Page 60 of Maxwell

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jasmine quickly checked her appearance in the rearview mirror of her car before getting out. Slinging her huge bag over her shoulder, she cast a quick glance at Maxwell’s Range Rover parked nearby.

She let herself into the building and waved at Keisha, who was already at the front, setting up before patients arrived. In her office, Jasmine placed her bag on her desk. She wore a sage pantsuit today with a white blouse underneath and straightened her blazer, preparing for her morning routine, which hadn’t changed despite the tension between her and Maxwell.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee in the break room, she began her rounds. The first stop was Maxwell’s office.

“Good morning,” she greeted him.

He was standing at the file cabinet in his white coat—handsome, his full beard freshly trimmed, his curly black hair cut low. He must have gone to the barber this weekend.

“Good morning,” he returned.

“How was your weekend?”

She tried to keep their conversation as normal as possible, but their interactions were still awkward. They danced around each other like newborns with two left feet.

“Eventful. I went to see my parents and spent time with my nieces and nephews watching Zootopia for the gazillionth time.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his exaggeration and the tiredness in his voice. She had missed their easy, playful banter and lately had left his office as quickly as possible when she did her rounds. Maybe they were getting back to a better place.

“How was your weekend?” Maxwell asked.

“Eventful, as well. I went over to my sister’s house and spent time with my niece and nephew. On Sunday, we convinced my older sisters to go to an afternoon matinee with us. Then we went out to eat. It was nice to spend time with them. Even better that I didn’t have to pay for the movie or my meal because they still see me as a kid they have to take care of.”

“Being the youngest has its perks. Ask me how I know.”

“How do you know?” Jasmine knew his statement was rhetorical but was genuinely curious.

“The car I drive? A gift from my oldest sister. I didn’t pay for my condo, either. Since you did research on my family, you know that one of my brothers is a real estate developer.”

“He gave you the condo?” Jasmine asked.

He nodded. “He didn’t want me to worry about living expenses while I was working a regular job helping people.” He shrugged.

“I got a movie ticket and dinner. You got an expensive SUV and a home. We are not the same. Are your parents planning to adopt, per chance?”

He laughed, his white teeth brilliant against his toasty brown skin, his eyes lighting up—because of her. Emotion tugged at her abdomen, and she had the ridiculous urge to burst into tears. Tears of relief. Tears of happiness. She had missed their camaraderie more than she realized.

“Not as far as I know, but I’ll give them a call and let you know for sure.”

“Please do.” Jasmine didn’t walk away, hesitant to leave the warm feelings being around him created.

“You have lunch plans?” Maxwell asked suddenly.

“N-no, I don’t.”

“I’ve been meaning to try the catfish place your dad talked about when I first started. Do you know where it’s located?”

“I know exactly what you’re talking about,” Jasmine said, her heart beating fast with excitement, as if it were about to burst out of her chest.

“We could go there for lunch. I don’t know where it is, so you can navigate.”

All he had to do was plug the address into his GPS.

“No problem. I’m good at navigation,” Jasmine said, fighting her smile.

“All right. And we can talk about a few things while we’re at lunch.” He spoke with determination then.