We put the helmets away. Grayden held my hand on the way inside.
When we stepped through the doorway, an indie rock song greeted us, along with a giant trophy of a moose head above the bar. The tables were made of rough-hewn wood, and the rock concert posters adorned the walls.
“Is that the place’s namesake?” I asked under my breath, nodding at the trophy. “Looks pretty mangy.”
“I assume so.”
“Does it seem the same as you remembered?”
“The moose, yes. The rest, not really.” His hand moved to the small of my back. “They used to play classic rock. And they had wood shavings on the floor. This is much cleaner.”
“Sounds like an improvement.”
“I dunno. I liked that it was a dive.” His eyes narrowed critically as he scrutinized the place. “There was this one regular who was always slumped on the stool in the corner. Like he was glued there. Great guy.”
I was snickering at him as we pulled up seats at the bar. There were little hooks underneath to hang our coats, which Grayden also managed to complain about. Also the barstools were too comfy, apparently.
I smacked a kiss on his cheek, passing him a bar menu. “You’re adorable.” He pretended to grumble, but he put a hand on my thigh and squeezed.
“Hi! Welcome to The Mangy Moose.” A bartender set a couple of glasses of water in front of us. She looked like she’d turned twenty-one yesterday.
“This place has been here a while, huh?” I asked.
“Yeah! The building’s been here for ages. The bar was closed down, like, forever. It’s a landmark. Part of the local history. The new owners bought it last year and restored it to its former glory. Let me know when you’re ready to order. Be sure to check out our mocktail menu.”
“Local history,” Grayden grumbled after she walked away. “Makes me feel ancient. The old Mangy Moose would never have served mocktails.”
I flipped to that page of the menu. “They look really good.”
“I guess it’s a smart idea. I don’t want to ride the bike under the influence. And you drank enough last night.”
I elbowed him. “Maybe you should stop complaining then.”
“You could stop my complaining by kissing me.” He nuzzled my neck. Warm, happy chemicals raced into my bloodstream.
I liked Grayden like this. Playful and affectionate. It was just hard to accept that this was forme. The only man I’d ever actually dated was Danny, and he’d never given affection easily.
Ugh, why was I thinking about my ex-husband right now? For even just a few hours, I wanted to forget he existed.
“Order me a mock-arita?” I asked. “I’ll be right back. Going to visit the girls’ room.”
“Sure.”
The bathroom was freshly remodeled with new tile and a trendy sink design. Yet another clue that this place was no longer a dive bar. Well, Grayden could grump about that if he wanted to. I was enjoying myself.
I did love a good dive bar, but I liked some frills and modern touches too.
When I emerged from the restroom a couple minutes later, the place had started to fill up, and an upbeat country song was playing. An older couple was dancing in an open area, broad smiles on their faces. The way they touched each other made me think they’d been together a long time.
Sliding onto my stool, I noticed a group of twenty-something women had arrived while I was gone. One had a plastic tiara with rhinestones spelling outBride. Her friends were around her, passing out shots.
I hoped the bride-to-be had better luck in her marriage than I’d had. Maybe she’d be like that couple on the dance floor. Growing old togetherand still in love.
My chest did something funny. My heart thudding in an uncomfortable way.
I took a sip of the mocktail waiting in front of my seat. Grayden was already halfway through his. “The bridesmaids are staring at you,” I said.
“Thewhat?”
