Falling for Max (Kowalski Family, #9) by Shannon Stacey
Dear Reader, Sometimes a character is meant to have a walk-on role and then exit stage left. Sometimes, though, those characters refuse to stay behind the curtain and keep sneaking back into the limelight.
With no sports bars in Whitford, Josh and Katie needed a place to watch the games in All He Ever Dreamed, so Max Crawford came along. With his big-screen television and comfortable couches, Max’s house was the place Whitford’s sports fans loved to cheer on their favorite teams. But Max intrigued me and I knew from his first appearance that I wanted to see him fall in love. Tori Burns refused to stay behind the curtain, as well. She came to Whitford to escape her parents’ acrimonious divorce and works part-time in the diner just to get out and meet people.
Tori meeting Max and sparks flying came as a surprise to me, and I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy reading!
Shannon
Dedication
For Megan, whose love for a certain 1964 musical will remain forever inexplicable to me. Don’t ever let anybody try to change you because you’re perfect just the way you are.
Chapter One
On the first day of each month, Max Crawford made it a habit to compile a list of everything he wanted or needed to accomplish that month. Without a list, he tended to immerse himself in work and then wonder why he was out of mouthwash and the car payment was overdue.
As the calendar ticked over to October, he catalogued which projects he was working on and their due dates. He noted there were two birthdays on his calendar, which meant shopping for and sending gifts to his mother and niece. The furnace needed its annual checkup. And he wanted to find a wife.
After a moment of deliberation, he drew a line through the last item. Then he wrote find a girlfriend.
On a separate sheet of paper, he jotted down a list of work supplies he needed to replenish. It took a while, as he had a tendency to jot down the items running low on any scrap of paper near his workstation, including the occasional napkin. Another sheet of paper for the monthly grocery order he’d place online.
Flipping back to the original paper, he amended his list again. Marking out find a girlfriend, he replaced it with four simple words. Go on a date.
He should probably start small.
Once he was satisfied he wouldn’t forget anything in October, he pinned the pages to the bulletin board attached to the side of his fridge with magnets.
Already on the bulletin board was a calendar sheet he’d printed out so he could write in the sporting events for the month. Post-season baseball. Football. Hockey. Then he’d highlighted the games he’d probably have a crowd for. With no wife and a big TV, his home was the closest thing Whitford had to a sports bar.
Making friends after moving to Whitford, Maine, seven or so years ago had started with his car breaking down. He’d called the only tow truck in town and, when Butch Benoit had shown up, the man had been listening to football on the radio. When Max had apologized for taking him away from the game, Butch had grumbled about his wife rarely giving up control of their ancient nineteen-inch television, so he was used to listening to them on the radio in his shop.
Max told Butch he had a big-screen TV, a living room full of leather furniture and no wife, and the implied invitation had spread through Whitford. Now Max had friends, and those friends had a hassle-free place to watch sports.
It was a system that had always worked well for Max in the past.
A knock drew him to the door and he opened it to let Josh Kowalski in. He was a game day regular and a good friend, so Max had been pleased when he’d called about dropping by. He was holding something wrapped in crumpled newspaper.
“Thanks for letting me stop by,” Josh said, walking to the island to deposit the package. “Trying to get away from the lodge on a secret mission isn’t easy.”
“Sounds intriguing.”
“I know you paint model trains, but I’m wondering if it’s possible to paint this.” Josh unwrapped the layers of newspaper as he spoke. “You know we’ve done a lot of work on the property, right?”
Max nodded. The Kowalskis owned the Northern Star Lodge, which had catered to snowmobilers for decades, but had recently gone year-round with the opening of the ATV trails into Whitford. Over the last couple of years, the family had done a great deal of renovating and rehabbing around the place.