Lovers at Heart (The Bradens, Book One: Love in Bloom Series)

Chapter Five, Lovers at Heart

Chapter Five

WHY THE HELL had she given him her number? Why hadn’t he called? She’d taken out her battery and rebooted the phone—twice—and had been checking her messages like she was obsessive compulsive. As she walked through the gates with Chaz, she kept waiting for him to say something to her about Treat.

“Max?” Chaz lifted his lips into a crooked smile. “You’ve done it again.”

She and Chaz had reviewed the finances from the morning before leaving, and it was obvious that Chaz was still thinking about their overwhelming success. They’d already almost matched the previous year’s total festival revenue.

She shook her head. “Not me, boss. We did it. At least the first day went off without a hitch.”

“Don’t forget, you said you’d do the after-party swing tonight. I can’t wait to go home and see Trevor and Lexi. It’s been a long day.” Chaz and Kaylie had been married for only six months, but their twins were almost three years old.

The after-parties were one of the highlights of the film festival. Intimate gatherings with celebs, where locals and fans could dance the night away and take home expensive swag, to boot. Crap. She’d forgotten about the parties. Maybe she could get out of it. “Aren’t the kids asleep by now?”

“Yeah, but I like to see them. Besides, they’re asleep.” He raised his eyebrows. “We’re still newlyweds, after all.”

HER CLOSET LOOKED more like a teenager’s than that of an almost-thirty-year-old woman, with too many T-shirts and jeans to count and not nearly enough grown-up clothes. Max inspected the few dresses she owned. She selected two and hung them on the closet door so that she could visualize herself in them. They were both black and short, standard party attire. One was tight fitting with a plunging neckline, leaving very little to the imagination, while the other was more conservative with a ring neck and slit pockets at the hips.

Her cell phone rang and Max froze. The incoming phone number was restricted. Treat? What would she say? What would he say? What if he asked her out? It rang two more times. She stared at it as if she were trying to decide whether or not to touch a land mine; her heart pounded against her rib cage, her body trembled, and her brain was unable to form a coherent thought. When the phone stopped ringing, she dove onto the bed and pushed the green button.

“Hello? Hello?”

Silence.

Max pushed the End button and banged her head against the mattress. She waited for her message light to blink on. When it didn’t, she pushed herself to her feet with disgust.

“You’re such a fool,” she said to her reflection in the mirror. She stripped off her clothes and stepped angrily into the shower. “An idiot, a chicken.” She scrubbed her scalp so hard she was sure she was leaving a trail of cuts. “Maybe it’s better this way.” She rinsed the suds from her hair, soaped and scrubbed her body, and then dried herself off and stood in front of the mirror.

“You’re better off without him,” she tried to convince herself. She flipped her head upside down and turned on the hair dryer. Her wavy brown hair fluffed into a sultry style that hung almost below her shoulders. “You can do better,” she said with a wicked grin.

Max hadn’t been on a date since she’d left Nassau. She’d been denying her sexual urges for years—literally—because of a frightening scenario that had unfolded in the bedroom years earlier. Maybe it was time she broke that wretched streak and forgot Treat altogether. It wasn’t in her nature to pick up a man, and even the thought of it petrified her. But on another level, maybe having a one-night stand was just what she needed to get over him.