I snatched one of Max’s shirts off the hanger without even looking at it, shrugged it on and grabbed my cords. Then I flew into the bedroom, pulled underwear from the drawer and, seeing the checked flannel of Max’s that I was wearing (it was checked in gold, brown and navy, perfect to go with my cords) I grabbed a cream camisole and hit the bathroom.

After I’d done my routine, dressed (including Max’s flannel, which was huge but also warm, old and soft from a million washings) and pulled my hair up in a ponytail at the back of my crown. With no other choice but to go makeup free, I rushed out of the bathroom and across the loft.

I slowed my progress on the stairs, deep breathing to calm myself and repeating in my head, don’t have a go at either Kami or Shauna in front of Max’s Mom.

I was in possession of my faculties and hopefully in control of my mouth when I hit the bottom and turned toward the kitchen.

Linda was in it, bustling around in what appeared to be Mom Mode. Both Kami and Shauna were on stools. They all looked at me when I approached. I couldn’t see Max until I got closer for he was standing in the recess, h*ps against the sink.

“Coffee’s poured, Duchess,” Max told me when I hit the mouth of the U of kitchen and I saw his head dip to a mug that was steaming on the counter beside him.

“Thanks,” I muttered, walked to the coffee and picked it up, feeling all eyes on me and that feeling, needless to say, was uncomfortable.

“I remember that shirt,” Shauna announced and my eyes went to her over the rim of my mug then I nearly choked on my sip when she went on, “it was a favorite of mine too.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Linda’s head jerk and right in front of me I saw both Shauna and Kami smile delightedly.

“It’s good with your coloring,” I heard Linda say, luckily before I could utter a word or any of the twenty-five of them in my head and I looked at her.

“Sorry?” I asked, noting vaguely she had a bowl out and flour, milk, eggs, maple syrup and measuring cups.

“Your coloring. That shirt. Looks good on you,” she told me and my mind focused, moving from Shauna’s catty comment to the look on Linda’s face.

She was making a point, a quiet one, but it was a point nonetheless.

Moments before I had the irrational desire to shrug off Max’s shirt, take it outside and burn it. At the present moment I remembered it was Max’s, it was old, warm and soft and it was mine to claim when I wanted, not Shauna’s, never again Shauna’s.

And that was the point Linda was making, not only to me, but to Shauna.

“Thanks,” I whispered, my meaning deeper than the whispered word.

“Hope you don’t mind, I’m making pancakes. Is that okay with you?” Linda asked and I blinked.

Why was she asking me?

“Um… yes?” I answered.

She nodded and turned back to the bowl.

“Mom makes great pancakes, babe,” Max told me, his finger going into my back belt loop and tugging me closer. “You’ll love ‘em.”

I looked up at him and said, “Okay.”

He grinned at me then he winked. It was the wink that got me. Max had never winked at me. I didn’t think he was the kind of man to wink. But, like all things Wonder Max, he did it great.

Using my belt loop, he positioned my still-coping-with-his-wink body close to his side by the sink.

“Max, I like that sugar bowl and creamer, saw it in town, almost picked them up for myself,” Linda noted.

“Nina bought ‘em,” Max told her over his mug then he took a sip.

“Good taste,” Linda mumbled, looked at me and said firmly, “Domestication.”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“Cupboards full. Creamer and sugar bowl. You’re domesticating Max.” That twinkle hit her eye again, I caught it again but she extinguished it before she finished, “This’ll be entertaining.”

Oh my God. She liked me!

I couldn’t help it, I smiled to myself and relaxed into Max’s side. When I did, his arm slid along my shoulders, his hand dangling casually over the left one.

“You wanna tell me why you’re here and not at work?” Max asked and I tipped my head back to look at him, following his gaze to see his eyes were on Kami.

“Day off, Curt’s funeral,” Kami replied.

“You gotta take a whole day off for Curt’s funeral?” Max asked.

“I’m grieving,” Kami returned.

“Jesus, Kami, I hope they don’t find out you’re full of shit like they did at your last job. Be hard to keep that Lexus when you don’t have a paycheck,” Max remarked.

“Don’t worry about me, got my Lexus and that’s it. Don’t have a barn full of stupid boys toys I wanna fill with even more boys toys,” Kami shot back, adding nastily, “maybe you’ll grow up in this century.”

Jealous, I thought but kept my mouth shut.

“Kami,” Linda said quietly, mixing batter.

“What?” Kami snapped but before Linda could say anything further, Max spoke again.

“Now you wanna tell me why you’re here at all?”

I looked up at him to see his eyes, cold and angry, resting on Shauna.

I’d never seen Max cold. I’d seen him angry but not cold and that cold was glacial. I took a sip of my coffee and looked at Shauna to see how she was handling it and noted she had her shields up and seemed perfectly at ease.

“Spending the day with Kami, we’re going to the funeral together,” Shauna answered.

I felt my eyes grow big and I also felt Max’s body turn to stone at my side. Further, again out of the corner of my eye, I saw Linda’s head twist around to look at Shauna.

“For obvious reasons, Shauna’s grieving too,” Kami put in.

“You have got to be f**kin’ shittin’ me,” Max growled.

“What?” Kami asked but Max ignored her and his eyes sliced to Shauna.

“You ain’t goin’ to that funeral, Shauna.”

“Why not?” Shauna enquired with what appeared to be genuine curiosity and I felt my lips part in astonishment, uncertain I’d ever seen anyone so inappropriately cavalier.

“I don’t know,” Max clipped sarcastically, “maybe because you were f**kin’ a married man and his wife, mother and father’ll be there?”