glimpse of something in her eyes. He wasn’t positive of how deep her feelings went after all these years, but at the very least, Maya still cared for him, and Ayden had used it to get what he wanted. Which was why he would ensure he kept their relationship platonic going forward—he refused to lose her a second time.
“Are you insane?” Callie stared at Maya in disbelief from across the table of the Starbucks where they’d met the following afternoon when she returned to San Antonio.
“No, I’m not.”
“Clearly, you must have lost your mind.” Callie reached across the short distance to place the back of her hand on Maya’s forehead. “Why else would you agree to go back and work for Ayden?”
“He made me an attractive offer.”
“This isn’t about money, Maya,” Callie responded hotly, “and you know it. You’re going because you’re still hung up on the man.”
“That’s not true.”
Callie raised a brow.
“It’s not. Listen, Callie, I got over Ayden a long time ago, when he nearly kicked me out of his place the morning after we had sex. It made me wise up real quick.”
“Well, if that’s the case, why go back for more? Why put yourself in harm’s way? You know you’re not immune to his charms. And I suspect he knows. How else would he have lured you back into his web?”
“I’m not his prey.”
“Are you sure about that?” Callie inquired, sipping on her Frappuccino. “Because I suspect you have no idea what you’re in for. Five years ago, you opened Pandora’s box and found out what it was like to be with the man. Do you honestly think you can act as if those feelings never existed?”
“He’s offering me enough money to ensure I ignore them.”
“I still don’t understand, after the way he treated you.”
Maya leaned back in her chair and regarded her best friend. She hadn’t yet divulged her mother’s condition. “Mama is ill.”
“Excuse me?”
“Thomas shared with me that she has pancreatic cancer.”
“Omigod!” Callie jerked back in her seat. Then she immediately reached across the table and clutched Maya’s hand. “What’s the diagnosis?”
“They are hoping that, after chemo and radiation, she will go into remission, but the treatments are expensive. Thomas and Raven have been helping out, but with the baby, they are stretched thin.”
Callie nodded. “Now I understand why you accepted Ayden’s offer.”
“The influx of cash will help Mama. Without worrying about finances, she can focus on getting better.” Although she and her mother had never seen eye to eye, she was her mother. How could she not help out?
“Oh, Maya.” Callie’s eyes filled with tears. “You are so selfless. Does your mother have any idea of your plans?”
“I called her earlier and told her I was moving back to Austin,” Maya replied. “She was pleased that I would be closer, but I didn’t tell her about the money. She knows Raven and Thomas have been covering the out-of-pocket expenses, but I don’t want her to know that I’ll take up the slack going forward. “And promise me you won’t tell her.”
“Of course not. I would never betray your confidence. But where are you going to live? With your mother? I can’t imagine you staying with your sister.”
“That’s completely out of the question. Although I’m willing to get to know my niece and I accepted Raven’s apology, it’s going to be a long time, if ever, before we can get back to the sister relationship we once shared. And as for my mother, we’re like oil and water. We don’t mix. If I stayed with her, all she would do is criticize and compare me to Raven like she did when we were children. It is best if I find my own place, but I’ll visit Mom.” She’d contacted a property management company who’d forwarded some listings for sublets and short-term rentals until she could find a place she liked.
“All right. I just worry about you, and not only with where you lay your head. I’m talking about Ayden. You’re walking into the lion’s den with no protection for your heart.”
“My heart has nothing to do with the situation. What I felt for Ayden is in the past.”
“That’s easy to say when you’re not seeing the man day and night. I remember the hours you kept before.”
“It won’t be like that now. He promised. Plus, he didn’t want me five years ago, so nothing has really changed.”
“Maya...you were intimate with Ayden. Trust me, he wanted you.”
“For all of five seconds. Anyway, have a little faith in me, Callie. I can do this. I have to. Not for myself, but for Mama.”
Two weeks later, Maya sat outside her mother’s house with the engine of her Honda running. She’d arrived in Austin the day before. Ayden had ensured her sign-on bonus check had arrived within days of accepting his offer, so she’d been able to secure her short-term rental for next six months. She’d put most of her belongings in storage until she was sure returning to Stewart Investments would work out. In the meantime, she’d kept the news of her return to Austin a secret from her family, but now it was time to face the music. Since her relationship with her sister was strained, she’d informed Raven via text of her plans a few days ago. Raven was happy she was coming back home if the emoji that accompanied her texts were anything to go by, but Maya hadn’t yet told her mother.
After turning off the ignition, Maya exited the car and climbed the porch steps. The neighborhood looked much the same as it had when she’d left some ten-odd years ago except now the homes appeared older and more worn. Her mother’s could use a coat of paint and the lawn needed mowing. Maya was just about to ring the doorbell when the door swung wide.
“Maya?” her mother said incredulously.
“Yes, it’s me. Can I come in?” Maya was startled by how thin her mother was. Although it had only been a little over two weeks since she’d last seen her, Sophia had lost another five pounds. Her normally dark hair lay limp on her shoulders and the simple print house shift she was wearing hung off her slender frame. Meanwhile her skin seemed sallow and her eyes had sunk even deeper into her face.
“Of course.” Sophia stood back and motioned her into the formal living room. “Would you like anything to drink? I think I have some sweet tea in the fridge.”
Maya shook her head. “Nothing for me.” She didn’t plan on staying long.
Her mother took a seat on the sofa and Maya did the same. “What are you doing here? I thought you went back to San Antonio.”
“I did, but I came back.”
“So you could start to mend fences with your sister?” her mother offered, folding one leg over the other.
One day, yes, but not now.” Although she’d accepted Raven’s marriage and her baby niece, Maya wasn’t ready to tackle more than that. She had Ayden to deal with.
“Oh, Maya. That’s water under the bridge now. You have to let it go and move on.”
“I have let it go, Mother,” Maya responded. “I came to the baptism.”
“Yes, you did. And that was a start.”
“Listen, Mama. I didn’t come here to talk about Raven. I came to let you know that I’m moving back home. I’ve gotten my old position back at Stewart Investments.”
“With that good-looking fella you used to work for?”