Page 43 of Yo Ho Ho
"And you guys stay right here."
"That we do." He took a towel from his shoulder and wiped down the bar in front of him. "So what are you having?"
"Jack on the rocks." She turned and gave Logan a warm smile. "What do you want?"
Logan stopped for a minute, staring at the woman in front of him with the brown eyes who seemed so at ease at this no-nonsense dive bar. It was just another thing he found attractive about her, although he shouldn't really be surprised. Max was a no-nonsense kind of woman, which is something he always liked about her.
"Uh, whatever you're having."
She smiled and turned back to the bartender. "Make that two. Oh, and I'm paying."
Yep, definitely no nonsense. But that didn't mean he had to always agree to it.
"No, I am. You can get the next round."
Max scowled at him. "I can pay for drinks."
"I know you can," he said as he opened his wallet and handed over his credit card to the bartender. "You can buy next round."
He turned to see the bartender staring at him. Uh oh. He recognized that stare. It was the "Holy shit, you're a hockey player for the Detroit Pirates" stare. But then the bartender's stunned face began to warm up again as he leaned over and said to Max, "You can bring Logan Moore here anytime you want." Then he winked at her.
It didn't bother Logan or at least it shouldn't have bothered Logan. That guy looked like he was 60 years old with thinning gray hair and a growing belly. He was the stereotypical bartender.
And yet, seeing Max get attention like that from another man made him feel jealous. Max was there with him, not the bartender. He was her date.
But Max just gave the man a small smile in return. "We're going to take a seat in the corner. Can we get our drinks there?" The man nodded and took Logan's card back with him. "C'mon," she said, taking hold of Logan's arm to direct him to the table.
Whatever unwarranted jealousy he was harboring quickly disappeared as Max led him over to a small table set back in the space. It was a quiet corner, away from the main bar — although that wasn't saying much considering how small the bar was already. She took her coat off and draped it over the back of the rickety chair before sitting down. He followed her lead, taking his coat off and sitting in the chair across from her.
Logan leaned over on the table and smiled at her. "You are full of surprises, Maxine Quinn."
She turned her head slightly. "Really?"
"I expected maybe a flashy bar or a loud bad or something," he said. "I don't know why, but once we walked in, I kind of realized that this is your kind of bar, isn't it?"
"It is," she said earnestly. "It's the neighborhood place and the regulars know me and usually talk my ear off about hockey, which is always fun."
"I can imagine."
She gave him a perplexed look. "How so?"
He rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "You love talking about hockey and debating hockey. You don't play it, but it's still a huge part of your life and you're OK with that."
She gave him a sheepish smile before quickly turning as the bartender came over to set down two drinks and a basket of popcorn in front of them.
"Thanks, John."
"Yeah, thanks."
The man gave Logan his card back and leaned over. "The last guy she brought in was a loser. But she can bring you in anytime, OK?"
"Who was the last guy she brought in?" Logan asked.
John the bartender shook his head. "I don't know who he was, but he never heard of Bobby Orr. Max is too good for a man like that."
The bartender walked away without another word as a smile began to tease Logan's lips. He turned to find Max grabbing for her drink with her big brown eyes darting around the bar, trying to avoid looking at him.
"Your last boyfriend didn't know who Bobby Orr is?"
