I raised a brow as Max climbed in back. “Do I look like the sporty type to you?”
“Just trust me.”
“Okay, but I have high expectations.”
When I saw Roger Williams Park, I wasn’t disappointed. It was incredibly picturesque with bridges over tiny streams, a carousel village, duck ponds and gazebos, along with beautiful landscaping. Though I wasn’t a back-to-nature girl, I enjoyed walking around with Michael and Max, though I didn’t say much. The sunlight felt good on my skin; it wasn’t hot enough for me to sweat yet, which I suspected was why Michael had us out here in the morning.
By noon, however, I was thirsty and ready to move on. “What’s next?”
“I thought I’d take you to Providence Place for lunch and shopping,” Max answered.
“Just her?” Michael joked. “Also, how’re you doing that? We’re in my car. What if I have other plans?”
“Do you?” I asked.
“Nah, it’s fine.”
It took ten minutes or so to get back to the car and as long again driving from the park to the mall. This time I let Max have the front seat, mostly because I couldn’t take the cuteness of him sulking in back while I bantered with his brother. They were a little tentative, a little awkward, but it warmed my shriveled heart to witness the progress. From the outside, you’d never guess they’d spent the past five years apart. Now and then, I caught Michael sneaking quick looks at Max, as if checking for his approval. Inside, he was still a goony kid who cared about his big brother’s opinion. I had the urge to mess up their hair in one swooping move, but I sat on my hands to keep from distracting Michael as he parked.
“Joe’s for lunch?” Michael suggested.
Max nodded. “Sounds good.”
Joe’s turned out to be an American restaurant, very manly, all gleaming oak and brass fittings. The guys ordered nachos to start and burgers for their main plates; I went with an iceberg lettuce wedge and the macaroni and cheese. If I knew Max, he’d trade me part of his burger for some of my mac. It was pretty much his favorite thing to eat.
“So what’s your school situation?” I asked Michael.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you a junior?”
“Oh. Actually, I’m a senior. I’ve been homeschooled since the accident and I’m on target to graduate at seventeen.”
“Damn. Smart and handsome.”
Max kicked me under the table as the waitress brought our food. I jumped, more startled than hurt. “What? You’re smart and handsome, too. Apparently it runs in the family.”
“We get it from our mother,” Michael said.
The nachos disappeared fast while they talked about Max’s mechanical engineering program and Michael’s interest in aeronautics. I crammed a chip in my mouth, wishing I was as excited about my future profession as these two seemed to be. But for me, the professional world seemed so nebulous that I had no idea what I’d end up doing—something I hated, probably. Eli and I used to talk about starting an indie music label, but that dream had died with him.
A few minutes after the busboy cleared the appetizer plates, the server delivered our meals. Before I could suggest a swap, Max cut his burger in half, still talking to his brother, and put part of it on my bread plate. Then he served himself some of my mac and salad while Michael stared, wearing an odd expression.
“What?” Max glanced between us.
“Are you sure you’re not together? That’s a very couple-y move.”
“We live together,” I reminded him. “So we’re always sharing food.”
“That’s true. Never mind.”
They went back to their conversation about the space program while we ate lunch, but I caught Max eyeing me with a strange expression now and then. I pretended I didn’t notice because I had no idea what he was thinking or what I was supposed to do about it. In some respects it was a relief to pay the check and have the acceptable excuse of window-shopping to cover my awkwardness. This is so strange. I’ve never, ever been uncomfortable with Max. But Michael was making me really aware of how much Max and I took for granted, a closeness I hadn’t even really processed consciously.
Providence Place was a fine mall with the usual high-end stores, but honestly, my mind wandered too much to concentrate on consumerism. To placate the guys I bought an antisocial slogan T-shirt at a Hot Topic wannabe store. Afterward, they looked at techy stuff and I wandered around admiring the architecture. Eventually Michael excused himself to use the restroom, so I sat down on a bench to wait.
“Didn’t find anything you want?” Max asked.
“We have to cram it into my backpack and then the top box,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, when you put it that way, light shopping seems like the way to go.” He sat down beside me and rested his head on my shoulder. “I didn’t expect it to turn out this way, but...this trip has been amazing.”
“Yeah?” I reached over to pet his head, and his eyes closed.
His answer came so soft that I almost didn’t catch it: “Things always are with you.”
CHAPTER NINE
That night, it was hard to say goodbye to Michael, and I’d just met him. I gave him a hug, then went into the hotel to grant Max some privacy with his brother.
Waiting in the lobby, I sent my mother a text to reassure her that I wasn’t doing anything stupid. I’d missed check-in by an hour, but she wasn’t in a panic yet. Her rationale was this: if I had the presence of mind to send a text at the same time daily, then I must be okay. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that there was probably an app with a timer that could obviate all of her micro-management.
Are you ready for school? She sent back.
Not even remotely, I thought.
But since she didn’t even know I’d left Michigan, it seemed best to reply, Yep, all set. Love you. Talk to you tomorrow.
I was putting away my phone when Max came in. “You okay?”
He followed me up to our room without answering. Once we were inside, he lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “Yes. No. Sort of? Not really.”
“I’m glad you can answer so definitively.” Then it occurred to me. “Do you want to stay longer? I can fly home, it’s no big deal.”
“That’s incredibly cool of you...but I can’t if I want to keep my job. Since I’d rather not go back to fast food, I need to get back, too.”
“You want to, though.”