Page 147 of Under Her Skin
Max will surely be here and I can lean on him and Lexi if I have to. Kids are everywhere as I go around the corner and the circle of houses comes into myview.
I was so young I don’t remember any of this. I park and put the keys in my pocket and look around for Max. The tall, handsome man should stick out like a sore thumb aroundhere.
The sound of chopper blades cutting into the sky make me look up and there’s Max, with a kid hanging out the side of the machine in the seat he invented. He lands and someone runs up and gets the kid out of all the harnesses that hold him into theseat.
Little screams of laughter fill my ears as the chopper goes quiet. I turn to see what little kid is so happy and what is making them thatway.
My heartstops.
Why is hehere?
Blake is turningin circles as a little boy flies through the air. The kid is smiling nearly as much as Blakeis.
I have to lean against the Jeep to steady myself as my knees have decided to give out. It’s been a little over a month since I’ve seen that handsome face. That hair that hangs to his broadshoulders.
My hands clench into fists as I fantasize about the last time we were together. The way he touched me, the way he kissed me, the way he lovedme.
And all I did for him was to leavehim.
In an instant mybody goes hot and my face has to be fifty shades of red as he looks up and his eyes meet mine. I can’t seem to look away. But he does, and he turns away too and walks away with the little kid intow.
I can’t go in there now. I can’t face all this and the fact Blake hates me now too. Then an arm falls over my shoulders and warm lips kiss my cheek. “Hey there, sweetie. I’m so glad you decided tocome.”
Max moves me along with him towards the place where so many people are hobnobbing with each other. That’s not my ideal place to be. Add a man who wants nothing to do with me in and it becomes a place of nightmares.
“Max, why’s Blake here?” I manage to get to come out of my mouth. “I had no idea he’d behere.”
“He donated quite a large sum of money for the improvements. So of course they wanted him here for the celebration. Did he see you?” he asks as we walk up to some man and I’m handed a hotdog.
“He did, then he walked away. I guess he hates me.” I take a bite of the hotdog and chew itmindlessly.
A little girl touches my leg and I look down to find her red curls in cute dog ears. “Hey,lady.”
“Yes, can I help you with something?” Iask.
“Yes, can you reach me a Dr. Pepper? They’re in the very bottom of the ice chest and I can’t reach it.” She takes my hand and leads me to a table with several large ice chests onthem.
Max follows along. “After you do that I want to take you inside to meet the people who took care of you that few weeks when you were little,Shelly.”
“Okay,” I stuff the rest of the hotdog in my mouth and reach into the freezing water and dig around until I find the drink the little girl wants. “Here you go. I’m sorry, what’s yourname?”
“I’m Sally. Thanks lady.”She takes the coke and pops itopen.
“You can call me, Rachelle,” I tell her and shesmiles.
“You’re really nice,Rachelle.”
I give her a half smile because I know at least one man here who would disagree with her. I scan the area and find Blake pushing, the same little boy he had been spinning around, in a swing. I look away as Max takes my arm and leads me towards thehouse.
Looking hard at everything, I say, “I remembered the road on the way in. The way the trees covered it. I remembered that, but I don’t recall any ofthis.”
“They did a massive overhaul of the place thanks to me and Blake. I doubt any of the house is what you would remember. How are you doing so far?” He opens the door for me and I walkinside.
“I’m okay. I’ll be fine. I hope so anyway,” I mutter as I walk inside and see an old couple sitting on thesofa.
Max gives them a smile and says, “This isRachelle.”
The old woman smiles. “I remember her, Randy. Come sit and tell me how you’ve been. I’ve talked to your young man several times. What a blessing he has been to thisplace.”
