Page 65 of For the Love of Lilah
Lilah’s brow lifted. “Oh, Lord, I’m afraid I’m more like you than I realized. What a scary thought.”
Colleen disguised a chuckle. “Get out of here. You give me a headache. Girl,” she said, and Lilah paused at the door, “any man who puts that look into your eyes is worth everything or nothing at all.”
Lilah gave a short laugh. “Why, Auntie, you’re absolutely right.”
She went to his room, but he wasn’t there. She’d yet to decide whether to confront Max about his plans or to wait until he told her himself. For better or worse, she thought she would follow her instincts. Idly she picked up a shirt he’d left at the foot of his bed. It was the silly screenprint she’d talked him into on that first shopping trip. The shirt, and the memory, still made her smile. Setting it aside, she crossed to his desk.
He had it piled with books—thick volumes on World War I, a history of Maine, a treatment on the Industrial Revolution. She lifted a brow over a book on fashion in the 1900s. He’d picked up one of the pamphlets from the park that gave a detailed map of the island.
In another pile were the art books. Lilah picked up the top one and opened it to where Max had marked it. As he had, she felt the quick thrill of discovery on reading Christian Bradford’s name. Lowering into the chair in front of the typewriter, she read the brief biography twice.
Fascinated, excited, she set the book down to reach for another. It was then she noticed the typed pages, neatly stacked. More reports, she thought with a faint smile. She remembered how tidily he had typed up their interview with Millie Tobias.
From the top of the high tower of rock, she faced the sea.
Curious, Lilah settled more comfortably and read on. She was midway through the second chapter when Max came in. Her emotions were so ragged she had to brace before she could speak.
“Your book. You started your book.”
“Yeah.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I was looking for you.”
“It’s Bianca, isn’t it?” Lilah set down the page she was holding. “Laura—she’s Bianca.”
“Parts of her.” He couldn’t have explained how it felt to know that she had read his words—words that had come not so much from his head as from his heart.
“You’ve set it here, on the island.”
“It seemed right.” He didn’t move toward her, he didn’t smile, but only stood looking uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry.” The apology was stiff and overly polite. “I shouldn’t have read it without asking, but it caught my eye.”
“It’s all right.” With his hands still balled in his pockets, he shrugged. She hated it, he thought. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There wasn’t really anything to tell. I only have about fifty pages, and it’s rough. I thought—”
“It’s beautiful.” She fought back the hurt as she rose.
“What?”
“It’s beautiful,” she repeated, and found that hurt turned quickly to anger. “You’ve got enough sense to know that. You’ve read thousands of books in your life, and know good work from bad. If you didn’t want to share it with me, that’s your business.”
Still stunned, he shook his head. “It wasn’t that I—”
“What was it then? I’m important enough to share your bed, but not to be in on any of the major decisions in your life.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
“Fine.” Rolling easily with her temper, she tossed back her hair. “I’m being ridiculous. Apparently I’ve been ridiculous for some time now.”
The tears crowding her voice confused as much as unnerved him. “Why don’t we sit down and talk this through?”
She went with her instincts and shoved the chair at him. “Go ahead. Have a seat. But there’s no need to talk anything through. You’ve started your book, but didn’t think it was necessary to mention it. You’ve been offered a promotion, but didn’t consider it worth bringing up. Not to me. You’ve got your life, Professor, and I’ve got mine. That’s what we said right from the beginning. It’s just my bad luck that I fell in love with you.”
“If you’d just—” Her last words sank in, dazzling him, dazing him, delighting him. “Oh, God, Lilah.” He started to rush forward, but she threw up both hands.
“Don’t touch me,” she said so fiercely, he stopped, baffled.
