She knew she was making judgments about her former classmates in an effort to calm herself. And as the foursome stared in her direction, she sat as still as a statue, staring back calmly while her heart was pounding inside her chest like it was doing a Calypso number on Dancing with the Stars.
Maybe she was fooling the people outside the car, but not the man sitting beside her. “You’ve got more going than any of them,” Max whispered.
Maybe now. And perhaps it was true if you were talking in terms of worldly success. But here, in this place, it didn’t matter what she had transformed herself into. She was back in a world where you could be laughed at for wearing the wrong color blouse on the wrong day or for having the wrong socks.
She heard herself saying, “They probably think I’m a snob who forgot where she came from. I mean, I’ve hardly been back here since I left for New York.”
“You’ve been busy. But you’ll convince them you’re just a good old Donley girl.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right.” She’d wanted that so badly back in high school that she’d done some things and gotten into some situations that made her cringe now. Of course, she’d run with the in crowd, by virtue of her looks, she supposed. And maybe her lack of interest in making the honor roll was because everybody figured it was only for kids who related better to books than people. But she’d never really felt like she belonged. The popular kids mostly came from upscale developments in Columbia and Ellicott City. She’d lived on a farm, and she’d gone to Donley because her father had grown up with the guy who’d become superintendent of schools and had gotten her special permission to go to the best high school in the county.
Max broke into her thoughts of the past. “You’ve got me in your corner—your man who’s going to make it very clear to the jerks out there that if anybody gives you a hard time, they’ll have to answer to him.”
She liked the way he said that with absolute conviction, as if he weren’t just playing a role. Still, you could argue that it was true. Watching out for her was part of his job.
Absorbing the words, she allowed herself to lean into him, comforted by the feel of his solid body against hers. Unlike most guys, he was taller than she was. And in fighting shape. He made her feel protected, and she fought the impulse to close her eyes, shut out the world, and stay right here in the car. But they had business to attend to.
They sat together for long seconds, until he reminded her of reality. Straightening, he said, “We’d better get in there while the getting’s good.”
“Right,” she answered, then opened the car door and joined him in the parking lot.
***
Max slid a glance at the tall, slender blond walking beside him. From her expression, he knew she was wondering what the hell she was doing here, dredging up memories and feelings from long ago. He had similar doubts about his own past. The only good thing about tonight that he could focus on was that the meeting wasn’t being held at Donley High School. If he never set foot in that place again, it would be just fine with him.
They were halfway across the parking lot when Max felt Olivia stumble on an uneven patch in the sidewalk. Automatically, his arm shot out to steady her.
As she had in the car, she leaned against him, and he cradled her slender body protectively against his.
“What happened?”
“I guess I’m too out of it to pay attention to where I’m walking. My foot caught on something.”
“Okay,” he answered, thinking that she had plenty of experience walking gracefully—in front of very critical audiences. But tonight, not so much. She’d confessed she was nervous before they’d left home, and in the car she’d been jittery. Still, he hadn’t realized how much this was getting to her, maybe because he’d made assumptions based on her successful career.
“Are you okay?” he asked, sensing the tension rippling through her body and wondering if she could really pull off this performance. It had seemed like a good idea in the planning stages. Now he was thinking they should have considered a plan B.
“I’ll be fine,” she said in a voice that sounded far from fine. “Just give me a minute to center myself.”
Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted this assignment. But Olivia Winters had come to the Rockfort Security Agency for help, and he was the only member of the team who could in good conscience handle the job. Not because of any special skills he possessed, but because the other guys in the agency had obviously ruled themselves out.
As he stood with Olivia, he used the opportunity to take in the details of the area, pretending he was watching for new arrivals to the meeting.