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

Chapter Twenty-Seven, Lovers at Heart

Chapter Twenty-Seven

TREAT WAS ON his phone on the back deck when Max came down from the shower. A warm mug of coffee was on the counter next to a plate of waffles, complete with strawberries around the edges. Max sat beside the open window and watched the tide roll out. She loved his little bungalow, and the more time she spent there, the more comfortable she became.

She didn’t mean to eavesdrop on Treat’s conversation, but she couldn’t miss the frustration in his voice.

“I know I said I was sending an offer, but it’s off. I can’t move forward with it right now.”

She realized that the answer he’d given her about where he lived hadn’t really answered the question at all. She wondered if he had a place that he called home, or if the life he led really was one of traveling all the time. It sure seemed that way to her. She started when he pushed to his feet, sending his chair skidding across the deck.

“Cut it off. I’m done. No more acquisitions.”

Max froze, now intent on listening to every word.

“I’ve got enough goddamned money to last me two lifetimes. I don’t care. I’m done with it.” He paced. “It’s one property. Yes, I know it’s only three months, but I can’t spare three months right now.” He paused, obviously listening to whoever was on the phone. “I don’t give a damn who won’t want to do business with me after this.”

Whatever was going on had him tied in knots, and Max was certain that whatever it was, her showing up had spoiled his plans.

“Understood,” Treat continued. “I know it’s Thailand. Yes, I know what this will mean for my international business.”

Max shot a glance at him. Thailand? He’d been working on that deal when she first met him in Nassau, and he’d missed his flight because of her then. Oh, no. She couldn’t ruin his chance at something he’d worked so hard to obtain.

He ran his hand through his hair, pacing again.

“I’m changing things, starting now. No more constant traveling. No more acquisitions that consume all of my attention.”

As much as Max knew she should be flattered by what she was hearing, she was too conflicted to enjoy it. There was no forgetting the look in Treat’s eyes when he told her how his work provided the biggest thrill he’d ever experienced. She braced herself as he came inside.

“Hey, sweetness. You’re up.” He kissed her cheek, refilled his coffee cup, and sat at the table as though the tense phone conversation had never happened.

Max saw a shadow of worry behind his eyes. “Everything okay?”

“Fine, why?”

“Nothing, I just thought…Never mind.” More worries burrowed into the pit of her stomach. She was eavesdropping. She couldn’t come out and ask him about the conversation that now made her question the path her heart was taking her down.

He reached across the table and took her hand. “How much time do we have together? When does Chaz need you back at work?”

Don’t change your life for me. Change your life for me. Max bit back the conflicting thoughts and tried to remember what day it was. Wednesday. “I have to be back by Sunday afternoon, so four days. Treat, if you have to do something for work, I totally understand. Don’t let me hold you up. I can catch an earlier flight.”

He shook his head. “I just wanted to know how much time we had together.”

Max swore there was something hidden behind his smile, and she wrestled with letting him off the hook and making up an excuse to leave early. As much as it would hurt not to be with him, she knew that couples who gave up too much for each other only ended up resenting each other. In the back of her mind, she’d always wondered if that had been the thing that changed her ex-boyfriend. Since he was studying hotel management and could likely find a job anywhere, he’d agreed to move wherever she found a job in her field of marketing. He’d been prepared to relinquish any ideals he’d been dreaming of for his career in order for Max to follow her dreams. And then he ended up hating me for it.