With the First Goodbye (Thirty-Eight Book 5) Read online

  “Josephine didn’t tell you?”

  “Josephine? I haven’t heard someone call her Josephine besides her mother.” She lowered her arms, and her lips parted as if she were in awe. Then she dug a hand into her dressing gown pocket and pulled out her phone. After she had read the messages Max assumed Josie had sent her, she stepped away from the door and welcomed him into the apartment. “And yes, I’m Stella, by the way,” she confirmed once Max was inside.

  “I’m Max,” he said, introducing himself once the front door closed behind him. Max followed her down the hall and into the large living room. It looked like a penthouse rather than a third-floor apartment. Two designer leather couches faced the TV, and on either side of it were shelves built into the exposed brickwork. It was stylish and stunning. He recognised the books stacked on the shelves from when he went to law school.

  Stella smiled as he took in the rest of the apartment, but the scepticism didn’t disappear. She didn’t appear to trust him completely. “Can I get you a drink? Josie’s text says I have to ask.”

  “No, I’m all right.”

  “Great. So are you one of the mature students in her class? You know you don’t have to wear a suit to a tutoring session, right?”

  Max chuckled. He was twenty-five, and although he would technically be considered a mature age student, he wasn’t. “Not a law student.”

  Confusion swept over Stella’s face as her green eyes clouded, trying to figure out who Max was. “Then what is Josie doing hanging out with you if you’re not in her class, not a DJ, and definitely don’t look like someone who would piss off her father?”

  To save Stella from guessing, he revealed, “I’m a lawyer.”

  “Oh,” she breathed. “Are you here to …?” Her brows furrowed, and she shut her mouth immediately.

  “To what?”

  “Never mind. I’ll let you finish telling me who you are. So go on, Max.”

  Suddenly, he felt nervous. Palms sweating kind of nervous. This was Josie’s best friend. Normally, he didn’t care who liked him, but he did with Stella. He wanted her to see him as someone fitting of Josie’s time. He hoped she couldn’t see the man he had been trying to hide and be better off. To be rid of. The man who had loved Sarah and pursued Andrea. He prayed she didn’t.

  He wanted to be the man Josie saw the good in.

  Last night, when Rob asked him if he liked Josie, he had answered that he didn’t know. The truth was, he did. He enjoyed her company and her smiles. He enjoyed the way she looked at him as if he was a good man rather than a man who had done such horrible things to the people he cared about.

  “Our friends got married at the start of the year. We got paired up, and we’re just catching up. I offered to tutor her after her dad didn’t show up at the restaurant I was at with my work colleagues.” Max explained everything he thought she’d need to know while keeping all the raw and honest moments he shared with Josie to himself. It seemed more meaningful to keep the moment on the bridge just for them and no one else.

  “Oh,” Stella breathed. He noticed her green eyes flickered with pain, and that had confused him. “I had no idea you’ve known Josie that long. She normally tells me everything.”

  Max flinched. This time, the pain that found and clawed at his chest was a unique kind. He’d felt many different versions throughout his years with Sarah and then Andrea. But this pain felt new. “I didn’t know I was a secret. I’m sorry,” he said in a small voice.

  Her eyes now gleamed as she shook her head. “No, don’t be. You’re not a secret, Max, and I definitely know who you are now.” Stella pressed her lips together and swallowed hard. “I’m still in my pjs, and I’ll have to go meet my boyfriend soon. Make yourself at home. Josie shouldn’t be too long.”

  “Thanks, Stella.”

  This time, Josie’s best friend’s face softened as did her eyes. “No, Max. Thank you.”

  “I’m so sorry I’m so late,” Josie blurted out as she ran into the living room, small beads of sweat lining her forehead.

  Max smiled as he got off the couch. “Don’t worry about it.”

  She let out a sigh as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Traffic was a nightmare. Have you been waiting long?”

  Almost an hour.

  But Max knew she’d feel worse if he told her. In fact, he didn’t mind. Stella had come out of her bedroom after her shower to chat with him. She had even asked him his opinion on what colour lipstick she should wear. Max had decided on the dark plum lipstick because it suited her more than the bright red lipstick she said was her usual colour.

  “Not very long.”

  “Good,” she breathed as she walked over to the couch to his right and dropped her bag on it. “Is Stella still home?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, she’s getting ready to go out for dinner with West.”

  “She told you about West?”

  “Stella gave me a history of them and of you and her.”

  “Of course, she did.” Josie pulled her phone from her jeans pocket and then frowned at the screen.

  “Your dad?”

  Josie lowered her phone and shook her head at him. “I just saw the time. Max, it’s almost five. You waited for ages, you liar.”

  He shrugged. “It’s no big deal, Josephine.”

  “It is—”

  “Josie, you’re home,” Stella interrupted as she walked out of her bedroom. “You took ages.”

  “See! Even Stella is honest that I took ages. Wait, Stella, you’re not wearing red lipstick? To go out?” Josie appeared surprised.

  Stella tilted her head, and her lips spread into a large smile. “Your tutor chose my colour. All right, kids, have fun with the law. I’m gonna go. And no, Josie, I can walk myself to the door. Offer your guest a drink and don’t be rude.” Then Stella shot Max a wink and made her way to the front door.

  When the door slammed shut, Josie let out a sigh. “She did offer you a drink, right?”

  “She did,” Max confirmed. “But I didn’t want one when she asked.”

  “Do you want one now?” she asked.

  “Sure.”

  She smiled, and it was the first time her smile hurt him. The way her lips spread so flawlessly was mesmerising. Josie was absolutely beautiful. But her smile, rare as it was, was his favourite part of her. Every smile she made. Ones full of guilt and sorrow. The ones full of gratitude. And this one, one he couldn’t describe, hurt him.

  Hurt him in the way he adored it and her.

  It was so wrong to adore her when he was a mess of a man, and she undoubtedly wanted to be friends.

  “My textbooks are in the dining room. I’ll grab the drinks and meet you there,” she said as she made her way out of the living room and into the kitchen.

  The open plan layout made it easy for him to walk from the living room to the dining room on the other side of the apartment. When Max approached the oak table, he took in Josie’s books, notes, and laptop all sprawled out. It wasn’t just contracts that he could see; there were other units. She had a lot of classes. And from where Max stood, he could see she might be struggling with her workload.

  “How many units are you doing?” he asked, raising his voice so she could hear.

  “Full course,” she answered.

  “Over trimesters?”

  He had heard some rustling before she said, “Over two trimesters.”

  When Josie approached him with their drinks, he frowned at her. “Why aren’t you taking advantage of Deakin’s three trimesters?”

  She handed him a can of Coke, and her eyes fell to her can in her hand. “I have my reasons. Two trimesters just work better for me than three.”

  “But it spreads your workload out. You have a lot going on,” he pointed out.

  Sighing, Josie approached the table and set her can of soft drink down. “I’m quite aware I have a lot going on, Max. You did law. What did you do?” Annoyance boomed in her voice.

  He had her there.


  He was in no position to judge.

  But he didn’t have a choice.

  She did.

  “I had semesters. I would have much rather done trimesters.”

  “But you managed just fine with twelve-week periods. Look at you, Max. You’re a successful lawyer, working at the top firm in Victoria, if not, Australia,” Josie pointed out. “Even if you had trimesters, you would have aced every unit. I can’t even get through contracts, and it’s a pre-req. I fail this, and I’m screwed for the rest of my degree. I can’t afford to fail and repeat these classes.”

  Max set his can down and closed the distance between them. He set his hands on her shoulders and turned her so that her sad blue eyes focused on him. “You’re not going to fail, Josie. I promise. This is why I’m here.”

  She let out an unbelievable laugh. “Giving up your Saturday night to tutor a clueless law student. Surely, you have better things to do.”

  She was dismissing him.

  A surge of desperation shot through him.

  He hated when she belittled herself.

  “You’re my better thing, Josephine. Why can’t you see that?”

  Bewilderment consumed her face. Those lips of hers parted ever so slightly. It was a stunning sight to see Josephine Faulkner in awe before his very eyes.

  “I’m …?” she whispered.

  “Yeah,” he confirmed breathlessly. “Now can I please tutor you?”

  She didn’t answer vocally.

  Instead, Josie nodded and pulled away.

  “When is your assignment due?” Max asked as he watched her take a seat at the table and pull her laptop closer.

  Josie searched the table until she picked up a piece of paper, read it, and tilted her chin up at him. “Three weeks. It’s a memo of advice, and it’s two thousand words.”

  Max had slipped off his jacket and hung it behind the chair next to Josie’s before he sat down. “And it’s worth?”

  She glanced back down at the unit handbook. “Thirty percent.”

  “Any other assignments for contracts?”

  “Nope. Just the final two-hour exam.”

  Then she looked his way, and he smiled at her.

  The determination in her eyes.

  The hope.

  The desire to succeed.

  At that moment, he was sure she’d make him proud when he watched her walk across that stage to receive her law degree.

  The chatter around him had Max internally groaning.

  It was Sunday.

  He was at family lunch with his parents and the rest of the Sheridan family at Max’s parents’ grand Toorak mansion. Quite different to the suburban house Max had grown up in back in the South Eastern suburbs. When Gordon Sheridan began winning cases and became a highly sought-after lawyer, he left one of the best law firms in the state to create his own.

  The only plus side to family lunches was spending it with his younger cousin Katie. Out of all his cousins, she was his favourite. He thought of her as a little sister. And when her drink had been spiked a few years ago, he had acted quickly and got her out of the club and away from the bastard who had tried to drug her.

  “Max,” Katie whispered next to him.

  He craned his neck to see her frowning at him. “Yes?”

  Katie held up her silver fork. “I will give you my entire inheritance if you stab me in the eye with this fork and end my suffering.”

  Max stifled his laugh and forced a serious expression on his face. “If I have to suffer, then you do, too.”

  Katie glared at him, dissatisfied with his answer. “Our fathers hate each other, and we have to sit here and pretend it’s sibling banter.”

  “I know, but I only come over for the indoor heated pool after lunch.”

  “I like your selfishness,” Katie remarked as she brushed her light brown hair behind her ear. “You’ve got a message, by the way.”

  “What?”

  She smirked as she held up his phone. She must have swiped it from the table when he wasn’t looking, and she was begging him to stab her in the eye with the utensil they had been using for their garden salad.

  Katie’s brow arched as she glanced at him. “Who’s Josie?”

  “Give me my phone, Katie!” he hissed and tried to grab it from her.

  “I swear to God, Maxwell, if you changed Sarah’s number to ‘Josie,’ I will kill you!” she promised with passion and irritation in her voice.

  “I didn’t! Now give me my phone before I throw you in the pool.”

  It was war.

  Katie pulled her arm as far away from him as possible, and Max couldn’t reach her without making a scene. Then she pressed her thumbs to his screen, and before he knew it, the phone was to her ear.

  Then her nostrils flared. “Stay away from him, you bitch! I swear, I will ruin you. Max was the best thing to ever happen to you, and you fucked him over!”

  “Katie! Give your cousin back his phone,” Uncle Simon demanded.

  His little cousin ignored her father. “Yeah, I bet you have nothing to say, and that’s why you’re silent.” Then Katie’s face paled. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I-I …” She didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she quickly handed him the phone and mouthed another apology.

  Max’s heart pounded in his chest as he looked at the screen, confirming his worst nightmare.

  Josie.

  Katie had called Josie thinking she was a code name for Sarah.

  “I told you what I had with Sarah was over,” he growled as he got out of his chair, ignored his family, and made his way out of the dining room and to the kitchen. When he was sure that he was alone, he set his phone to his ear. “Josephine, are you still there?”

  “I’m still here,” Josie said in a small voice.

  “That was—”

  “Forget it,” she said, cutting him off. “Thanks for explaining my contracts assignment and for pretty much telling me what to write. I did the extra reading you suggested for contractual capacity, and I’m getting there. Seriously, thanks. I think I have everything. I’ll stay away now.”

  What?

  “No, Josephine, that’s not—”

  “It’s fine, Max. I’ll see you around.”

  And then she ended the call.

  Monday was the worst day of the week.

  It consisted of a whole day of contracts.

  Four hours of class and a one-hour seminar.

  It didn’t help that it was always so hard for her to understand her monotone professor when he delivered his seminars. But having done this week’s reading and the extra reading Max had suggested, she’d understood today’s content. Interpretations confused her, but she was sure she’d understand it more once she got home and read the tutorial work. But she had skipped the last two hours of class to be by her mother’s side.

  Today was finally the day her mother could have her body scan. Soon enough, they’d know if her cancer had spread to other parts of her body. When Josie had arrived to greet her mother, she was barely conscious. All she could do was hope that her mother understood she was there to support her. It wasn’t easy to see, but the only way they could treat her mother properly was to know the extent of her cancer.

  While her mother had her scans, Josie sat in the visitor’s chair next to her bed and set her laptop on her lap. She’d have to write her contracts tutor an email to explain her absence. When her emails had loaded, she noticed one in her inbox from Max.

  Yesterday, the phone call she received from some woman had been demoralising. The verbal strike so out of the blue. When the woman had finished with her warning for Josie to stay away, Josie told her that she didn’t mean to get in the way and to thank him for tutoring her for four hours on Saturday night. Then, to her surprise, Max was on the phone, and she had repeated her appreciation before she promised to stay away and ended the call.

  That call had been over twenty-four hours ago.

  She had promised to do whatever it took to make sure Max was happy. And
it was evident their friendship didn’t make him and the new woman in his life happy.

  Curious, Josie clicked on his email and read it.

  To: [email protected]

  From: [email protected]

  Subject: My apology and feedback.

  Josephine,

  I am incredibly sorry for yesterday. I swear, Katie, my cousin, is dead to me for how she spoke to you. She thought you were someone else during our family lunch and believed it was her cousin right to stand up for me. She feels terrible.

  I feel even worse.

  I profusely apologise for my cousin.

  And I’m so sorry you had to experience something like that.

  You don’t have to accept my apology.

  You don’t even have to reply to me.

  I read your interpretation of the case you were given. You took an approach I was honestly not expecting. That doesn’t mean what you wrote was wrong; it was actually refreshing. You have a talent for writing something exciting out of a boring topic. I’ve attached my feedback in the word document. It’s not much, but you did a great job. I can see you spent a lot of time thinking through your interpretation of the issues in that contract. I think my notes might get you that higher mark you’re looking for.

  I’ll see you around.

  If you ever need me, you have my number.

  Please use it, Josie.

  Max.

  Her heart was torn.

  Josie did want to see and talk to him. The four hours they spent together on Saturday were amazing. But that didn’t warrant more time together. She understood stuff about contracts that her professor and tutor neglected to teach her. Max gave her real-life teachings. He told her of his experiences and how he approached each problem. Unlike the lawyers who had come to her tutorials to give talks, Max was different. He was a compassionate lawyer who cared more about his clients than the money. He wanted what was best for them. She wanted to be the kind of lawyer Max was.

  Thoughtful, compassionate, and dedicated.

  He wasn’t about trying to eclipse his father in any way. Max wanted to be his own lawyer. To represent his clients his way. It wasn’t about the money, and she could sense that when he spoke about each client by their names rather than titles.