“Sounds good,” she said, disconnecting the call.
Isabelle and Amanda were coming into the city to visit Lucy and take her to lunch, and as far as Max was concerned, it couldn’t come soon enough. She needed to talk to someone about her feelings, and if it wasn’t him, maybe one of her sisters-in-law could get through to her.
Max had a healthy ego, but even he was worried about how far into herself Lucy had withdrawn since the visit to their old neighborhood. She took self-protection to the extreme, and though he’d love to deal with it now, he didn’t have time to focus on his personal life. Not with the opening night for Savage in Soho creeping up in a few short days.
Despite the hassles with the permits and the usual bullshit with the contractors, in the end, Max was damned proud of the result. Hiring Lucy had been the key to pulling the ambience together, and he couldn’t wait for the customers to visit and see for themselves. He’d even invited his parents to attend, snagging them a table despite already being booked solid for all seatings that evening.
Although it had only been a few days since his visit home, both his mother and father called each day, proving to Max that they were intent on mending the rift between them. How could he deny any of them the opportunity to have the family they used to have?
Knowing he had Lucy to thank only made him more determined to free her of her own ghosts, even if he had to introduce her to his old friend, Dr. Daniel Carver, at the BDSM club. He hadn’t visited the place in ages, but he would if it meant getting Lucy’s head where she needed it to be for a healthy, happy life. And he would, as soon as the restaurant was up and running.
Right now, though, he was due to meet an inspector from the health department for a final walk-through, and he’d been held up by a phone call about delivery issues from another location. Finally free, he grabbed his keys from the bowl on the counter in the apartment hallway and rushed out the door, opting for a cab as the quickest way of getting downtown.
No sooner had he settled into the backseat and given the driver the address than his phone rang with a number he didn’t recognize. “Hello?”
“Max? It’s Sebastian.”
“Hey, man. You on your way to meet the inspector? I need you to hold down the fort for a few minutes. I had a call that ran long, and I’m running late.”
“Umm, no. You’re my one phone call, so listen up. I’ve been arrested.”
Max all but slapped his hand against his forehead. “What the fuck?”
“It’s a misunderstanding, I swear. Gia’s lost her mind, and she’s accused me of assault. But I need you to call my lawyer and bail me out. I’m at the Fifth Precinct.”
Max leaned against the plastic seat of the cab and groaned. Sometimes he regretted getting involved with the reality TV star who had more drama in his life than any normal person dealt with in a lifetime.
This was one of those moments. “And what am I supposed to do about the inspector?”
“He’s a decent guy. Just call and reschedule.”
“Reschedule?” Max yelled. “We’re opening in three days!”
“Gotta go,” Sebastian said. “I owe you one,” he added before disconnecting the call.
Max redirected the cab driver to the precinct and called the inspector, leaving a suck-up apologetic message about having to reschedule. These guys could be difficult, and their time was tight. He’d have to tap-dance well to get the man back in before the opening or it wouldn’t happen.
Then Max looked up Sebastian’s lawyer’s phone number, which he had on his cell thanks to their legal work with the restaurant. The guy wasn’t a criminal attorney, but he’d find Sebastian a good one. And though Max would prefer to go through with the inspection now, he knew he’d better make sure he had liquid funds with which to bail out his chef instead.
Because the restaurant’s success hinged on Sebastian being sprung from jail and available to cook on opening night.
* * *
Exhausted after a long day of meetings, Lucy walked into her apartment and tossed her oversized workbag onto the couch, collapsing beside it in relief. She was supposed to have had lunch with her sisters-in-law, but Noah had a fever, causing Isabelle to cancel, and Amanda had begged off because she was nauseous. Again.
Lucy shivered, the very idea of pregnancy at this point a scary concept. Thank you, Amanda, she thought wryly, although she felt awful for her sister-in-law. Still, Lucy had to admit that the change of plans turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since she’d been handed two new unexpected clients. She’d eaten lunch in the office, barely taking a break all day. She’d still gotten out a little early and texted Max, letting him know she’d be home when he finished up at the restaurant
instead of at work.
All she wanted to do was chill out for a while and relax, already thinking about ordering in dinner instead of going out. She lifted her feet onto the table and grabbed the remote, turning on the big-screen television. The familiar anchors on her favorite channel were discussing the weather, which had undergone a sudden chill.
She closed her eyes and sighed, her thoughts immediately traveling to Max. And their lives together. And Lucy’s sucky attitude ever since visiting home. Before then, she’d been… on the road to happy. She’d let old memories derail what they’d found. It was so easy for her to fall into those old habits and fears. Too easy, she thought. Max was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and he deserved to know it.
He was opening a restaurant this week. The least she could do was support him through it, be as excited and proud as he was, and be a true partner. Like her mother had been to her father, she realized, her eyes snapping open at the thought. Ever since they’d died so unexpectedly, when Lucy thought of her parents, she thought of loss.
It had been a long time, if ever, since she’d thought of the marriage and love they’d shared, the partnership they’d forged as a couple, and the family they’d successfully raised. How else could Gabe have stepped in and made sure she graduated high school and then college, being the parent she needed? How had both her siblings managed to overcome their hurt and fears to marry women they loved and start families? And if they were strong enough to do it, why wasn’t she?
She rubbed her hands over her eyes, trying to pull all her thoughts together into something that made sense for her, for the future.