Page 32 of The Reverse Cinderella
“What’s wrong with being a Ramesly?” Noah asked, confused and a little offended.
“All those other girls I used to date… they knew I was a Ramesly. They were in it for the name, the cash, the adventure. Not one of them knew me, which is why it was easy to leave them,” Max got up and retrieved the ball. He tossed it back and forth with his hands. “Piaget knows me. I’m not part of the Ramesly empire anymore. I’m just a guy, making it on my own. I like that. Right now, she likes that.”
“She’ll admire you all the more for it,” Noah didn’t really see the problem.
Max shrugged. “She’s important.”
“You fell hard,” Noah observed.
“I don’t even think I could describe it. Life is just better when she’s there.”
“Then maybe you’d better think hard about getting an apartment or someplace to live,” Noah grabbed the ball out of Max’s hands. “Unless you want to convince her to let you move in to her place?”
Noah took his shot and it floated through the basket perfectly. He retrieved it and tossed the ball to Max.
“Not yet. We aren’t at that point,” Max took his shot and it bounced off the rim.
“Excuse me?” Noah laughed as he grabbed the ball. “This from the playboy who used to live with a new honey each week?”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Max protested. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I want to do things right with Piaget.”
“When do I get to meet her?” Noah asked.
“The way you are with women? Hopefully never,” Max joked, grabbing the ball from Noah and sprinting to take a shot. It went wide. He shook his head. “She really is affecting my game.”
“You’d better get her back. Otherwise, I’m going to have no one worth practicing with,” Noah observed dryly.
Max sent her flowers. He sent her candy. He sent her cards. He sent a trio of men in suits with two violins and a cello to serenade her. She slammed the door on them.
Max placed an ad on the radio, apologizing. Her radio at the college. She was incredibly embarrassed. She put her head on the desk and covered it with her hands. The girls swooned at how romantic her boyfriend was. The guys glared because they didn’t want to go to the same lengths to keep their girls.
He sent her a wrapped box, which out of curiosity, she had to open. It was a diamond necklace by the jewelry brand Piaget. He couldn’t afford a place to live in, but he bought her one of the most expensive brands of jewelry in the world? Piaget brought it to Elle at the diner and told her to tell Max to stop it. She didn’t give the pregnant woman a chance to respond and promptly left.
He sent her a gourmet food package. She gave it to Ed.
He sent a bottle of Chateau Margaux. She pawned it and gave the money to Ed.
Every time he came to the café, she let Dix handle him and went to the ladies room until he left.
She wondered if she was going to have to take out a restraining order. She didn’t want to.
He kept apologizing and she kept avoiding him.
Finally, he left a note taped to her door. Piaget sighed and unfolded it to see his now familiar scrawl.
Piaget,
I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I did intend to, but I wanted to wait because I was afraid that you would reject me.
I have a debt that I owe to some amazing people who are having a hard time in life and I am trying to pay it off before I pay for any luxuries for myself, including a place to live. It might seem silly but it’s important to me. The money is almost repaid. Afterward, I fully intended to go back to living inside like a normal person.
I’m sorry that you had to go through all of this. You’re an amazing, beautiful, talented, sweet woman. I never meant to make you unhappy. I promise, I’ll leave you alone.
Max.
Piaget shut the door, went back to bed and burst into tears.