Page 176 of Lovers Like Us

I shouldn’t be smiling, not right now. But being in his company, all I want to do is grin ear-to-ear.

Damn.

It hits me again and again. How I could spend hours and hours upon hours doing absolutely nothing with Maximoff Hale. Justthis.

Charlie and Oscar drove back to New York after the meeting, and for the first time in a while, there’s no full tour bus, no extra SFO guys lingering, none of his cousins arehere.

It’s just us. And the paparazzi, the fans. But they’ve always been set decoration to his world. Now myworld.

“Are you?” I ask him. “Happy to beback?”

Maximoff scans the retro diner. April rain starts trickling outside, and paparazzi and fans pull out umbrellas. Noises everywhere. Talking, dishes clattering, the door clings. An old man with a strong Philly lilt complains about the storm. And Maximoff smiles as two girls on bar stools waveexcitedly.

He waves back and then focuses on me, but I already see the revere and fondness overtake his gorgeous features. “Yeah,” he says. “I am. This ishome.”

Our attention drifts, Ava setting my coffee in front of me. “Ready toorder?”

Maximoff and I exchange a look ofconfirmation.

Then he stacks our menus and hands them to Ava, along with the paper napkin note.I saw that, wolf scout. “I’ll get the breakfast burrito, nojalapeño.”

“Egg, bacon, cheddar bagel sandwich,” I say, “and a side of potatolatke.”

Ava leaves again, and I tear open a creamer. I’m about to ask about the napkin note, but he suddenly spills thenews.

“I have to cancel the tour.” He pauses. “The board is shutting it downearly.”

I process this quickly. “They’re not going to reinstate you as CEO then,” I say with the tilt of my head. He’s calmer than usual. I don’t understandwhy.

Maximoff takes a swig of hot tea. “There was no reasoning with the board. Charlie and I came in hot, but their minds were made. No one was even pretending tocare.”

“You don’t look that upset about it,” I mention, coffee mug to mymouth.

Maximoff leans back. “Oh, I’m fucking pissed. But I’m not wasting my energy on them. I have to move forward, and besides…it may not beover.”

I sip my coffee. “What does thatmean?”

He cracks a knuckle and smiles briefly at a boy who calls his name. Forest-greens back on me, he says, “They were vague, but they said there might be a way for me to be reinstated as CEO. They didn’t say whatyet.”

I tap my fingers against my mug, my ringsclink, clink.See, I don’t like that they conveniently left out what the hell he has to do. It could be anything, and they could tell him todoanything.

“They’re in a position of power,” I remind him. He has almost noleverage.

Maximoff nods. “I know, but it’s all the hope I have. They said they’ll tell me more in the secondquarter.”

At least he’s not completely shut out yet. “That’s good,” I tellhim.

He dunks his tea bag a few times. “I keep thinking about how tomorrow I’m going to wake up, and I have zero phone calls to make. No emails to send. No employees, no company, and I think about what else I can do. I can volunteer at the rehab center. I can help other charities, but this thing…” He gestures around, but I know he’s referring to H.M.C. Philanthropies. “…I built this thing and it meant something to me. And now it’s gone for I don’t know how long. One day? Two months? Five years?” A beat passes. “Forever?”

I stop myself from stretching my arm across the table and grabbing his hand.We’re in public.My grip tightens on the mug. “It’s okay to feel lost when you’ve lostsomething.”

Maximoff rakes a hand through his hair. “Have you ever felt likethis?”

I recall my past. “When my life alters outside of my control, I usually feel a sense of nostalgia, but I also like change, so…” I raise my brows athim.

He has trouble containing a smile. “Sounds like asuperpower.”

I bring my coffee up. “That you don’thave.”