Max flashes me a grin when he reaches his truck. “I’ll meet you there.”
I climb into my pickup and set the medicine in my cooler with the ice pack. It’s still cold out, but the sun is shining, and the cab of the pickup will get hot while I’m eating lunch.
I drive the two blocks down the road and pull in front of the small café. Max pulls in behind me. We climb out and walk into the Shaky Pine Café.
Sharon greets us from where she’s handing out a cup of coffee to someone at a booth. “Hello, boys!” she says with a smile. “I’ll be right over to help you.”
Max and I sit down at one of the tables that has four chairs crammed around it, which don’t quite fit.
Sharon makes her way over and sets a couple of full coffee cups in front of us.
We both order the special of the day without bothering to ask what it is. The café is notorious for its homestyle cooking and real food. It’s like going home to your mom’s amazing food.
“Back to Bliss,” Max says quietly. “She turned you down.”
Max picks up the cup of coffee in front of him and simply holds it while he waits for me to answer.
“I don’t really want to talk about it. It wasyourbad idea,” I remind him.
“No, it wasn’t a bad idea. You just had poor execution.” Max shakes his head like a disappointed father. “You were supposed to woo her first.”
“Woo her?” I chortle. “Who even says that?”
“The man who actually has a wife.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re annoyingly smug for someone who tricked Charlie into marrying you.”
“I didn’t trick her,” he replies defensively. “I proposed like a normal person.”
“You gave her a puppy with a ring on its collar. She couldn’t turn you down.”
Max grins at that. “I’ll admit, I was careful to make it seem like a good idea.”
“And now you’re married despite her better judgment. Poor woman.” Annoying Max is so easy. It’s almost impossible to resist.
“Charlie has great judgment,” Max scoffs. “I don’t know why you would suggest otherwise.”
“Because she married your grumpy ass,” I reply dryly.
Actually, that’s not fair. Idolike Charlie. A lot. She seems to have great judgment. She’s easy to be friends with, and she’s so good for Max. He’s been way more relaxed than I’ve seen in years.
Charlie has endeared herself to our small community by putting her contracting skills to work. She’s done some renovations on my house and even built an enclosed porch for my mom.
“My point is, I did things in the proper order. I charmed her. I flirted. I asked her to be my girlfriend, and then eventually, I proposed.”
“That’s not the way Charlie tells it.” I smile as I lift my coffee cup to my lips.
Max’s smug look falls from his face. “Fine. We had a rough start. It’s why it took so much charm.”
“You dragged her out of the house the first time you met her,” I remind him so helpfully.
Max mutters something under his breath. “There was no dragging; I carried her.”
“I’m saying that maybe I shouldn’t be taking advice from you in the relationship department.”
“I regret suggesting Bliss to you. If you’re not going to at least put some effort there?—”
I cut him off. “Bliss is great. She can hold her own. Why wouldn’t I want to be married to her?”
