Page 45 of Surviving the Break
I hated having to show up to The Center in a foul mood. Tainting the kids was the last thing I’d want to do. I spotted him talking to Justin outside his classroom. His smile faltered when he saw me. “Excuse us,” I said to Justin. Without losing my stride, I gripped Max by his bicep and urged him into the room before closing the door and caging him in against the wall. “Tell me what is going on, now,” I said.
“What are you—”
“Don’t you dare.” I pressed closer. “Don’t pretend to be oblivious,” I spat. His pupils expanded, and he hardened between us. I pushed myself away, gaining some distance. “I’m serious here, Max.”
He cleared his throat. “I know. It’s just—I’ve never seen you upset. It’s sexy.”
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Are you seeing someone else, Max?”
“What? No. Of course not, Ash. I would never—”
“Then why are you returning my texts in spurts? Why have you been dropping in to see me only to artfully dodge important questions before kissing me and taking off? And why have I not had you in my bed—or yours—for the past too-many-to-count nights?” I despised games. This felt like more than Max running; something deceitful was taking place.
“You had Pluto last night,” he said weakly.
“You snuck him into my apartment late last night once you knew I’d fallen asleep, then tasked Justin with picking him up this morning.” I jerked back when he approached and secured his hand around my nape. He held on tighter.
“All I want is you, Ash.” He brought our mouths together and kissed life back into me. My chest expanded as his air filtered through me, revitalizing my organs. My heart.
I rested my forehead against his. “Is this really you running, then?”
“Come with me somewhere,” he said.
“Where?”
“I’ll tell you when we get there.”
The tension in the car grew wings and pulsed in the air, fogging the windows. Partly because I wasn’t at ease about Max’s recent behavior yet. And because Max seemed nervous about something. He white-knuckled the steering wheel the whole twenty-minute drive. We rode to the opposite end of Main Street, right outside the town limit. Max pulled over in front of a deserted four-story building complex. It took up a quarter of the block, barren land the only thing surrounding it. We got out and stopped in front.
“This is what I’ve been up to,” he said with a flourish of his hands.
“Work? Were you bidding on a contract to renovate this?”
“Something like that.”
I scratched my head. “Okay… I understand your job keeps you busy. Couldn’t you have just told me?”
“I could have, but it would’ve ruined the surprise.” His lips tucked behind his teeth as he fought off a smile.
“Surprise? Max—”
“I purchased the building, Ash.”
Max invested in several businesses here and back in Kentucky. It made sense that he would diversify into real estate. “That’s amazing, Max.” I walked along the perimeter of the property. “What are your plans for it?”
“There are fifty apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms. I’d like to chop it down. Make the whole thing into studios and one-bedroom apartments. That way, we can turn fifty apartments into maybe eighty. A laundry room, gym, organic market, and daycare center will be added. And over there”—he pointed to the overrun grassed area to our left—“we’ll build an expansive playground.”
I faced him, my heart bleeding on my sleeve. When I could think of nothing to say through the emotions threatening to consume me, he pushed forward.
“We can have it done in time for Trish and the baby, Ash.”
“You’re going to use your building to help the clinic?” I gaped at him.
He shoved his hands in his front pockets. “It’s not mine.”
My mouth snapped shut, and I blinked through my confusion.
“I signed the deed over to the clinic. It’s the only way to get the grants you’ll need to keep the place running. We’ll need to rent out a good portion of the apartments at market value in order to subsidize what the grants won’t cover. That’s why I want to break it up, so we have at least fifty apartments for the clinic.”
