CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Thanks for coming,” she said.
“Did I have a choice?” He slung his fleece hoodie beside his briefcase. “I thought this was a command performance.”
She laughed, showing her dimples. “He really doesn’t know me well at all.”
“No kidding,” he said. “But I like his concept. Having a functional kitchen will only enhance the resale value of the place. I can get your new appliances at my cost.”
“You’re a good brother to have, but I’m renting.”
He stared at her belly button and began experiencing strange yearnings.
“Willa came to help me decide which paintings to send to the gallery for the opening,” Max said. “Let’s eat first.” She sat Merrick on the futon and pointed to the space beside him for Willa. “Let me get some of my fancy glasses for the wine.”
“Merrick?” she said.
“Sorry,” he said. “Allow me to open this for you, Mademoiselle.” He wrestled with the cork to cover his lapse.
“Let’s dig in,” Willa invited.
“Scoot over,” Max directed, nudging him closer to Willa. She opened the box and selected a slice of pizza, coiling loose strands of cheese around her finger.
“So, Merrick,” Willa said, “what do you think of Max’s new paintings?”
“They’re different than her usual subject matter. I guess they’re good, but I like the representational work.” He wondered why he was eating pizza when he wasn’t hungry, but he wasn’t about to move when Willa’s warm thigh was pressed up against his.
Willa gestured to one of the abstracts leaning against the wall. “I’ve always loved her representational paintings but these abstracts are gaining a lot of attention from some very important people.” She turned to face him. “Do you realize there’s a Max Foster hanging in the mayor’s home?”
“I didn’t know.” He grinned. “Way to go, little sister.”
“I had absolutely nothing to do with it.” Max licked tomato sauce from her fingers. “It’s all part of Willa’s grand scheme. You know, Merrick, she’s not just another pretty face.” She got off the futon to disappear into the kitchen area, leaving them alone.
“No, I guess not,” he said.
“Let me help you.” Merrick came to stand beside her.
“I can manage,” she said. “You go ahead and do whatever it is that brought you here.”
“If we can start with the bathroom, I’ll be very happy. I’m satisfied with the rest of the accommodations.”
“Oh, puh-leese,” Willa said. “Max, you need to sleep in a real bed. That futon is not even comfortable to sit on.”
Max held up the rendering of the swan bed. “This particular bed cost in excess of five-thousand dollars. I’d never spend that kind of money on a piece of furniture.”
“Where did you see the bed?” Willa asked.
“At a store in the Design Center,” Max said. “Jon took me to his office and we walked through some shops.”
“Jon?” Merrick asked. “Jon’s the design guy?”
“Yes, he is and he’s incredibly hot,” Willa offered.
Merrick gave her a suspicious glare. “Are you seriously telling me there’s a new man in your life?”
“She’s a nice girl, but it’s nothing serious,” he growled. “Shel’s fun.”
“And she’s got handcuffs,” Max said.
“Nothing like that,” he protested. “I’m taking it real slow. I don’t want to get in over my head.”
“I’m the only one without someone special in my life.” Willa raised her hand to her brow, emitting a loud, theatrical sigh. “I feel so fifth wheel.”
“Merrick, why don’t you find one of your single friends for Willa? She should have a really stellar guy to take her to my opening. How about Reggie? He’s a babe.”
Willa’s lips curved into a smile. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with your cop. She could make it tough on you.”
“We’re not exclusive, or anything,” he said. “It’s casual.”
“In that case, I’d love to go to Max’s opening with you, Merrick.” She returned to her review of the paintings but looked back over her shoulder at him. “You do understand that I’ll be working that night, right? Max and I both will.”
“Sure, ladies,” Merrick said. “Just tell me what to do and I’ll be your supporting cast.”
“Thanks bro,” Max said. “I can always count on you. How about the bathroom?”
“This is exceptional,” Merrick said. “This Jon guy must have some major talent for interiors.”
“How much do you think it’s going to cost me just to do this part?” Max bit her lower lip like she used to when she was a kid.
“I’ll get a material estimate together,” he promised.
“Jon said he had a cache of etched glass blocks left over from another project.”
“I can kick in some materials, too,” he said.
“I’ll help,” Willa said.
Merrick eyed her with a grin. “What do you want to do, Willa?”
She struck a pose, showing off her sleek biceps. “I’ll give you my muscles. I’m stronger than I look.”
“Deal,” he said. “Between us we can crank this out.”
“Well, that was fun,” Max said.
“I have a real date with Merrick.” Willa’s grin was triumphant. “Thanks Max.”
“I just told you he was going to be here.”
“And what to wear and how to fix my hair.” Willa closed her eyes. “He actually looked at me like he thought I was a hot babe.”
“You are a hot babe, Willa,” Max said. “Just don’t go breaking my big brother’s heart.”
“I will cherish your big brother’s heart, but I hope his cop friend doesn’t feel differently about him than he does about her.”
“Merrick doesn’t lie.”
“But he might underestimate her feelings.” Willa shrugged. “He doesn’t know how I feel about him and I’ve been around a lot longer.”
“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “I’m glad you asked me to come with you.”
“Glad you made it before dark, son.” He wrapped Jon in a rough embrace. “And you must be Millie.” He turned to her, his face alight with a broad smile. “I’m J.C. Donnell. Jon’s mama has been cooking all day. We’ve heard a great deal about you, young lady.” He tucked Max’s hand into the crook of his arm and led her into the house.
The energy exuding from Jon’s father was uplifting. His apparent delight over their arrival filled Max with a sense of well-being. If this pleasant man was Jon’s father, how bad could the weekend be?
The exterior of the ranch house was encrusted in native stone and the back opened to a beautiful vista. A row of French doors on the far side of the great room showcased the vibrant sun setting over rolling hills and scrub oak studded rock.
“Your mama is outside, boy.” J.C. gestured to the open French doors.
Grinning, Max met Jon’s amused expression with a surreptitious wink as she mouthed the word ‘boy’.
“Jon!” A dark haired woman turned from the table, set with a crisp white tablecloth. She held fresh flowers in a vase. Jon took them from her and set the vase in the middle of the table. The woman rose on tiptoe to kiss him on the cheek. “And you’ve brought your friend.” She turned to Max with a smile, large brown eyes enveloping her.
“Mom, this is Millie,” Jon said.
“Please call me Carla and you can call Jon’s daddy J.C.”
“Sit down, young lady,” J.C. invited. “Let me get you something to drink.” He dove behind the bar, set up on the other end of the patio.
“Something smells wonderful.” Max slid onto a bench beside Jon.
J.C, grinned at her from behind the bar. “This is a working cattle ranch and that’s home-grown beef on the grill.” He nodded to his wife. “Carla’s been cooking all day so you two better be hungry.”
“We can do some damage, Dad,” Jon said.
“I’m terrified.” She grinned up at him. “I’ve never done this before.”
His breath was warm against her skin as he laughed softly. “I’ve never done this before either.”
“That’s fine.” She thought this was not the best time to tell him she mostly ate vegetarian.
J.C. slid in beside his wife. “Tell us a little about yourself, Millie,” he said.
“How did you two meet?” Carla asked.
“Jon came to my loft,” she said.
“Are you doing her place, Jon?” Carla asked.
“I’m trying to,” he said. “Now let the girl enjoy her food and save the inquisition for later.”
Max cut a bite of steak and popped it into her mouth to prevent any comment. Oh, yeah, this is what steak should taste like. Max tried to remember why she’d stopped eating red meat and then realized that it might have had something to do with the fact that she hadn’t been able to afford it and that it wasn’t as easy to spread on crackers as peanut butter.
“You’re a guest, Millie. Jon, why don’t you show her the garden?” Carla enlisted J.C. to help her clear the table, smiling as Jon took Max’s arm.
Jon escorted her on a walk in the garden. The path was paved with more of the smooth native stone.
“This is my mom’s kitchen garden. She grows herbs here, too.” He broke off a sprig of something with stiff, bristly leaves, like a fir tree, and handed it to her. “This is rosemary.”
“The sky is so dark here,” Max said.
“No city lights.” Jon drew her hand to his lips.
“You grew up on this ranch?”
“Yup.”
“I’ll bet you were a cute little boy,” she said.
“I was adorable. My mom said so.”
“And you’re an only child?”
“Yes, my mom was in her late thirties when I was conceived. They’d given up on having kids so you might say I was a surprise. Do you have siblings?”
“I have a great older brother. My parents were in high school when they had him and I came along two years later. We’re all pretty close, but I always wanted a sister. When Willa and I met in kindergarten I officially adopted her.”
“The two of you are exact opposites,” he said. They’d arrived at the end of the walk. A huge oak spread its branches wide to shelter a wooden swing built for two.
“We’re not so different,” Max said. “We both want the same thing.” She gave the swing a push. It looked well used. She tried to imagine Jon’s parents sitting side-by-side, enjoying the hill country nights.
He held the swing for Max and sat beside her. The sound of cicadas accompanied the squeak of the chain as he set the swing in motion.
“I would never have thought that you and Willa had the same goals,” he said. “What is it that the two of you are after?”
“We both want Max to be successful. We both want to be happy.”
“I want those things too,” he said. “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
“I see myself married to someone I can worship the way my dad loves my mom and I want to be someone’s dad.”
She cleared her throat. “That’s interesting.”
“Surely you want to settle down and get married some day.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I can’t cook. My husband might starve before we could make any babies.” She turned to find Jon smiling at her.
“Don’t worry, Millie,” he said, his voice low. “We can eat out.”
His softly spoken words sent a ripple of fear to grip her insides. This was all going terribly wrong. “No, don’t say that.” She put her fingers over his lips. “You don’t know how bad I am.”
“No, I don’t know how bad you are. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I can’t.” She shivered when he kissed her fingertips. “I’m not the person you think I am.”
“Millie, I’ve never met anyone like you. I’m falling in love with you.”
She heard a buzzing in her ears, as though she was hearing him from a distance. “What could you possibly find to love about me? My place is a dump. I have no major assets and I can’t even dress myself. Willa selected my nice wardrobe. The total crap is all mine.”
“Millie, you don’t need anything to make me love you. I love the person you are. I love the real you.”