She was disgusted not just with herself but with him too. Maxwell had spent a lot of money, and a lot of time planning this elaborate scheme and for what? Oh, wait, she remembered, he wanted to exercise his demons. Too bad Robyn didn’t realize until this morning that she was the demon. Well, she hoped he would rot in hell.
Robyn couldn’t get away from him and this house fast enough. She flew down the stairs as fast as she could with her heels in hand. It wasn’t until she reached the last step and was walking toward the door that she realized she had no idea where her keys were. She lifted her head heavenward. Really? Really? So, this is my punishment?
The closer she got to the door the more she could see that the snow was piled high up against it. There were tall mounds of whiteness piled against the windows on both sides of the door. Dammit to hell. She was in Snowmageddon, and it was freezing outside. She closed her eyes and inhaled slowly then exhaled. Robyn wasn’t dressed for this weather. If she went outside, hypothermia would probably kill her. Freezing to death still sounded better than being under the same roof as him.
She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and called Eva, who picked up on the second ring. The woman was much too chipper. “Hey! I thought you’d call me later this afternoon after you . . . uh . . . rested up a bit.” Eva laughed.
Robyn wasn’t in the mood. “I’m stuck. I need my car keys. Do you know where they are?”
“You don’t sound like a woman who has had a little dust knocked off her.”
“I’m tired. I just want to go home.”
“Tired I can understand. But, wanting to go home? Already? It’s not even 8:30. That’s a little confusing considering you both really seemed to be into each other last night. What was it like reconnecting?”
Robyn closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Can we discuss this later? I just want to get the hell out of here, take a hot bath, and sleep. Do you know where the valet service put my keys?”
The despondency in her voice gave Eva pause. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. My keys? Do you know where they are?”
Eva knew she and Robyn would talk, but for now, she would wait to find out what happened. “Yes, I put them in the bowl on the table in the foyer. I don’t know about the roads up there, but the streets haven’t been plowed by us. I can only assume they might not clear the roads over there since it’s in the unincorporated part of Romona.”
“Great.” Her sarcasm just wasn’t fitting enough for this situation.
“Umm . . . I think Maxwell will have to hire a private company to come out to clear them.”
“If that’s the case, and I can’t drive out of here, keep your phone close. I might need Jesse to break out the snowmobiles and come to get me. I don’t want to be here a minute longer than I have to. Otherwise, you’ll need to send in a SWAT team.”
Eva was hesitant. “That bad? Are you sure you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
Not physically. “No, I’m alright. I just need to get home and put last night behind me. I’ve got to go. I’ll call to let you know what’s what.”
“Okay. I’ll keep the phone close.”
They disconnected the call, and when Robyn turned around to check the table for her keys, Maxwell was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
*****
Maxwell came down the stairs feeling conflicted. He was a bastard. On that he was sure. He’d dreamed about coming back to his hometown a success and finally proving to everyone that he was worthy of the great Robyn Levy.
It wasn’t as if his family was poor trash. His father was considered a self-made man and owned a lot of real estate in town. Robyn’s dad had worked for his father. It took a lot for the different factions of Romona to accept the relationship between the two, but most people eventually had. Romona was no different than a lot of small towns in that way.
Robyn was the pride and joy of her family and had always been a go-getter. She’d known from the moment she was born what she wanted to do with her life and didn’t waste any time trying to achieve it. He, on the other hand, was the prince of Bryant Enterprises. Only, Maxwell didn’t want to have anything to do with his father’s construction and real estate business. Maxwell liked to tinker with the latest technological gadgets. But, back then, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. All Maxwell knew was that he wanted to spend it with Robyn. She was his everything.
Because it took him a little longer to figure things out, Robyn would get frustrated. She was always telling him how unfair it was that she had to work twice as hard to earn half as much as him. Still, Robyn refused to allow being black and a woman to hold her back. She put so much passion into everything. That was one of the many things he loved about her. Unfortunately, every woman who
