In the evening twilight, Max stood on the patio, hands in his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet, appraising the dam-age to his yard and pool.
Fighting off a migraine.
Danny kept him company. He and the others had spent the afternoon at the hacienda, returned to the house, and ordered in pizza.
“The others” meaning everyone except Claire. Claire never would have ordered in pizza. She would have cooked for them. She was a great cook. And she was gone. Again. Still? Whatever. It was for good this time. He felt it in his bones.
“Dad, can you hire somebody to help clean this mess?”
“Hmm? Oh yeah, I’ll hire some temps. It hardly seems like much, though, not compared to the hacienda.”
“That’s for sure. I’d help you, but I have to get back to work tomorrow. I’m going home tonight.”
“Understandable. Thanks for all you’ve done. It was good to all hang out here together, huh?” He smiled.
“Yeah, it was. I’m taking Lexi home too.”
“Aw, you’re all abandoning me,” he teased. “First Erik, Jenna, and Kevin. Now you and Lexi.”
Danny didn’t respond for a moment. “Did . . . uh . . . did Mom or Nana tell you about Mom’s incident in the mine?”
“What incident?”
“Lexi said Mom had this sort of flashback thing. They were in that space just beyond the entrance tunnel?”
He nodded. He knew the mine’s back door and wasn’t all that surprised to learn the twins had discovered it on their own.
“She said Mom screamed and cried for, like, twenty minutes.”
Max stared at him.
“Nana prayed. Later Mom told Lexi what happened. She was reliving a time when her mom locked her in a root cellar. She was three years old. Her dad eventually found her, then beat up her mom.”
Max cursed under his breath. “I swear those two take the cake for being supreme idiots.”
“And . . . well . . .”
“Well, what?”
“The point is, those supreme idiots abandoned Mom. And she feels abandoned by you. Basically that’s what she’s been saying for months.”
“You’re all psychiatrists now?”
Danny turned toward the pool, clearly disgusted with Max.
“Son, I’m sorry.” The words came quickly to him. He was so tired of hurting people. “Okay. I can see how it could make sense. Your mom felt abandoned by me because whenever business was my priority, it would appear to her that she wasn’t. Given her history, she would be especially sensitive to abandonment issues, even if she didn’t analyze exactly what was going on.”
“Maybe it’s not just your prioritizing the business.”
He waited.
Danny looked at him. “What were you doing Monday night?”
Kissing Neva. “Making a dumb mistake.”
Danny chuckled softly, a sound of surprise. “Wow. That’s gotta be a first, you admitting fault.”
“I suppose.” Max rubbed the back of his neck. “Trust me, Danny, I know I’ve made countless mistakes. Now it’s time to rectify them.”
If it wasn’t too late.
Hey, bud.” Phil rapped his knuckles on Max’s desk.
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you go home? You zoned out on us again.”
“Sorry. I’m fine.”
“Shoot, Max, you’re not fine, and you shouldn’t be fine. Right, Neva?” He glanced at her in the other chair across from Max’s desk.
“Right,” she said. “You have family matters to attend to.”
He gave a sad smile. “My parents are older than they look. I should go with them to buy a vehicle.”
“Then go,” Neva said. “Nothing needs your immediate attention here. We’ve gotten by without you for most of the week. Missing Friday afternoon isn’t going to hurt.”
He closed up a file folder. “You’re right.”
Phil stood. “Anything I can do, besides the obvious?” He took the file from Max’s hand.
“I don’t think so.”
“Okay. Then I’ll get to this and see you next week.”
“Thanks.” Max watched Phil leave his office.
Neva remained seated.
He looked at her.
She looked back at him, her face unreadable.
He said, “I get the feeling something does need my immediate attention.”
“I’m resigning.”
Max wouldn’t have guessed he could feel any more hollow than he already did, but her words dug a new hole.
“I’ll wait until you’re on your feet again. You do have a lot on your plate personally. Not to mention the city is falling apart, and everybody needs temporary help.”
“Why?”
“The fire.”
“I didn’t mean why the need for workers.”
“I didn’t either. Let’s call it The Fire, capital letters. It changed everything between us. I was going where I swore I would never go with you. I love you, Max. I always have. But I should have kept quiet about it. The Fire showed me you’re not mine to have. It melted you, and now the truth shows: you won’t leave Claire. Even if she leaves you, she’ll always be with you. I can’t stay here knowing that.”
“I—I—”
“You have nothing to say.” Neva stood. “There isn’t anything you can say. Except that you’ll write a great letter of recommendation for me.” She smiled in a sassy way.
Before he could gather a coherent thought, she was out the door.
Women. The most untrustworthy species that ever walked the face of the earth. Every single one in his life had walked out. That chick in high school. His mom. Neva. Claire. Why did they all leave him? What was it about—
About him? Talk about slow on the draw.
“Okay, God. I get the picture. It must be my fault. I let them down. Fine. I take responsibility.”
Max closed his eyes. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he resisted.
And then he wondered, what did he have to lose? A little face? Did that really matter after losing the most important woman in his life?
“Evidently I have abandonment issues too. God, help me to for-give Claire and Neva and my mom and any others.” He took a deep breath. “And please, God, forgive me for how I’ve hurt them all.”