Page 52 of Property of Max
“Agreed.” He nods. “But I’m proud as hell they did it. I want to be just like them when I grow up.” He grins.
I laugh, shake my head, and let him guide me into the compound.
“Lila!” Abby cheers the second we walk through the door. “I’m so glad you came. I told Bubby I wanted the whole family here.”
“Honestly, I didn’t even know about it until just now,” I admit, hugging her tight. “Max just said we were going to a party. I’m really glad it’s this kind of party. And I’m so excited for you.”
“Thank you.” Her smile lights up her whole face. “And don’t worry, my brother wouldn’t dare throw a typical biker party. Hiswife would kill him. Anyway, I have a question. And please, no pressure, you can totally say no. But… I want you to work for me. I’ve already got a ton of online orders piling up, and I need someone to manage the shop while I focus on creating. It would honestly be a huge help. And I can pay you decently. What do you say?”
“I don’t know the first thing about running a boutique,” I confess. “I’ve never managed anything like that.”
“Neither have I,” she laughs. “But that’s why we’ve got Max and Spike. They both have degrees in business management. I do, too, but then that stuff happened, and I’m not ready to do that on my own. My brothers will help us. Please?”
I blink, then glance at the silent man at my side. “You have a degree in business management?”
“I have a bachelor’s in Business Management,” Max says, smiling faintly. “And another in Civil Engineering.”
My brows shoot up. “Why do you seem so surprised?” he asks, amusement tugging at his mouth.
“You can build skyscrapers and run a business?” I ask, half-teasing, half-incredulous.
“There are a lot of things I can do, baby,” Max says, his tone dropping suggestively. A slow grin curves his mouth. “And I don’t need a bachelor’s degree for most of them.”
“Oh my,” Abby says, fanning herself dramatically. “Anyway, what do you say?”
I shake my head, dragging my eyes off Max before I melt right there in front of her. Smiling at my friend…and apparently my new boss…I nod.
“Yes. And thank you.”
“No, thankyou,” she breathes out in relief. “You have no idea how much pressure that takes off me. How are you with money management?”
“That depends,” I say, cutting a sly look at Max. “How areyouat money management?”
He smirks, leaning just close enough for his voice to graze over my skin. “Better than I am at resisting you, baby.”
“Goodness,” Abby groans, throwing her hands in the air. “If you two start making eyes at each other in my shop, I’m charging for views.”
Laughing, I hug Abby close, only to yelp when Riley and Sunny tackle us into a group squeeze.
“This is going to be so much fun,” Sunny says, practically bouncing.
“Wait, are you guys working there too?” I ask, confused.
“No, but we’ll definitely be hanging around,” Riley grins. “And since you’re with Max, that means we’ll get to see you all the time.”
“Oh,” I murmur, glancing over their shoulders to see Max shaking his head, a grin tugging at his mouth. “And Cody.”
“YES!” Riley exclaims. “Definitely, Cody. He gives my husband headaches, and that works for me.”
“MAMA!”
“Bree?” My heart leaps. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you I wanted all of my family,” Abby says shyly.
“Come on, Mama!” Bree beams. “Uncle Micah is playing Uncle Foster at chess. AND HE’S LOSING!”
My chest tightens. “My brother’s here? Someone took him out of the house?” Panic spikes. “Who brought my kids here? Max? That can’t happen. Micah has to be moved with special equipment. What if… What if he gets too much saliva in his mouth?”
