Read Online August: Calendar Girl Book 8 by Audrey Carlan - Free Book Online Page B

smile.
    “How much do you still owe?”
    Shoveling in more food, I thought about it. “Including this month, four hundred thousand.”
    He huffed. “And that’s why you don’t have any money in your account. Any bit of extra you send to your sister, right?”
    “Right again. You’re getting good at this game, Maximus!”
    He laughed. “Maximus.”
    I scanned his giant frame. “Have you seen you? You’re huge. Name fits.”
    “Mia.” Max’s tone was deadly serious. When he put a hand over mine on the table and held it, I knew something was up. “I’d like to pay the debt free and clear. The entire million. Then you can have your money back. You shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of your father.”
    Licking my lips, I pulled my hand away and looked him straight in the eye. I’d never understand why men like Max thought they could solve all the world’s problems with money. Had to be the damsel in distress and knight in shining armor trait all the men I’d come into contact with lately had about them.
    “Why would you do that?” I said it flippantly, though Max did not take it well. His entire body went tense, and he clenched his jaw so tight, I worried he’d crack a tooth.
    “Because I can.” The words came out through his teeth the way garlic goes through a tiny handheld grater.
    Sitting back in my chair, I looked him in the eye, ensuring he knew I was dead serious. “That will never happen.”
    He also leaned back in his chair, put a long arm out as if he were getting nice and comfortable. “It would be wise if you learned how to accept a gift.”
    A gift. He was insane, downright certifiable, right up there with people who charmed rattlesnakes. “Tell that to my rich boyfriend. I’ve got an idea. How about the two of you start a club? The ‘we have more money than sense club’ and share your ‘gifts’ with people who actually need a handout. I’m just fine, and I’m going to keep being just fine after I’ve paid off this debt, moved my happy ass to Malibu permanently, and watched my baby sister walk the stage accepting her bachelor’s, her master’s, and then her P-H-fucking-D. Now, can we let this go? You’re pissing me off, and I was enjoying a nice complimentary lunch. Which by the way, for free food…” I bent my head back and moaned over another bite of the crunchiest, most tasty tostada ever. “Amazing!”
    Max looked at me as if I’d sprouted another eye in the center of my forehead. “Whatever you say, sugar,” he said with a smirk.
    Sugar. He gets Maximus, which admittedly is a super cool nickname, and I get sugar? Lame.

Chapter Six
    T he next week or so we spent getting to know one another. I met with different members of his team, spent a lot of time just being visible at the offices, but mostly I hung out with their family as one big unit, which was strangely wonderful. If Maddy and Wes had been there, I would have felt right at home. Max took me to each of the free gourmet restaurants. I’d have been hard-pressed to pick a favorite. They were all that tasty.
    Today, when we finished lunch, Max showed me around the other half of the campus. The side we hadn’t spent a lot of time in. I found it mostly contained the corporate boring stuff, HR, Legal, Public Relations, and Marketing. If I had a pedometer, I’m pretty sure we’d have clocked ten thousand or more steps throughout the day. Eventually, we loaded back into his truck and drove to his ranch.
    Exiting the vehicle, I was surprised to see another giant of a man with his arm curled around the bottom of a toddler at his hip. The other looped around the waist of a statuesque blonde. Her hair was like spun gold and trailed in a flat sheet down her back. She wore a pencil skirt, a sky blue silk blouse, and a pair of flip-flops. The footwear aside, she was far more put together than most people I knew. Looked like she might have thrown the shoes on instead of replacing what was probably a pair of ridiculously