They drove for about a half hour, then came to one of the older neighborhoods in the area. It was well maintained, but not a place she would’ve assumed Max would be hanging out in. She began to worry a bit. Then, the car pulled up at a house that was clearly under construction. The driver stepped out and held her door open. She climbed from the car, her brow puckered as she wondered why Max would have her brought there. It didn’t make any sense.
She heard someone call for more supplies and her head whipped around. That had sounded a lot like Max. Cassie’s mouth dropped open far enough she was sure bugs had a nice landing strip. There was Max, wearing a skin tight t-shirt, painted on jeans, and a hard hat. He took a rag and wiped his sweaty brow, and she about fell over.
The man was positively sexy in a suit and tie, but in construction gear he was breathtaking. She couldn’t take her eyes from him, as he lifted a water bottle and took a big sip, then bent down and picked up a four-by-four. His arm muscles flexed under the weight of the wood, and she quickly closed her mouth to keep from drooling.
Why was he at a construction site? She looked around and noticed the Habitat for Humanity sign, and her last piece of ice melted around her heart. If she hadn’t been head-over-heels for the man before that moment, she was now. She knew he was generous but she’d just assumed he signed his name to a bunch of checks for charity, not that he actually came and used his own two hands, and what sexy hands they were.
She walked closer, almost as if she was in a trance. Max looked up and their eyes connected. He finished what he was doing, then jogged over to her.
“I’m glad you made it. Now, remember this isn’t for your article, but this is incredibly important to me. My dad always made sure we did more than just sign checks, he wanted us to get out in the community and really learn service,” Max told her. She didn’t know if she could talk. Thankfully she was saved from having to.
“Wow, Max, this site has sure gotten a whole lot prettier,” a man said as he stepped toward them.
“Cassie, this is my younger brother, Austin. Austin, Cassie,” Max introduced them.
“Very nice to meet you, pretty lady,” Austin said, taking her hand and giving it a kiss. She felt like she was in an old black and white film. She didn’t recognize Austin in his construction clothes, but then again, she hadn’t looked at a whole lot of pictures of him. She’d been focused on Max.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. How long have the two of you been volunteering, here?” she asked.
“I couldn’t tell you when we started. We were kids,” Austin said. Max just shrugged as if it didn’t matter.
“Do you want to help out today?” Max said, taking in her appearance. She was wearing slacks, and a blouse, and the completely wrong shoes. If he’d told her what they were doing, she would’ve dressed more properly. “I purchased some clothes, just in case,” he finished. Of course he did, she thought, but how could she be upset by something so amazing.
“In that case, I’d love to. Show me where I can get changed, then put me to work,” she told him. Max got the clothes from the trunk of the car, he’d even thought of work boots for her, then led her to a trailer where she got changed.
The day flew by for Cassie. She was put on grunt labor, picking up discarded materials, and bringing the workers supplies as they ran out, but she didn’t mind. It was exciting to be a part of it all, to watch a home be built for a deserving family. She decided she was definitely going to sign up for one of their projects. She’d find one Max wasn’t working on, though, because seeing him in those tight jeans was causing too much havoc with her body.
“Heads up,” she heard someone yell in a panic. She looked up, toward the roof, just in time to see a large piece of wood flying through the air. She jumped, but it was too late. The heavy scrap landed right on her foot, causing her to tumble over. Shooting pain shot up her leg, and she couldn’t stop the cry from escaping her lips.
“Cassie, are you okay?” Max yelled as he raced from inside the house, and dropped to his knees in front of her.
“I’m okay. It mainly just startled me,” she gasped. “It’ll stop hurting in just a moment,” she told him.
He immediately began untying her boot, and she cried out again as he pulled it off. Her foot was already starting to swell, and there was a nasty looking bruise on it.
“I’m sorry, but we had to get the boot off before your foot swelled too much,” he said, hating to be causing her any additional pain.
“I’m okay, really. I’ll just head home, prop it up, and slap some ice on it,” she told him through clenched teeth. She was trying to stop the chattering, but it really hurt, far more than she thought it should. She was sure it was nothing more than a bad bruise.
“You’re not okay. We’re going to the hospital,” he said with authority. She glared at him.
“The car’s waiting, Brother,” Austin said. She sent him a glare for good measure.
“I told you I’m fine. I just need to go home,” she said, but she may as well have been speaking to the ground.
Once they loaded her in the car, Max adjusted her so her leg was propped up on his lap. She wanted to remove it, but being down made it throb too much, so she sat there, pouting, while they made their way to the hospital. Logically, she knew she should probably have it looked at, but she was uncomfortable being pampered, plus she didn’t like taking him from the house.
“How are you feeling?”
“It hurts,” she admitted. He rubbed along her exposed calf, which took her mind away from the throbbing in her foot. Cassie stared out the window and waited for their arrival.
“You can just drop me at the hospital and get back to the house. I’m sure they still need you there. I’ll be fine,” she said. He didn’t even bother responding, just looked at her like she had a screw loose. They didn’t talk any further on the thirty minute drive.
By the time they arrived, Cassie was aching and miserable. Her foot hurt, her stomach was in knots and she hoped they just gave her something to knock her out so she could sleep the rest of the day.
Max helped her from the car, placing her in a wheelchair, which she didn’t like at all, but it was better than him carrying her around, since he was determined she not put any pressure on her foot. She couldn’t lie in his arms, anymore, without it tearing her up inside.