Wanting to Remember,Trying to Forget(15)
“Sofia! We’ve had seven meetings to discuss this design and so far we’ve still got nothing. Terrence Truman wants to see more or less what the site is going to look like on Monday and when he sees the magical array of nothing that we have, I’m dead.”
Charlie smiled. “So if I’m interpreting this correctly, you’ve had seven dates with the lovely Miss Panadero in the last three weeks and she was so smitten by you that the thought of business didn’t even cross her mind.”
Max finally looked up from the computer screen and smiled modestly. “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that.”
Dorothy knocked on the door, walked in and stopped a few feet away from the desk. “I managed to move your meeting with Bit-by-Bit to eleven o’ clock on Monday,” she said.
Max noticed Charlie’s eyes move up Dorothy’s legs to rest on her ass but he chose not to say anything about it. “Thanks. I’m gonna need all the time I can get.”
Charlie quickly reverted his eyes back to Max as she turned around. He flashed a smile as she was about to pass him. “Hey, Dorothy, why don’t you come sit on my lap and we can talk about the first thing that pops up?”
“Why don’t you think about rephrasing that question before I get my stun gun,” she retorted with disgust.
“I like toys,” Charlie said with a naughty grin.
“And I did like older men until you started looking like one.”
Normally Charlie would be furious at a statement like that, but instead he seemed intrigued by the challenge. He watched Dorothy storm off and turned back to Max.
“She so wants my beef.”
“And she makes it so obvious,” Max added sarcastically.
Charlie pulled an unimpressed face. “Would you get your ass in gear? It’s already four o’ clock.”
“Stop nagging.” Max shut down his computer and stood up. “I’m coming.”
They walked out of his office to the elevators.
“So things are going good between you and Sofia?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah. Pretty good. She’s funny and she’s smart and—”
“Have you made it with her yet?”
“Fuck, Charlie!” Max decided not to tell him that he hadn’t even tried to kiss her yet.
“Just asking. So when are you going to see her again?”
They stepped into the elevator and Max hit the button for the basement parking. “Saturday. We really have to finish this design before Monday and I’m swamped for the rest of the week.”
Charlie nodded. “I guess that means no gaming this Saturday.”
“I’m afraid not. Sofia booked me for the entire weekend.”
Charlie’s eyebrows crinkled together. “And what does hazel eyes have to say about this?”
Max rubbed a hard hand over his jaw as he thought about Danny. Their friendship had taken strain since Sofia came into the picture, but he needed to live his own life, find his own happiness, and even though he knew that he could never feel the same about Sofia as he did about Danny, he was willing to give it a try. “She doesn’t say much, but it doesn’t matter.” He had to pause for a bit in order to make what he said next sound believable. “I’m moving on with my life.”
* * *
Max’s eyes lifted from his laptop when he heard footsteps. Danny stepped into the open-plan living room on Saturday morning, looking breathtakingly beautiful in a pale yellow, knee length summer dress. With her dark brown hair caressing her caramel skin and accentuating her hazel eyes, she looked like all kinds of chocolate, tempting in every way.
“Have you seen my white cardigan?” she asked softly. “It’s a little nippy this morning.”
Max took a second and tried to stop gawking. It was moments like this that made him forget that he was technically dating another woman.
Just looking at her made him feel as if his heart was being torn in two directions. One part of him wanted his relationship with Sofia to work and yet the other part blatantly refused to let go of Danny.
The two women were worlds apart. Danny was a bit of a tomboy while Sofia was a lady in all respects. She presented herself well and her make-up was always expertly applied whereas Danny only wore make-up on special occasions. Both attributes were appealing in their own way. Sofia showed that she took care of herself and Danny showed that she was happy with her natural beauty.
But the list did not end there. Danny was assertive. She knew what she wanted and would not back down until she got it. Sofia, on the other hand, was also assertive but more subtle and tactful in her approach. Danny was adventurous and spontaneous whereas Sofia had to be conned into trying something new. Danny was mischievous and playful. Sofia was light hearted but serious. Where Sofia was warm and compassionate, Danny could be selfish and inconsiderate at times. Danny loved wholeheartedly whereas Max could feel that Sofia was holding back. But the defining difference between the two women was that Danny would never see him as anything more than a friend. There was no choice between Danny and Sofia because the option of having Danny had never existed.
“Let’s try that again,” Danny said when the response she was waiting for had not come. “Have you seen my white cardigan?”
“Oh…sorry. Um…it’s in the dryer.”
She squished her lips together. “Great. That’s the only cardigan that goes with this dress.”
“You could use my baseball jacket,” he suggested playfully.
She giggled. “Did anyone ever tell you that you have great fashion sense?” Her smile slowly disappeared and she looked away. “So Sofia is coming over today?”
He nodded and turned his attention back to his laptop. There was something about the way she was looking at him that made him feel guilty and guilt was the last thing he wanted to be feeling.
She smiled in a bittersweet way. “You like her a lot, huh?”
“Yeah,” Max replied. “I like her a lot.”
“Well, I hope you two have a great day,” she said, grabbing her purse from the dining table.
“Where are you going?”
“To the spa with Lauren, Jen, and Amber. We were supposed to go at the end of the month, but Richard is coming home that weekend so we moved it to today.”
Max gritted his teeth. Jealousy was a funny emotion and it always had an unexpected way of creeping up on a person. After seven dates with Sofia, jealousy should no longer be his initial reaction to Richard but it was there, grinding on his nerves again.
The worst part of this whole situation was the fact that she was living with him, which made it more difficult to focus his emotions in one direction. The closer he got to Sofia, the greater the distance grew between him and Danny. His big mistake, however, was that he kept trying to build a bridge over the gap. His friendship with Danny was something he did not want to sacrifice but at some point, for the sake of his own sanity, he knew it was something he was going to have to do.
He watched her leave without saying another word.
* * *
“So how’s that hot roommate of yours?” Jennifer asked, leaning back on the pool lounger to allow the sun to beat down on her face.
“He’s off limits,” Amber replied before Danny even opened her mouth. “Besides, he’s dating someone now.”
“What?” Jennifer snapped up, looking at Danny like she was about to slap her. “I asked you six times to set me up on a date with him and you kept making excuses…and now his dating someone else!”
Danny laughed. Jennifer could be so melodramatic, going on as if Max would have actually been interested in her. Although looking at it now, Danny would prefer him dating Jennifer as opposed to Sofia because at least she would not have felt so threatened. “It’s not like the sky is falling,” Danny said. “Calm down.”
“It is,” Jennifer countered almost childishly. “Max is a real catch. He’s smart. He’s funny. He’s sensitive. He’s hot.”
Danny faked a cough. “I can’t believe you think he’s hot.”
“I can’t believe that you’ve been living with him for two months and you haven’t jumped him yet.”
“That’s gross!” Danny spurted out.
“She’s right,” Amber said. “Max is pretty cute.”
“What has gotten into you people? Max is a dork, a geek to the core. He’s a video game junkie. There is nothing hot about that. Now, Richard is hot.”
“Richard is a dickhead,” Amber said flatly.
“There is no need for such vulgarity, Ambrosia,” Lauren interjected.
Amber put on her sunglasses and adjusted herself in her seat to get more comfortable. “I’m just being honest, Lauren. Richard is an asshole with a one-track mind and, if you ask me, Danny, you would be much better off with a guy like Max.”
Danny rolled her eyes. “Well then, I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t ask you.”
These kinds of conversations were happening far too often lately. It seemed like she was the only person that saw any good in Richard. Normally she would fight in his defense, but today she did not feel the need to. She didn’t know if it was because she was not in the mood to argue or if maybe – just maybe – this distance thing with Richard was finally taking its toll and she was slowly beginning to stop caring.