"The newspaper belongs to you. It belonged to your family. Beaumont needs a good newspaper, and we both know you're highly capable. I gave you the money because I never want you to struggle like you did in the past." He smiled gently. "I have to go, Swifty."
Jamie felt a moment of sheer panic. "Okay, answer one question. I know we drive each other crazy and tend to argue most of the time, but how would you feel if you thought you'd never see me again?"
Max looked at her. Their gazes locked. "Oh, Jamie," he said, running one hand over his head as though confused. "I don't know. My life is, well, very different from what you're used to."
Jamie felt her heart sag in her chest. The thought of watching Max Holt drive away and never seeing him again was more than she could bear. Breaking it off with Phillip had been painful, but it was kid's stuff compared to this. "Okay, Max," she said softly, trying to blink back tears. "I understand. I just want you to know—" She turned away and reached for the door handle. "Never mind. You and Muffin take care, okay?" She stepped out of the car and closed the door behind her.
Max just sat there.
"Way to go, big shot," Muffin said. "You just hurt her feelings big time."
"It's better this way," Max told her.
"So what are we waiting for? If you're in such an all-fired hurry, let's go."
Max started the engine, and the bar closed over him. He put the car into gear and backed out of the parking slot. "Here we go," he said.
* * * * *
Jamie left the courthouse square and started home. Luckily, she lived near town, which would serve her well with her car in repair until God only knew when. Thankfully, Max was handling the costs.
Her eyes filled with tears as she continued walking. She didn't need to think about Max Holt anymore. They had shared a lot together, good times and bad, and now he was heading toward a new adventure. Thankfully, she still had her newspaper, and although she was glad to have the added funds for her account, she would not buy back Max's shares. He was stuck with the paper whether he ever planned to return to Beaumont or not.
She sniffed. What she needed was a good cry. After all that had happened, her stress level was at a new high. She would go home, lock all the doors, and fall into bed and cry to her heart's content.
Jamie started to cross the street but paused at the sound of an approaching car. Lord, she needed to get Max off her mind before somebody ran over her. She glanced up in time to find Max pulling up to the curb beside her. She merely stared in silence.
"You're just begging me to let you come so you can get in my pants," he said.
Jamie stepped closer to the car and looked in the window. He was grinning. "Max, I know you're going to find this difficult to believe, but getting into your pants is the last thing on my mind." It wasn't completely true, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him think it.
"So what are you after if it isn't me?"
Jamie hesitated. "I don't know." All she knew for sure was she couldn't let him go.
"Well, I'm not sure it's a good idea, but Muffin thinks you should go with us."
Jamie crossed her arms. "Muffin said that, huh?"
"Yeah. The minute I started off she blasted me with disco music. I can't drive all the way to Tennessee listening to disco."
"This is so typical of you, Max," she said. "It would kill you to admit you want me to go with you. Why is that? Why can't you just ask me?"
He wiped his hands down his face and muttered something under his breath.
"I can't hear you," Jamie said.
He sighed heavily. "Okay, I'd like for you to come with me. Is that what you want to hear?"
She smiled. "Now say please."
"Shit."
"Go ahead and say it," Muffin prodded. "You know you want her with us."
"Okay, then. Please!"
Jamie smiled, opened the door and climbed in. The protective bar closed over her. "See, that wasn't so bad. Now then, I need to drop by my house for clothes and work gear. I could do a little investigative reporting. It might be just what I need to liven up the newspaper."
"Yeah, and we need to celebrate the fact you're a free woman. I think I have a good idea how we should get started."
"I may be a free woman, Max, but I am still hands off where you're concerned."
He drove on. "I can wear you down."
"Has it occurred to you that I might need time to get over my breakup with Phillip? I mean, I can't bounce from one relationship to another like you. I like to think mine have a little more depth than yours."
Max checked his wristwatch. "Okay, do you think you can get over the guy by the time we hit the Tennessee border?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Okay, Muffin," Max said. "Here's the plan. You and I can play twenty questions on the way to Tennessee while Jamie mopes and pines away for Phillip, but first we have to go by her place for a few things."
"I'm not really crazy about this idea, Max," Muffin replied. "You just barely escaped death during this last little escapade, and now you're heading straight for another one. This is way too much stress on me, you know."
"And while you're mapping out a good route, I want everything you can get me on this preacher. I want to know who works for him and where all his future revivals are going to take place."
"So much for the vacation you promised me."
"We'll take a vacation as soon as I get this little problem dealt with. Won't take long. We'll be in and out in no time flat."
"That's what you said last time. That's what you always say."
"But you love the mountains, Muffin."
"Okay, I'll agree to this one last trip, but then I'm looking for a job elsewhere."
Max looked at Jamie. "You know, I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best trips ever. You and me, cool mountain air, lots of sex."
"Don't count on it, Holt," she said.
He winked. "Hang on, Swifty. I'm going to take you on the ride of a lifetime." He floored the accelerator and they were gone.
* * *
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as "unsold and destroyed" to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this "stripped book."
FULL TILT
Copyright © 2003 by Evanovich, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-98328-X
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin's Paperbacks edition / February 2003
St. Martin's Paperbacks are published by St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
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Janet Evanovich, Full Tilt
(Series: Full # 2)
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