Chapter Forty
As directed, Max arrived Saturday night at the fundraiser an hour early. No sighting of Aggie. Damn it. Did she miss the bus? He should have picked her up. He called. Straight to voicemail.
“Max, so glad to see you. Where’s our ringer?”
Max pivoted. Mr. Smith. “You know how women are. They never run exactly on time.”
“Our table is the first one.” He pointed toward a group of tables all with microphones. “I can’t wait to clean house with my competition. I’ve a few side wagers going.”
Max chuckled. “This should be fun.”
Thirty minutes later, Aggie still hadn’t shown. Max called Ms. Hazel.
“Hi, honey. Are you calling to see if I got the bid turned in on time?”
“Bid?” He tensed, waiting for the response although his gut already told him what the answer would be.
“Aggie asked me to do it for her.”
“I see.” His grip tightened on the phone. “Thank you. I’ll have to buy you dinner. I’m actually calling because I need to reach her. Do you know how late she’s running?”
“Late for what?”
“We’re on a trivia team for a charity auction.”
“Oh dear.”
Fuck. “What does that mean?”
“Earlier, I saw Aggie on the back of a Harley. She had a backpack on, like she does when she’s going on overnight trips.”
“Damn it.” This shouldn’t surprise him. She wasn’t responsible. She’d told him she wasn’t responsible. Why did he think for even one moment she’d actually stay responsible for her entire eight-week contract?
“I’m so sorry, Max. It’s not like her to not be where she’s supposed to be when she’s supposed to be there. Well, actually it is, but she’s been doing so well working for you. I thought she’d turned over a new leaf.”
“I guess some leaves just don’t stay turned.”
“This explains why she sounded strange on the phone,” Meemaw said. “She was pulling an Aggie and didn’t want me to know.”
“An Aggie?”
“Anytime there’s a new boyfriend in her life, she gets all fidgety and flighty.”
Max cursed.
What in the hell had he been thinking to hope he could have a future with Aggie when her contract ended? She was irresponsible at best, unreliable at worst.
“Tell you what,” Ms. Hazel said. “I’m free tonight. Why don’t I fill in for her? I taught her everything she knows.”
“I would be forever grateful.” He gave her the address and hung up. A voice cleared behind him.
“Please tell me Aggie’s here.” Mr. Smith had a vein pulsing in his forehead.
Max sighed. This wasn’t going to go over well. “I’m afraid there’s been a change of plans. She can’t attend, but her grandmother will fill in. Trust me, she will do just as well, if not better.”
Mr. Smith’s face turned red.
“I’m so sorry. I know it looks bad—”
“It does indeed look bad. I want to do business with a company who stands behind their word. I don’t have time to worry if I can trust those I hire to do a job.”
Max couldn’t argue. Monday, he’d fire Aggie, and this time, there’d be no unfiring. She’d done irreparable damage to his business reputation this evening. And for what? A ride on the back of a fucking Harley.