"Can"t do what?" I fold my arms across my chest. I don"t like the sound of this.
"Stand off to the side and pretend you aren"t mine. When I"m at a G.o.dd.a.m.n event like this, I want you by my side and my arm around you. I want the world to know you"re with me."
"Is this about that cameraman? You want Zach to know I"m with you."
His voice deepens and gets louder. "No, not just Jack...Zach...or whoever the f.u.c.k he is..." Fury flashes in his eyes, and he takes a deep breath. "I want every f.u.c.king man in that sound stage to know."
"You know I didn"t go all postal on you when I saw you with that woman who had you cornered forever."
"She was old enough to be my mom. It"s not the same."
"Don"t tell me I can"t feel anything when an attractive woman looks at you that way."
He throws his hands in the air. "Well, this bulls.h.i.t plan of Dylan"s sure is working out great. I should"ve never agreed to it."
"You aren"t even trying, Max. d.a.m.n."
I brush my hair away from my face and set my wine gla.s.s down on the table next to us.
"You know what? This is an important business event for me. Do you really expect me not to speak to any men tonight, so you won"t be jealous? Do you even understand how ridiculous that is?"
He doesn"t speak, but his jaw flexes as he clenches it.
I take a step closer. "Do you have so little faith in me?"
He drops his head and turns away. He folds his arms and jams the heel of his boot on the asphalt.
I silently wait for what feels like a minute before he mumbles something.
"What, Max?"
He straightens and turns around. "I have faith in you."
"Then, please, treat me like you trust me."
He rakes his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath. When he finally meets my gaze, I see resolve in his eyes. "I"ll try."
"Good. I"d appreciate that. Can we go back inside now?"
"Actually, I think it"s time for me to leave. I know my limit, and I"ve reached it. I"m going home."
I study his expression. He seems firm with his decision. "Okay. Can you handle it if I go back in?"
"I"ll do my best. That"s all I can promise, Ava."
"Fair enough. I"ll call you when I get home."
"I think I"ll be painting in the studio. So text me, okay?"
I slide my arms around his neck. "Thank you for trusting me, Max."
He wraps his arms tightly around me, but I can feel the tension in his body. "I"m really trying to do the right thing."
"I love you for that." I give him a smile.
When he steps away, a stormy darkness clouds his expression; his resolve looks like it"s crumbling. He pivots on his heel and trudges to the valet stand with his hands jammed in his jacket pockets. I don"t take a step until his car pulls away.
With a complicated mix of emotions, I return to the party. It feels weird to go back inside without him.
A moment later, Zach is by my side. "I"ve been looking for you. I thought you"d left."
"Sorry. I was outside."
"Travis Williamson is looking for you. Do you want me to introduce you?"
A lump rises in my throat. Everything feels like too much too soon. I start to lose my motivation when I hear my grandmother"s voice in my ear. "Carpe diem, Ava!"
I smile. "Sure."
I"m wary as we approach the man, who I a.s.sume is Travis. Everything about him is polished...from his smooth tan to his shiny expensive-looking shoes. He smiles, showcasing his bright white teeth as he steps forward with a flash of recognition in his eyes.
"Ava!" He shakes my hand firmly. "It"s the girl of the hour. So great to finally meet you."
"It"s great to meet you too, Travis. Thanks for inviting me. This is a terrific party."
"I was anxious to find out for myself why everyone is talking about you."
I feel my cheeks turn pink. I have no idea why this man is pouring it on so strong, but I get the feeling I"ll find out.
A group of the network people join us, including the host for their show on art auctions. I hold my own in the conversation, but after engaging in several discussions, I feel myself fade. It"s curious too, because Travis doesn"t engage me. He watches my interactions with the others. I have no idea what his agenda is.
It"s been a very long week, so I decide to leave, instead of waiting until I"m really wiped out.
I turn to Travis. "I need to take off, but I wanted to thank you again for the invitation."
"Let me walk you out, Ava." He takes my elbow, leading me away from the group.
"That"s kind of you. Thank you."
We have an easy path to the exit since it"s getting late and the crowd has thinned out. He takes my ticket and hands it to the valet before turning to me.
"I"m sorry we didn"t have more time, Ava."
I smile, not sure how else to respond.
He smiles back. "I wanted to talk art."
"My favorite subject-hopefully there"ll be another opportunity."
"I"ll make sure there is. You"re very intriguing, and I want to learn more about you and your work. Let"s do lunch. I"m heavily involved in production over the next few weeks, but I"ll set something up before your Barcelona trip."
"Okay." He certainly seems aware of my schedule. I"m too overwhelmed with everything to attempt to a.n.a.lyze this man"s intentions, but he can be sure I"ll confirm it"s a business-only lunch if he actually follows through and contacts me.
My car pulls up and he rests his hand on my back, leading me forward. We"re almost to my car door when I notice Dylan waiting for his car. I hadn"t even seen him at the event. When our eyes meet, he doesn"t smile. Instead, he looks at Travis and then back at me with a wary expression. When I finally catch his gaze again, he immediately looks away.
Really? Why the h.e.l.l does he look like I"ve done something wrong? Great...just great...
I"m agitated when I get into my car, but I put on a good face for Travis.
"Thanks again."
"My pleasure, Ava. You"ll be hearing from me very soon."
The entire drive to my apartment, my mind races, as I worry about Dylan"s weird reaction. Meanwhile, I plan to send Max a rea.s.suring text as soon as I get into the apartment.
Hi, Handsome, I"m home.
I"ll have my phone next to my bed if you want to talk.
It doesn"t matter how late.
I love you. Xoxo
I crawl into bed and try to fall asleep, but knowing Max"s state when he left the party concerns me. I toss and turn, so I finally try to call his cell, but it goes straight to voice mail. I leave a message. My uneasiness grows, but I can"t just drop everything and rush out to Malibu. I have to show Max that I have confidence in him.
I lie back down and try to let go of my concerns. My cell phone rings, and I"m happy, a.s.suming that Max is getting back to me, but I"m surprised to see it"s Riley instead. It"s almost eleven...late to call.
"Hey, Riley, what"s up?"
"Hi, Ava. I"m at Dylan"s, and something"s going on. He"s been on the phone with Max. I could hear Max yelling through the phone. What happened at that party tonight?"
My stomach sinks so fast I"m afraid I"m going to be sick. "Nothing happened. Why?"
"Dylan said something about some guy named Travis. I guess he told Max that guy has been asking everyone about you. When Dylan said Travis walked you to your car, Max flipped out and hung up on him."
I gasp into the phone. "Oh my G.o.d. I"m going to kill Dylan."
"I knew it! He totally f.u.c.ked up, didn"t he? What"s wrong with him? He should know better!"
"He f.u.c.ked up all right. And here I thought he wanted his artist happy. Well, he sure as h.e.l.l took care of that."
"d.a.m.n, I"m sorry Ava. I had a bad feeling, and I thought you"d want to know."
"I really appreciate the call, Riley. I don"t know how I"m going to fix this, but I"m going to Malibu now. Tell Dylan to stay the h.e.l.l out of it, okay?"
"I will. Please drive safely. Good luck, Ava."
I dress quickly and grab my purse and a Diet c.o.ke to keep me awake on the drive. I"m so mad at Dylan I can hardly see straight as I clutch the steering wheel and focus on the dark road. Max left that party in a fragile state, but intent on doing the right thing before Dylan thoughtlessly pushed all of his panic b.u.t.tons.
My mind keeps racing, and since I"m so lost in my thoughts, I"m almost to Max"s house before I realize it. After I get the security gate open, I zoom down the road, hastily park, and jump out of my car. When I step through the wood gate to the front garden, I stop in my tracks.
Max is standing in the threshold, his expression haunted. I rush to him and stop just outside the door. It upsets me that his eyes are glazed, and when he speaks, his voice breaks.
"Just tell me what happened."
This is bad...he"s worse than I feared. "Nothing happened, Max."
"Please, Ava, please don"t do this. Just tell me what happened."
I hold my hands open as I fight back tears. "I promise. Nothing happened."
His anguish surprises me, and I wonder what it"ll take to convince him.
"I"m trying...I want to trust you," he whispers. "But Dylan said-"
"f.u.c.k Dylan!" I yell. "What is wrong with him? That network guy walked me to the valet stand to finish our conversation. That"s all."
He closes his eyes, runs his hands through his hair, and groans. "He said that guy has been asking about you. Brian told him that this guy even went to your work. What the f.u.c.k is that about?"
"He"s probably doing due diligence or something like that since we"re doing PR for the interview and the book. I"m not worried about it, and you shouldn"t either."
"You don"t know that for sure. And then you expect me not to worry?"
"I texted you right when I got home, Max. Why didn"t you call me? I asked you to. I had my phone turned all the way up and next to me in bed."
"You did?" he asks, with a glimmer of hope in his expression.
"Yes, check your phone. I tried to call you too."
"My phone died."
I rest my fists on my hips and arch my brow. "Your phone died? Should I get mad about that?"