as he asked, remembering to get the spearmint flavour instead of peppermint, then turned to return to the desk. She caught Maxx flashing a smile at the girl behind the till.
“Sorry, she’s a terrible liar and I get her all flustered,” he apologised, to excuse her ‘behaviour’. Whatever that was.
Hadley wanted to smack him for that remark, until the checkout girl blushed and nodded.
“I can see why,” she replied.
Maxx did a double take and eventually laughed at her compliment. “I like you,” he said, while extracting his wallet from his back pocket.
Great, Hadley thought as she walked over. More competition for his attention.
“Oh no. Put that away, Maxx,” she objected, as she realised he wasn’t doing anything other than attempting to pay. “I have a budget, and we’re sticking to it. If we go over, and you offer to pay, your chewing gum is the first thing to go. And those steaks you so desperately wanted,” she warned him.
Maxx frowned, but relented and put his wallet back, while rolling his eyes at her. “You’ve never been able to talk money, without getting your knickers in a twist,” he commented to himself.
The accusation stung, but Hadley chose not to cower from expressing her opinion. Maxx was getting everything he wanted, bending her will to his needs with very little effort, because he knew she couldn’t say no to him. It was time he woke up and realised that she wasn’t just a puppet on his strings.
“Perhaps because I’ve never had any money of my own,” she retaliated.
He scoffed, as she began unloading their basket onto the conveyor belt. “Seriously? The old poverty thing again? Had, Dad would give you anything under the sun, if you just asked for it,” he reminded her.
“That’s not how life works, Maxx,” she scolded him. He was such a snobby, privileged rich boy, sometimes. She didn’t know how she put up with it, except that it rarely made an appearance outside of his business dealings. “I earn my way in the world, thank you very much. I will not live on handouts from your father,” she confessed, refusing to hear any more about it.
“Are you saying that I do?” Maxx asked, leaning his hip against the end of the till as he waited to pack the bags. “Because that would put a serious damper on our little arrangement,” he warned, with a deadly serious look and, for once, no smile.
Hadley let out a sigh and looked up at the checkout girl, who was clearly eavesdropping and waiting to hear her reaction. “Maybe I am,” she said, bravely. If he called off their – whatever it was – then she could probably live with herself, without always wondering what the hell she’d been thinking.
Maxx cocked his head at her, raised an eyebrow, and began packing the bags, without a word.
She knew she’d just put everything at risk. That she’d opened her big mouth, yet again, to alienate the one man she wanted to keep forever. But she wouldn’t back down on this. Her life was not sunshine and daisies, with an endless stream of cash and gifts from Emerson. She worked damned hard for the wage he paid her, and earned every penny.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of how spoiled Maxx and Micah were, and had always been. She’d just silently tolerated and accepted the way they squandered money.
Hadley paid for their shopping and followed Maxx to the car, but he didn’t say a word. She had a feeling she’d just royally pissed him off, and this wouldn’t be the last she’d hear of her ‘frugality’.
Chapter 20
The drive back to the house was tense, while Hadley listened to the news and Maxx kept up that stony, awkward silence.
She didn’t know what to say, so chose to keep her mouth shut. This was, after all, her fault. She’d never learned to keep her opinions to herself or remember that, when talking to Micah, Maxx, or Emerson, she was actually talking to her employers.
The engine purred softly as Maxx drove it into the garage and stopped. He got
“Sorry, she’s a terrible liar and I get her all flustered,” he apologised, to excuse her ‘behaviour’. Whatever that was.
Hadley wanted to smack him for that remark, until the checkout girl blushed and nodded.
“I can see why,” she replied.
Maxx did a double take and eventually laughed at her compliment. “I like you,” he said, while extracting his wallet from his back pocket.
Great, Hadley thought as she walked over. More competition for his attention.
“Oh no. Put that away, Maxx,” she objected, as she realised he wasn’t doing anything other than attempting to pay. “I have a budget, and we’re sticking to it. If we go over, and you offer to pay, your chewing gum is the first thing to go. And those steaks you so desperately wanted,” she warned him.
Maxx frowned, but relented and put his wallet back, while rolling his eyes at her. “You’ve never been able to talk money, without getting your knickers in a twist,” he commented to himself.
The accusation stung, but Hadley chose not to cower from expressing her opinion. Maxx was getting everything he wanted, bending her will to his needs with very little effort, because he knew she couldn’t say no to him. It was time he woke up and realised that she wasn’t just a puppet on his strings.
“Perhaps because I’ve never had any money of my own,” she retaliated.
He scoffed, as she began unloading their basket onto the conveyor belt. “Seriously? The old poverty thing again? Had, Dad would give you anything under the sun, if you just asked for it,” he reminded her.
“That’s not how life works, Maxx,” she scolded him. He was such a snobby, privileged rich boy, sometimes. She didn’t know how she put up with it, except that it rarely made an appearance outside of his business dealings. “I earn my way in the world, thank you very much. I will not live on handouts from your father,” she confessed, refusing to hear any more about it.
“Are you saying that I do?” Maxx asked, leaning his hip against the end of the till as he waited to pack the bags. “Because that would put a serious damper on our little arrangement,” he warned, with a deadly serious look and, for once, no smile.
Hadley let out a sigh and looked up at the checkout girl, who was clearly eavesdropping and waiting to hear her reaction. “Maybe I am,” she said, bravely. If he called off their – whatever it was – then she could probably live with herself, without always wondering what the hell she’d been thinking.
Maxx cocked his head at her, raised an eyebrow, and began packing the bags, without a word.
She knew she’d just put everything at risk. That she’d opened her big mouth, yet again, to alienate the one man she wanted to keep forever. But she wouldn’t back down on this. Her life was not sunshine and daisies, with an endless stream of cash and gifts from Emerson. She worked damned hard for the wage he paid her, and earned every penny.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of how spoiled Maxx and Micah were, and had always been. She’d just silently tolerated and accepted the way they squandered money.
Hadley paid for their shopping and followed Maxx to the car, but he didn’t say a word. She had a feeling she’d just royally pissed him off, and this wouldn’t be the last she’d hear of her ‘frugality’.
Chapter 20
The drive back to the house was tense, while Hadley listened to the news and Maxx kept up that stony, awkward silence.
She didn’t know what to say, so chose to keep her mouth shut. This was, after all, her fault. She’d never learned to keep her opinions to herself or remember that, when talking to Micah, Maxx, or Emerson, she was actually talking to her employers.
The engine purred softly as Maxx drove it into the garage and stopped. He got
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