On the Rocks by Ali Vali

Author:Ali Vali [Vali, Ali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636793443
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2020-07-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“Goddammit to hell.” Hayley wiped her face, knowing this wasn’t the time and certainly not the place to render out eight years of suppressed emotions. If Percy and her father had somehow known what she’d be walking into, there’d be hell to pay.

“Where’s your car?” Max asked, stopping fifteen feet from her as if she had the flu and was contagious.

“I Ubered.” She grimaced at the smeared mascara and makeup on her fingertips. Her face must be a wreck. “It’s okay, I’ll be fine, and hopefully it’s okay to sit and wait.”

“Have you called for a ride?”

She stared at Max and wished there was more light. The years had been kind, and even though it seemed impossible, Max was even better looking than before. She had more muscle and her hair was shorter, giving her a more mature appearance. What would it be like to be held in Max’s arms now?

“I will,” she said and wished Max would come closer. “I was enjoying the quiet and your beautiful landscaping. Please, I don’t want to hold you up.”

“I’m headed back into the city if you’d like a ride.” The offer was made and Max didn’t wait for an answer, walking away and standing by her car.

“You’ve upgraded from the Jeep, I see.” She was a tad out of breath from the jog to catch up. It would be at least twenty minutes into the city, and her only opportunity to get Max alone.

“Where are you staying?”

“The Piquant, and thank you.” There would be no small talk in her future, but that wasn’t much different than the Max she knew.

They rode in silence along River Road, and from the direction they were headed, it seemed Max was going to take the winding route all the way into town. Twenty minutes just became forty. Maybe Max’s head was pissed at her, but her heart still remembered how good they were together. Like those times they’d ridden out here and picnicked along a secluded bayou.

“You have to know how sorry I am.”

“How exactly would I know that?” Max tightened her hands on the steering wheel but kept her eyes on the road. “I left your place one morning for an early shift at the bar, and that was it. You kissed me, said you loved me, and dropped off the planet.”

“I was wrong, Max, but I thought leaving would be the easiest way for us to get on with our lives.” She wiped her face impatiently, not wanting Max to see how upset she was. “You never seemed like you could make a life anywhere but here, and my life was in New York. Maybe I couldn’t stand the thought of you choosing this over me.”

“That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve ever heard,” Max yelled, loud enough to make her lean away from her. “Stop lying to me, and more importantly, to yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“You left because I didn’t fit into your world, Hayley. There was nothing in this world that would’ve prompted you to bring a bartender home to Daddy.

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