Part 3 (1/2)
After the shower, I put on one of his b.u.t.ton-down s.h.i.+rts and Max wore only a pair of jeans as we sat at a bar table in his kitchen and ate dinner.
”Something's on your mind,” he said. ”Is it Krystal?”
Actually, that wasn't it at all. I was distracted by the ongoing debate in my head about whether to tell him what happened with Kevin and the fallout from it. I also was on the verge of asking him if he had felt the same thing I did in the bathtub. But the Krystal issue was good enough for now. Plus, I'd already promised him I'd tell him.
And so I did-complete with all the details she had given me.
”Jesus,” he said. ”Twenty grand. Where's she going to get that?”
”No idea.”
”You know what that means.” Max stood and took our empty plates to the sink. ”She's going to end up working it off.”
I got up and walked toward him. ”I can't decide which is worse. That or the c.o.ke.”
”Both.”
I stood next to him as he rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. His face was a mask of concern, and I a.s.sumed it was about Krystal, even though he hardly knew her.
”What are you thinking?” I asked.
He closed the dishwasher, started it, and picked up a towel to dry his hands. ”Let's get her out of trouble.”
”What do you mean?”
”I'll pay the guy off.”
Whoa.
”On one condition, though,” he said. ”She has to check into rehab.”
”Are you serious? You'd do that?”
”Yes.”
”But you don't even know her.”
Max took me in his arms. ”But you do. I'm not going to let you stand by helplessly watching a friend ruin her life.”
”Max...I don't think-”
”Let me do this. Let us us do this.” do this.”
SIX
I woke up Sat.u.r.day morning, lying on my side. I had my back to Max, and he was just about ready to slide inside me. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was looking down, watching what he was doing. ”I could wake up like this every day. Awesome alarm clock.”
”Funny. But I can't help it, Olivia.”
”I was being serious,” I said, and put my head back down while Max brought us both to an early morning o.r.g.a.s.m.
After we showered Max drove us to Marina Del Rey, where we boarded his boat and set off for Catalina Island. I had heard of the place and was under the impression that it was only for the wildly rich and the tourists. I guess I qualified as a tourist, and since I was with Max, the rich part took care of itself.
Max pulled the boat up to the marina. A dockhand was there and called out to him. ”h.e.l.lo, Mr. Dalton.” The guy climbed aboard and said he would take care of the docking. I saw Max slip him a hundred dollar bill before we got off the boat. Valet parking at a Marina. Who knew?
We spent a good part of the late morning and early afternoon taking a tour of the island. It was gorgeous-lush green trees and bushes, incredible views of the ocean and the island's various canyons-like nothing I'd ever experienced.
And it only got more intriguing, as the tour guide signaled for us to look in various directions throughout the ride, to see the incredible wildlife the island had to offer. We saw wild turkeys and pigs, two bald eagles, and even buffalo.
”I love this place,” Max said.
I was holding on to his arm as we sat in the jeep. I held on tighter when I saw the almost boyish way he marveled at the outdoors.
”It's beautiful,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder.
”Makes you not want to go back to the city, doesn't it?”
I looked up at his face and saw that he was deadly serious. The truth was, I didn't care where we were. I just wanted to be with him. Needed Needed to be with him. to be with him.
Later in the afternoon, we took our shoes off and sat on a little beach area. Off in the distance, sea lions occupied the rock jetties. We were told they could be aggressive, and to keep an eye on them. They were far enough away not to pose a threat, and we didn't have any food with us anyway.
I was starting to feel guilty about keeping the Kevin story from Max. He deserved to know. He was going to find out one way or another. The idea of keeping it from him so it wouldn't ruin or weekend hadn't been a good idea at all. While it spared him from thinking about it, delaying did nothing for me. Despite all the enjoyment of the afternoon, thoughts of telling Max what happened lingered close by, threatening to spoil the day.
So it was on that peaceful little spot of land that I said, ”I have something to tell you....”
I told him everything, ending with an apology for not telling him sooner.
”I don't care about that,” he said, holding me tight. ”What a f.u.c.kwit.”
”A what?”
Max gave a little chuckle. ”f.u.c.kwit. Like an idiot, but much worse. One of my favorite words.”
”I've never heard you use it.”
”I save it for special occasions, and this is definitely one of them. The deal with Jacqueline Mathers is the biggest thing that's ever happened to him. I guess he didn't think about that.”
”Are you going to drop her?”