Page 83 of Maximum
I could feel Maximum smiling at me as Jolene said: “Sounds like you two have a good thing going here.”
“What about you?” Maximum asked. “How is life with my brother?”
Jolene set down her cup. “Atlas works a lot, but he has a rare gift of being present when he’s with us. One of my favorite things is to see him with Rose. All day he’s in charge at the company and then he gets home and jumps at her smallest whim.” She laughed. “There’s nothing as humbling as your child. They don’t care how many people work for you or how powerful you are. A baby will reduce you to their servant with a cry or a smile.”
“Are you having more children?” Maximum asked.
“Yes, but…” Jolene paused and then she shook her head. “No, it’s nothing.”
“What?” I asked. “We won’t judge. You can say anything.”
“Well, it’s just that before when Kate and the others asked if we wanted to come to the pub with them, I was a little bummed that I couldn’t go. I love being a mom of course, but I haven’t had a spontaneous night out for years and it sounded fun. Atlas and I go out to social events because of his position at Solver, but those things are typically formal and a bit stiff.”
Sitting up straighter, I burst out. “It’s not too late for us to join the others.”
“I couldn’t. I have Rose.”
“Who I’m sure would be very safe with her Uncle Max.” My eyes went to Maximum, waiting for him to confirm that he’d babysit his niece.
Jolene waved her hand. “I know, but Rose wakes up super early so I would regret it if I got drunk.”
“Then don’t get drunk. We can still have fun while drinking mocktails. Maximum can watch Rose for a few hours while we enjoy a night out, can’t you, babe?” I looked toward Maximum, who stared at me, and muttered: “But you don’t like going to the pub.”
“That’s not true. I just prefer a good book over the pub on most days, but if Jolene wants to go, I’d be up for a girls’ night out.”
“It’s hardly a girls’ night out if you’re meeting with Patrick and Nils.”
My two newest working students on the farm had gone with Nellie and Kate to a pub in Limerick about an hour ago. Surely, neither of those two men could raise Maximum’s jealousy.
“Could you watch Rose?” Jolene asked Maximum, which made him finally break his stare at me.
“I guess,” he muttered with a low sigh.
It wasn’t hard to pick up on his lack of enthusiasm about us going out, so Jolene gave him one last chance to say no when she asked:
“You sure? It’s about her bedtime anyway, so I could put her down to sleep before we go. That way you wouldn’t have to do anything except keep an eye on her.”
As soon as Jolene got up from the table and reached for Rose, Maximum’s gaze fell on me and it was as if his pupils darkened with that same old jealousy. “Just don’t…” He didn’t finish his sentence and I didn’t poke him.
“I’d better get ready,” I said and moved upstairs where I changed into a dress, styled my hair, and put on a bit of make-up.
When I came downstairs, Jolene had put Rose to sleep in the living room so Maximum could keep an eye on her while watching TV. The toddler looked adorable as she slept with her pacifier in her mouth.
Maximum was quiet and brooding when I gave him a kiss and a thank you, before Jolene and I got into my car and took off. It was a twenty-minute drive and putting on loud music, I steered us through all the turns and twists of the narrow country roads until we got closer to Limerick where the roads got wider.
It was sweet the way Nellie, Kate, and the two newcomers, Patrick and Nils, lit up when Jolene and I joined them.
“What a surprise. We thought you didn’t want to go,” Patrick, who had arrived from Manchester three days ago, said.
Nellie introduced us to a guy she’d made friends with a few weeks back. He was there with at least thirty other people who were all part of the fan club for the local soccer team. A band was playing, and it was hard to have a conversation without screaming. Everyone was happy, and I was delighted to have a new friend in Jolene and to be able to give her a fun night out.
