Max climbed into the driver’s seat of my Mini, shaking his head in amusement at how cramped it was as he adjusted the seat back to accommodate his long legs. I sat beside him, pointing out where the indicators were.
With my mind spiraling and being so distracted, I was relieved that he had offered to drive. Had I been alone, I’d have sobbed all the way to Richmond and probably crashed on the way. With Max throwing me reassuring glances, I was able to hold back my emotions and not embarrass myself.
“You don’t mind driving on the other side of the road?” I asked, simply trying to make conversation.
Max gave me a sexy smile. “I’m versatile.”
This forbidden crush I was developing was making me feel guilty. It was the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the way he shifted the gears with confidence. Not to mention his gorgeous profile. I suspected he knew I was stealing glances.
Considering Max was used to driving on the right, he was handling the traffic well—like someone who lived here. Yet he lived a million miles away.
“So…you and Nick have the same mum?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, her name is Gillian.”
“How well do you and Nick get along?’
“The older we get, the easier it gets. I was eight and living in São Paulo when Nick was born.”
“That must have been hard. Having your mum here, I mean.”
“It is what it is.”
I wanted to say that he must have missed her a lot, but I didn’t want to bring us both down.
I turned to him. “Did Nick say why he couldn’t make it?”
Max threw me a glance. “He has a meeting with a coach from Manchester United.”
That actually made me feel a little better. “Oh, he couldn’t miss that.”
“Thank you for understanding, Daisy.”
“I’m keeping my eyes, fingers and toes crossed for him.”
Nick’s dream was coming true. He’d sacrificed so much along the way, attending every after-school soccer training day. His talent had been spotted young when he’d played in the little leagues—though his famous father had probably helped shine a spotlight on him. Nick’s focus on the sport had intensified to an obsession when he’d finally believed in his own talent.
His entire life was football.
As a senior player, he was being offered the chance of a lifetime—to play for Manchester United. The money would be amazing, but that had never been Nick’s motivation. It had always been the game. The chance to prove he had what it took to play in the premier leagues. To join the same team that had made his dad an icon.
I’d been there to help Nick get to this point, supporting him any way I could. But now I’d not be able to see him cross the finish line and achieve his dream. That realization stung because it had been my dream, too.
“Want to talk about it?” asked Max.
“I’m fine.”
“I get it. I’ve been there.” He saw my look of disbelief. “I used to be geeky in college. I was the student who always got straight A’s. I loved hanging out in the library. Always had my head in a book. This, I discovered, wasn’t enough to keep her.”
“Keep who?”
“The prettiest girl in school.”
“What happened?”
“She broke my heart. Ruined me for all other girls.”
“There must have been someone else?” My heart stuttered as I waited for his response.
“I run a busy law firm. I’m unable to devote the kind of attention that a serious relationship needs to flourish. But I do date, obviously.”
“Obviously.”
He laughed at my expression. “You’re so cute.”
I let my breath out slowly, while trying to hide the way he made me react—I felt all flushed and giddy. He saw me as his brother’s ex. That was never going to change.
“Don’t worry about Nick and Manchester United,” he said. “He’s got this.”
“He’s making it happen.”
“Focus on you, Daisy.” He reached over and rested his hand on mine.
I bit my lower lip, trying to suppress a wistful sigh and the urge to rest my head back and just stare at him.
He withdrew his hand and the loss of his touch sent a chill over my entire body. I clutched my hands together to warm them.
“Nick told me you work in a shop?”
“Harvey Nichols.”
“I bet you’re good at your job.”
There it was…that hint that a shop girl wasn’t good enough for his family.
I shrugged, not wanting him to know that being around fashion made me happy. Or that I had a thing for shop window displays. Or, that in another life, I’d not have left Uni and finished that degree in art and design. My job at Harvey Nichols was to help shoppers find that one special gown, and I allowed myself to live vicariously through them.
Up ahead, the white moving truck pulled up to my aunt’s townhouse. We parked behind it. In the wing mirror, I could see that Carl was right behind us. Soon, Max would be in the back of that SUV, driving away from me forever.
My last link to Nick would be gone.
I tried to undo my seatbelt with trembling hands, and Max reached over and helped me get it unfastened. His fingers lingered on mine in a comforting gesture, as though he knew how difficult this moment was for me.
Aunt Barbara rushed out to greet us, waving at me with enthusiasm. When I climbed out of the car, she hurried over and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.
To many, Aunty seemed eccentric, especially due to the way she dressed in bright blouses and flowing skirts—as though she had just arrived from the seventies in all its billowy, flowery glory.
She pivoted to face Max, and gave him a hug, too. “You’re a nice strong man, aren’t you?” she said.
I tried not to cringe, even as Max returned the hug to appease her.
“He’s Nick’s brother,” I explained.
“Nick couldn’t make it?” she asked sourly.
“No, but he sent Max to help instead.” I widened my eyes at her so she wouldn’t make a scene. “Which is nice.”
She looked annoyed, but didn’t say anything.
“Max even drove me here,” I added.
“There is chivalry left in the world.” She gave his arm a squeeze. “Oh, you are firm, aren’t you?”
I forced a smile, flinching from embarrassment, but Max looked amused.
“I’m delighted to make your acquaintance. I’m Max Marquis.”
It was my first time hearing his last name and it sounded dreamy.
“Barbara Rowling.” My aunt’s face lit up. “Obviously not related to that Rowling or I’d be rich.”
It was funny seeing my aunt flustered. It was good to know that Max had this effect on other people and not just me.
“I’ll put the kettle on,” she said, and then looked at me. “I’ve put you in the spare room, Daisy. You know the one.”
“Thank you—I love that room. But it’s only for a while.”
“It’s company for me,” she said.
Barbara directed the movers to carry my belongings up the staircase to the top floor of her two-story house. It wouldn’t take them long to finish.