Magic Hour

Crystal grunted and wheezed and screamed. Her husband rushed to her side. “I’m here, Chrissie.” He grabbed her hand.

The baby’s head appeared.

“Push a little more for the shoulders, Crystal, and you’ll be done,” Max said.

He gently pulled down on the baby’s head to free the anterior, then eased up; the baby slid out, landed in Max’s hands.

“You have a beautiful little girl,” he said, looking up. Both Crystal and her husband w

ere crying.

“You want to cut the cord, Dad?” Max said. No matter how many times he said those words, they always got to him.

By the time they were done, he was exhausted. He took a long hot shower, got dressed, and headed for the nurses’ station.

Trudi was there, all alone. At his approach, she came out from around the desk and smiled up at him. “They’re naming the baby Maxine.”

“Poor kid,” he said, then fell silent.

“You haven’t been to the house in a while.”

It would have been easy to change the subject, but Trudi deserved better than that. “I guess we should talk.”

Trudi laughed. “You always said talking wasn’t our best skill.” She leaned closer. “Let me guess: it’s about a certain doctor who had Thanksgiving dinner at the local police chief’s house. Since I know you’re not interested in Ellie, it must be her sister. Julia.”

He shook his head. “I don’t even know what the hell’s going on with her. We’re—”

“You don’t have to tell me, Max.”

“You know I wouldn’t hurt you for the world—”

She silenced him with a touch. “I’m glad for you. Really. You’ve been alone too long.”

“You’re a good woman, Trudi Hightower.”

“And you’re a good man. Now quit being such a chickenshit and ask her out for a date. Unless I miss my guess, it’s Friday night, and I know a doctor who shouldn’t be going to the movies alone anymore.”

He leaned down and kissed her. “Good-bye, Trudi.”

“’Bye, Max.”

He climbed into his truck and headed for the theater. He had no intention of going to Julia, but when he came to Magnolia Street, he turned left instead of right, and drove down old Highway 101.

All the way to her house he told himself he was crazy.

All or nothing.

He’d had all once; it had practically killed him.

In her yard, he parked and sat there, staring through the windshield at the house. Finally, he got out, walked up to the front door and knocked.

Julia opened the door. Even in a pair of faded Levi’s and a white cable-knit sweater that was two sizes too big, she looked beautiful. “Max,” she said, obviously surprised. She eased forward and closed the door behind her, blocking the way.

“You want to go to the movies?”

Idiot. He sounded like a desperate teenager.

Her answer was a smile that started slowly, then overtook her face. “Cal and Ellie are here playing Scrabble, so yeah . . . I could go to the show. What’s playing?”