Or perhaps, she was truly out of his league and didn’t want to risk being a convenient one-night stand. Maxine tried hard not to believe what she’d read about him in the newspapers. You couldn’t believe the tabloids or sensationalism, could you? And that woman seemed as if she was an opportunist, appearing on every show she could to tell her story and talk about how much money she should have for her unborn child. Something just didn’t ring true about that duplicity. Poor Lucas. How awful to be in his shoes.
***
Maxine turned off the engine and the car shuddered before shutting down. Okay, she really needed to take her car in to be fixed. Trouble was, she was not auto savvy and oftentimes would be ripped off by mechanics. She could not even afford to replace anything in her old vehicle. She prayed it wouldn’t conk out on her in the middle of traffic.
Lucy had offered to buy her a new car but she really felt funny about accepting any of her friend’s husband’s money like that. It just didn’t feel right. Lucy and she had only just briefly met before Lucy married into the Romero family anyway.
Lucy had taken over the agency from her dead estranged auntie who left it to her in her will. So this was new to a lot of people when Chris, the late owner of the Dream Weddings, Inc. died suddenly a couple years ago. It wasn’t as if Maxine and Lucy were lifelong friends. They’d met on the job two years earlier. Maxine didn’t have too much in her life right now. But her pride was one of the things she held dear.
She glanced down at her list of things to do this week, most of them to be done today.
Ask Dr. Branson about Mom’s new medication
Look over incident report from Mom’s fall and speak to in-charge nurse at the time of incident
Read over research study that will help Mom then give consent if agree with terms
Pay the overdue invoice from the nursing home
Settle collection notice for Mom’s old cell phone service; have disconnected since not in use
Buy Mom a pay-as-you-go phone at the grocery store for emergencies
Buy something edible to put in empty fridge
Go to the department store and pick out Lucy’s baby shower gift…
The eighth item on her scribbled note brought a giddy feeling inside Maxine’s whole being. She was so happy for Lucy and Antonio having a baby but an added benefit was attached to that. The invitation she’d received said the July baby shower would be a barbecue at the Romero Estate along with a Jack and Jill shower. Which meant Yay! Guys and gals would be there. She was sure Lucas would attend, too.
What was with her? Was she that desperate to catch a glimpse of him again? Yes.
He’d pretty much avoided seeing her during the past few weeks, which completely irked Maxine. She’d hoped he would have at least stopped by to say "hi" again or see how she’s doing since the detective showed up.
But then again, she guessed, he was probably handling things from the background. After all, the tech guy from his company was super sweet and respectful to her, as if she was Lucas’s number one preferred customer or something.
Maxine was going to go crazy if she didn’t see Lucas again. She needed to feel his lips on hers. Even if he only brushed his lips on her hand. The feeling he left her with still made her tingle inside. What a soft kiss that was.
As she walked across the parking lot towards the entrance of the nursing home, a smile touched her lips. She was about to visit her mother but she wished her mother knew her and she prayed things could be normal, like bringing home a hot guy like Lucas to introduce to her mother as her future son-in-law. Yeah, she wished. If only!
Maxine knocked on the door of her mother’s room before entering. “Hey, beautiful princess, how are you feeling today?” Maxine asked as she entered with a smile and a Tim Horton’s bag of fresh pastries. Her mother loved pastries from Tim’s for as long as Maxine could remember. Especially the Maple Pecan Danish. Mmm. Delicious. She even had it warmed up for her in the pantry before heading to the room.
“Hey, welcome to my castle,” Dora beamed as she welcomed her adopted daughter. She opened her arms and made gestures to show off her surroundings. “I have a table set for you over there. Would you like my servants to get you something to eat, my dear?”