Page 37 of Redemption

“You’re cute,” I teased. He flipped me off and I laughed. “Of course shit’s tough. I don’t know where I would be right now if I didn’t have the cabin, starting work on the ranch and this job too.”

“Working on the ranch, eh? That’ll be tough,” Max sighed, banging the broom against the side of the bar to get the remaining dust off it.

“Yeah but I think it’ll be good tough. Plus, I get to pay back a little bit of the huge debt I owe to the Cartwrights. Trying to redeem myself, you know?”

“I get it. Charlie used to talk about you, at the poker games.”

I left the beer mats in the corner of the bar and leant against it, folding my arms over my chest. “Poker games?”

“There’s an afterhours poker game every Sunday, real hardcore stuff. Charlie used to own it each week, he’d swindle everyone out of their money. Men turned up friends and left enemies by the end of it. But they’d shoot the shit while they played. Goddamn he was proud of you,” Max said, lifting his head and looking at me.

A tightness clenched my chest at his words, and I ducked my head. “He was a good man.”

“I think that’s why everyone came here to see you tonight. Some of ‘em were curious why Charlie cared about you so much after, you know, everything.”

I’d just about hit my limit of talking about Charlie without sobbing like a baby when Max changed the subject. “I know things are real tough for you right now and I’m just some random guy you don’t know who’s now your boss. But I’m a good listener and I don’t baby people so if you wanna talk or just have a beer, that’s cool with me.”

Was I making a friend? I hadn’t done this since I was a kid, I didn’t know how to do it as an adult. Max seemed like a pretty cool guy that I could banter with so I tried and felt like I was gonna shit my pants.

“If you wanna be friends Max, just say you wanna be friends.”

Max laughed, the sound rusty. “Let’s be friends, I know you got room for one.”

“Tell me how you came to own a bar at twenty-six?” I asked, curious about my new friend.

“It was my grandpa’s bar; he went into a home recently and left it to me. My parents are alcoholics, so I had mixed feelings about it but when something like this gets dropped into your lap, you don’t squander it.” Max put the broom back and then together we emptied and restacked the dishwasher.

“Sorry to hear about your pops. Alcoholic parents, huh? I think mine were probably the same. Do you still see yours?”

Max shook his head. “Nah, I try to avoid it. Sometimes they turn up looking for some money and I stupidly give it to them. I can’t say no, you know?”

I didn’t say anything. I wasn’t in a position to give anyone advice on dealing with their parents when I hadn’t seen mine in twelve years. I knew they’d moved out of Reverence but I didn’t know where they’d gone.

Good riddance, I say.

“So now I live upstairs and I spend my life here, all alone.”

“No lady?”

We finished with the glasses and then Max was cashing out the register.

“Nope, ain’t got time for that really. I’m not boyfriend material so I just hook up when I need it.What about you? You didn’t make any female pen pals, like the ones who fall for men in prison?”

I laughed. “Nope, unlucky.”

“Well now you’re out and have fresh pick of the ladies in town. Is there anyone you’ve got your eye on?”

I hesitated as a pair of pink cowgirl boots flitted through my mind. “Nah.”

Max snorted. “Well, that’s a lie.”

“No one Ishouldbe thinking about, that’s for sure.”

“Kat then?”

I actually blushed. “What? How did you know?” I spluttered, not smooth at all.

“It was obvious from how much you were staring at her tonight. It won’t be smooth sailing with that one I tell ya, given your history.”

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