she said, following him upstairs.
By the time they’d made it down to Max’s office in the basement, Shayna had given him tips on folding towels, eliminating dust bunnies, and how he could save himself fifteen extra minutes in the morning by switching his socks from the top to the bottom drawer.
“So this is it.” Shayna turned around, taking in his office. “This is a nice setup.”
Max waited, knowing what was about to follow.
“But you know…”
He grinned. He’d recently learned that all of Shayna’s helpful hints began that way.
“If you move your desk over to the window, you could take advantage of the natural sunlight in the morning.”
Okay, so she wasn’t as laid-back as he’d hoped, and they were as’ opposite as night and day. That’s what Max liked about her.
He knew exactly where she was coming from. He used to be a slave to deadlines and schedules, and he saw so much of his old self in Shayna. Part of him had to admire her devotion to a life-style he hadn’t been able to maintain. Another part of him wondered if she would burn herself out the way he had. He knew just what kind of discipline it took to keep up such a rigid pace. He also knew that it eventually took its toll.
Max liked having the freedom to dive off in a new direction the minute an idea surfaced. He’d given up trying to conquer the waves. Now he was content to go with the flow, letting life carry him where it pleased. Would Shayna learn to do the same, or would the currents eventually pull her under?
“Explain to me again how a grown man makes a living playing video games.” Shayna was examining the shelves that contained his extensive collection of games and entertainment systems.
“Have you ever played a video game?”
Shayna shrugged. “I played a couple games with my niece at Christmas, but I never really got the hang of it.”
“Well, it can be addicting. People—not just kids—are willing to pay a lot of money to someone who can get them through the rough spots. I produce a newsletter that provides hot tips for the latest games, and I have a small staff that mans a video game hotline.”
Shayna studied the fifty-inch television in the middle of his office. “Where do you get these tips from?”
He grinned. “From playing the games.”
She shook her head. “I don’t understand. Isn’t that what everybody does? How do you discover these tips no one else can?”
He grinned mischievously. “It’s what I do.”
She shot him an exasperated look.
“Actually, I have an advantage. I used to design video game programs myself. I know what to look for.”
“You used to design video games? You actually wrote the programs?”
He nodded, preparing for her next logical question.
“Then why—”
“Why did I give up designing games to play with them?”
“Yes. Obviously your business is doing well, but programming video games could make you a millionaire. Why would you trade that in?”
“Because of the typical politics that come with big business. To make a long story short, it wasn’t fun anymore. The challenge was gone. I enjoy solving the puzzle, finding the quirks and traps in someone else’s games. I still knock off a game of my own every now and then, but I’m a free agent, my own boss.”
Her brow was furrowed, as if she were still working it out in her head.
“It’s just like you and life management consulting. You took something you had a natural talent for, something you enjoy, and you turned it into a business. It’s the same thing. I wanted to be in control, make my own schedule. And most of all, play video games all day.”
She raised her eyes and he saw a respect that he’d never seen in those honey-gold depths before. “I do understand. It takes a lot of courage to give up security and take this kind of chance.”
He felt a blush creep up his jaw at her unexpected understanding. “Aw, shucks, ma’am.” The room became silent. “Why don’t we get started with that cake?”
“Right.” Shayna sprang into action, heading for the stairs. “Let’s see what you have.”
In the kitchen, Shayna pulled open the refrigerator, then turned to smirk at him over her shoulder. “This is the typical bachelor’s setup. Baking soda, a jar of mustard and beer?”
He shrugged. That’s exactly the reaction he’d been going for when he’d emptied the refrigerator last night. He figured she’d judge his culinary skills from the ingredients in his kitchen, and he wasn’t going to take any chances on her guessing the truth.
Something told him that Shayna wouldn’t be so sympathetic to his situation if she realized he came from a long line of gourmet chefs.
Shayna closed Max’s refrigerator, shaking her head. This was going to be more of a challenge than she’d realized.
“Okay, Max, we’ll have to go to the store. You don’t even have the basics. Let me see your recipe so we can figure out exactly what we need.”
His brows rose innocently. “Recipe?”
“Yes. Don’t you have a…You don’t, do you?”
He showed her his straight white teeth, as if flashing that sexy smile would make up for everything. “Well, no.”
She grinned. Somehow she just couldn’t argue with that smile. “Lucky for you, I grabbed one of my cookbooks on the way out. It’s in the car.”
He squeezed her shoulder. “You think of everything. I appreciate you helping me out like this.”
“No problem.” She thought of everything? Yeah, right. She used to think of everything, but today was a different story. She wasn’t even sure if the cookbook she’d brought had a chocolate mousse cake recipe. There hadn’t been time to check. “Let me go get it. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait. I’ll grab my keys and we can leave for the store.”
She looked at him in surprise. “But we haven’t made a list yet.”
Max shrugged. “Why make a list when we already have the cookbook?”
“You want to lug a cookbook around the grocery store with us?”
“We can manage.”
Shayna shook her head in confusion. “Max, it only takes five minutes to write out a list.”
“It
