At that moment, the only word I heard was Crystal. Recalling Max’s text, my mind began to wonder. I never wanted to know the names of any of the women he dated, but I knew one now. Not only did he date her, she was his one serious girl friend. She wanted him to call her…but why? Did she want to get back together? Was he dating her behind my back? Was he having lunch or dinner dates when he wasn’t with me? I had to stop thinking or I would drive myself crazy.

“Thanks, Matthew.” That was all I could say as he drove into valet parking. There were several cars in front of us so we had to wait our turn. “Enough about me. How do you like your job, and what do you do?”

“I do absolutely nothing.” He paused. “Just kidding. Before I took off on my little adventure, my team and I were in charge of page layouts, which order or what model to schedule in. It sounds easy, but there is a lot of work, especially since our magazine goes out on a monthly basis.”

“I can only imagine, but it seems like fun.”

Matthew’s eyes lit up and so did his tone. “Jenna, why don’t you join my team for a couple of days and see if you’d like what we do? There are so many departments in our company; you should check it all out to see what your interests are. I know you are great with customer service....” He paused and squirmed a little, like he had done something he shouldn’t have. “I looked at your resume. Sorry. Just wanted to get to know you better without asking you so many questions. After all, this is our company, and I wanted to know what you could offer. Max told me you went to New York with him.”

There was no reason to believe Max had told him about what happened between us, so why did I blush. “Oh…what did he say?” I swallowed.

“He said you helped him with the front cover, and that you had a great eye for that. He also suggested what I just offered to you, and I thought it was a great idea.”

“Really?” I sat up taller.

“Anyway, I know you’re great at what you do, since that was what you did at your previous job, but here, you have unlimited possibilities. Just keep that in mind…and it does help that you are dating my brother, who happens to think the world of you.”

“Okay,” I nodded. When my side of the door was opened for me, my high heel contacted the ground first, and I was just about to put my hand on the side of the door to get out when I saw his hand.

“Max,” I said blissfully, peering up, twisting my lips upward. The strong wind brushed up against my legs, feeling icy, cold.

“Hey, babe.” With one strong pull from my hand, my body pressed into his. Burying his face to the side of my face, he held me tightly. “Missed you, babe.”

I was warm again from his hold blocking the wind and the warmth traveling to my heart from just the sight of him. As I breathed in his scent, I repeated in my mind, please don’t cheat on me.

**

“Hello,” the waitress said too cheerfully as her eyes shifted from Max, then to Matthew, but not to me. “My name is Amy. I’ll be your waitress. What would you like to drink?”

“Hello there…Amy.” Matthew’s tone was friendly and inviting. Leaning back in a cool, relaxed manner, his eyes traced the curve of her body from head to toe.

The waitress flushed, and she looked like she was lost for words. I didn’t blame her. Matthew was good-looking and he could make any woman blush, just as much as Max could. Him checking her out confirmed what I hadn’t asked before, that he was single…I hoped so for Becky’s sake, thinking they would make a cute couple.

“Water all around please,” Max said quickly, then moved his eyes back to the menu.

“Sure. I’ll be right back.” She flashed a flirtatious smile to Matthew and left.

Matthew ordered their gourmet hamburger, Max ordered sea bass, and I ordered black peppered salmon. With a small, fresh green salad on the side, our lunch was served. Matthew was hilarious during lunch. I couldn’t stop laughing at his stories regarding his European trip. He also told stories about how Max had looked after him when they were young. Max had gotten in trouble in sixth grade because he punched a bully who picked on his brother. Those were the younger days, Matthew said. Now he claimed, in the present time, Max needed him more. I wondered what he meant by that.

Matthew and Max switched cars so Max could drive me back to work. Matthew left right after lunch for a meeting, but Max and I decided to stay for a cup of coffee.

“Excuse me,” Max said, looking at his phone. His forehead crinkled, looking disturbed. Shaking his head with a frown, he closed the phone.

“Is everything alright?” I asked, feeling concerned. What kind of message would make his face look distraught like that? And why did he keep getting those messages?

“It’s nothing, babe,” he replied, peering back at me. But I could tell something was on his mind. “Drink your coffee before it gets too cold.” His tone was stern, but kind.

Reaching inside his workbag, he placed a little box in front of me.

“What’s this?” I asked, placing my cup down. A spark of excitement shivered through me. I felt like a child looking at a Christmas or birthday present.

“I just want you to know that you’re my something great.” Max beamed a huge smile. “Open it.”

Trying my best not to get too excited, I opened the box. Inside was a key, attached to an engraved key chain that read “Something Great.”

Before I could say anything, Max jumped in. “I know it’s too soon. If I could have it my way, you would be living with me…like, yesterday…but I don’t want to push you too fast. This is the key to my place. You are welcome to be there anytime you like…preferably when I’m around. You can spend the night if you’d like.” He twitched his brows. “Come and go as you please. My place is yours. You can also walk around naked. I don’t mind at all.”