Page 32 of The Best Man Wins

“This is official business. And I need your palate.”

“Well, sober-man-out, why don’t you ask one of the boys for their opinion?”

“You have better taste.” Those dark eyes meet mine.

I let out a light laugh and tuck my phone in my back pocket. “Okay,” I agree. “A small taste.”

Braxton hands one of the glasses to me. I tip it to my lips and take a small sip. The acidic taste of raw liquor hits the back of my throat harshly, and I screw up my nose.

“It tastes like a coin,” I tell him.

“Nickel or a penny?”

“There’s a difference?”

“Like tinfoil or copper?”

I think. “Copper.”

“You’re tasting the original stills.” He tosses the rest of the cup in the discard bucket and hands off another shot. “Try this one.”

A summery smell hits my nose as I put it to my mouth. I daintily sip this one and roll it on my tongue before taking a second taste.

“Well?” Braxton watches me expectantly.

“Better,” I say. “It tastes like peaches…a little less smoky.”

Braxton turns back to Alice. “We’ll reserve a barrel of the peach moonshine for the reception,” he tells her.

Ray and Colburn have three times as many empty tasting glasses in front of them. “Take this away from me,” Ray groans. “That moonshine is dangerous. Goes down like water.”

“You ain’t kidding,” Colburn laughs.

Braxton’s eyes flit over my head, and his expression changes. “Hold that thought.” He whisks past me toward the door. I see him greet someone, but I can’t see who it is at first—the postcard rack blocks the other’s body from view. Braxton smiles widely and goes in for a hug. I see red hair—it’s a woman, I know that for sure. He pulls her through the gift shop, his hand on her back, and I try to ward off this incomprehensible stab of jealousy.

When I see who it is, however, my heart plummets into my stomach.

“I thought I’d invite my plus one,” Braxton announces to our group. “I hope you don’t mind. You know each other, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” Mandy says, a coy smirk on her lips as her eyes lock on Ray. “We know each other, all right.”

Mandy steps in and Ray pulls the girl into a hug. He looks like he’s gotten the wind knocked out of him, but he grins through it charmingly. “Hell, girl, good to see you here…c’mon.” Ray moves aside and motions her to the bar. “There’s plenty to go around.”

“A woman never turns down a drink.” Mandy winks and sidles up next to Ray.

Braxton steps back beside me like a shadow.

“Mandy,” I hiss. “Really?”

Braxton wears this most infuriating, cocky smirk. “We met when I went to pay for the wedding cake. You guys racked up quite the bill.”

I’m kicking myself now for mentioning Mandy to him last night. “I told you about Mandy in confidence,” I murmur. “Not so you could use her against me. You know she’s a ticking time bomb.”

“I told you from the start that I was tearing this wedding down,” Braxton says as he squints at me. “Don’t get mad at a wolf when he eats a sheep.”

“You’re not a wolf,” I scoff. “You’re just an ass. How did you get Mandy to be your plus one?”

“What do you mean?”

---