“She’s got you there, Duchess,” Max whispered.

I twisted and looked up at Max. “You’re not a child, Max.”

“As long’s we’re alive, you’re always children, doll,” Steve put in and I looked at Steve and my shoulders slumped.

But I didn’t give in gracefully and therefore mumbled, “Ganged up on.”

“Deal with it, sweetie,” Mom muttered, turned to the plethora of foodstuffs on the counter and went on, hands up, wiggling her fingers, “Now, I’m thinking… something strawberry.”

I decided to take a sip of coffee and let events unfold without my participation.

It was then I realized I was leaning against Max and he still had his arm around my waist. It wasn’t weird or uncomfortable. In fact it felt natural and entirely comfortable. It was also then I realized I liked this.

“Oh my God!” Mom suddenly shouted, I jumped and looked at her to see she was holding up the new creamer I bought Max. “This is divine, Max. You have such good taste.”

“Nina bought that for me,” Max informed her and Mom’s eyes got happy wide, her face beaming and she looked at Steve.

“You hear that, Steve, darling? Nina bought Max a creamer.” And Mom said this like she would say, “You hear that, Steve darling? Nina just declared her undying love to Max and they’re going to be surgically attached at the hip tomorrow.”

“I heard it, love,” Steve said, grinning at Mom’s obvious happiness for it was doubtful Steve was thrilled about the creamer.

“Lovely,” Mom muttered and put down the creamer and then started opening and closing cupboards, still muttering when she said, “Now, bowls.”

“Max,” Steve called, I looked to him and I suspected Max did too for Steve kept talking. “I hate to cut into the usual madcap Nellie-Nina reunion but we gotta talk about that jackass Lawrence.”

There it was, the reason for their visit, just as I would have guessed if I’d had time to make a guess.

Mom was dumping stuff into a bowl but she leaned into me and stated, “Steve has a plan. Steve always has a plan.” Then she winked at me and went back to dumping stuff in the bowl.

“What’re you thinkin’?” Max asked.

“I’m thinkin’ after breakfast we leave the women up here and go down the mountain and have a talk with Lawrence at his hotel.”

My body got tense again.

“Works for me,” Max said instantly.

“Um… I don’t –” I started but stopped when Max squeezed my waist.

“We’ll be back, less than an hour,” Max told me and I twisted to look at him.

“Max –”

“Duchess,” Max cut me off, “it’s as good as done.”

I hadn’t had time to contemplate my predicament, my escape or scrutinize the fact that I consistently seemed to allow myself to get thwarted and end each day in bed with Max. However I was relatively certain that I didn’t want Max to team up with Steve to send my father packing. I didn’t know why, I just thought that was family business and Max wasn’t family. And I didn’t know why, but I thought if he did do this, he’d be that one step closer to being family. What I did know was that I wanted him to be family and I also knew I shouldn’t.

“Max, can we talk about this?” I asked.

“We can though you ain’t gonna change my mind.”

“Max –”

He used his hand at my waist to turn me to face him then his arm went back around my waist and pulled me close.

“Let me explain somethin’, Nina. He’s in town and he’s thinkin’ about fuckin’ with you. You said your piece yesterday, made your point clear and he still thinks he can fuck with you. A man’s any man at all, no one fucks with his woman, not even her father. He thinks he can, until I make it clear he can’t, he’ll always think he can. So better now than later he learns he can’t. Yeah?”

“Max, I just don’t think it should be you. Maybe I –” I stopped talking when I got another squeeze.

“Honey, he showed you zero respect yesterday and he upset you. You think I’m gonna let that happen again?”

“Max –”

“I’m not.”

“Max –”

“He won’t have a choice but to show me respect.”

“Max –”

“Especially if I got your family at my back.”

“Max!” I shouted.

“What?”

“All right, go see Dad.”

There it was. I gave in again. I had no idea why I constantly did this except perhaps the soft look and beautiful smile Max was giving me now.

To avoid it and its effect on my entire system, I turned within Max’s arm and leaned against him again.

“Steve, when we get back, could use your help hangin’ the Cotton,” Max said to Steve and I closed my eyes.

Steve was always busy, always doing something, always had a project. He’d love helping Max hang the Cotton.

“Sure thing, Max,” Steve said amiably, I heard Mom sniff and looked at her but she had her head ducked.

Then she whispered, “Powder my nose.”

Then she rushed away as Max called gently, “Door to the right, under the loft.”

I sighed because I knew Mom was crying and I had a suspicion Mom had a lot more reasons to like Max now.

I looked at Steve and Steve was watching me. His eyes dropped to Max’s arm at my waist then they came back to my face. His smile was slow and so was his wink.

I smiled back even though panic gripped me.

If I was honest, I knew why I didn’t escape, even though I knew I was facing disaster.

Because I didn’t want to escape.

Now, Mom and Steve might disown me if I tried.

I sighed, leaned further into Max and his arm got tight.

I took a sip of coffee while the men stayed comfortably silent.

Then I asked, “Do you think we have time to sneak in some toast before she gets back?”

My timing was bad and Max’s excellent construction foiled me for Mom had opened the door and its noiseless hinges were my undoing.

“I heard that,” Mom snapped, rounding the counter.

“No,” Max answered my question and Steve laughed.

I sighed again and took another sip of coffee.

“Not to be rude or anything, Max,” Mom started when she hit the counter, “I adore the Cottons but I must say that piece of art you have out front is… um… how do I put it?” She paused then finished in a tone that belied her word, “interesting.”

My eyes went outside and I saw my vandalized rental car.

Then more than likely from stress, mild hysteria and just Mom being Mom, I burst out laughing.

***

Max’s phone rang after I walked out of Max’s bathroom, dressed, made up, hair done and ready to face the day.

Max and Steve left to talk to Dad after “breakfast” which tasted mostly of strawberries, thank God, but the rest of it didn’t bear thinking about. Mom said she’d clean the kitchen so I could get a shower. I left her to it and now was done and Max’s phone was ringing.

I had no idea what to do, whether Max would want me to answer and take a message or if maybe it was Max, calling me to tell me he was in jail because my father was a big jerk and pushed him to lose control and Mom and I had to come down and post bail for him and Steve.

As I was making up my mind, the answering machine, which was at the roll top but could be heard throughout the house, switched on. I heard Max’s voice order, “Leave a message,” there was a beep and Bitsy’s voice could be heard.

“Max? It’s Bitsy, listen, I was hoping you’d be home. You aren’t answering your cell. I wanted to talk to Nina, could you ask her to…”

I ran to Max’s nightstand and picked up the cordless, hitting the on button and I heard the noise of the answering machine beeping off.

“Bitsy?” I said into the phone.

“Oh, Nina. Hi.”

“Hi, sorry, I just got out of the shower.”

“That’s okay.” She was silent for a moment then she asked, “Is Max there?”

“No, do you want me to have him call you?”

“No, uh…” she paused then said, “really, I wanted to talk to you.”

I wasn’t sure how to react to this so I gave myself a second and walked to the railing. I looked out and saw Mom sitting outside on the front steps, her legs stretched out in front of her crossed at the ankles, her hands back behind her, body resting on her hands face tipped to the sun. It must be another warm day and the snow was fast disappearing.

Then I said, “Sure, Bitsy, what can I do for you?”

“It’s just that, uh… Harry came by. He told me about last night.”

“Oh.”

“And, uh, so did Brody. He told me about last night too.”

It must have been a busy morning for Bitsy.

“Oh. Yes, well, it was an interesting night,” I said to her.

“You should know, Shauna lied to Kami. Max never took Shauna ring shopping.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“He, well, I don’t know why he hooked up with her. She’s gorgeous, of course, and I don’t think she ever showed him her, you know, true face until, you know, they got together.”

“Bitsy,” I broke in softly, hearing her hesitation, knowing it had to be hard to talk about the woman who’d been sleeping with her husband in her bed when her husband was murdered, “you don’t have to talk about this.”

“I know,” she said softly back then she suddenly asked, “Your brother lost his legs in the army?”

This hit me hard and I sucked in breath. How she knew this, I didn’t know. Could be Max. Could be Mindy. Could be Mindy telling Brody who told Bitsy.

It didn’t matter, she knew so I said, “Yes, Bitsy, Charlie lost his legs.”

“Brody says Mindy says you looked after him.”

So it was Mindy-slash-Brody.

“Yes,” I answered.