Max stared at her text, not wanting to believe she wanted nothing to do with him. 'In the future', 'work related only'? She must be having a bad day. He decided to give her her space for the time being.
The next day, Max and his band mates were headed to Atlanta to look at a house with his dad. His dad found it late last night and thought it was perfect for the small group of men. It was a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garage and a finished basement. He was eager to help them find their first home after flying the coupe.
The boys sang a variety of music on the trip, most of which, Max's dad had heard once or twice but didn't really know. He just smiled and listened to the boys goof around.
Jon tried a vocal run, causing everyone to burst into laughter when he failed. He frowned and said, "It's not as easy as you'd think! Let's see if you can do better," he challenged Clay.
Clay smirked and cleared his throat while Max paused the music. He wanted to see how well this little competition would go. Clay use to take singing lessons with him when they were kids and he thought that his smooth baritone was flawless.
Clay lifted his head and practiced the first note a few times before smiling, closing his eyes and belting it out. The short riff he'd just done looked effortless for him, but everyone knew it was a hard one to mimic.
This tiny display of his raw, natural talents left everyone silent for a minute. They looked at each other in silence and all burst into a roaring laughter, adding in a few hoots and hollers occasionally.
Max shoved his best friends shoulder, remembering why he always thought Clay should be the lead singer of their band instead of the backup vocalist. The only reason they agreed on Max being the lead vocalist is because he had fantastic stage presence that drew everyone's attention to him. And the lyrics he wrote, only he would be able to deliver the song accordingly. But he still believed Clay was more talented.
After everyone quieted down, it was so silent, Phil was feeling anxious and began singing Jolene by Dolly Parton. Unfortunately, he only knew the Jolene part and kept repeating it. This made Max's dad laugh heartily.
The car-full of men all began singing the song flawlessly and having fun, throwing in random riffs and runs where they thought it would sound good. Phil only joined when it came to the chorus, but had fun nontheless.
The drive went by faster than they thought it would. When they arrived at the house, it was right on the outskirts of town, so they didn't have many neighbors. It was a quiet area. They took a tour of the house and called dibs on the rooms they wanted jokingly.
When they went to the backyard, it was settled. This was the house they wanted. There was a huge yard, in which was a pit where they could have bonfires. It was big enough, they could even practice outside on nice days.
Max was in awe. He looked at his dad and asked, "How much did you say this was?" He dad patted his shoulder and walked away with a look that said, 'Don't worry about it'. Max chased after his dad.
When he caught up with him, he saw his dads eyes had been a little teary. "Pa, what's wrong," he asked, concerned about his father who rarely showed emotions. His dad placed a hand on his hip and covered his face with the other.
"Nothing is wrong," his dad chuckled. "I'm just so proud of you boys. Seems like just yesterday you guys were holed up in your room playing video games and swearing up a storm while your mother brought snacks. You boys have grown up so much since then."
Max smiled slightly, knowing exactly what his dad meant. He thought the same thing on the drive over.
Back in the day, they use to get into a lot of trouble. They would do anything they knew they shouldn't. From blowing off fireworks, in a field at midnight, behind the church. To getting their trucks stuck in a mud pit in the woods, due to their recklessness of underage drinking. All the while, his dad was the first person they called to bail them out.
Max chuckled and hugged his dad. "If we get into any trouble here, I'm still calling you before mom," he joked and patted his dads back.
His dads booming laughter rang in his ear. "You got yourself a deal, my boy," his heart was filled with so much love for his child at this very moment. To think, after all these years, Max would still come to him, behind his mothers back, out of fear that her wrath would get the best of her, and she'd beat him like a redheaded step child.
Granted, she'd never laid a hand on Max, he still had his concerns. She had a fiery side that he loved dearly. The was she protected, as if she were a mama bear defending her young. He's also seen her jealous side a few too many times in the past and knew she wouldn't think twice about lifting a hand to someone.
Max had only seen his mom mad one time, and that individual time is the reason why he preferred going to his dad when he caused problems. He knew his dad was more understanding and level headed.
After looking over the house more thoroughly, Max's dad came to the conclusion that the house was just all around perfect for the 4 boys. It was time for these little birds to fly off and do their own thing now. They called the landlord and told him that they'd take it immediately.
The landlord emailed the contract to Max's dad and they were ready to move in by the end of the week. His dad also made sure to pay rent a few months in advance. He was sad his son was moving out, but at the same time, it'd been years since he had one on one time with the Missus. He was ready to experience that with her again.
The ride back to Baxley seemed a lot shorter than the ride there.
Meanwhile, Jayde was stuck at her desk, a huge stack of papers in front of her and the whole office was frantic. How she hated when the boss of the boss came for a random visit. Everyone was on edge. Jayde hammered through as many files as she could before the boss arrived.
"Well, well. If it isn't Miss Jayde," a deep, seductive voice playfully rang through the office. She spun on her heel and smiled kindly, although she couldn't stand this man. She knew he was a player. A different woman every night.
And, oh, how she wanted absolutely nothing to do with this man. Unfortunately, he signed her paychecks, so she had no choice but to play nicely.