The way she’d joked and laughed with the bartender was one of the reasons he’d initially eavesdropped on their conversation. He was so glad that smile on her face now was because of something he’d said.
-- Max (Chapter One)

Importance: This quote establishes Max’s personality as well as how he genuinely cares for Olivia. For him, it is not just about picking a woman up at a bar. He wants to make her smile. He wants her to laugh for him. He sees something special in Olivia that he has not seen in other women. This also begins to establish the idea that Max has struggled to meet someone who likes him for who he is and not just because he is Senator Powell. Olivia clearly fits that ideal.

He loved the part of his job that was speeches and shaking hands and talking to people; he found people and...
-- Max (Chapter Two)