Highest Bidder

Chapter 33: Good Max Hunting

"What's the matter with him?" Lauren asks and I shake my head.

"I have no idea. The last few  days he's been acting like that. A child." I say and sit down in my armchair. The fire is going and everyone is quietly avoiding my gaze. "I'm sorry, everyone. I don't know what's gotten into him. He's not normally like this."

Iggy stands up and looks around.

"I think what needs to happen is a dialogue." He states and everyone groans. "No seriously. When Max gets back, we all need to have a conversation about what's going on. Everything needs to be put on the table. Especially when we open up business January 3rd. We need to be able to share our thoughts and feelings in a constructive way so we all can avoid what just happened. Dialogues work."

"No, babe. You think Dialogues work. By the end of it, someone is still pissed off and hurt." Martin says and Iggy turns to him.

"Let's have one shall we? Since you seem so apt to voice your extensive knowledge on social psychies of people." This is going to be bad. Iggy doesn't like being wrong when it comes to group communications. That's a Psychologist for you.

"Okay. Let's. I think when things like this happen- you feel you know what's best for everyone and in most cases that's true. But not in cases like this." Martin says sitting back into the couch and sipping his beer.

"How do?" The tension is slowly rising and everyone else just sits back and watches.

"Babe, I love you- but when it comes to group therapy with your friends it doesn't work. Because no one wants to really say what they think or feel because they don't want to damage their relationship with their close friends and loved ones in any way." He's certainly not wrong.

"Martin, the precursor to a dialogue is knowing you will get your feelings hurt, but it helps pave the way to fixing the problems and finding a solution of resolve."

"I think what Iggy's trying to say is that feelings will get hurt regardless but the appreciation of the truth will help heal that pain you'll initially feel." Casey adds. Poor Casey- don't get involved you poor soul. "Like with the whole Reynolds thing...."

Please don't. Please don't.

"What about Reynolds?" Lauren asks.

Shit.

"Well you and Helen didn't exactly go about it the right way. You should have been honest with him from the start- regardless of wanting to hurt his relationship with his fiancé or not."

Fucking Hell, he went there.

"Really? You though it would be appropriate to tell him I could've been pregnant with his kid and that would have been okay for him and Evie and mine's relationship because I was being honest?"

"Yeah."

"No! Evie wouldn't have accepted that it was a one time mistake. She would have broke off the engagement with Floyd and stopped being my friend because one of us should've known better." Lauren is mad and I can't believe this whole thing is happening right now.

"Well I don't think you made that big of a difference now did it. You and Floyd and Evie obviously aren't friends any more because you lied about it. Regardless of Maxwell being my son or not. You still hid the possible fact that it was his. Which- how was that whole thing going to end up working for you and Helen anyway? Why would Helen even consider just giving up a baby that she would've paid out the ass for to be out in you? That whole story line was kind of far fetched, Hon."

"Because she's my best friend and she would've realized I fell in love with the baby...."

"No. I'm sorry. I just don't think it's realistic." While those two argue about that- Iggy and Martin have shifted into a different kind of argument.