As Max takes the last sip of his beer Harley swoops in again before I can grab the glass.
“Refill?” She gives Max a sexy smile.
I breathe a small sigh of relief when he shakes his head. “Just the tab.”
When Harley hands him the bill I notice their eyes meet for a little too long. My immediate instinct once again is to hit him. The guy is tall and well-built, but he’s definitely not as muscular as me or any of my brothers. I could probably take him in a fight. Not that he looks like much of a fighter anyway. He’s kind of got little a tree-hugger, hippie vibe. He probably does yoga or meditates. Maybe even both.
He hands Harley some kind of business card with the cash. “Keep the change.”
The beer was five bucks and he gave her a ten. Quite a large tip for one drink. I notice Harley’s eyes actually light up when she reads the business card. Her eyes haven’t lit up like that around me in a while. I don’t want to admit how much I miss it.
As soon as Max is out the door I snatch the business card from Harley’s hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she protests loudly.
She tries to grab the card back, but I’m a little too quick and definitely too tall for her to take it from me. I’ll give it back to her as soon as I have a chance to read what it says:
Old Town Ghost Tours. Max Elliot, Paranormal Investigator.
I can’t help but laugh. And not a small one either. A big, belly laugh. This guy can’t be serious. Ghost tours? In Old Town? Does he actually believe that’s going to be a viable business?
When I hand the card back to Harley her eyes narrow and she looks like she wants to hurt me.
“What’s so funny?” she snaps. She’s been snapping at me a lot and it’s starting to really piss me off.
“Would you mind talking with me in a normal tone of voice?”
“Fine.” Now her tone is condescending and sugary sweet. “Is this better?”
I heave a sigh. “Not really. Can’t we just be normal with each other?”
She shakes her head. “You made that impossible. Now why were you laughing?”
“You’re not really going to take that guy seriously, are you? A ghost hunter? I’m just glad he didn’t ask for your number.”
“Oh, I’m going out with him. I’m willing to bet a week’s salary on that. Mark my words. He’ll be back. And when he comes back he’ll ask for my number.”
I roll my eyes. “How can you be so sure?”
“Not everyone is like you, Jake. Some guys are interested in a little more than just fifteen minutes in the back room. He’s a dinner and a movie kind of guy. The kind of guy who will give a girl a goodnight kiss and then call the next day for a second date. He’s definitely not going to hump and dump.”
That hurts. I realize for the first time that I’ve never taken Harley on an actual date. We’ve never gone to a restaurant. Never gone to a movie. Of course we see each other at work on a daily basis. We’ve been in the back room hundreds of times and we’ve spent the night together in my bedroom a few times a week. But that’s been the extent of our relationship.
Maybe I really am the dick everyone thinks I am.
“He’s a guy. Maybe it’ll take him a little longer to close to deal, but his goal is still the same. He wants to get in your pants.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” When she bats her lashes at me I feel like she’s slicing right through my heart with a steel blade.
I realize I don’t want anyone in those sexy jeans of hers but me.
“Don’t go out with that guy,” I whisper in her ear. As I take in the scent of her strawberry shampoo I’m overcome with the desire to pull her into the back room with me. I want to be inside of her. I want to make her mine again.
She pushes me away. “I’ll go out with whoever I want. You don’t own me, Jake.”
And with that final slice through my chest she marches away.
Nine
Harley
Just as I predicted Max Elliot is back at Haymakers a few days later. He makes a point of sitting at one of the tables instead of at the bar this time. Maybe because he heard some of the conversation between me and Jake about my job being to wait tables and not serving patrons seated at the bar.
I notice right away that Jake is glaring at him. If looks could actually kill Max would already have several bullets in his back.
It hasn’t gone unnoticed by me that Jake hasn’t been with anyone since he hooked up with Regina. He hasn’t taken any girls into the back room and he hasn’t taken any girls home from the bar. It has to be some kind of record.
I intercept Gracie just as she’s about to wait on Max. “Let me get this one.”
She looks back and forth between me and Max as if she’s trying to figure out why I’m so eager to take her table. Then realization seems to come over her face.
“Sure, no problem. I was just going to help Tucker get some ice.”
As she tries to hurry away I notice that she’s actually waddling. She has to be the cutest pregnant woman I’ve ever seen. And I’m completely jealous. Not that I have any real reason to be. Her life was utterly shattered before she met Tucker. But now she has a guy who loves her unconditionally and would go to the moon and back for her if she asked.
I want that someday. I always thought I’d have that with Jake. I’m finally over that delusion.
“Good to see you again.” I give Max a big smile.
“Harley.” His face lights up when he sees me.
“Was the beer that good?”
He grins. “The beer was okay, but the service was sensational. Plus this seems to be the only bar in town.”
I nod. “This is a one-bar town. So why did you decide to start a ghost tour business here?”
“A lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is the new resort. All of their current activities revolve around golf in the summer and skiing in the winter. They’re daytime focused. This gives the guests something to do at night. Plus I have an in with their new Activities Director.”
I raise an eyebrow. The twins told me they hated the new girl who just got hired as the Activities Director. I think they called her Samantha. Of course their beef with her was that she’s blonde and beautiful. She was taking all of the attention of the male staff away from them.
My stomach sinks when I consider the possibility Max and Samantha are a couple and that’s why he’s moved to Old Town.
“She’s my sister,” he says quickly, as if he’s reading my thoughts. “I’m staying at her place until I get settled.”
“Good to know.”
“So I heard a rumor that the burgers here are delicious.”
I nod. “The fries are pretty good too.”
He laughs. “Already trying to upsell me. And you’re smooth too. I like that.”
“Stella. Burger. Fries.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Something tells me you’d like a pickle too.”
“Sure. I’ll try the pickle too.”
“So how’s the ghost hunting going?” I ask.
“I’ve just started putting the first tour together. I’m still in the research phase.”
“You’ve come to the right place. You are in Old Town, after all. There are plenty of historic buildings with a very high creep factor.”
“History was one of my majors in college.”
That piques my curiosity. Most people who leave Old Town to go to college never come back, and not many people with college degrees intentionally move to Old Town. I’ve been giving the idea of going away to school some thought since I ended things with Jake.
“One of your majors?”
He nods. “I liked school so much I ended up with three majors. And I stayed for a Master’s degree as well.”
“What did you study? I mean, besides History.”
“I also got a major in Literature. And Women’s Studies.”
I laugh. “Why Women’s Studies?”
“That one I admit was not purely academic.
Imagine being the only male in a classroom with twenty to thirty women. That was the ratio in every one of my classes in Women’s Studies. It beat trying to pick up girls at a frat party or the local bar on Friday nights.”
“And what did you study for your Master’s degree?” I probe.
“American Studies.”
“What exactly do you do with a Master’s degree in American Studies?”
“Run a Ghost Tour Company apparently.”
I laugh. “We don’t get many people in Haymakers with your level of education.”
“A lot of people are surprised when I tell them I have a Master’s degree. I guess I don’t look scholarly enough because I don’t wear little round reading glasses and a corduroy sports jacket.”
“You kind of look more like a surfer than an academic.”
“So you’re saying you can’t be smart and be a surfer?”
I shrug. “People usually don’t think I’m that smart either. They judge me by how I look. But I graduated top of my class and got several scholarships to Ivy League schools.”
When he looks into my eyes I can see his expression has turned serious. “I guess the obvious question is what you’re doing waiting tables here in Old Town. Why aren’t you at one of those Ivy League schools expanding your horizons?”
I gulp. I’ve started to ask myself the same question. “I don’t know,” I lie.
His penetrating blue eyes narrow. “Does it have anything to do with that guy?”
“What guy?” I try to sound casual even though I know exactly who he’s talking about.
“The guy at the bar who is glaring at us. The one who hasn’t taken his eyes off you.”
When I take a quick peek back at the bar I see Jake is staring right at me, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. His face is an angry stone mask and his eyes look like they’re shooting daggers at us.
I shake my head. “He’s my boss. Nothing more.”
Max glances over at Jake and then back at me. “You’re sure about that?”
“Positive.”
He gives me a sexy little grin. “Good.”
“I’d better put your order in.”
“Maybe when you bring me my beer and burger you can also give me your number.”
“And just what do you need my number for?” I tease.
“I’d like to ask you on a date.”
I grab the order pad from my back pocket, write down my cell phone number and hand it to him.
“I’ll call you tonight. What time do you get off work?”
“Maybe I’ll leave early tonight.”
“How early is that?”
“Eight? Is that too late?”
“Considering there’s only one bar in town and you work here I don’t think it’s smart to ask you out for a drink. But I saw a little movie theater. Want to catch a late movie?”
“It’s at nine.”
“Then it’s a date.”
When I make my way to the bar to place Max’s order I give it to Tucker instead of Jake. He’s still glaring at me and I don’t feel like dealing with him.
But I make sure to tell Tucker loud enough for Jake to hear that I’ll be leaving early because I have a date tonight.
***
I’m on the speaker phone with Mazzy and Suzie while I’m getting ready for my date with Max. I’m having a difficult time trying to decide what to wear. I’m torn between wearing some-thing appropriate for Old Town, basically jeans and cowboy boots, or something sexy because I’m actually going on a date.
“What can you tell me about Samantha Elliot?” I ask the twins as I pull on a pair of super tight skinny jeans.
“She goes by Sam,” Mazzy says.
I can’t help but laugh, but I guess the twins don’t get the joke. I don’t hear either of them laughing. “Sam Elliott is an actor. He’s an old dude.”
“Never heard of him,” Mazzy says.
“Neither have I,” Suzie adds.
“It doesn’t matter. What can you tell me about Sam?”
“Besides the fact that she’s a total bitch?” Suzie says.
“And rich, apparently,” Mazzy adds.
“Rich? What do you mean?”
“We heard that her uncle owns Tawnee Mountain. That’s how she got the job. Apparently he’s grooming her to run the place someday.”
“Wow. That’s something.” I quickly remove the jeans and opt for the sexy black dress instead.
“Why do you care so much about Sam anyway?” Suzie asks. “You’re not thinking about coming to work at the resort, are you? Jake would flip.”
“Jake and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”
“What!” Mazzy and Suzie scream in unison.
“What happened?” Mazzy asks.
“Tell us everything,” Suzie adds.
“He did something unforgivable. He lied to me and completely betrayed me.”
“That doesn’t sound like Jake,” Mazzy comments. “He can be a womanizing jerk. That’s true. But he’s not a liar.”
“This was something really big,” I assure them. “We’re done. That’s why I wanted to know about Sam. I have a date with her brother, Max.”
“Sam has a brother?” Mazzy sounds surprised.
“Is he hot?” Suzie asks.
“She does have a brother. He just moved to Old Town. And he is rather hot.”
“We always thought you could do better than Jake,” Mazzy says.
“A lot better,” Suzie adds.
“Tell us how the date goes,” Mazzy requests.
“I sure will,” I reply before I end the call.
***
I’m a little surprised when Max pulls up in a little red Mini Cooper convertible. It’s definitely not the kind of car I’d imagine him driving and certainly provides more evidence that’s he’s not from around here. Guys in Old Town drive pickup trucks and most often produced by American manufacturers. You’re a real rebel if you drive a pickup that’s not made in the good old US of A. A Mini Cooper is definitely not something you see every day in Old Town.
I’m so nervous my stomach feels like it’s filled with fluttering butterflies. I dated a few guys in high school, but nothing serious. I was too hung up on Jake my entire adolescence to even take another guy seriously enough. Of course my dad isn’t helping matters any. He wants to “check the guy out” and make sure he knows there isn’t going to be any “monkey business with his daughter.”
My dad is one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever meet, but to look at him without knowing him, he’s intimidating to say the least. And I think he likes it that way.
When my dad opens the door I can see Max’s eyes go wide for a split second, but he quickly recovers and has his hand out for my dad to shake. He’s definitely a smooth operator.
“Mr. Davis,” Max says. “Wonderful to meet you.”
My dad nods and steps away from the door so Max can enter.
Max is wide-eyed again when he sees me, but I’m hoping it’s for a completely different reason.
“You look amazing,” he says as he gives me his huge grin.
I definitely went all out in my sexy black mini dress and black heels. The outfit is much too dressy for the theater in Old Town, but I wanted to make a statement. It’ll take about five minutes from the time we arrive at the theater for news to travel back to Jake that I’m not only out with a sexy stranger, but I’m looking mighty fine.
Not that I care what Jake thinks.
Max doesn’t look too shabby either. He’s wearing khakis and a tight fitting polo that shows off his muscular upper body quite nicely.
“I’d also like you to meet my mom,” I tell Max.
I’m thrilled that he can’t keep his eyes off of me.
“Of course,” he replies. “Where is she?”
“Kitchen. Baking cookies. Just in case you need a snack. She doesn’t want you to go hungry.”
He grins. “That’s thoughtful.”
I laugh. “That’s my
mom for you.”
My parents could almost be a perfect Leave it to Beaver-type family if they didn’t look like some weird combination of a motorcycle gang and 60s hippie throwbacks.
Max smiles when he sees my mom. She’s holding a pan of baked cookies that have just come out of the oven.
“Just in time,” she says as she gives Max the once-over.
I can tell by the gleam in her eyes that she definitely approves. But I think my mom would be happy with anyone I brought home who wasn’t Jake Wilde.
“You have to try one while it’s still warm.” She pushes the pan of cookies toward Max.
“If you insist.” He grabs one of the chocolate chip treats and pops it into his mouth.
“Delicious,” he declares once he’s chewed and swallowed.
“My mom loves to bake. I’m not much of a cookie eater so she was thrilled when she found out you were coming over.”
“Let me box a few up for you,” my mom says as she grabs a Tupperware container from the cupboard.
“We’d better get going,” I say to Max. “We don’t want to be late for the movie.”
“Have her home at a decent hour,” my dad says as we walk back through the living room.
“Of course, Sir,” Max says politely.
“I’m an adult, Dad,” I remind him.
“My house, my rules,” he reminds me.
Could I be more humiliated?
“I’m so sorry about that,” I say as Max opens his car door for me.
“Sorry about what?” He winks.
Once we’re in the Mini I say, “My mom and dad can be a little overbearing sometimes. I am their only child.”
“I can see they care about you a lot. Nothing wrong with that.”
“They’re just glad I’m going out with someone other than Jake,” I say then immediately regret it.
“Let me guess. Jake is the guy from Haymakers.”
“He owns the bar. With his brothers. So he really is my boss. But he was also my…I don’t know. He really wasn’t my boyfriend. It’s complicated. But it really doesn’t matter anymore because we broke up.”
“So you don’t have feelings for him anymore?” Max asks.
Right to the point. I don’t want to lie, but I don’t want to ruin things with him either.
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