Page 39 of Charlie Takes a Chance

A back cramp hits at the exact moment he drops that juicy tidbit.

I bend down and grab my calves, trying to loosen up the back cramp. “When did they start dating?” I ask him.

“September,” he answers as he unzips his vest and tosses it onto the bales.

I sink down onto a bale, planting my elbows on my knees and resting my chin in my hands. “I have so very many questions.”

Max takes off his ball cap and runs a hand through his wavy hair. “Okay. A question for a question.”

“This feels like a trap, but I’ll bite. Why did you break up?” I stand up and reach my hands in the air as the cramp finally loosens.

“She didn’t feel like staying in a small town was right for her.” He folds his arms across his chest and leans against the support beam. “Why did your boyfriend break up with you?”

“I was too unconventional to introduce to his parents,” I say it as quickly as I can.

“Unconventional?” Max asks with a snort. “What the hell is unconventional about you?”

“My line of work.”

Max then calls Bryce a not-nice name, and I might just fall in love a little.

“My turn for a question.” I sit up straight and tap my fingers on my knees. “Where does your brother live?”

“Fort Rock.”

“Like, Fort Rock, Oregon?” I ask for clarification. I drove through there once. I almost blinked and missed it.

“The very same one.”

“What?” I can’t help the shriek. “There are three people that live there, and she broke up with you because of a small town?”

“Well, there’s definitely more than three, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

There’s a bitter taste in my mouth as I imagine someone abandoning Max—for his brother. Here I’ve been teasing him about his girlfriends, and by the tight look on Max’s face, this has been a hard breakup.

“I’ll fight her for you,” I offer with a tight smile.

His face relaxes into a soft grin. “You’d win.”

I snort. “Obviously.”

Max throws a few more bales down below and passes me a knife. “Want to cut the strings while I carry a fresh bale of straw to the calf?”

I salute him with the pocketknife. “Yes, sir, right away, sir.”

“You’d be terrible in the army,” he says with a chuckle.

“Thanks for that vote of confidence,” I shoot back.

“You talk back too much.” He grins. “It’s a good thing I don’t mind.”

I snatch my coat from the bales and hurry down the stairs. I need to get away before I say something else weird like, ‘Hey, you’re a catch, and your girlfriend is an idiot.’

Because if I said that—wouldn’t it mean I’ve been thinking it?

CHAPTER 16

Charlie

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