This chapter is short, but I didn't want to miss a week. Next one will be longer, and very very shippy. Sort of. Thanks.
The next morning Maxine called Jeremy and told him she'd move in with hi. If he was thrilled he didn't sound it, but Max interpreted that as her lousy mood, not his lack of enthusiasm. After hanging up, she got up the nerve to go into the kitchen and face Kenny.
Max played their fight over and over in her head. She had been horrible to him. After all his lifestyle didn't reflect on her, it didn't impact her at all. Why should she even care about his repetitive sexual escapes? She was only his roommate.
Kenny was busy making coffee, trying to ignore the piercing pain in his chest. Max's words, her opinion of him, stung like a whip and cut like a knife. What hurt even more was she was right. What he'd been doing was disgusting and it was unfair to max and all the women he'd slept with the past week. He knew he had to get serious about someone, stay with someone like Max stayed with Jeremy. She was happy with Jeremy and he deserved to be happy as well. Didn't he?
Max emerged from the bedroom dressed for work. Kenny was half dressed while he waited for the coffee to perk. Max studied his tired eyes, the dark circles, he hadn't slept either.
Max and Kenny turned to each other at the same time and said in unison, "I'm sorry."
Max giggled, "You're sorry. Why are you sorry? I'm the one who insulted you."
"Yeah, but you wouldn't have if I wasn't giving you a reason," Kenny replied, "You were right. All those women in and out of here, it was disgusting and it was unfair to you and them."
Max nodded, "Um, I talked to Jeremy this morning, he wants to get some stuff moved around before I move over there…"
"You're still moving out?" Kenny asked. He thought they were okay, "I thought we were okay."
"We are," Max replied, "but Jeremy and I are getting to a point in our relationship…"
Kenny nodded, "I see, but you want to stay here until he's ready for you, right?" he asked trying to keep the pain out of his voice.
"Could I? It won't be much longer," she assured him.
"Stay as long as you need," he replied, "Want to get some breakfast at Johnny's before work?"
"Sure," Max said, "You drive."
Late that day, Max and Kenny sat in what seemed to be and endless staff meeting passing a piece of paper back and forth. So far its contents were; milk, eggs, bread, London broil, ranch dressing, lettuce…
The paper passed back to Max and she added tampons. When Kenny read the paper he scribbled in the margin, if those are on this list, you are doing the shopping.
"Fine," she whispered and rolled her eyes, crossing the tampons off the list.
"Right, Kenny?" Jimmy asked directing the question directly at Kenny. He had not heard the words preceding it.
"I'm sorry, Jimmy, I didn't hear you," he admitted.
"I know, that's what I just said. I said, and Kenny and Max have no idea what I'm talking about, it'll be fun to shake them up."
Kenny and Max both blushed, "Right," she said softly.
"Okay, last issue is the annual Sheriff's Department Dinner Dance. It's one month from this Friday night at seven o'clock. Tickets are available from Ginny. I hope to see you all there. That's it."
The meeting finally broke and Max stretched her arms over her head, "Listen Kenny, I really need those tampons so can I bribe you…you go to the grocery and buy what's on the list, including the tampons and I'll pop for dinner at the Suds Bucket."
Kenny loved having dinner at the Bucket. It was a country western type place with great ribs and sawdust on the floor. He'd do nearly anything to have dinner there, and dinner there with Max…he sighed, "Okay, you win. You knew you could bribe me with the Bucket."
"Yeah," she winked at him, "I live with you, we're partners, I'm close. Meet you at home in an hour?"
"Yeah," Kenny smiled and watched her walk away. He sighed, "What am I going to do when she moves out?" he asked himself, but surprisingly was answered by Jimmy who'd been listening to their conversation.
"Don't let her move out," he said.
"How much did you hear?" Kenny asked, more embarrassed about their tampon conversation than his outward pondering.
"Everything, dinner, tampons, bribery…" Jimmy listed what he'd over heard. "You have to tell her Kenny. If you love her you have got to tell her."
"Who said I love here? I never said I loved her," Kenny protested.
Jimmy smiled and chuckled, "Yeah you did." With that he walked away.