“Be there in ten.”
Cade’s audacity infuriated Max, though it shouldn’t come as any surprise.
From their first meeting as sophomores in high school, they’d been at odds. Cade was the rich kid with the fine ride, quarterback of the football team, and president of the Student Council. Max was the new kid in town. He was taller, faster, and smarter, and Cade took an immediate dislike to him. Once word circulated that Max was in foster care, Cade never missed an opportunity to embarrass, humiliate, or demean him.
To this day, Max couldn’t remember those years without anger.
The final crippling blow came in the form of Anna Sue Watkins.
A pretty girl from the wrong side of the tracks, she and Max became friends right away. Two outcasts seeking companionship, they were never a couple, just good friends.
Until Cade noticed them together.
He didn’t act right away. He was too smooth for that. The seduction was slow and steady, and she was easy prey. Nothing Max said convinced her he wasn’t the good guy he seemed.
In the end, all Max could do was sit back and watch as Cade slowly turned her against him and ultimately destroyed her world.
The week before graduation, she came to Max in hysterics. She was pregnant with Cade’s child. When she broke the news to him, Cade laughed and said, “Good luck with that.”
Her parents would be heartbroken. She had no one to turn to for help except Max. She begged him to talk with Cade.
Against his better judgement, he agreed to try. That conversation quickly escalated into a fist fight that took three people to end and kept Max from participating in graduation exercises.
To his credit, Max offered twice to marry her, but she refused.
Thoughts of Anna elevated his anxiety level. Can’t change the past. Let it go.
He forced himself to remain calm and stopped behind the Taurus.
Sky hurried out before he came to a full stop and ran to the passenger side door. “Goodness it’s cold.” She pulled her jacket tighter and fastened the seat belt. “I really appreciate this, Max. I’m no good on icy roads.”
He cranked up the heat but didn’t reply until he maneuvered the big truck out of the drive. “Maddie already at Gail’s?”
“Yeah. She picked her up a little while ago.” The truck fish-tailed on the ice-coated road, and she grabbed the door handle.
“What time do you get off today?” Even to him, the question sounded terse. Damn Cade anyway.
Sky turned her head toward him, brows pinched together. “Seven. What’s wrong?”
“I’ll be by to take you home.”
She waited a beat. “Are you mad at me about something?”
He glanced at her, saw the hurt and confusion on her face and tried to relax. “No. I’m sorry. It’s not you.”
“Did something happen at work?”
A jumble of thoughts raced pell-mell through his head as he considered how to answer. She’ll find out sooner or later anyway. He kept his eyes on the road. “Cade.”
She sat up straighter and turned toward him, voice edged with resentment. “I didn’t ask him to come over today if that’s what you’re thinking.”
He stopped for a red light and exhaled a noisy breath. “That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
The light changed, and he eased through the intersection, wheels slipping a little before they gained traction. “We went to school together.”
“I gathered that.”
“And he hates my guts.”
“Why?”
Max pulled up behind the diner but didn’t kill the engine. “I moved here with my foster parents at the end of my sophomore year. Fred, my foster father, lost his job, so we lived with his parents till he went to work for the county.” He kept his tone flat and unemotional. “For whatever reason, Cade hated me on sight and did all he could to make my life a living hell.” He looked at Sky, jaw clenched so tight it hurt. “I was smarter and a little taller than him but skinny as a rail. He was the quarterback and worked out all the time.”
“And you were an easy target.”
“Basically.” He shifted in his seat, the painful memories surrounding him. “He had to be the best. King of the hill.” He shrugged. “He saw me as a threat to that status.”
“I’m guessing it all came to a head at some point?”
“Senior year.”
“What happened?”
He leaned back, head against the neck rest, eyes closed.
“Max?” She touched his arm. “We don’t have to talk about this now. I can see that whatever it was, it’s still painful for you.”
