He held her against him as he had that night so long ago, whispering words of encouragement he didn’t really believe. “It’ll be okay, Annie. We’ll figure this out.”
He caught movement from the corner of his eye and looked up in time to see Sky standing beside her car, eyes wide.
Watching.
Sky froze, mind and body numb, her heart all but stopping as she watched Max embrace Anna. A thousand logical explanations raced through her mind as she fumbled with the door handle and finally got inside Blue.
Her exit from the house coincided with Logan’s dash out Max’s back door, his expression dark when he glanced her way and headed for his truck. All of which led her to believe the meeting had not gone well, and Max was just trying to comfort Anna.
A very natural thing for friends to do, right? The hug meant nothing. So what if her face was buried in the hollow of his neck, and his arms held her close? It meant nothing. Or did it?
Rational thought evaporated as the image replayed in her head. It took a great deal of effort not to look back toward the kitchen window as she backed out of the drive, intent on getting Maddie’s inhaler to her.
Thankfully, Maddie was fine when she arrived and had no desire to visit with her mother, so ten minutes later, Sky sat behind the wheel of her car wondering what to do. The demise of her first date in years was bad enough, but the prospect of her relationship with Max ending before it really began broke her heart.
“You’re overreacting,” she chided herself. “They’re friends. She’s upset. He’s just trying to comfort her.”
All that sounded logical, even probable. But it didn’t take away the pain.
Nor did it stop the tsunami of questions and doubts that swamped her. Is there more to their friendship than he implied? What happens now? How could I have let myself fall so quickly for someone I barely knew? Again. And Maddie. Oh God. Maddie.
She made a U-turn and drove away with no destination in mind. After a circle around the town square and a pass through the parking lot of the local chain store, she found herself parked in the alley behind the diner.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered, “I’m wasting time and gas I can’t spare. I just need to go home, take a hot bath, and go to bed.” Alone was the unspoken end to that thought, followed by a long sigh of defeat. Eyes closed, she leaned her head back. I will not cry. I will not cry. Despite that admonition, a painful tightness gripped her throat, and she drew in a shaky breath.
A light tapping on her window jerked her away from a meltdown. Heart racing, she blinked several times before Big John’s face came into view.
He was bent nearly double to look in the window. “Miss Sky? Are you all right?”
She lowered the window and struggled to keep her voice even. “Evening John.”
“Ever’ thing, okay?”
“I’m fine. Really. Just…” Just sitting here, all alone in the dark feeling sorry for myself when I don’t even know if I have anything to feel sorry about even though the man I’m crazy about is this moment holding another woman in his arms. Yep. That ’bout sums it up.
He grunted as he squatted down beside the car door, one hand resting on the bottom of the window. “I’m a good listener.”
Intense blue eyes locked with hers. He would understand. How she knew that, she couldn’t explain, but she knew he would. Still, she fought the instinctive urge to unload her troubles. “Thank you, John. I appreciate it. I do. But, well, I just have some stuff to work out.”
He looked around the darkened alley. “This ain’t a good place to do that, ma’am.”
“You’re right, of course. I should get home.”
Neither made a move to go.
John ducked his head, then looked up, his eyes once more fixed on hers. “I know I got no right to say this, Miss Sky, but you and that little girl of yours are like family to me.” He paused, then continued. “So is Max. And regardless of what you may think right now, that boy cares about y’all.”
“I—”
“He’s been through hell and lived to tell about it.” He shook his head slightly. “I never thought I’d see him smile again. Not till you and Maddie come along.”
“There’s stuff —”
“Cade’s making sure ever ‘one knows about the boy.”
She shouldn’t have been surprised by this, but she was. “He didn’t waste any time.”
He nodded. “Saw him at the store earlier. Told me the boy’s mama is coming tomorrow.”
“She’s already here.” Even she heard the desperation in her words. “She’s at his house right now.”
“Well, guess that explains why you’re out here.”
“Yeah.” What else was there to say? She rubbed cold hands over the steering wheel, then clasped them in her lap. “I had to take Maddie’s inhaler to her at Janet’s. I saw Logan storm out as I was leaving.” And saw Max embrace her like a long-lost lover. She shook her head to dispel that line of thought.
“He came in here a while ago,” offered John. “Didn’t stay long.”
Despite all the ramifications his presence meant to her, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for Logan. “Poor kid.”
“Yeah.”
“Max isn’t his father.” Immediately, she regretted her words. She had no right to discuss that with anyone, but the need to defend him was strong.
“I know. Max wouldn’t shirk that kind of responsibility.” He paused, then looked up at her. “I’d be glad to buy you a cup of coffee, Miss Sky.”
Her first instinct was to refuse, but she bit it back. “I’d like that.”
