Sharing Expenses: Three
Kenny lay in bed and stared at the digital clock on his nightstand. It read 12:36 a.m. 12:36 a.m. and Maxine still was not back from her date. She'd called him at the station to remind him that she had a seven o'clock date with some guy she'd met at the supermarket, Jeremy something. Now it was well after midnight and she was still not home, and Kenny was beginning to worry.
Maxine let Jeremy walk her up to Kenny's apartment door, "I had a really nice time tonight. I've never been to a restaurant like that before," Max told the handsome man smiling.
"Yeah, well, in New York they have a lot of hibachi restaurants and I thought you might like it," Jeremy smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I did," Max answered, "well, it's pretty late. I better go, my roommate is going to be wondering where I've been."
"She worries about you, does she?" Jeremy asked.
"Yet, um, he does," Maxine replied, and waited for Jeremy's reaction to the fact that her roommate was a guy.
"He? You're living with somebody?" Jeremy asked, obviously feeling that he had been deceived.
"No, I'm not living with somebody. Kenny's my partner on the force, I got into some money trouble and he's letting me crash here for a while until I'm back on my feet," Max hurriedly explained, she had enjoyed Jeremy's company and did not wish to upset that.
"Oh, well that was nice of him," Jeremy replied, relieved that Maxine was not using him to cheat on someone.
"Yeah, Kenny's a great friend," Maxine replied, "I really had a great time tonight."
"Me too. Um, I was wondering, Max, would you like to do it again?"
"Sure," Max smiled, "I'd love that. Call me tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Jeremy smiled and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the cheek, "I can't wait."
Maxine watched Jeremy leave and smiled broadly, as she turned and fit her key into Kenny's lock.
Kenny heard to key go into his lock and smiled to himself. It was Maxine, it had to be. Quickly he rolled over and pulled on his undershirt before heading to the kitchen. Max always went to the kitchen after a bad date and that was where he heard her now.
"How was your date?" he asked turning on the kitchen light to find Maxine drinking a glass of orange juice still wearing the short black dress she'd worn out to dinner.
"It was nice," Max replied, "Jeremy is a great guy. Want some juice?"
"No thanks, I'm good. So it was nice, huh?" Kenny asked again.
"Yeah, it was nice," Max replied, laughing slightly at the awkwardness that always existed between them when either one of them came back from a date.
"So you going to see him again?" Kenny ventured, knowing that if the answer was "no" she'd wanted to talk to him about it and if she did not answer at all, that meant she was no interested in having another post mortem. Kenny never expected the answer to be "yes."
"Yeah, I think so," Maxine smiled, "He's a really nice guy Kenny. And he's sweet. He's going to call tomorrow."
That left Kenny speechless. He was excellent at fixing Maxine when she had a bad date. He was great at making her feel better, at talking until dawn about whatever her creepy date did to upset her, but Max having a good date, not to mention a date she wanted to repeat, he was in uncharted territory there.
"Um, that's great, Max. So when do I get to meet this nice, sweet guy?" he asked, the last time Max though a guy was nice and sweet she brought home Danny Shreve.
"Um, I'm not sure about that yet, Kenny. I'd like to get to know him a little bit better before I introduce him to you. You have a way of scaring off my perspective boyfriends," Max told him.
"Oh, do I? Max, the last time I even met a perspective boyfriend...you know what, forget it," Kenny stopped there, knowing though she would pursue it.
"What were you going to say?" Maxine pressed, knowing Kenny was going to bring up Danny once again.
"Max," Kenny said throwing up his hands in surrender, "I don't want to fight."
"I'm not fighting, I'm talking," she replied.
"I don't want to fight," Kenny repeated a little testier than he really wanted to.
"I'm trying to make extremely civilized conversation, you are biting my head off," Max countered, "I had a wonderful time tonight and I don't want to ruin it because you are being pigheaded and immature. Good night, Kenny," she said firmly, loudly placing her juice glass in the sink before she retreated to her bedroom.
Kenny sat down at the kitchen table with a heavy sigh, "Good night, Max," he said very softly. He only wanted to be a friend to her, to protect her from the mistakes she very often made by jumping into things unawares and ill advised. Why couldn't she see that? Why did she always have to make him out to be the enemy?
Maxine threw her purse on the bed and sat down with a heavy slump. Why couldn't Kenny just be happy for her? Why did he have to argue with her? He was her best friend. True, she had some lousy relationships, but times had changed now and it seemed even after only one date with Jeremy that this could turn out to be something really good. The only thing that could make this night better, she realized was if Kenny were happy for her. She suspected he was in his way, but he was wary and protective first, and sometimes, while she adored the fact that he cared, those qualities could be extremely annoying.
Over the next two weeks, Kenny hardly saw Maxine at all. He was working three to eleven and she was working seven to three. When she was not working, she was out with Jeremy and after each date, she came home later.
One particular night, Kenny came decided he was going to join Jimmy and Reed for beers after his shift. Maxine was never around anymore for him to shoot the breeze with and he needed someone to bounce off the latest on the Schindler case.
"So, we have thirty-six registered owners of black loaded Jeep with the license tags ending in 80L," Kenny reported, "we can narrow it down to about twenty because some of the other owners live way out of the area and I doubt would have any interest in claping. These are city folk; they probably don't even know what claping is."
"True, but don't completely rule it out. Folks sometimes like to take part in the local folklore when they come out to the country," Reed offered.
"True," Jimmy agreed, "Stay on it, men. The Schindlers aren't pressing us, but...I want these guys. This has got to stop."
"You're right," Kenny agreed, "it has to stop. When all it was was property damage it should have stopped, but now, two kids are dead." He shook his head.
"So, on to other issues," Jimmy said, "how's living with Maxine going?"
"Maxine, who? I never see her anymore. We're working different shifts and when she's off she's out with what's his name," Kenny said sipping his beer.
"You feeling a bit jealous, are you?" Jimmy asked, teasing his long time friend.
"I told him she was more than a roommate," Reed interjected.
"She is more than a roommate, she's my best friend and..." Kenny stopped midsentence, his stomach turning all of a sudden as he thought of Maxine and her date.
"I've got to go, guys," Kenny said in a hurry, putting some money on the bar to cover his bill.
"Okay," Reed said, shocked at Kenny's hasty departure, "See ya tomorrow."
Kenny didn't answer his new friends and he did not notice Jimmy's bewildered expression, he was all ready out the door and on his way home, home to Max, who he knew needed him.
Kenny lay in bed and stared at the digital clock on his nightstand. It read 12:36 a.m. 12:36 a.m. and Maxine still was not back from her date. She'd called him at the station to remind him that she had a seven o'clock date with some guy she'd met at the supermarket, Jeremy something. Now it was well after midnight and she was still not home, and Kenny was beginning to worry.
Maxine let Jeremy walk her up to Kenny's apartment door, "I had a really nice time tonight. I've never been to a restaurant like that before," Max told the handsome man smiling.
"Yeah, well, in New York they have a lot of hibachi restaurants and I thought you might like it," Jeremy smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"I did," Max answered, "well, it's pretty late. I better go, my roommate is going to be wondering where I've been."
"She worries about you, does she?" Jeremy asked.
"Yet, um, he does," Maxine replied, and waited for Jeremy's reaction to the fact that her roommate was a guy.
"He? You're living with somebody?" Jeremy asked, obviously feeling that he had been deceived.
"No, I'm not living with somebody. Kenny's my partner on the force, I got into some money trouble and he's letting me crash here for a while until I'm back on my feet," Max hurriedly explained, she had enjoyed Jeremy's company and did not wish to upset that.
"Oh, well that was nice of him," Jeremy replied, relieved that Maxine was not using him to cheat on someone.
"Yeah, Kenny's a great friend," Maxine replied, "I really had a great time tonight."
"Me too. Um, I was wondering, Max, would you like to do it again?"
"Sure," Max smiled, "I'd love that. Call me tomorrow?"
"Absolutely," Jeremy smiled and leaned over to kiss him lightly on the cheek, "I can't wait."
Maxine watched Jeremy leave and smiled broadly, as she turned and fit her key into Kenny's lock.
Kenny heard to key go into his lock and smiled to himself. It was Maxine, it had to be. Quickly he rolled over and pulled on his undershirt before heading to the kitchen. Max always went to the kitchen after a bad date and that was where he heard her now.
"How was your date?" he asked turning on the kitchen light to find Maxine drinking a glass of orange juice still wearing the short black dress she'd worn out to dinner.
"It was nice," Max replied, "Jeremy is a great guy. Want some juice?"
"No thanks, I'm good. So it was nice, huh?" Kenny asked again.
"Yeah, it was nice," Max replied, laughing slightly at the awkwardness that always existed between them when either one of them came back from a date.
"So you going to see him again?" Kenny ventured, knowing that if the answer was "no" she'd wanted to talk to him about it and if she did not answer at all, that meant she was no interested in having another post mortem. Kenny never expected the answer to be "yes."
"Yeah, I think so," Maxine smiled, "He's a really nice guy Kenny. And he's sweet. He's going to call tomorrow."
That left Kenny speechless. He was excellent at fixing Maxine when she had a bad date. He was great at making her feel better, at talking until dawn about whatever her creepy date did to upset her, but Max having a good date, not to mention a date she wanted to repeat, he was in uncharted territory there.
"Um, that's great, Max. So when do I get to meet this nice, sweet guy?" he asked, the last time Max though a guy was nice and sweet she brought home Danny Shreve.
"Um, I'm not sure about that yet, Kenny. I'd like to get to know him a little bit better before I introduce him to you. You have a way of scaring off my perspective boyfriends," Max told him.
"Oh, do I? Max, the last time I even met a perspective boyfriend...you know what, forget it," Kenny stopped there, knowing though she would pursue it.
"What were you going to say?" Maxine pressed, knowing Kenny was going to bring up Danny once again.
"Max," Kenny said throwing up his hands in surrender, "I don't want to fight."
"I'm not fighting, I'm talking," she replied.
"I don't want to fight," Kenny repeated a little testier than he really wanted to.
"I'm trying to make extremely civilized conversation, you are biting my head off," Max countered, "I had a wonderful time tonight and I don't want to ruin it because you are being pigheaded and immature. Good night, Kenny," she said firmly, loudly placing her juice glass in the sink before she retreated to her bedroom.
Kenny sat down at the kitchen table with a heavy sigh, "Good night, Max," he said very softly. He only wanted to be a friend to her, to protect her from the mistakes she very often made by jumping into things unawares and ill advised. Why couldn't she see that? Why did she always have to make him out to be the enemy?
Maxine threw her purse on the bed and sat down with a heavy slump. Why couldn't Kenny just be happy for her? Why did he have to argue with her? He was her best friend. True, she had some lousy relationships, but times had changed now and it seemed even after only one date with Jeremy that this could turn out to be something really good. The only thing that could make this night better, she realized was if Kenny were happy for her. She suspected he was in his way, but he was wary and protective first, and sometimes, while she adored the fact that he cared, those qualities could be extremely annoying.
Over the next two weeks, Kenny hardly saw Maxine at all. He was working three to eleven and she was working seven to three. When she was not working, she was out with Jeremy and after each date, she came home later.
One particular night, Kenny came decided he was going to join Jimmy and Reed for beers after his shift. Maxine was never around anymore for him to shoot the breeze with and he needed someone to bounce off the latest on the Schindler case.
"So, we have thirty-six registered owners of black loaded Jeep with the license tags ending in 80L," Kenny reported, "we can narrow it down to about twenty because some of the other owners live way out of the area and I doubt would have any interest in claping. These are city folk; they probably don't even know what claping is."
"True, but don't completely rule it out. Folks sometimes like to take part in the local folklore when they come out to the country," Reed offered.
"True," Jimmy agreed, "Stay on it, men. The Schindlers aren't pressing us, but...I want these guys. This has got to stop."
"You're right," Kenny agreed, "it has to stop. When all it was was property damage it should have stopped, but now, two kids are dead." He shook his head.
"So, on to other issues," Jimmy said, "how's living with Maxine going?"
"Maxine, who? I never see her anymore. We're working different shifts and when she's off she's out with what's his name," Kenny said sipping his beer.
"You feeling a bit jealous, are you?" Jimmy asked, teasing his long time friend.
"I told him she was more than a roommate," Reed interjected.
"She is more than a roommate, she's my best friend and..." Kenny stopped midsentence, his stomach turning all of a sudden as he thought of Maxine and her date.
"I've got to go, guys," Kenny said in a hurry, putting some money on the bar to cover his bill.
"Okay," Reed said, shocked at Kenny's hasty departure, "See ya tomorrow."
Kenny didn't answer his new friends and he did not notice Jimmy's bewildered expression, he was all ready out the door and on his way home, home to Max, who he knew needed him.