“Yeah,” Jeff replied on a nod. “I’ll tell Mick.” Then Jeff looked at the table at large and said, “Later,” and he moved away.
I watched him go then twisted back and leaned clean across Max toward Mindy.
“Tomorrow night?” I asked and watched Mindy’s cheeks get even pinker.
“He asked me out,” Mindy whispered, leaning into me and my hand reached out and snatched hers.
“That’s great!” I whispered back but my whisper was excited and kind of loud.
Mindy looked at me a second then leaned in further and queried, “Do you really think so, Neens?”
I nodded effusively.
“Seriously?” she pushed.
I squeezed her hand. “Yes, sweetheart.”
Mindy bit her lip then released it and stated, “I don’t know.”
“Why not?” I enquired and she got closer, her eyes going to the side to take in the table and mine did too.
Everyone, except Max, who was forced to be a silent part of it due to the conversation happening pretty much in his lap, and Becca, who was watching us and grinning, was studiously avoiding our exchange.
I looked back to Mindy when she asked, “I think… don’t you think it’s, uh… too soon?”
I leaned further over Max and squeezed Mindy’s hand again before answering. “My lovely, you can decide to start living your life in a month, or two, or six, or next year and that’d be perfectly all right, it’s up to you.” She nodded and I continued, “But my question to you would be, why wait?” I watched her swallow and finished, “Life’s short, Mins, but you need time, you take it. Jeff will understand.”
“Uh… I don’t know if he will. He was kind of…” She paused, searching for a word, then found it and shared, “Determined when he asked me.”
I noted that the way she said this was far from an objection. My eyes slid to the side and up and I saw Max watching us, his lips pressed together and my eyes slid back to Mindy.
“I’ve noticed macho mountain men can be that way,” I told her.
She leaned closer to me, her eyes doing a quick glance to Max then she whispered very low, “Even though I felt funny… you know, talkin’ to him seein’ as, you know, he was there… but…” She hesitated and I could barely hear her when she finished, “It was kinda hot.”
“I bet it was,” I replied, she tipped her head to the side in question and I went on. “Been there, sweetheart, done that.”
Max started chuckling and Mindy and I both jerked back and looked at him.
“You want me to move?” he asked.
“Would you, darling?” I asked back.
Max hooked a hand around my neck, pulled my temple to his mouth, kissed it and got up which was obviously his answer.
I got up too, grabbed my latte mug and scooted Max’s chair back a bit before I sat in it. Mindy scooted hers back too. Becca got up suddenly, walked around the table and sat in Jeff’s vacated chair.
“What’s goin’ on?” she asked.
I looked from Becca to Mindy and both Becca and I leaned into Mindy as I demanded, “All right, sweetheart, tell us everything.”
Mindy gave me a tentative look then she gave me a hesitant smile, she swung it to Becca then she leaned in close, Becca leaned in close and Mindy told us everything. And what she told us about Jeff was definitely hot. But it was also, even more definitely, sweet.
After Mindy was done, Becca noted, “I’m thinkin’ Jeff isn’t a dick.”
I was thinking Becca was right.
“Neens?” Mindy called and I looked at her.
“My advice, my lovely?” She nodded and I said, “Be honest, take care of you first and if Jeff doesn’t take care of you along the way, then move on.” Mindy nodded again but I wasn’t done. “Though, I figure, he’ll take care of you along the way.”
“I figure that too,” Becca put in.
Mindy bit her lip then noted, “The timing sucks.”
My eyes slid to Max who was taking a drink of his coffee and listening to Arlene jabber then they slid back to Mindy and I replied, “Trust me, sweetheart, timing isn’t everything.”
Mindy looked at Max then at me then she grinned.
***
We were back at the A-Frame, my stuff was in the house, the groceries unpacked and I’d just slid into the oven my world famous nachos (this wasn’t strictly true, I hadn’t won a competition or anything, but I called them that anyway because they were really good) smothered in kidney beans and hamburger meat spiced with taco seasoning and a mixture of three cheeses (cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack, the latter two they didn’t have in England) on which, after desired cheese melting, I would load salsa, sour cream and fresh jalapeños with tomatoes for Max which he told me he loved but I hated. We were now tidying up the prep dishes as the cheese melted into the corn chips in the oven.
This was after, at the café, Max and I ordered club sandwiches for a late lunch.
It was also after Kami came down to the Station on a prolonged break from work to tell Mick that after she and Shauna decided not to go to Curt’s funeral, she’d driven Shauna to Kami’s house. Shauna had come around to her place that morning rather than Kami picking her up. When they went back, Shauna got out of Kami’s car, said good-bye and she’d see her later like always, got into her car and left.
Kami also explained that she hadn’t been to Shauna’s house in weeks. She’d done this somewhat stiltedly which meant she was now embarrassed that she didn’t see it for the cover up it was. But, honestly, how would she know? No one would think their friend was a murderess.
Lastly, she explained she hadn’t heard from Shauna even after she’d left several messages and a number of texts (by then I figured about a thousand) but, in Kami’s words, “If that bitch fucking calls me, you’ll be the first to know.”
Then we left the Police Station and on the wooded sidewalk Kami let rip a five minute rant about Damon, what he did to my face and the incident outside The Dog two nights previously.
This, unfortunately, reminded Max that he’d found out about this incident for the first time during me giving my statement to Jeff and I knew he was less than happy then but he didn’t say anything in front of Jeff. Also unfortunately, after Kami burnt out her ire, she left me with a Max who’d been reminded he hadn’t been happy.
I watched her go, having seen the look in Max’s eyes and thinking for the first time since I met Kami that I desired her continued presence.
Max’s hand curled around the back of my neck then it used my neck to curl me to his front. I tipped my head back to look at him and braced.
“Forgot to tell you this, babe, with Jeff and all and considerin’ this shit’s a onetime deal what I’m gonna say won’t matter since this isn’t gonna happen to you again but…” his face got closer, “anyone, a guy, a woman, a fuckin’ Martian traps you against a car and gets in your face and the first person you tell ain’t me and you wait more than two seconds to tell me, it’s not gonna make me happy.”
I started to defend myself, saying, “Max –”
He cut me off. “No response required.”
I really wanted to make a response and further I wanted to make a response about him telling me I couldn’t make a response. However, he was, as usual, annoyingly right. I should have told him. So I pressed my lips together and I pressed them together tightly. Max watched me for several long seconds then his eyes dropped to my mouth.
Then he asked, “You gonna explode?”
I unpressed my lips and answered, “Maybe.”
It was at that moment Max burst out laughing and at the same time my mother called. I decided a good evasive maneuver was to answer my mobile which I did only to have her shout on the phone at me for ten minutes about my disappearing act, ending her tirade telling me she and Steve were at Drake’s and would Max and I “grace us with your presence” (her words) for a drink.