Page 90 of Dark Love

If I don’t do this, she’s liable to come here and find Max herself.

I wouldn’t put it past her to go door to door until she found him and apologized for how badly I’ve been dressing.

Max steps into the backyard and freezes. “Is there a party I forgot about?”

“None that I know of.” Not that I’d wear this dress out in public.

“Then why are you dressed like that?”

Now it’s time to pay the piper. “If my mother ever shows up at your door, I’m sorry.”

He chuckles. “She can’t be any worse than my family.”

“Fair enough. But still, I’m sorry I threw you under the bus.”

Max sits down on the lounger across from where I normally sit and folds his hand. “What did you do?”

This is freakishly embarrassing. I don’t know what is worse; admitting that my mother is a nut or having him see me like this. On my way to sit down, I slip off my shoes and grab the blanket to cover as much of my body as possible. Then I curl up across from him. “I told my mother that you’re my friend.”

Max’s eyebrows pinch in just a hair. “So? We are friends.”

“Um… So, there’s this thing. My mother doesn’t believe men and women can be friends. She’s decided I’m in love with you.”

“And are you?” His voice is way too soft and way too serious.

“No.” I try to add a firmness to my voice so that he knows I’m serious. “I don’t love you. I respect you. I think you’re a great dad and a wonderful person. There aren’t many people in this world that would sit with a neighbor until they pass out from sheer exhaustion, and then carry them up to bed, making sure that their doors are locked and their security system is engaged.” Wait. “Should I be afraid that you could do that without asking for my password?”

“Never. It just seemed more efficient to look it up rather than wake you up.”

“You own the company, don’t you?”

He nods.

My life has gotten so weird. But then it’s always been. “My mother might randomly show up at your house one day.”

“Eh. I’ll introduce her to my mother, and they can talk about us and try to plan our lives together.”

We both laugh at the insanity of our overprotective families.

“Why are you still doing this?” I nod to his bag and my computer.

“Because you can’t sleep, and it’s the right thing to do.” He looks so genuine… just good in the way few people are today.

“Do you always do the right thing?”

“Most of the time.” Max’s lips tip up into a naughty smirk.

Bleeding—But Not To Death!

Dahlia

Why haven’t doctors figured out a way to stop cramps? This should be on the top of someone’s list. They could sell millions of pills every month if doctors could just make them disappear. I squeeze my pillow to my abdomen.

There’s no way I’m going to work today. The pain is just too intense.

Me: Hey there. I just wanted to let you know I won’t be into work today.

Adonis: No problem. I’ll arrange for coverage. Is everything alright?

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