Kevin was munching his dinner at the coffee table when Max’s SUV rumbled into the dirt space beside our beat-up car.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Kevin, grabbing my bag and heading outside.
“Hey, I would have come to the door,” Max said, coming around the vehicle.
“That’s okay, but I was wondering if I could get your cell number in case anything comes up here.”
“Sure,” he said, opening the passenger door of his vehicle so he could lean over the seat to grab a pen and a piece of paper out of the middle console.
I couldn’t help but admire his backside as he leaned over.
“Here you go,” he said, abruptly turning around in time to catch my admiring glance.
He smiled brightly, making me blush heavily at being caught.
“Okay, I'll be right back,” I stuttered, turning on heel to head back up the stairs, wondering what it was about him that made me lose control.
.
“Here’s a number you can reach me at,” I told Kevin in a rush as I handed the slip of paper over. “Call me if anything happens,” I added, making my point clear.
He nodded his head solemnly, knowing without asking what situation would warrant a phone call. Four days of peace was unheard of and a blowup could be only moments away.
I glanced back at him one last time as I bounded down the stairs. I was immensely relieved that the owner had equipped the trailer with a working phone line, there was no such thing as cell phones in our family.
“Everything okay?” Max asked, still standing by the passenger door where I had left him.
“Yeah,” I said, looking behind me at the closed door. “Everything’s fine,” I said, trying to reassure myself more than him. This was not new territory for me, but I always felt like a traitor leaving Kevin behind. Lucinda never took her anger out on him, but I hated that he even had to listen to the battles. By the time he was two, Kevin had been exposed to every curse word imaginable and more violence than anyone should ever have to see.
Max looked concerned, but I smiled at him. “You sure it’s okay to go?” he asked.
“Yeah, it’s good, let’s go have some fun,” I answered, allowing him to help me into the SUV.
“You look nice,” he said, settling into the driver’s seat next to me.
“Thanks, you too,” I replied, speaking the truth. The jeans he wore fit him well and had that faded look that came that way when you bought them, as opposed to mine that were faded because they were just worn out. He topped it with a black, long-sleeved thermal shirt under a deep grey hoodie. The casual look served him well, even with his model-like good looks.
"So whose house are we going to again?”
“Clint’s. He and I take turns hosting movie nights because we both have big TV’s with surround sound and stuff. Plus, like I told you, the closest theater is almost an hour away.”
“That’s cool,” I said, not quite sure a bigger TV was still in the same league as a movie theater.
Max smiled at me in the dim light. “Trust me, once the movie starts, you’ll never want to go to a theater again.”
“Wow, that’s a strong statement.”
“How about we bet on it?” He said, grinning mischievously. “If I win, you come to my house next week for my turn at movie night.”
“What if I win?” I asked, arching my eyebrow at him.
“Then we take a drive to the city and see a movie at the megaplex there.”
I returned his smile, seeing that win or lose, another date was on the horizon.
“What if you decide you don’t want to see a movie with me next week?” I teased.
“Not even a possibility,” he said, looking scandalized.