Page 40 of Moonlit Kisses

It’s not like I’ve been successful in relationships in the past. What makes me think a relationship with Max would be any different? Then where would I be? Out on the street, starting all over again. I’m only now beginning to feel settled and that my decision to come here was the right one. I don’t want to mess it all up on a whim. I have too much to lose.

The smell of coffee entices me as I walk down the stairs, tying my hair into a loose knot on top of my head. I put on my best smile. Fake it ’til you make it, they say, and that’s what I plan to do. I’m going to pretend Saturday night didn’t happen.

“Morning,” I say as brightly as I can when my foot reaches the last step.

Max looks up from his coffee, his eyes scanning my face. Is he looking for my fakery? Does he know me well enough to see through my bullshit? The crease between his brows suggests he’s not completely buying my bright greeting this morning. “Hey. How was the rest of your weekend?”

“Not bad. It was such a beautiful day yesterday that I went down to the river to sketch. The location was beautiful. How about you?”See, I can do this.

The crease between his eyebrows disappears and a smile forms in its place. “Spent the afternoon with my crazy family. My niece and nephews …” His smile drops and he grasps the back of his neck, his bicep muscle bulging. “Sorry.”

I glance around, confused by his apology. “What are you sorry about?”

“I shouldn’t have mentioned my family.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe how thoughtless I was.”

My shoulders drop. Disappointment taking the place of the hope I felt that we could move past any awkwardness between us. “I lost my family. You didn’t. You don’t need to apologize for that, Max. It certainly wouldn’t be fair or reasonable for me to expect people to never speak about their families while in my company. I can accept that life goes on. My experience isn’t yours and I’m happy about that. Enjoy your family and talk about them. It makes me happy to hear about their antics and the fun you have when you’re with them.”

He nods to acknowledge me, then turns toward the coffee machine. “Do you want a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, thanks. I’d love one.” I turn on the laptop, ready for the day, and Max hands me my cup of steaming goodness. “Thanks.” I take a sip and close my eyes in appreciation. “I needed to talk with you about the hot water in the apartment. The switch keeps turning off all the time now, even when I’m in the middle of a shower. Would you mind calling an electrician?”

“Sure thing. I’ll get someone to come out today. Sorry about that. I should have sorted it out sooner.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket.

“I can pay for it. I don’t want to cause you any extra expense. If I weren’t living up there, the hot water wouldn’t matter,” I rush to offer.

“I’ll pay for it because I’m the landlord and it falls under my responsibility. It’s not a problem.” He touches the screen on his phone. “Martin’s an electrician. I’ll see if he can come out today.”

I gather my supplies to clean the bathroom while Max is on the phone with Martin. He steps into the room as I’m bending over the toilet, scrubbing it until it shines. “Martin needs to rearrange a couple of things, then he’ll be over. He said he won’t be too long.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect him to rearrange his day to fit me in. Now I feel terrible. I can always come down here to shower, but after last time …” I trail off as I remember how my body heated under Max’s gaze. Pink stains his cheeks and he shifts on his feet. “Sorry. That was all my fault. I should have locked the door.” I turn my back, returning to my task to hide my embarrassment.

“When Martin comes, make sure you come and get me. I don’t want him going upstairs with you on your own.”

I turn back around. “Why? Don’t you trust him?” Why did he ask him to come and fix the fault if he doesn’t trust the man?

“It’s not that I don’t trust him, it’s that he acts weird whenever he’s around you.” He folds his arms across his chest, using his thumbnail to skim his bottom lip. It’s freaking sexy when he does that. “In all the years I’ve known him, I’ve never seen him act the way he has the last couple of times he’s been here. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he watches you and it’s fucking weird. But he’s a great electrician and I trust him with the job. I just don’t trust him with you.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t my imagination. I thought he was weird and when his wife knew that I’d recently moved to the city …” I shiver.

“That’s probably my fault. I told him you’d only lived here a few weeks. He said you remind him of someone, and I said it would be impossible because you hadn’t lived here for long. He must have spoken with his wife about you.”

Another shiver runs down my spine. “Well, that’s strange. Don’t you think? Why is he talking with his wife about me? He doesn’t know me.”

“I agree. So, make sure you’re not alone with him. Okay?” He raises his eyebrows, waiting for my response.

I nod. “Okay.”

* * *

The outer door opens, and cool air from outside blows in.

“Hi, Molly. I believe you’re having some issues with the wiring upstairs.”

“Uh, hi, Martin. Yeah, I am. I’ll grab Max and we can head up.”

“That’s okay. You can show me.” He smiles, showing divots in his cheeks, which are mostly hidden by his beard.

I stand and make my way to the door through to the workshop. “Oh, that’s okay. Max wants to be there since he’s the landlord and all.” I call out to Max to let him know Martin’s arrived.

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