“I have a breakfast meeting with a client,” Jon told her. He pulled into the parking lot at her loft and started to park.
“Just let me out here,” Max said. “I don’t want to keep you.” She reached for the door handle.
“I want to keep you.” His voice was soft, but the intense expression on his face stopped her flight.
A flush of warmth suffused her. “You know what I mean.” She leaned close for a kiss and then opened the door. “I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll meet you at the gallery when I’m done.” He drove off with a wave.
She still needed to attach plastic over the frames of her latest works before the truck arrived. She felt jittery. Her dream was about to come true. Her work would hang in a major gallery. Her one-man show would make the Sunday Chronicle.
“Hey, Girl!” Willa staggered in the door and collapsed on the futon, leaning her head back.
“What are you doing? You’re never tired. You’re Willa, the Energizer Bunny. Get up!” Max circled around her, gesturing in mock dismay.
“Leave me alone.”
“Who are you and where is Super Willa?”
“She went on her first real date with your brother. She’s exhausted and decided to sleep in this morning, so she sent me in her place.”
“So, you’re Wimpy Willa?”
“Shut up and get me something to eat.”
“Anything.” Willa stretched out on the futon and closed her eyes. “Would you chew it for me?”
“What did you guys do last night?” Max placed a slice of bread across her electric skillet.
“Merrick took me for a moonlight sail.”
“Oh you poor baby.” Max hurried to her side. “Did you get sick? You look like death on a cracker.”
“Thanks ever so much.” Willa sat up and tilted her head at an angle. “You’re saying I look like crap?”
“I didn’t get seasick. The sail was wonderful. Merrick let me take the wheel.”
“Okay, Willa. Truth time.” Max marched back and plopped down beside her. “What’s going on between you and my brother?”
“I would tell you everything except I promised Merrick I wouldn’t.” Willa shrugged her shoulders and made a palms up gesture.
“Because?”
“We made a deal not to tell you because, if it doesn’t work out, you’d be uncomfortable. We thought we could pretend it didn’t happen if you didn’t know. We both don’t want to hurt you.”
“Too late. You might as well spill it all because you know you will.” Max gave Willa a glare of mock fury.
“Yes!” Willa shrieked. “Your brother is so fine. He’s like a wild man. He jumped on me at least five times last night. I don’t know. I lost count.”
“It’s the Foster curse,” Max said. “Our parents are still passionately in lust after two kids and years of marriage. We learned not to open any closed doors without knocking first.”
“I know, honey.” Max held out both arms and Willa laid her head on her shoulder. “I hope it works out.”
“Come in,” Max called. She and Willa sprang off the futon and set about getting the paintings loaded.
Max watched the interaction between the two. She’d never seen Merrick so attentive. A grin spread across her face. He’s in love. My brother’s in love with Willa.
“Kolache, Max?” He offered her the box.
“Cherise, Dahling!” Willa crowed.
“Congratulations,” Willa said. “You were so wise to book Max Foster’s show before another gallery scooped you. You’re always on the cutting edge, Cherise.”
Cherise, wrinkled her nose and grinned. “I try to stay au courant.”
“Hey.” Jon arrived and slipped his arm around Max’s waist.
“You’re early,” she said.
“I thought you might like some help.” He kissed her cheek. “And I wanted to see you.”
She smiled up at him. “I am glad to see you. We just got here. Your men are bringing in the paintings now.”
“I’ll go talk to them.” He walked out to the delivery van.
She watched him through the huge store front window. She turned to the big canvas and began to carefully remove the wrapping. Stepping back, she held the plastic in her arms. The colors came alive against the gray wall.
“It looks phenomenal,” Willa said, joining her.
“It sure does.” The gallery owner came to stand beside them.
“Miss Gilman,” Max said breathlessly. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate this opportunity.”
Max reeled from the rebuff. But, why not? This woman didn’t know her from Adam. To Cherise, she was just some helper Willa had dragged along to help set up. So be it. She’d play her part...for now.
Jon returned, slipping in beside Max. He embraced her with one arm, a wide grin across his face. “Cherise, have you met my friend, Millie?”
“Yes,” Jon agreed, wiping the stain from his face. “It’s stellar. Where is the talented Max Foster anyway? I thought he’d be here by now.”
“There he is.” Willa pointed out the window to where Merrick was helping unload the paintings.
“Oh, Mama!” Cherise pressed her hand to her ample bosom. “He’s just a great big old hunka burnin’ love, isn’t he?”
“Well,” Max commented. “She’s charming.”
“Don’t blame her,” Jon said. “She didn’t know Max was in a committed relationship.” There was an edge to his voice Max didn’t understand. The warmth she associated with his eyes seemed to have turned to something hard and unreadable.
“She seems to like you a lot, too.” Max felt her lower jaw jutting out. “And what are you? Her kissing cousin?”
“We’re old friends,” he said. “And we have occasion to work together from time to time. Sort of like you and Max.”
“I sincerely don’t think so.” Max turned on her heel and marched out to the truck where Willa and Merrick were deep in conversation.
“Max,” Willa said. “Explain to your brother just how important it is for him to be ‘Max’, just for a little while.”
“You want me to lie for you?” Merrick gave her the denim blue gaze over the top of his mirrored Aviator sunglasses. “You want me to pretend to be an artist and take your bows for you?”
“But I thought that was what it was all about, launching your career, getting your face out there.”
“Thanks Merrick.” Willa gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ve got to run. If I hang out here much longer, I’ll have to strangle Cherise Gilman with my bare hands. Max, don’t let her molest Merrick.”
“I’ll do my best.” Max and Merrick watched Willa walk rapidly toward her Jaunty Jetta.
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into these things.” Merrick shook his head. “What does an artist do, anyway?”
“Don’t be cute. You know the drill. There’s nothing I do that you aren’t familiar with. You know how to build and prep canvasses. You know how I paint. Just smile, be charming and look handsome.”
Merrick raised his brows, giving her a look she’d seen so many times before. He was giving her a silent brotherly warning. It said, don’t screw this up. “You better stick to me like glue and chime in with the right answers if anyone asks questions.”
“And you’d better gird your loins because Cherise Gilman is preparing to have a run at you.”
Max snorted. “Not to everyone.”
Willa Beth Shaw was not at her best. She stomped half a block to where she’d parked, with her jaw clamped tight like a vise. She hadn’t gotten much sleep. She shouldn’t have let the sensuous Cherise Gilman get to her. If Merrick could be so easily lured away from her, then he wasn’t hers to begin with. Easy come. Easy go. Right? She unlocked the Jetta with her key remote.
“Willa! Wait.”
“What’s wrong, Jon?”
“It’s Millie,” he said.
She huffed out an impatient sigh. “There’s nothing wrong with Millie. She’s crazy for you.”
“She’s still involved with Max Foster. I saw them together and she just told Cherise that she was his girlfriend.” He paced back and forth along the sidewalk.
“Don’t lie to me, Willa. You don’t know how much I hate liars. You can tell me anything directly to my face, but don’t tell me a lie.”
“She’s my best friend, Jon. I know her. She’s in love with you.”
Jon whirled around, an angry spark glinting from his eyes. “Don’t treat me like an idiot. I can see the electricity between them.”
“I can see the electricity between the two of you.” Willa pushed away from the car. “You’re not going to believe anything I say, but believe this: She’s in love with you. She thinks of Merrick as a big brother. She’s protective of him and she does think she owns his ass.” Willa put her hand on Jon’s chest and grasped his shirt front, pulling him down to her eye level. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. I own his ass.”
She got into the Jetta, slammed the door, and jammed her key into the ignition. She lowered the window. “Jon, if you blow this with her, you’ll kick yourself for the rest of your lonely, miserable life.”
Slowly, he walked back to the gallery, Willa’s words echoing in his head.
Millie and Max huddled by the truck with their heads close together. When they spotted him they stepped apart, the artist disappearing into the truck.
“Really?” The smoldering anger Jon felt cooled a little. “I know how that feels.”
“Cherise is a beautiful woman and I felt threatened.”
“And now you don’t?”
He drew a deep breath and let it out. “Yes,” he said. “You do. And I have to trust you.” Jon felt some knot in his gut unsnarling. “I’d never lie to you Millie.”