Page 32 of Ice Rebel

I still had no clue what he was talking about. Until I did. My gasp was unexpected and seemed to delight him. “Die Hard.”

“Exactly!” Wow. He was extremely excited. “The absolute best Christmas movie of all time.”

His reaction when I shook my head vehemently was even more adorable. “We might have our first argument. Die Hard is not a Christmas movie. It’s an action flick with perhaps the finest example of male bravado in the business.”

Roy had more facial expressions than any man I’d ever been around, including my family. Although comparing him to two of the most emotionally controlled men in the world wasn’t entirely fair.

Especially seeing how Roy acted as if I’d shot him, even falling against his truck. He also made me laugh, which had been a rarity lately.

“You didn’t just wound me. You shot an arrow straight through my heart.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not Cupid. Huh?”

My comment could easily be taken out of context. Our laughter faded, his eyes more intense than before. After returning to a standing position, he shoved his hands into his back pockets. “Yeah, that would be a mood killer. How about a ride? No hands.” He swung his body back and forth for emphasis.

“How about hands on the wheel and alright. There is something to be said about a man who knows how to maneuver Seattle traffic during rush hour.”

“Now that is a challenge I can win since I’ve lived in the area my entire life. Jump in, Clementine, even though that’s not your name. And buckle up.”

Within ten minutes, I realized my mystery date wasn’t simply the stuck-up athlete with a God complex. He was funny, articulate, and genuinely fun to be around. With the typical topics used as crutches on a first date tossed aside, determining who he was as a person and what made him tick was significantly more fun.

It was like solving a puzzle or a mystery with superficial clues that held much deeper meanings. Maybe I was overthinking the conversation, but whereas I’d always been a little awkward on dates, here I wasn’t expected to live up to anyone’s standards.

The bar was almost as unexpected, not anything like the heavy testosterone-based mancave I would have expected him to prefer. While he was post college by at least a couple of years, he still had a bit of the college frat boy attitude. Although that’s where the comparisons ended. The rest was all rugged male all the time.

As far as the other guys in the bar, and the dive was predominantly littered with burly men, they were more like hairy werewolves or hair band groupies than anything else.

“Then what is your favorite Christmas movie?” Roy’s question came out of the blue since we’d been discussing the best pizza joint in town.

I still believed my choice was the only acceptable one.

“Um… Let’s see. Either Four Christmases or Scrooged with Bill Murray.”

“Not It’s a Wonderful Life?” He seemed surprised.

“Too depressing.”

“Even with angels saving the day?”

I held up my index finger. “One angel and what the hero had to go through pisses me off. Did you know that movie almost tanked James Stewart’s career?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I know. My mother is all about Christmas. On Christmas Eve no matter how old we were or what we wanted to do, she’d force us to line up in the family room so we could watch the movie together. Then she picked it apart, including the actors who’d appeared in the movie. As we grew older, the only way the four kids could tolerate the event was by getting fashionably drunk.”

When he laughed, I could tell very easily how much he cared about his family and wasn’t making fun of their tradition. Maybe I’d need to return another half point. A solid nine wasn’t bad at all.

“How do you get fashionably drunk?” I sipped my wine, suddenly realizing we’d both ordered a second drink.

While leaning forward, he scanned the darkened bar as if worried others would hear what he had to say. “A trade secret. We carefully disguised the alcohol in these huge sports bottles we’d gotten in our stockings the year before. A new one every year. Mom thought we were drinking water or energy drinks instead of tequila.”

“That is brilliant.”

“I know.” He blew on his knuckles and raked them across his shirt.

“I hope that doesn’t mean she tarnished Christmas for you.”

“Nah. I love Christmas. Except…” His entire face wrinkled.

“Except?”