Spinelli soon became Maxie's very best friend and she became his Maximista. They were devoted to each other. Each was the yin to the other's yang. He was intelligent and kind. She was strong and brave. Eventually her constant displays of affection made him secretly long for more.

Maxie got her dream job at Crimson Magazine, working for fashion icon Kate Howard (The Fashionista). After Lu Lu Spencer was hired as a co-assistant, Maxie did her best to sabotage her rival by deleting some crucial files. Her ploy backfired and Spinelli was called in as technical support. The two girls now had to work together or would both be fired.

When Maxie discovered one million dollars missing from the Crimson account she and Spinelli became detectives once again. The money was a payoff to Dr. Ian Devlin, who had shot young Michael Corinthos in a botched attempt on Sonny's life. Ian blackmailed Kate to prevent her lover Sonny from killing him and going to prison.

Spinelli discovered the money trail, so he and Jason went after the evil doctor. Maxie had stowed away in the car, but upon her discovery Jason made Spinelli pull over and drop her off at a bus stop. When they left, Spinelli confessed he was falling in love with his best friend. He kept it a secret, believing she could never return his feelings.

Dr. Devlin showed up at the bus stop and took Maxie hostage. Luckily the tracking device Spinelli had placed in Ian's pocket led them right back to Maxie. He and Jason rescued her. Devlin was shot, but failed to mention he had been hired by Claudia Zacchara (another rival) to kill Sonny.

When Spinelli tried to suggest to Sonny that he give custody of his children to his ex-wife in order to protect them, the mobster became irate. He attacked Spinelli and slammed his face into a pole. Maxie took Spinelli home, fearing he might have a concussion.