Chapter Ten

       Max sat at a candle-lit table at Charmaine's dressed once again in her strapless
burgundy dress.  This time, however, she was paying more attention to her companions. 
The occasion was a night out on the town to celebrate Mikki and Reese’s anniversary,
and as former best man and maid of honour, Max and Jake had been invited to share
the special occasion with them.  
	Jake had picked Max up to meet their friends at the restaurant.  When she'd
opened the door to him she'd giggled at the look he gave her, long and appreciative,
wandering over her from head to toe.  
	"That dress looks much better on you this time than it did last time I saw you in
it," he had said, winking at her.  
	Max had swatted at him with her hand bag and laughed.  "It looks exactly the
same," she countered.
	He'd disagreed, shaking his head.  "Oh no.  Now there's where you're wrong. 
This time, you don't have Michael Cunningham draped over your shoulder.  That makes
all the difference in the world."
	Laughing, Max had cast him a coy glance as she'd locked her door.  She couldn't
help but remember the night they had spent together earlier in the week.  Jake's
reference to Michael had just brought it even more to the forefront of her mind.  This was
the first time they had been together since, and she had been glad they were going to
be spending the evening in a public place!
	The ride to the restaurant, however, had started out tense.  Neither one seemed
to know what to say, and then they'd start to both talk at once.  Eventually, however,
they'd found themselves laughing at their awkwardness, and by the time they had met
their friends at the restaurant they'd been telling each other jokes like old times. 
	"Do you two never quit?" Mikki had teased them as the foursome had made their
way to the quiet table at the back of the room.  Max had glanced at Jake, who had
proceeded to make a face at her, which had led to her nearly tripping off her high heels
in laughter.  Jake had caught her before she'd fallen, and when she'd glanced into his
eyes at that moment, with his hands on her bare arms, she'd caught her breath.  The
look that had smouldered in his eyes had made her pause, but quickly he had released
her and taken a step back.
	"Break it up children," Reese’s voice had penetrated through the rushing in Max's
ears.  "We got a baby-sitter for Maddy, should we have left you two there too?"
	"We promise to behave from now on," Jake had said, straightening the lapels on
his jacket, then winking at max.  She hadn't been able to help herself,  and had giggled
once more as she had slipped into the chair he had held out for her. 
	Now, she was glad that Jake and Reese seemed to be monopolizing the
conversation.  It gave her a chance to watch them both.   Mikki and Reese were her
dear friends, and they were also the perfect couple.  Both had insisted they had been
content as singles, but looking at them now no one would ever guess it.  They adored
each other, and took every opportunity to let everyone know it.  
	Even now, as Reese and Jake laughed over some mishap that had happened to
them on the job, Mikki sat with her eyes intent on her husband, watching his
movements.  Every now and then he would look her way and they would share a
knowing glance.  And once in a while he would lean toward her and kiss her ever so
fleetingly.
	It was during one of those kisses that Max found her eyes uncontrollably drawn
to Jake, only to find him watching her as well.  Quickly she averted her gaze, giving her
complete attention to her water glass instead, as she twisted it in her fingers.  When the
waitress arrived to clear away their dishes and take their dessert order, Max welcomed
the distraction.   She stole another glance at Jake, but he was talking to Reese again
and she watched his profile for a few seconds before turning her attention to Mikki.
	"This is quite the place, isn't it?" she asked her friend, unable to think of anything
else to say.  Mikki smiled and nodded, and leaned toward her. 
	"It sure is!  We decided to come here after you had your date with Michael." 
Mikki giggled. "I told Reese I wanted to see where the rich people dined."  She winked at
Max and smiled.  "So, when do you think you'll see Michael again anyway?"
	"Michael?"  Max said, surprised.  She hadn't thought about Michael since he'd
driven her home that night.  She didn't even know if he were still in town.  She looked
around the restaurant slowly taking in the decor.  She'd spent a long leisurely dinner
there with Michael and she couldn't really recognize the place much at all.  Nothing
about the night had made much of an impression on her at all.  Except Jake jogging up
the path towards them as they leaned against the railing down by the river.   That
seemed to be burned into her memory.
	"Well?"  Mikki was saying.
	"What?"  Max blinked at her.
	Mikki chuckled.  "Michael!  When are you going to see him again?"
	"I'm not,"  Max said, shaking her head.
	"You're not?" Mikki sounded surprised, and disappointed at the same time.  Max
glanced at Jake nervously. He was intent on what Reese was saying, and seemed to be
smiling.  Relieved that he wasn't listening to their conversation, she turned back to Mikki.
	"That's what I said.  I'm not going to be seeing him again."
	Mikki sat up straight.  "Well Max!  That's no good!  You know, after I found out it
was Michael Cunningham I had set you up with, I went looking for a magazine I'd seen a
while ago with an article on him in it.  He's a good looking guy, Max! How can you turn
something like that down?"
	Max chuckled.  "Well, for starters, he hasn't asked me out again,"  she said,
which wasn't exactly true, because he had asked her to attend the equestrian meet with
him, and she had declined. 
	Mikki smiled.  "Oh, but he will!  You're a beautiful single girl, and I'm sure you two
had a good time together.   I bet he'll call next time he's in town."  She nodded, as if she
were quite confident in what she were saying.
	Max shook her head.   "I doubt it.  I don't think I was his type.  And besides, if he
did, I wouldn't go out with him again."
	"What?"  Mikki stared at her friend.  "What do you mean you wouldn't go out with
him again?"  Then she opened her eyes wide and leaned closer.  "Why, did he try
something nasty with you?"
	There was a loud clattering noise as Jake set his glass down on top of his spoon,
which twisted around and flew up in the air, landing on top of the saucer under his coffee
cup.  The women both turned to look at him in surprise, and he smiled as them as he
straightened out his cutlery. 
	"Sorry," he said.  "Don't mind me."  Then he turned his attention back to Reese.  
A few seconds later he glanced at them again.  "I hope I didn't make you forget what you
were talking about?"
	"Not at all," Mikki assured him, and she turned back to Max. "So?" she asked her
friend, intently.  
	"So —  nothing happened" Max insisted.  "He was a perfect gentleman.  He
didn't try anything, and to tell you the truth, I didn't want him to.  He's very nice, Mikki, but
we didn't hit it off that way."
	Mikki frowned.  "Hmm.  I guess I was wrong then.  I could have sworn the next
day after you went out with him that you looked different.  You know, happy, like you'd
had a really romantic evening the night before."
	This time Jake's fork clattered onto the table and fell on the floor.  
	“Excuse me,” Jake mumbled under his breath as he bent over to reach for the
fork.  As he started to straighten up again after picking up the fork, however, his eyes fell
on Max’s long, slender legs only inches from his face.  He paused for a moment,
mesmerized, then lifted his head.   Unfortunately, he moved too quickly and without
paying attention to his action, for his head came up still under the table and connected
with a loud bang that rattled everything on the table and nearly spilt the glasses. 
	“Ouch!” he exclaimed, closing his eyes tightly and rubbing his head.  When he
opened his eyes again, Max had moved her legs and her skirt had slid up her leg a little
more.  He stifled a groan and swung his head cautiously out from under the table and
sat up.  He was feeling a little dizzy, but he wasn’t completely sure that the bang on his
head was the only reason.
 	"Clumsy tonight, aren't you Jake?" Reese asked, laughing at his friend.  Jake
shrugged, glancing at Max then turning quickly away.  To his relief, the waitress arrived
with their dessert, and everyone started talking about the food. 
	“Oh, Reese, listen!” Mikki exclaimed, as somewhere a band started playing a
soft, familiar song.  
	“Dance?”  Reese asked his wife, and Mikki nodded with glee.  He reached for her
hand, and as the couple stood up, Max looked around the room curiously.  The whole
time she’d been there with Michael, she had never realized there was either a band or a
dance floor.
	“Do they have a band playing here every night?” she asked, as she watched her
friends disappear through the tables toward where several other couples were now
mingling. 
	“I wouldn’t know,” Jake answered, and she shot a glance in his direction,
realizing that there was no one else around to have heard her question.  “I don’t frequent
Charmaine’s.  Frankie’s is more my style.” He winked at her, and grinned.  “You should
know though.  You’ve been here before.  Didn’t they have a band the night you came
here with Cunningham?”
	She picked up her spoon and played with it.  “I don’t remember,” she said.
	“Having too good a time, huh?  Cuddling up over dinner; too engrossed to notice
your surroundings?”  
 	She shot him an angry glare, only to find him grinning even wider at her.  “Oh,
stop it, Jake!  It wasn’t like that!”
	“Wasn’t it?”  he raised an eyebrow and continued to taunt her with his grin.  “It
looked that way when I interrupted you out at the river.”
	“Of course it didn’t!”  she insisted, though she imagined that it very well might
have to an observer.   She’d been glad Jake had interrupted them, and decided her best
tactic was to try to sway the subject in a different direction.  “Besides, I’d  have
welcomed dinner at Frankie’s just as much as this place any day.”
	“Oh no!” Jake shook his head.  “You were much to overdressed for Frankie’s.” 
His eyes travelled over her bare shoulders, memories of the night they’d spent together
all too fresh in his mind.  It had done nothing to rid him of the fantasies he’d been having
about Max ever since she’d asked him if he thought she were sexy.  On the contrary,
that night had only succeeded in intensifying those thoughts.  Even now, he was
imagining slipping the zipper down her back and sliding that sexy red dress down, baring
her breasts, and — 
	“I suppose you’re right.”
	“What!”  Jake shook himself back to earth and stared at her.
	“I suppose I was much too overdressed for Frankie’s,” she repeated, looking at
him curiously.  “What’s the matter with you, Jake?  That bump on the head make you
lose your mind?”  She winked at him, making a joke out of it, but he was beginning to
think she was right.  He had lost his mind!
	“That must be it,” he said, straightening up in his chair and clearing his throat.  He
glanced over his shoulder.  Reese and Mikki were hardly visible in the midst of the other
dancers.   Reese looked content, holding his wife in his arms while Mikki’s head rested
tenderly on her husband’s shoulder.  Jake felt his mouth go dry as he blurted out his
next words. 
 	“Care to dance?”
	“Me?”  Max asked, looking around.
	“I don’t see anyone else here,” Jake pointed out, and Max giggled.  That was the
last straw.  If she didn’t agree to dance with him, he’d sure enough find some other way
to get her into his arms, and fast!  He stood up and offered her his hand, and to his
relief, she didn’t object.  But when their eyes met, he knew her thoughts were the same
as his.  As they made their way to the dance floor, they were both remembering the last
time they’d been in each other’s arms.  And when he scooped her up and pulled her
close to him, Max was sure she was never going to breath again!
	They danced in complete silence, and Max was surprised when he pulled away
and she realized the music had stopped.  “Oh!” she breathed, and Jake smiled down at
her, but didn’t completely remove his arms from around her. 
	“In another world?” he asked, and she smiled nervously.  It wasn’t a very good
idea to be in his arms, she decided, and backed away slightly.
	“The music has stopped,” she stated, rather needlessly, and he chuckled.
	“Yes, I noticed.  I’m sure they’ll be starting another song if we wait long enough,”
he said, and sure enough, just as Max opened her mouth to object, the band began to
play yet another slow song.  “See, what did I tell you?” He smiled, and drew her close
again.  Max glanced over his shoulder and spotted Mikki and Reese on the other side of
the dance floor, thankfully, oblivious to the rest of the dancers.
	“Jake,” she said, looking up at him with a cautious glance.  “I’m not so sure this is
a good idea.”
	His grip on her tightened, and she felt him sigh.  “I’m not so sure that I’d disagree
with you on that,” he said, but his hand slid up her back and drew her closer again.  
	“Jake,” she repeated, her voice shaky this time.  “I’m serious.  I think it would be
best if we went back to the table.”  The fact was, she knew if she stayed in his arms a
minute longer she’d end up wanting more than what he would be willing to offer her. 
They’d crossed a line once already, and she knew how important it was to him not to
cross it again.   They both agreed that their friendship was the most important thing to
them, and she didn’t want to be the one to compromise that. 
	Jake, on the other hand, wasn’t making any move to let her go.  She fought the
urge to melt closer into his arms, and pressed her palms flat against his chest.  “Jake,
please,” she spoke again, looking up at him.  “If we stay here any longer, I — “
	He held her gaze for a moment, then cleared his throat and nodded, dropping his
arms to his sides.  “You’re absolutely right,” he agreed, his voice strained as he turned
his back to her, walking purposefully towards the table.  She followed quickly after him
and when she finally reached the table she discovered that Reese and Mikki had already
returned and were sitting  snuggled up together over a glass of wine.   Jake was still
standing, and to her surprise, he was  saying goodnight.
	“Jake?” she said, her brow wrinkled.  He glanced at her, with a frown, but said
nothing.  Instead, he turned his attention to their friends.  “Thank you for including us
tonight.  But, it’s time for me to go.” He said. 
	“So soon?” Mikki asked him, shooting Max a questioning glance over Jake’s
shoulder.
	“It’s your night,” he said simply, a smile now on his face.  “You don’t need me in
the way any more.  You guys have a good time.”  He winked at them, then turned and
headed toward the door. 
	“Jake!”  Max called after him, catching up with him as he reached the doorway. 
He turned to look at her questioningly, but said nothing.  “Jake, what are you doing?”
	“You said we shouldn’t stay here any longer.  I happen to agree with you.  It’s not
a good idea.”
	“I meant on the dance floor!” she said, her voice lowered through gritted teeth as
someone walked past them.  
	He shrugged.  “Well, I decided leaving completely would probably be best.  I’ll
see you at the Gym on Tuesday.”  He started to turn again, but she reached for his arm.
	“Jake! Are you just leaving me here?  What’s going on? You picked me up at my
place tonight, remember?  I don’t have any other way to get home unless I go with Mikki
and Reese, and I’ll sure feel like a third wheel hanging around here now that you’ve left!”
	He looked at her again, and this time his eyes were clouded as he fought an
inner struggle.  He had agreed with her; it was important to get away from her, before he
regretted his actions.   He’d already been questioning his better judgement over having
spent the night with her the first time.  When he’d left her that morning, he’d known he
wanted it to be more than just an isolated incident, but as time passed  he’d realized he
couldn’t afford to have it happen again.   And he knew that if he stayed anywhere near
her for much longer, that was exactly what he’d want to do.  On the other hand, she was
right.  He’d brought her, leaving her there wasn’t exactly fair to her either.
	With almost a groan of defeat he nodded.  “I’ll drive you home.  I’ll go get the
truck.”  And with that, he turned and left the building.   Max rushed back to the table to
grab her handbag.  Under Mikki’s questioning gaze she bade her farewells to her friends
and raced back to the door just as Jake was pulling up with the truck.
	They rode in complete silence, and when Jake stopped the truck outside her
place he avoided looking at her.  “I’m not coming in,” he said, flatly, and she nodded.
	“Good night then,” she said, as she stepped out of the truck.  She paused, then
turned and walked inside.  As she reached the door she turned back just as he pulled
away from the curb.