Page 18 of Last Chance Love

He gave me a skeptical look. “You can say what you want, but don’t treat me like an idiot. We both know mentors have a hand in placing their mentees.”

Ugh, I couldn’t argue with that. He might have only been assigned as a mentor for one person for whatever reason, but he’d gone through the program before returning to be a full-time employee. He knew how the processes worked in the program, it wouldn’t exactly be easy to keep things from him.

“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Mona asked for my input. Actually, she uh…insisted on it.”

“Insisted?”

“You know damn well what I mean, Max. Everyone’s heard you bitch about her more than once.”

One of his rare smiles flashed over his face. “She’s a pain in the ass. I’m just one of the only ones who’ll say it aloud.”

“The only one crazy enough,” I said. “I think…well, she asked, and I said you.”

“I’m not even an official mentor,” he said with a huff. “I shouldn’t even be on the roster for watching over anyone except my assigned idiot.”

Again, there was that niggling sense of something not quite working between his words and, well, I guess, my feelings. Max didn’t have the same level of annoyance when talking about someone like Elliot. There was something affectionate in his voice along with the irritation. Which only confirmed what I’d told Reed a few weeks ago, Max was bonding with Riley against all sense and logic.

“Well, when I asked about you, she didn’t turn it down, just scribbled in your name,” I told him, shrugging only one shoulder so as not to disturb Heathen.

“That woman enjoys screwing with me, and you thought she would turn you down?”

“Look, Max, I don’t know if she has a vendetta against you or what, but that’s not why I offered up your name. Whatever is going on is between you two. I’m sure as hell not getting involved,” I said, glancing at Reno and Elliot. “I’ve got my hands full enough.”

“Then why choose me?” he asked with a scowl.

I sensed this was less of the demand he made it sound like and more genuine confusion on his part. Honestly, I didn’t think Mona had it out for him, and I actually suspected she liked him. The problem was, I suspected she liked me as well, and I had already seen what she was willing to do to someone she liked, so he was just going to have to accept it.

“Well, if I had to pick one of the current mentors for them to work under for the first time since I put them together, it was you.”

“Still not answering my question.”

“Because you’re the closest in temperament to Reno compared to the other mentors. Unlike some of them, you won’t treat him like he’s trouble unless he creates trouble, and you won’t try to nudge your way into his life and treat him all nice, like, say, Dane would. He doesn’t want any of those things.”

“And Elliot?”

“Well, I mean. When I sat them down, I made it known they would be spending their time together. Working, sleeping, and eating together, so it wasn’t like I could send Elliot somewhere else. Plus, Elliot likes you, and you’re a safer target to annoy.”

“Safer?”

“Elliot’s going to have a lot of pent-up social energy to burn. And if he’s working with Reno and Riley, he’ll need to get some of it out. Some of that would be by annoying you. And you’ll take it because despite finding him annoying, you’re not going to treat him like shit…to try and fail, to intimidate him. Plus, you’ve got Riley with you, who Elliot likes a lot?—”

“A little too much,” Max muttered.

Okay, that was weird, but I wasn’t going to focus on it. “And Reno…I think some part of him likes Riley too. And I think he needs to be exposed to the guy he barely knew yet sucker punched. As far as things go, you were the best option.”

His brow raised. “And you told that to Mona?”

“No,” I said with a snort. “I wouldn’t have been able to anyway.”

“Why?” he asked, frowning.

“Because Leon’s brain operates on a very special level that’s hard to understand,” a new voice piped up, familiar and warm, making my chest flutter.

Max glanced over and sighed. “Oh, hello, Reed. Come to check on your boyfriend?”

I felt my face warm. “You know, Max. I’m really glad you’re enjoying Reno and Elliot’s company. Maybe I should see if Mona is willing to give them to you more often since it seems to be working out great.”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” Max said with a horror in his voice that pleased me.

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