6. MAX

Chapter six

MAX

I was lying on my sofa the morning after seeing Eddie and meeting Jake and Tony for a drink. I wasn't exactly hungover, more resting my eyes for five minutes before I got on with my day. The fact that I had just drunk about thirty cups of coffee was beside the point.

My phone buzzed with an incoming call. Glancing at the screen, I saw Cadie's name flashing. I answered, murmuring her name.

"Hey, Max!" Her voice greeted me cheerfully. "Long time no talk! How's my favorite mechanic doing?"

I pulled myself upright on the sofa.

"Hey, Cadie. I'm doing good, thanks. What's up?"

"I've got a problem with my car, and I was wondering if you could come over and take a look at it for me."

"Sure, Cadie. What seems to be the issue?"

She laughed, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Oh, you know, just a little something under the hood. I promise you, I'll make it worth your while."

So, here's the deal. Cadie and I dated for a very short while. It was nothing serious. When we decided not to continue, no hearts were broken. But Cadie, when she contacted me, always liked to add this edge of flirtation.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Cadie. She was undeniably attractive, and she possessed a sharp wit I always found appealing in women. Our few dates had been enjoyable, and the chemistry between us had been evident from the start. We had had sex, and it had been good. In another life, maybe we could have worked something out, but as always, in the end, it was me who pulled away.

We could have gone ahead and been friends. I was one of those guys who was totally fine being cool with exes, had always thought if there were no bad feelings, why not just be friends? Cadie liked to flirt, and I went along with it a bit because I didn't want to offend her, and to her credit, she wanted nothing more, not really. She paid me what I asked when I did jobs for her. Cadie was a good sort.

I chuckled, playing along with her banter.

"Cash will be fine, Cadie."

She laughed, too.

"When can you come over?"

"I'll swing by later today and take a look."

Her voice was bright with gratitude.

"Oh, amazing! I'll see you soon, Max. Thanks!"

I hung up the phone.

When I got around to Cadie's place, she welcomed me into her home with a beaming smile, and she offered me a drink. The scent of her perfume lingered in the air, a sweet floral fragrance that seemed strong, as if she had just applied it.

I declined the drink. As we strolled toward the driveway, where her car awaited attention, Cadie began detailing the issues she'd had with her car.

"My car has been making this rattling noise whenever I accelerate," she said.

"Let me take a look," I replied, crouching down to inspect the engine. I conducted a thorough inspection of it, testing the engine and looking under the hood.

Cadie hovered nearby, her eyes fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and concern. It was clear she valued my expertise, but she was also worried that I was going to tell her she was in the hole for a thousand bucks.

After a long examination, I realized what the problem was.

"Your belt tensioner's a bit loose," I explained. "But it's a fairly simple fix. I can tighten it up for you."

Relief lightened Cadie's face.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

I got to work tightening the belt tensioner. Once that was done, we gave the engine a test run up and down the long streets of her neighborhood. The ominous rattling was gone. We drove back around and parked outside her house.

"Max, you're a lifesaver! Thank you so much."

"No problem. Just glad I could help," I replied.

Then, she looked at me with a suggestive smile, her eyes lingering on mine a moment too long.

"Why don't you come inside? I could make us a drink…" she said, her tone more than a little suggestive. I felt awkward and said nothing, mainly out of embarrassment. "Come on, Max. It's been a while. Let's catch up."

I smiled at her and let my eyes fall away from hers.

"I should probably get going."

"I thought I would ask," she replied. "Hope there's no offense."

I smiled at her warmly.

"Not a lick of offense."

She sighed.

"You know, Max, someone warned me about you before we started dating."

I didn't understand.

"What do you mean?"

"I told this girl I knew back then that I liked you, and I thought you might ask me out, and do you want to know what she said?" I wasn't sure I did. "She said, ‘He cannot commit to any woman.'" She peered at me knowingly. "What do you think about that?"

Well, wasn't that the question? What did I think?

"I think that's a pretty brutal thing for anyone to say about anyone," I replied.

Cadie's eyes bothered, as if she was caught between feeling bad that she had said it and hurt my feelings, and feeling annoyed that I had spoken so freely.

"It's a joke, Max," she snapped.

"I am not sure it is," I replied. "At least not to me."

I could sense her irritation growing, but it was me who had been insulted!

"Maybe you haven't found the right woman."

I decided to let it go.

"Bye, Cadie," I said with a grin I kind of forced myself to do because I didn't like to end things on a sour note.

"Call me sometime, Max," she said as I made to leave.

"I will," I replied.

But Cadie laughed.

"No, you won't!"

As I walked away through the evening heat, her words echoed in my mind. What a thing for someone to say about you, to tell people about you. In truth, I longed to find that special someone – the one I could turn to in bed and whisper those words to: " I love you ." Someone with whom I could share my fears, my dreams, my self.

Sometimes, it felt like I had been searching for that person all my life. It's just that I had never come close to feeling such a connection with any woman.