Chapter Eleven

       Tuesday night, Jake pulled his truck up to the curb in front of Max's place once again,
after having spent the evening at their usual gym night.  Although they had both tried to
act as if nothing had happened, the tension between them had been strong.  The
workout had gone reasonably well, but the electricity had intensified once they’d been in
the truck  approaching her apartment.  Now, the tension was so strong they could cut it
with a knife, and Max sat uncomfortably in the passenger seat.  If their friendship was
going to survive, she decided, they were going to have to be more comfortable spending
time with each other again.  If he wasn’t going to make the move, then she would. 
	“Jake, listen, I know that what happened here that night was something neither of
us expected, and I know we’ve been having some difficulty figuring out how to behave
around each other ever since.”  She glanced his way, and found him staring at his hands
as they rested on the steering wheel.  With a deep breath, she continued.  “Jake, after
Mikki, you’re my best friend. I don’t want that to change.  We’ve always been there for
each other, and we can’t do that very well if we’re avoiding each other.   We can’t just
stay away from each other in case something like the other night happens again.  If it
does, it does.   
	 He turned to face her.  “And if it happens again?  What then? It wouldn’t be a
romance, Max.  It would just be sex.”
	She swallowed hard and looked at her fingers as she twisted the cord at the
bottom of her jacket.  “I know that, Jake.  I can except that.”   Then she straightened her
back and stuck out her chin.  “But at least it would be good sex!”  She gave him a
sideways glance, grinning slowly as she did, and at last he threw back his head in
laughter.
	“I won’t argue with that!” he said.
	“Alright then,” Max nodded.  “So do we agree that we’re not going to expect it, but
if it happens, we’re not going to get all defensive or anything and run from it either?”
	He nodded.  “Agreed.”
	“Good.  Then I think there’s a baseball game on tonight," she said,  "We probably
missed the first few innings, but why don’t you come in and we can watch the rest of it
together?”   He hesitated, and their eyes met, but Max continued to smile.   “I’d really like
it if you would,” she added, softly.
	"Sounds like a plan," he finally agreed, flashing a bright smile.   Without another
word, he pulled his truck around the back of the building, instead of leaving it on the front
street.  She felt  a flood of warmth wash over her as she recalled the night he’d spent
with her, with his truck on the front street.  They were just friends, and they would come
to terms with the  physical attraction that was wreaking havoc with that friendship, but
whatever happened between Jake and herself,  was their own business.   They both
knew that if Reese and Mikki found out about it they’d surely blow the whole thing out of
proportion.  It just wasn’t worth the hassle of trying to explain things.
	As they stepped out of the truck, Jake reached back and picked up his cellphone
from off the seat of his truck and held it up for her to see it.  “I guess I’d better not forget
this.  You don’t need any hassles from Reese or Mikki.”
	 She giggled nervously to herself and her smile widened.  Suddenly she felt like a
teenager sneaking around behind her parents' back with a boy.  It was silly, because
they were both adults, and what they did was up to them.  She didn’t even know if
anything would happen this time, but she had told him she wasn’t going to resist it if it
did, and she wouldn’t.   This decision made her giddy,  and she grinned at him as they
walked across the short distance to the door. 
	“What’s up with you now? You look like a woman with wicked thoughts on her
mind,” Jake teased, with a frown on his face.   He closed her door behind them, and she
laughed outright then, relieved that he was his old joking self once again. 
	“You look like a man with the same thoughts,” she countered, with a wink.
	“Well, can you blame me? You’ve been flashing those legs all evening.”
	“You’re one to talk,” she tossed back at him.   “You, flaunting those abs in front of
me.”
	The laughter that rang out between them was genuine at last, as they continued
their playful teasing of each other all the way into her kitchen, where she collapsed
against the counter in full laughter.  Max couldn’t imagine anyone she would rather
spend her time with.  They were comfortable together.  They played well and they
competed well, and they understood each other.  Why should it have been a surprise
that sex between them was good too?  Why should they let it spoil the rest of what they
had together?  She glanced across the kitchen to where Jake had dropped onto a chair
holding his side and still grinning at her. 
	“I’m hungry,” she said, taking a step purposefully towards the fridge.  
	“Me too,” he agreed, but when she glanced at him she wasn’t sure what kind of
hunger he meant, and she blushed.  Hiding her head in the fridge, she appeared with
two slices of cold pizza.
	“Last night’s supper. This should hit the spot," she said, as she held out the pizza
for him to think about.  “Hot or cold?”
	He reached for a piece of pizza.  “I don’t mind cold pizza but I do like my women
hot,” he said with a wink, and she tossed a nearby dish towel at his head with a look of
mock disgust on her face.  
	“Jake!”  she gasped, but she couldn’t help but giggle like a schoolgirl, and quickly
turned her attention to the microwave.  “Don't be silly, Jake.  Why don't you go see if you
can find the game,” she said, and by the time her pizza was warm he had settled in the
living room with the television remote.  He’d just located the game when she sat down
beside him and tucked her legs up under herself on the couch.
They watched the game as if nothing had changed between them; as if neither of
them were thinking about what might happen at the end of the ninth inning. But
sometime later Max realized that she had stretched her legs out on the couch and Jake
had casually rested his hand on her feet, slowly caressing without taking his eyes off the
TV.   Then, when she went back to the kitchen to get them each a refreshment, she sat
down right beside him and without thinking twice, he draped his arm around her and
drew her close.  She cuddled in against his side in the comfort of his embrace, and it
seemed the most natural thing in the world for him to twist a few strands of her red curls
around his finger.
	“Oooo, that was a costly error,” Max groaned, watching the action on the
television.  Jake agreed, but he hadn’t seen the play.  He’d been watching her.  He was
surprised how much it turned him on that she was so into sports.  Some men might like
women who dressed themselves up and made up their face, and worried about doing
things where they might break a fingernail.   Carol Ann had been like that, he realized.  It
was strange how comfortable he felt with Max, and how different the two women were
from each other.  
	Come to think of it, he couldn’t imagine a time where he had ever felt this
comfortable with Carol Ann.  Even when they had been engaged to be married, she’d
always given off that aura of a woman who demanded constant, conscious attention.  If
he were in her company, he wouldn’t have been able to watch the game, he would have
had to give her his undivided attention.  And even then, it hadn’t been enough for her.   It
was as if he had been a conquest, and once she had captured him he was no longer of
any interest to her.  She’d moved on to another pursuit, and he’d had his opinion of
women solidified.  First Laura, then Carol Ann; both had played him for the fool, and he’d
vowed never to let that happen again!
	Not that he believed Max would ever do anything like that to him, but then, there
wasn’t going to be any chance of that happening.  He and Max were just good friends,
who happened to have discovered completely by accident that they were good in bed
together.  At least, if there were anything else behind it, Jake was damn sure he wasn’t
going to admit it.  He wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of their friendship!
	"Penny for your thoughts," Max asked, and Jake gave himself a mental shake
and stared at her.
	"What?" he asked blankly.
	She laughed at him then.  "The game's over.  I guess you weren't paying
attention."
	Jake turned a surprised stare towards the television.  Sure enough, the game
was over and the commentators were interviewing one of the players.  Now how had
that happened, he wondered.  He could have sworn it was the middle of the ninth inning
when he had just taken his eyes off the television for a second to look at —
	He glanced back at Max.  Oh, yeah, that's what had happened, he realized,
when he saw her smiling face.  "I must have had other things on my mind," he said.
	"I bet you did," she said, giving him a wry grin.  "I wonder what they were."
	He leaned ever so slightly toward her.  "I bet you'd really like to know, wouldn't
you?" he said, his voice low and husky, his eyes on her lips. 
	"Mhmm," she murmured, as his lips reached hers, and then he kissed her.  It
wasn't until his lips actually touched hers that he realized just how much he'd been
longing for that moment.  And as she kissed him back, he wrapped his arms around her
and pulled her closer.  He wanted her!  And she wanted him too, he knew that.  As long
as they remembered what they had was purely physical, and kept their hearts out of it,
everything could be just fine.  It would have to be, because he couldn’t resist her any
longer!

	“It’s a good thing we’re just friends,”  Max said, two weeks later as she lay next to
Jake in a tangle of sheets with his arm draped around her shoulder.  
	He smiled up at her.  “Do you think it wouldn’t be this good if we were actually
involved?” he asked, in his usual teasing tone.  
	Max laughed, and lay back on the pillow looking up to the ceiling.  It was good,
and it gave her a warm glow inside to hear him say so too.  In fact, she'd been thinking
that very thing earlier that day as she had smoothed her hand along the soft fabric of a
red and blue flannel shirt while hanging it in her closet.   After that Tuesday night
baseball game, he had spent the night with her once again, but he’d made sure to get
up early in the morning and head back to his place for a change of clothes before going
to work.   In the days that had followed Jake had begun to spend a lot more time at her
place, and slowly he’d brought changes of clothes with him.  Soon he had accumulated
quite a selection of shirts and a few pairs of jeans, that made their way into her laundry
and were then hung in her closet beside her own clothes.  
	She was starting to get used to having him show up at her place after work. 
Though there was no commitment that he had to be there, she found that, as the long,
drawn out hours of her empty day progressed toward the end of his workday, she began
to feel the anticipation of his arrival growing inside her.  And when he walked in her door
and she actually saw his smiling face, she was overcome with a feeling she couldn't
exactly explain.
	She was happy to see him, she told herself.  The long summer days were empty
for her and she found herself more and more bored.  It was natural that she would be
happy to see her friend and have someone to talk to at last.  Once school started again,
she'd be much busier and things would get back to normal again. 	Of course, she would
still look forward to spending her time with Jake!  She couldn't think of anyone else she'd
rather spend her free time with. 
	Jake brushed a hand over her hair and looked at her. "I'm going to be away for a
week or two," he said, and Max shot him a surprised glance.  Had he read her thoughts? 
Had he known she had been thinking about how much she looked forward to seeing him
every day?
	"Where are you going?" she asked, and hoped her voice sounded steadier to
him than it did to her. 
	He sighed.  "Reese and I have to go to Clay River to do the upkeep on Marina's
garden."
	"Oh," Max said flatly.  Many years ago when Reese's widowed mother had
married Luke Ryan's father, they had moved to Clay River, which was over a day's drive
from Elmdale.  Marina Clark was their best friend, and Reese had designed and installed
an authentic Japanese garden in the Clark's back yard.  Reese and Jake had put many
long hours into the garden, which boasted a running stream that trickled happily over
rocks and meandered under an arched footbridge before disappearing behind cherry
trees.  Across the bridge there was a pagoda, that Reese had built in his shop.  He'd
carried it to Clay River in pieces in the back of his truck and put it together with Jake's
help.  
	The garden was the most beautiful thing Max had ever seen.  It had been
completed just in time for Marina's daughter's wedding, and when Marina had offered it
to Reese and Mikki for their own wedding, the couple had been delighted to accept. 
Max remembered how beautiful everything had looked as Reese and Mikki had said
their vows beneath the pagoda, with their guests sitting on the lawn before them.  She
had forgotten that every summer Reese and Jake made the trip to Marina's to do any
major upkeep on the garden.  
	"Are Mikki and Maddy going with you to visit with Reese's mother?" she asked.
	Jake shook his head as he rolled towards her, running his hand slowly over her
shoulder and resting a leg over hers.  "Not this time.   Her sister is coming to stay with
her while Reese is gone.   Reese has some major extensions planned for the garden, so
we'll be taking the truck full of supplies with us.  We'll be working long days just to get
things done in time, and spending any spare time sleeping, I imagine."
	Max digested the information.  Two weeks without Jake around.  Why was it
bothering her so much?  It had happened before, it should be no big deal.  Even now
she didn't see him every night. There were days when he didn't stop by.   She and Jake
were not a couple.  They enjoyed their time together, but their hearts were not involved. 
And she had to keep it that way!  Jake meant more to her than anyone, and to lose him
would be a disaster.  No matter what happened, she had to make sure that their
friendship did not suffer.  Letting herself fall in love with him just wouldn't do!
	Max blinked.  Now where had that thought come from?  She was not falling in
love with Jake.  She couldn't be.  No, she had to keep her head straight and just focus
on the facts.  Jake valued their friendship as much as she did.  She had to make sure
she didn't complicate matters. She had to make sure she did not fall in love with Jake
Forrester!
	"Earth to Max."  The words drifted into her thoughts, and she blinked hard,
turning to look at him.  His face was mere inches from hers, and he was smiling now, a
smile that made his eyes sparkle.  She blushed, but he had taken his eyes off her face
for a few seconds to watch his hand trail down her arm.  
	"Are you going to miss me while I'm gone?" he asked, once he had her attention
again, and she shifted onto her side so she could stare at his chest and avoid his eyes. 
Those eyes that made her think things she shouldn't be thinking.  If she looked into
those eyes right now, she wouldn't be able to guarantee that her voice would work.
	"Sure, I'll miss you, Jake.  I enjoy having you around, but you've got work to do,
and that's more important," she said, smiling brightly.
	He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead.  "But maybe I'm around too much?"
	"Of course not!" she said, then bit her lip when she realized how desperate she
had sounded.  But Jake didn't seem to notice.  He was intent on brushing the hair from
her face.
	"I've been monopolizing your time lately.  I just thought, maybe I shouldn't be
here as much as I am?  Afterall, when I'm here all the time it hardly leaves you any time
for your dates."
	"Dates?" she looked up now, eyes wide, and immediately regretted it.  His eyes
caught hers and held them, studying her as if he were trying to read something written
deep inside her soul.  She swallowed hard and tried to drag her eyes away, but couldn't.
	"Yeah, dates," he said, grinning, then brushing his lips against her hair.  "You
know, when you and a guy go out on the town together."
	"Don't be ridiculous, Jake, I know what dates are.  I just meant that — you're not
stopping me from dating."
	"Good," he nodded, dragging her close to him and holding her so that her head
was against his chest and his chin was resting on the top of her head.  "Just as long as
you aren't turning down eligible men just because I'm hanging around."
	Max felt her heart leap, and hoped he hadn't felt it too.  She knew what he was
doing.  He was reminding her that he was not eligible.  To be eligible, one had to be
open to a relationship if one came along.  Jake was reminding her that he had no
intention of getting married.  He was serving notice that if she wanted more than he was
willing to give, she was free to pursue it — but not with him, and he wouldn't stand in her
way.  And he was doing it now just in case she had any thoughts of wasting her time
pining after him while he was in Clay River instead of painting the town red.  It was sweet
of him, and she sighed at the thoughtfulness he displayed so often.  But there was only
one problem.  She didn't want to paint the town red, and she didn't want to go on any
dates.  She didn't want anyone else. She wanted him!
	"Don't you worry about me, Jake," she said softly.  "If anyone I really want to go
out with asks me on a date, I won't turn him down."  And she knew this was the worst
day of her life, because she knew that she'd fallen hard for Jake Forrester, and Jake
would never ask her out on a date.  In order to keep him in her life, she had to accept
him on his terms.  If that was what it took to be near him, to be in his arms, she was
prepared to do it.