Page 90 of All the Forbidden Things

“What will she need to discuss with Max?” Max says from behind me.

I look over my shoulder and take in the man himself coming down the stairs in bare feet, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved white T-shirt with a grandad collar.

Jeans and bare fucking feet.

Bloody hell, the circus show in my belly starts up again as Max comes to a stop on the step behind me, his front brushing my back, his breath close enough to move my hair.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just asking . . .”

I turn back towards Deana and can’t miss her narrow-eyed glare and the way her green eyes dart between Max and me.

Max’s mum, Karen, comes through the laundry door into the hallway and says, “She asked if she could take Layla in to see Whitney.” She tilts her chin up and raises her brows while looking Deana up and down.

“I . . . I just thought it might brighten Whit’s day is all.”

“Answer’s no, same as yesterday, Deana.I’lltake Layla in to see Whit later today.”

He taps my hip before moving his hand to the small of my back, urging me forward. Ignoring the goosebumps erupting over my skin at his touch, I follow Karen and make my way along the hallway to the kitchen.

“I trust that one about as much as I trust her sister,” Karen says as soon as we enter the room. She hasn’t been here the past couple of days, and I know she’ll be desperate for Layla cuddles, so I hand her straight over.

“I think her nappy needs changing,” I tell Karen before handing her over.

“Pfft, I don’t care about that, do I, missy?” she coos to Layla, who is clearly wide-awake. “I thought you were sleeping, or was that Billie telling fibs so the wicked stepsister couldn’t run away with you?”

Layla’s legs are working furiously as her mouth opens and closes in response to what Karen’s saying to her.

“I may have fibbed just a little bit,” I admit. “There’s no way anyone will be running away with Layla on my watch.”

“Too bloody right.”

I set about making bottles for the day and a cup of tea for Karen and leave her to enjoy her one-way conversation with her granddaughter.

“You wanna cup of tea?” I ask Max when he enters the room.

“I’ll make myself a coffee thanks.” He keeps moving towards me and asks, “You okay? She say anything else to you?”

He’s close, too close for a boss having a conversation with his employee, but not close enough for my liking. He leans his hip against the worktop beside me as I pour hot water into Layla’s bottles, his front brushing against the side of my arm.

“No, she asked if she could hold her then if she could take her in to see Whitney. I told her she’d only just gone off to sleep and that she’d have to check with you before doing either of those things.” I put the kettle back on its base and look up at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah, just can’t wait to get away from here.”

I give him a smile. “Me too.”

“You’re going away?”

We both turn to Karen, who I’d totally forgotten was there.

Her gaze scans me from head to toe before settling on Max, the blue of her eyes sparkling as her lips pull up into a small smile. “Where are you going away to?”

“Jay and Marnie’s, next week,” Max offers before putting his index finger up to his lips, gesturing for his mum to hush.

“You got nappies and clean clothes over at yours?” he asks me.

“Yeah, but no milk or coffee.”

“Take what you need from here and let’s go there.”