Free Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax Page B

frankly I’d really prefer you were sharing that bed with me.” Asmile had stolen into his voice and she could picture it lighting up his face.
    Avery felt her own face go hot. She was a lot more eager to share a bed with him than she should be. But she was not about to get all mushy and moony about Chase Hardin. Not until she’d proved herself here. After that she could figure out where, if anywhere, she might fit into his overfull life.
    His tone turned teasing. “Maybe you should see what you can do about getting Deirdre out of your bedroom before I get down there. I’m a pretty open-minded guy, but there are a few things I’m going to want to ‘discuss’ when I get there that are definitely going to require some privacy.”
    “As long as it’s not construction advice, you’re welcome to ‘discuss’ away.” Avery smiled and hung up, his chuckle of amusement echoing in her ear.

Chapter Seven

    Sunrise that morning took place at 6:55. Maddie knew this because she was wide-awake and out on the ship-styled sundeck when the sky began to lighten and the sun’s first rays pierced the low-lying clouds.
    It was quiet outside. The morning dew clung to the tubular railings and to the leaves of the palms that jutted up around them. She couldn’t see the Atlantic Ocean over the tops of the buildings, but she could feel it in the heavy air and the faint scent of salt and the not-so-distant cries of seagulls.
    She’d slept badly, every toss and turn reminding her just how much her muscles ached from the week spent cleaning. Kyra’s sleep had been equally troubled and even the baby’s whimpers had sounded fitful. The settling of the unfamiliar house had woken her on and off through the night. Each time she’d toss and turn some more, wincing at the sharp soreness before willing herself back to sleep.
    She’d woken up completely at five, then lay there quietly,not wanting to wake Kyra, while random thoughts zoomed through her head: Steve’s weeklong silence that had begun to feel like a rebuke, Andrew’s last weeks at college before the summer break, the network and their intention to turn
Do Over
into something none of them had agreed to. Max Golden’s celebrity photos and the wife that he’d lost.
    When it became clear that going back to sleep was no longer an option, Madeline got up, pulled on a robe, and made a pot of coffee out on the loggia. Quietly, she had carried a cup of coffee outside to watch the day begin.
    Now she did her best to banish the swirl of thoughts from her mind by focusing on the sun’s slow but steady ascent into the pale blue sky. When that didn’t work, she focused on the day ahead and spent a good thirty minutes thinking about what kind of meals she could cook in Max’s kitchen that didn’t require a working oven, stove, or uninterrupted electricity.
    With a sigh she lifted the cup to her lips. The coffee had cooled but she sipped it anyway, searching for something positive with which to start her day. The best thing she could come up with was that her lips still seemed to move normally. They were the only part of her that she hadn’t strained during the relentless days of cleaning.
    Inside, Madeline pulled on clothes and brushed her teeth. She was about to head down to the kitchen when she remembered that Troy and Anthony could show up with camera and microphone blazing and she went back into the bathroom to put on makeup.
    Madeline found the back kitchen door unlocked and Max sitting at the kitchen banquette freshly shaved and dressed. A copy of
Variety
lay open on the glass tabletop. That day’s
Miami Herald
was folded beneath it. A cup ofwater looked to be boiling in the microwave. A jar of instant coffee and a ceramic mug sat on the counter.
    “I like to keep up on what’s happening in the business,” he said as Maddie entered. “Although I hardly recognize it anymore.”
    Madeline held up the coffeemaker she had carried downstairs. A bag of ground coffee and filters were