Page 53 of Yo Ho Ho
Max put her hands on her hips and stared at him. He was going to stay strong. He wasn't going to let her scathing look break him. But he didn't stand a chance against her.
"My mind was totally in the gutter."
Max laughed in a way that went straight to his bones, and Logan knew he would do anything to get that kind of laugh out of her again sometime.
"Let's go," she said.
She grabbed the coffee she had set down along with a large purse, and they headed out together. After she closed the door behind them and made sure it was locked, Max slipped her hand into Logan's. It was just a quick move but felt so natural that he couldn't help but hold on to her. Maybe things would change. Maybe their jobs would cause too many barriers. Maybe it just wouldn't work out. But in this moment, as the two of them walked down the hall of her apartment building with coffees in hand, Logan refused to believe this wouldn't work. This relationship just felt different and special, and the fact that it was Max just made it that much better.
They walked out into the freezing cold, and Max pulled them over to her car in the parking lot. She opened her door and threw her purse in the passenger seat and her coffee in her cup holder before standing back up to look at him.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later."
"I'll see you later," he replied. "How's your schedule for the next few days?"
She gave him a sad smile. "Busy, unfortunately," she said. "There's a lot I have to wrap up before the end of the year."
He nodded and pulled her close, feeling the warmth of her body against his. He didn't fully understand how tough the next few days must be for her as the paper closed up, but he refused to try and push too hard. They could get through the next few days however they needed to. Once that was over, Logan would have Max to himself, and they could worry about what the future held for them then.
"I'll still see you at the next few games, right?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "I'll be there."
"Good."
He gave her a kiss on the top of her head and squeezed her a little tighter before finally letting her go. She stood up on her tip toes, giving him a kiss in reply. She didn't seem to care if anyone saw them, which was fine because he didn't care either. So what if someone saw them? A beautiful woman was kissing Logan Moore. He would never complain about that.
She pulled away and smiled at him. "Merry Christmas, Logan."
"Merry Christmas."
Logan reluctantly stepped away from her and waited for Max to get in her car before gently closing her door. He waved as she drove away, taking a sip of his warm coffee to replace the warmth she had taken with him. Then he trudged back to his own car and climbed in. Thankfully, the engine started up quickly and he pulled out of the spot, heading home alone. But he honestly didn't feel alone, at least not the alone he felt when he left his apartment last night.
Now things were different. Now he had Max.
Chapter 19
The game clock was ticking down in the third period with the Pirates up by a goal. As it stood, the potential game-winner was still Logan's goal from last period. It was a beautiful break away with Alex and Logan working together, sprinting down the ice. Alex slipped a no-look pass around a New York defender to Logan, who one-timed it into the goal. Screw football. That was definitely going to make it the Sunday night highlight reels.
What probably wouldn't make it is the quick glance Logan made towards the press box as he skated to the bench after receiving congratulations from his team. Max knew he couldn't see her all the way up here, but it didn't matter. She knew he was looking up to her.
It sucked that she hadn't been able to see him since Christmas Eve. They had exchanged a few texts, but nothing more than to check in with each other. After spending Christmas with her family, Max dove into her work at theHerald. She had stories to write and emails to answer. A few of the media guys asked for her contact information and told her they would keep an eye out for any job openings.
Her final column ran this morning. She had taken Logan's advice and written a piece about her and her time with the team. It was an ode to the players she covered every night and the fans who read her stories every morning. Most important, it was about her love for hockey, which was something she would carry with her after the paper shut down.
Bob sent her a long note a few days ago about how impressed he had been with her work and how much he was going to miss her. It was one of a handful of times that she had cried in the newsroom that week. She hated crying in public, but she couldn't help it. Saying goodbye to so many people she cared about was emotional. Saying goodbye to the job she loved was even worse. She didn't think it was going to be this rough, but there was so much that kept piling up and piling up. Some librarians from a local college came in a few days ago and took away boxes of theHerald's archives that the paper had donated since all that history needed a new home. Max packed up a few things each day to take back with her and each trip brought more nostalgia.
There had been so much build up this week as they got closer to the end that she was kind of looking forward to this emotional roller coaster being over. But until then, she had her job to do.
During a break in play, Max got up and headed for the free hot dog table that the team's public relations office set up. She wasn't sure if she would miss those.
"Do they serve you this crap every game?"
Max turned to see Barry Lawrence, the managing editor of the paper, giving her a teasing smile.
"Every game."
"I'm glad I didn't try to come here sooner," he said as he slathered some ketchup on his own dog.
