“Elwood!” Max yelled, “I’m coming up!”
He ascended the first step.
“He’s not up there.” The three words rushed out of June’s mouth as if The Plan itself were taking charge of the situation.
Max swung around. “Elwood!” he shouted toward the living room, and then he was moving toward it.
“He’s not down here, either, Max. He’s not in the house. He’s in Palm Springs.”
Max spun around to face her. “He’swhat?”
“He’s at the bungalow. In Palm Springs.”
For a full three seconds Max said nothing. “Since when?” He sounded angry, rather than relieved, to hear Elwood had at last left the house.
“Since yesterday. He wanted to finish the trip he’d started with Ruthie all those years ago. He thought Christmas was a good day to do it. I agreed. So I took him.”
The Plan continued to roll off her tongue as if she’d rehearsed it only seconds before.
“And you just left him there?” Max said, incredulous.
“I didn’t just leave him. I came home after our dinner because he asked me to. He wanted to have the bungalow to himself for a few days. It’s his place, Max.”
Max stared at her, eyebrows pinched into consternation. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“And tell you what?”
He huffed in obvious exasperation. “That he’d finally left the house!”
“Because he told me not to. You should leave him be, Max. He wanted some time alone to think and work.”
“But heleft this house! Don’t you think I should have been told?”
At that moment, Nicky appeared from within the kitchen, sleep in his eyes and one of June’s crocheted afghans in his arms.
“Who the hell is that?” Max exclaimed.
“That is Nicky my houseguest and I’ll thank you to watch your language, Max.”
Max gaped at her, his wordless stare a command for more information.
“He’s Melanie’s nephew. He spent the night here if you must know.”
Max took this fact in and then shook his head when it didn’t mesh with the other revelation of the last few minutes. “You need to grab anything important, get in your car, and get out of Malibu. The first fire has already spawned a second one.”
“I don’t have my car. I loaned it to Melanie. I need to wait until she gets back with it.”
“Oh, for the love of God,” Max said. “You cannot wait until she gets back. You’re leaving now with me. Where’s the cat?”
“I can’t leave now. She and Eva are probably on their way back. Or will be.”
“And I’m saying you absolutely are leaving right now. I’m not stranding you and that boy here without a car. Have you not been listening to me? There’s a major wildfire headed this way.”
“But they won’t know where I am!”
“Leave them a note!”
Nicky began to cry. “I want my daddy!” he wailed.
