d felt his restraint,
like he didn’t want to go too far with her, probably because they were kissing
in public.

But
tonight he would have no excuse because they would be all alone.  Not that she
was planning to seduce him or anything but she hoped he would make that move
and kiss her till her world spun round and round.  And there was nothing wrong
with hoping, was there?

Silken
smiled to herself.  It was funny how, in the last few weeks, her behavior and
her personality seemed to be undergoing all kind of changes.

She
wasn’t quite so prickly, she was sure of it, and she’d even grown sort of slow,
waiting for him to kiss her instead of demanding it, like the old Silken would
have done.  She must be getting old…

Silken
got to Max’s house at six o’clock as planned, four packs of microwave popcorn
in her handbag.  They were going to do dinner and a movie and how could it feel
like a movie without popcorn?  
Sans
popcorn it would only be a
television show.

And
if she had her way they’d have dinner and two movies because he wanted to watch
one of those Bourne Identity films – of which she hadn’t seen even one – and
she wanted romantic comedy.  Max had let her have her way on most things but on
this he was adamant.  No ‘chick flicks’ for him, he’d declared, as if there was
something wrong with watching a nice love story.  But she would have her way
and she knew just the thing to make him yield.

In
the end, she didn’t have to pull out the big guns.  One kiss on the lips and he
crumbled.  If only everything could be so easy.

In
the den Max settled himself on the sofa while Silken slid her disc into the
Blu-ray player.  Then she came over and sat on the other end of the sofa, lay
down and put her head in his lap.  It felt so natural, being there with him,
and there was no place she would rather be.

As
she lay there watching Cameron Diaz charm her on-screen love interest, Max
stroked her hair and she almost purred, feeling like the world’s most pampered
cat.  She gave a soft sigh and stretched out on the couch then she settled back
down to enjoy his caress.