Page 6 of Romancing My Grumpy Goalie

I bark out a bitter laugh. “I’m not sure I would have worded it that way.”

We take the Maple Creek exit and head toward Dixie’s Tavern. My mouth is watering already, thinking about their juicy hamburgers.

We pull into their parking lot and head inside. Garlic and onions cooked with beef permeate the air, and the bar is packed. “I’ve only been here once, but that was enough for me to understand why everyone loves this place so much.”

“See? I told you Maple Creek wasn’t all bad.”

I grunt in response.

Jace cocks an eyebrow at me. “You’re a man of many words tonight.”

I grunt again.

Jace laughs. “Come on, you cave man. Let’s see if we can find a couple spots at the bar. There are some beautiful women here tonight. You never know, I might do a little dancing.”

“Just get a little tipsy first so you can build up your courage,” I growl.

He puffs out his chest. “I don’t need booze to give me courage.”

I lead us to the last two empty barstools, and we climb up.

Dixie, an older woman with long graying hair, comes up to us with a couple of menus. “Good evening, fellas. What can I get you two?” She lays napkins in front of each of us. “You’re Lucas, right?”

I nod.

“You were in here last week getting a burger.”

“That was me.”

“You new in town?” Her voice is low with a soothing quality to it, like she’s part bartender, part therapist.

“Yes, ma’am. My brother convinced me to come out here.”

“Jace is a good one.” She winks at him, and we give her our order.

Right after she turns away to get our drinks, one of the dads from the team Jace coaches heads toward us.

Jace turns to him. “Hey, man.” He claps him on the back.

“You feeling better?” the guy asks.

Jace shrugs. “For the most part.”

“Lucas.” He turns to me. “Did you meet Ben when you substituted?”

I nod. “We didn’t get the chance to talk, but he was there.”

He reaches over and shakes my hand. “Nice to officially meet you.” Ben looks over at Jace. “Lucas may not have gotten a chance to talk to me at the game, but he sure got acquainted with Nolan’s mom. The woman’s quite the catch. Owns that boutique my wife loves with the homemade soaps.” He tosses a playful punch into my arm.

My body gets hot from my head to my toes. I stare at the guy without speaking.

“What’s this about Lucas and Anabelle?” Jace asks as Dixie sets a bottle of Corona in front of him.

So that’s her name. It’s beautiful, just like her.

Jace eyes me curiously, a grin spreading over his face. “Wait a second, were you hitting on one of my kids’ moms?” He tosses the bottle back and takes a long pull.

“No,” I say, louder than I intend.

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