"I can't believe Jimmy's going to postpone the dance," Linda Jackson, one of the other female deputy's on the force complained to Max and Jill, "I was really looking forward to it."

"It's not indefinate, Linda," Jill reminded her, "It's only another two weeks. He didn't know the room would be double booked."

"Yeah," Max sighed, "It's better for me anyway. Jeremy's been working late a lot lately and with us moving into that new apartment..."

"Oh, yeah," Linda sighed, "When is that happening?"

"Well, we gave the landlord notice on the place we're in now, and Jeremy's lawyer is taking a look at the lease, so hopefully he'll have it read over by Friday, because if not. we won't have place to live."

"And I somehow don't think Kenny would be too big on letting you and Jeremy crash at his place," Linda observed.

Jill nodded in agreement, "Why didn't you use Wambaugh for the lease, he's annoying but at least he's quick."

Maxine nodded and took a bit of her doughnut, "I know, I suggested Wambaugh, but Jeremy wanted this friend of his. It wasn't worth arguing over when I barely see him."

"I thought you'd see him more now that you moved in together," Linda commented.

"So did I," said Maxine, "but he's had to work late a lot lately. He slept at the office the last two nights."

Jill and Linda exchanged glances. They felt badly for Maxine. She was so blinded by Jeremy's charm that she could not see what was obvious to every other Rome citizen.

"And when he's home, I have to work the night shift," Max continued.

Jill remained silent, Linda was neutral on the Kenny issue and a better mouthpiece, "I'd get to the bottom of this if I were you."

"Get to the bottom of what?" Maxine asked, "He's working hard and late," she clarified, "I was actually going to ask, Jill, if you could talk to Jimmy about me changing my nights to nights Jeremy works late for awhile. Just until things on his end settle down."

Jill agreed, "I'll ask him about it Max, but do me one favor?"

"Sure," Maxine replied.

"Be careful, okay. This pattern of Jeremy's it seems familiar to me...like when Jimmy was with me and Lydia," Jill supplied.

Maxine nodded, her eyes growing cold, "Oh, I see. You think he's cheating on me. You think that he asked me to move in with him, to share a great place with him, to throw me off the track?"

"No, we're not saying that," Jill soothed.

"Yes, we are saying that, Max," Linda interjected, "We're not saying that you are not lady number one, but we are saying, if he's not sleeping you with you, he's not sleeping alone."

Max took another sip of her drink, "Thanks for the tips guys, but that's not what's happening here. Really."

Maxine seemed sure of herself, so Jill and Linda let the conversation topic change back to the Sheriff's Department Dinner Dance. They'd done what they'd come to do, so their minds could be at ease. Max was blind, not stupid. The seed was planted, that's all they needed to do.

That night, Maxine sat on the sofa listening to the radio play a sad country song. The words reached her like so many songs of that genre did. These days everything seemed complicated. She didn't know what to do around Kenny anymore, sometimes she wished that  they could be together and finally end this charade.  Other times she only wanted to be his friend, she didn't want him in her life romantically at all.  She was only sure of one thing these days, she was lonely, she was lonely and she missed Kenny.

Every time she tried to call Kenny on one of these nights, he was either not home or on the phone or internet, chatting to some lovely chippy, no doubt. So she spent her nights off alone in the apartment, taping boxes, packing he things up, packing Jeremy's things, thinking about what Linda and Jill had said.

Kenny missed Maxine. He missed coming home to her or with her, he missed their dinner nights, he missed waiting for twenty minutes to go to the bathroom while she blew dried her hair. He missed every little thing about her.

Nights like this, he couldn't bear to go to the empty apartment, so he'd go down to the Chuck Wagon for a beer and listened to what he classified as Max's music. He was lonely now; he was getting good at it. He didn't bat an eye at going to restaurants alone anymore, he just went, ate, read, and headed for home, Max never leaving him mind.

It was his own fault too. If only he'd told her his feelings in unmistakable words that night at the Suds Bucket, she'd be his now. They'd be dancing to music, watching Top Gun, and making love under the stars. They'd be the heartland couple of America, but no, he was stupid, he was silent, and now he was alone.

It was getting to the point where he didn't want to be in the same place as Maxine anymore.  He was afraid that his feelings would come out on his face, just like the woman crooning the lyrics on the radio was.  Sometimes he too wanted to hide when he saw Max, and he knew he had to decide soon what to do.  He had to decide whether to lie or tell the truth and soon, because, this situation was too complicated.

I'm so scared that the way that I feel is written all over my face
When you walk into the room I wanna find a hiding place.
We used to laugh, we used to hug, the way that old friends do.
But now a smile and a touch of your hand just makes me come unglued.
It's such a contradiction
Do I lie or tell the truth?
Is it fact or fiction?
Oh, the way I feel for you.

It's so complicated
I'm so frustrated,
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it?
Should I tell you how I feel?
Oh, I want you to know, but then again I don't,
It's so complicated.

Maxine thoughts about a conversation she had the other day with Skeeter and Doug about the new apartment.  Skeeter said something that made her think, he's said, "Well, if it doesn't work out there, I know Kenny will take you back."  When she'd asked him what he'd meant, Skeeter replied, "Kenny misses you."

Max knew Kenny too well, and she knew he'd not have told Skeeter  that he missed her, so it had to be written on his face.  When she pressed the issue, Doug laughed at her, "You're the only thing he can talk about, open your eyes, girl."  With that answer the wheels in Maxine's head started to turn.

Just when I think I'm under control, I think I finally got a grip,
Another friend tells me that my name is always on your lips.
They say I'm more than just a friend, they say I must be blind.
Well, I admit that I've seen you watch me from the corner of your eye.
Oh, it's so confusing,
Yeah, I wish you'd just confess.
But think of what I'd be losing,
If your answer wasn't yes.

It's so complicated
I'm so frustrated,
I wanna hold you close, I wanna push you away,
I wanna make you go, I wanna make you stay.
Should I say it?
Should I tell you how I feel?
Oh, I want you to know, but then again I don't,
It's so complicated.

This situation was so complicated.  She had to make a choice a decision somehow.  She knew that she and Kenny could have something great, if only they could get over their fear of losing something that was all ready great.

Kenny rose as the song ended and walked over the bar to pay for his drink.  It was then that his eye fell on a very familiar face, Jeremy, in the company of a very unfamiliar woman, someone who was not Max.

"Jeremy?" Kenny greeted.

The blood drained from his face when he saw Max's friend, Max's best friend, standing next to him, "Um…hey, Kenny."

"Can I have a world with you?" Kenny asked tugging none too lightly Jeremy's sleeve.  Jeremy had no choice but to follow him.

"That," Kenny pointed to Jeremy's date, "better be your sister at best at worse a long lost cousin, because if it is anyone else, you are going be so sorry that you ever thought of messing around on Maxine."

Jeremy ran a hand through his hair, "Look I was going to tell Max all about her."

"Who is she?  Because as God is my witness, man, if you're messing around on Max, if you hurt her, you're going to rue the day that your mother gave birth to you.  If you so much as make her shed a tear, I can, and will bury you so deep that the heat from the earth's core will incinerate your sorry, good for nothing, lying pompous ass!"

Jeremy sighed, "Then you should start digging because I'm going to have to tell Maxine in a few days, but that is Anna, she's my wife."

Thursday night was Max's night on at the office, and Jill had come through with asking Jimmy to let Max off a bit early so she could surprise Jeremy, who was going to be home for the first time in a while.

Her normal evening shift was three to eleven, so at about nine thirty Jimmy came in to cover the calls for her so she could head home and home some quality time with her boyfriend.  Jeremy was going to be so surprised. And so was she.