Page 7 of River
“Hooking up?” I pushed out the words as if they were an insult.
“Yeah, don’t tell me that there isn’t one of those guys in there that doesn’t excite you sexually. They’re bloody fit, and several of them are handsome.”
“Then you go and kiss them.” I scrunched my face up.
Maximum’s face hardened. “Don’t you dare look disgusted. River, those men in there are some of the finest and most loyal people that I know.”
The idea of going in there to pick a man to have a one-night stand with left me cold. “Let me be perfectly clear. I would rather go to Indonesia than kiss one of them.”
“Fine! If you’ve decided that you’re not dating anyone anyway, then why not spend some time helping others for a change?”
“Excuse me! I help others all the time. Maybe you haven’t seen my section on makeovers and fashion tips?”
This time it was Maximum who rolled his eyes. “I’m talking about feeding hungry kids and teaching them how to trust adults after they’ve been abused.”
“They’ve been abused?”
“Some of them.”
My heart began hammering. I’d never told Maximum about my darkest fears that something had happened to me in my childhood.
“Come with me to Bali.” This time, Maximum’s eyes and tone was pleading, and it softened me.
“If I did come, I wouldn’t be staying for months like you. Maybe I could do a week.”
“A month.”
“A fortnight.”
“You need to be there for a full month, or it will make no difference.”
I blinked my eyes a few times. “A full month?”
“Yes. Believe me, time will go faster than you think.”
“I do like children,” I muttered softly as if to empower myself to actually take this leap and go with him.
“Good. The children will love you too.”
His last words touched something inside me. I knew, of course, that my family loved me, but deep down, I hungered for validation. With a few drinks in my bloodstream, I threw caution to the wind and exclaimed, “Alright, I’ll come with you for one month.”
Maximum released a sigh as he pulled me in for a tight hug. “Thank you, sis. Trust me when I tell you that this trip will change your life forever.”
