A few minutes later, they sat opposite each other in a booth, nursing steaming mugs of hot coffee and chatting with various people in the diner.
“Hey, John,” called a patron across the room, “Got a minute? I need to ask you about some work I’d like done.”
He looked at Sky.
“Go ahead.”
As soon as he got up, Billy Ray Thomas left his seat at the counter and took John’s place. “Now I see why you would never go out with me,” he teased. “You had eyes for that old coot.”
“What can I say?” she quipped. “I like beards.”
“I thought you and Max had a date tonight?”
The smile faltered. “Something came up.”
Hazel eyes, gleaming with interest, clearly assessed her. “Must’ve been pretty important. He’s been looking forward to it all day.”
“How do you know that?”
“You forget how small towns operate.” He chuckled and held up one hand, ticking off fingers as he talked. “Maddie told Gail Brown.” He touched another finger. “She told her sister Mavis who works at the bank, and she told Edith at Jenson realty.”
She smothered a smile. “Biggest gossip in the county.”
“Yep.” He dusted his hands together, then clasped them in front of him. “And the rest is history.” He paused. “Plus, I saw him at the auto parts store earlier. He sure looked happy to me. Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really.”
He ducked his head, then glanced back up at her. “I saw Edith at the gas station. Cade told her about Max’s visitor, too.”
She huffed out a breath and sat back in the booth.
“Which I guess explains why you’re sitting here with John looking like someone just kicked your dog.”
Before she could reply, he continued. “I’d be happy to fill in, you know.”
There was no mistaking the open invitation in those smoldering depths, and for a moment, she was stunned into silence. “Bill, I—”
In the blink of an eye, the come-on persona was replaced by the flirty affectation she was comfortable with. “I might have to put you on a waiting list, though.” He winked and smiled. “But I will move you to the top.”
His throaty laugh was contagious, and she found herself joining in the gaiety. It had been a while since she really laughed, and she found it cathartic.
They were still laughing when the bell above the front door jangled announcing a new arrival.
The smile froze on Bill’s face, and his eyes widened. “Things are about to get interesting.”
She started to twist around to see what sparked that comment, but he stopped her by putting both his hands on one of hers.
“Max just walked in. I’m guessing the woman with him is the reason you’re here.”
Dammit!
Max struggled to keep his emotions in check as he watched Sky back out of the drive. The look on her face when she glanced up and saw Anna in his arms was forever burned in his brain. Just when he thought he’d escaped the cesspool that defined his world, he found himself neck deep in the muck again.
The first inkling of the approaching panic attack surprised him. It had been a while since the last one. A tingling in his left hand, quickly spreading to his right, then up both arms. Sweat broke out on his brow and upper lip, and his heart rate jumped. Oh God. Not now.
Embrace the suck, Marine. Persevere. Adapt. Overcome. He closed his eyes and slowly sucked in a deep breath. Breathe in, count to four, breathe out. He repeated his mantra again. Embrace the suck. Persevere. Adapt. Overcome. Breathe in, count to four, breathe out.
More of Doctor Bellamy’s instructions made their way through the fog. “Focus on something else. Some other emotion. Anything other than the panic or anxiety.”
Out of the blue, Maddie’s face came to mind as she looked at him and said, “anytime you are sad, just tell us, and we’ll make it all better again because we love you.”
He focused on her sweet smile, the absolute trust in her all-too-seeing azure orbs and took another breath, letting it out slowly. Then another. And another. Gradually, the panic subsided enough for him to regain a measure of control. Thanks to my seven-year-old guardian angel, he thought.
If Anna had any suspicion of his discomfort, she gave no indication as she pulled away slightly and flicked away tears with her index fingers. “I’m—I’m so sorry.” She waved one hand in a circle. “About all this.”
Still shaky from the near panic attack, he didn’t know what to say, so he opted for a non-committal shrug and a dash of truth. “It was bound to happen sooner or later, Annie.”
She took a step back and braced one hand on the chair she recently vacated, a feeble attempt at a smile edged up one corner of her mouth. “You’re the only one who ever called me Annie.” She pulled in a ragged breath. “It’s good to see you again, Max. It’s been a long time.”
He nodded toward the table and chairs. “Let’s sit.”
Max took a chair across from her and folded his hands on top of the table, grateful they were now steady.
She ducked her head, slender fingers laced together so tightly her knuckles were white. “I’m so sorry he got you involved in our problems.” She laced and unlaced her fingers, then met his gaze. “Did you tell him anything?”
“Not my place.”
