Deceit. [COMPLETED.]

Chapter 43

"That Intimate feeling"

Max looked lovely in a pale blue summery dress that ended just below the knees. It suited her thin waistline. It was an off the shoulder affair and from the way it shone as she walked into the reception area I guessed it was made of silk.

She had contacted her friend Josie. The Jane Ryder Foundation did exist and what was more it was only a ten minute drive away.

It meant we had another piece of the jigsaw though where it would take us I had no idea.

'We can go tomorrow morning if you like,' said Max, 'and if my brother's involved then we will know soon enough.'

We dined in the 'Tiffin' room, a famous part of the hotel. It was fine dining. The room was elegantly decorated. I chose lamb while Max had lobster. It required two different wines. Max selected both. A rich fruity red wine for me and a delicate crisp white wine for herself. We had soup for a starter and soft music played in the background sending my mind into a whirlwind of emotions. I felt relaxed, I felt home sick, I felt satisfied, I felt elated; contrasting emotions in a very strange time of my life.

We said very little during our first course but while we waited for our main Max asked me the one question I didn't want to answer. What I would do once this was all over. It dampened the mood somewhat but it was like lancing a boil, it had to be done.

'Would you still work for my dad?'

I shrugged a shoulder. I guess I would.

'Unless something better comes along. We are to find your brother,' I said offering another shrug. 'So once that's done then what we have here,' I allowed myself the freedom to point at Max before bringing my finger back to me. 'No matter how good it's been, will just be confined to no more than just another episode in my life.'

I hated the way it sounded. She was more than that to me but the truth of it was that by tomorrow night, if we did somehow find her brother then we could both be back on a plane heading home and I would be getting ready to take my ship out on her first voyage.

Max was holding her glass. She put it slowly down and I saw her frown.

'So you think of me as just another episode then?'

I tried not to sound needy.

'All good things come to an end,' I said. 'Even Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid eventually met their match, didn't they?'

It brought a silence to our conversation filled only by Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto playing softly in the background. It was a beautiful piece and just one of many reasons why I loved classical music.

I think we both knew our paths had met only by chance. My last comment might have sounded harsh but that was the reality and there wasn't any other way of saying it.

For the next hour we simply sat and talked about places we had both been to in our lives and so contented and full was I from her words that despite finishing our deserts a long time ago, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to order another bottle of wine, Max opting for a red to share with me.

'So come on then,' said Max as she dismissed the waiter with a healthy tip. 'Tell me about these daughters of yours.'

It was the first time my family had been brought into the conversation and I was taken aback a little.

'In what way?' I asked.

'Well,' said Max sitting back comfortably in her chair, 'your wife told me when we met, that your second child was adopted. How did that come about with the fact that you had another later on in the normal way?'