from her childhood. Rachel flinched away from the sharp stab of nostalgia. Was it possible her father had been dead ten years? She missed him every time she sat in his scruffy old recliner or pan fried grouper the way he’d taught her.
They’d been a happy family—she, Hailey and their dad. Both Rachel and her father had worked hard to make sure Hailey never missed the mother that had run out shortly before Hailey turned two. Rachel remembered her as a sharp voice and little else. Her dad hadn’t talked about her and there weren’t any pictures of her in the house. The lack of a mother hadn’t bothered Rachel until she turned thirteen and realized she didn’t know much about becoming a woman. If she’d had a mother to advise her, would she have made so many stupid choices?
“Are you all right?” Max had caught her wiping away a tear.
“The sun’s in my eyes.” She lowered her visor and blinked rapidly to clear moisture so she could see. “I wish I hadn’t forgotten my sunglasses back in Houston.”
Max whipped his off. “Take mine.”
“You need them to drive.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“Thanks.” She slipped them on, appreciating the UV protection as well as the shield against Max’s curiosity. “I’ll buy a pair when we stop.”
It was an hour’s drive from Pensacola to Gulf Shores. Rachel recalled making the trip in reverse with her high school friends in those happy days before her father died. They’d head up to the “big city” to catch a movie or go shopping. There’d been a huge sense of freedom in getting in the car and going.
Her decision to take Hailey to live with Aunt Jesse in Biloxi after their dad died had robbed her sister of those sorts of fun times. If only she hadn’t been so afraid to take on the responsibility of supporting her and her sister. At the time it seemed sensible to seek out the help of an adult. Of family. Too bad she didn’t know what a loser their aunt was until it was too late.
Max’s warm fingers stole over the fist balled on her thigh. “You know, it won’t kill you to talk to me.”
The soothing slide of his skin against hers caused her to release the breath she’d bottled up. She loved holding hands with him. They’d done a lot of that during those days at the beach. In fact, she doubted they’d gone more than five minutes at a time without touching. When they’d been out in public, most people had taken them as newlyweds, asking if they wanted their picture taken together.
To Rachel’s surprise, Max had played along. Despite his claims that he never intended to marry, he’d sure enjoyed playing the part of smitten bridegroom.
What he never knew was that she’d asked one couple to take their picture and email it to her. She’d stared at it every day until Brody found it on her computer and deleted it.
“I didn’t tell you last time, but Hailey and I grew up around Gulf Shores. Dad was a deep-sea fishing guide. The best in the county.”
He cocked his head. “How come I didn’t know that?”
She shrugged. “You did most of the talking that weekend.”
“I guess I did.” His forehead creased. “That’s not going to happen again.”
“Are you sure?” she teased, forcing lightness she didn’t feel into her tone. “You’re kind of an egomaniac.”
Rachel’s doubts about spending this weekend with Max were coming to a boil once more. Last time, they’d been able to drop their guards and completely enjoy each other with no reservations or baggage between them. Intimacy had come easy because they’d been strangers.
Max’s fingers tightened on hers. “Don’t do that.”
“What?” Her stomach crashed to her toes.
“Push me away with humor.”
“Was I funny? You’d be the first person to say so.” Rachel heard herself and ejected a sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ve never been good at playing with others.” Amusement stirred at Max’s impatient snort. “You know, now that I’ve gotten started, I don’t think I can stop.”
“I think you can,” Max said, all serious. “Why don’t you start by telling me why you and your sister left Gulf Shores?”
Max could try to dig up all the details about her past he wanted in an effort to rediscover the connection they’d briefly enjoyed five years ago, but he’d find out pretty quickly that the walls she’d spent the last ten years erecting wouldn’t come down without a prolonged siege. And time was something they didn’t have. A couple days, a couple weeks maybe, and he’d lose interest in her.
“Our dad died when I was eighteen and Hailey was sixteen. He was shot during a convenience-store robbery in Foley, Alabama. He had a girlfriend up there that he visited a couple times a month. They hadn’t been dating long, but I had the feeling he really liked her.”
“Had you met her?”
Rachel shook her head. “No, he didn’t like bringing anyone around. He didn’t want us to get attached to anyone in case things didn’t work out.” She watched beach houses slide past the window, barely recognizing the area with all the new construction that had taken place, but she knew they were getting close. “Our mom left when we were little. Dad didn’t want to set us up to get hurt again.”
“He sounds like a great father.”
“The best.” Remembering there had been tension between Max and his father, she didn’t elaborate on all the wonderful things about her dad. “He put his life on hold to look after Hailey and me. I didn’t realize how much until after he was dead and all his friends started telling stories of job offers he’d turned down because he wanted us to grow up in a community like Gulf Shores. There’d even been a woman he’d wanted to marry, but she had a big career somewhere up north and he wanted to keep us down here.”
“Sometimes there are obstacles to a relationship that can’t be overcome.”
Like how she’d neglected to tell Max she was married? She probably should have ended things with him when she’d learned about his father’s affair. After twenty years, Max couldn’t let go of his resentment that his father had loved someone other than Max’s mother. Even worse, Brandon Case had loved the child of that union as much as he’d loved his legitimate sons.
“And sometimes people are just plain stubborn. Hailey and I could have grown up anywhere and been just fine. I think Dad was afraid to trust anyone after the way my mom left us.”
“Trust once broken is often impossible to heal.”
And yet, here they were. Rachel let her head fall back against the headrest. This weekend was going to be a disaster. Why hadn’t she pitched a fit until she convinced Max to take her home?
Because she wanted to be with him, no matter the cost to her heart and soul? She was a fool.
“You’re right about that,” she said. “Especially when people refuse to change.” The sun dipped into the clouds looming on the horizon and Rachel pulled off the sunglasses. She handed them back to Max. “Looks like we might get some rain tonight.”
“I
