Page 14 of Georgia-Blue & Hudson

We stop by the truck as we wait for Autumn to catch up.

“Do you really have a plus one?” He tilts his head, watching me. Then his eyes dip and I flinch as his fingers brush my shoulder, but when I look down, he’s flicking off a bee.

“Thanks,” I stammer.

His deep brown eyes meet mine again. “So, out with it. Who is this mystery man?”

My teeth bite into my lip as I try to think of a witty comeback, or even something that seems viable. “Fine, you got me. I don’t have a date yet,” I say. “But I’m working on it.”

For some reason, this seems to please him; if his smirk is anything to go by. Is me being dateless that amusing? Maybe he’s suddenly taken to reveling in my disastrous love life. Not that I even have one.

“What about you?” I toss right back. What’s good for the goose is certainly good for the gander in my book.

He seems to contemplate this for a moment as he opens the passenger door for me, and I climb up into his truck. He stays there in the doorway for a second, taking up all the room with his giant form. “Workin’ on it.”

He gives me a wink and closes the door, making his way around to the driver's side as I try to hide my smile.

??

“Do you think Gray and Hart are going to set a date?” Celeste asks when I’m back at the distillery. I’m helping her pack up shop for the day because frankly, I need some best friend time. Her baby bump is growing nicely, it looks so cute. They were going to put off the wedding until the baby was born, but Callan didn’t want to wait any longer before making my bestie his wife.

It’s so sweet. They spent so many years apart when she was in California making a new life for herself and Callan was here working on the farm, neither knowing they’d find their way back to one another. I know having a family is something they’ve both wanted and I secretly knew they would get back together one day. I have an intuition for these things.

I knew when my second eldest brother, Gabriel, met the nanny, Skye, that sparks would fly. She just had this aura about her that I’d never seen before, and I knew she was someone who had Gabe’s back and would never do him dirty like his ex-wife. She adores his six-year-old daughter, Trinity, too. I also knew Beau and Autumn would wind up together long before they actually did. And as for Brooklyn and Eden? Old news. I never gave up on them.

“I think Gray wants her name inked on his skin.” I roll my eyes.

Her eyes grow wide. “You think he’s got a tattoo?”

I snort. “Nope, but there’s something going on. Gray is always trying to keep Hartley all to himself, so inviting us all over screams some big news like ‘save the date’.” I clap my hands at the idea of planning their wedding.

“You could be right.”

“Gray has always been a romantic at heart.” He had a bitter divorce, which was how he met Hartley when she inadvertently became his divorce lawyer and the two fell in love. They are absolutely perfect for each other and I’ve never seen Gray so happy as he is with her. They just got the keys to their new place,Coyote Run, which is Gray’s nickname for the patch of land on the south side of the property that Mom and Dad gifted him many years ago. It’s always been his dream to build a ranch-style house and that’s what he’s spent the last year doing, as well as increasing the bourbon exports at the distillery. That’s his main job here now, when he and Gabriel aren’t going at it like little kids.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Coyote Run, they’ve been working on it for so long,” she says..

“Me too. Did you end up calling Hart?”

“I tried, but she was at work by then. She sent a text and said she’d call me back later.”

“We definitely need a girls’ night. Will you pleassse let me organize dinner for your last night of being Cece Brooks? You’re going to be a Bassett soon enough, God help you.”

She strokes her belly affectionately. For the past few months, Celeste has been telling me she’s not up for a bachelorette party or anything too extreme. She’s been feeling extra tired lately and Callan doesn’t want her doing too much as the baby grows.

“I can’t wait to officially be a Bassett.” She smiles. “And yes, let’s have a girls’ night, it’ll be fun.”

I clap my hands together. “We need to have drinks soon, and I need to knock Hudson off his moose riding perch.”

“I think I would definitely be up for that. Seeing your name up in lights would be epic.”

“I know!” Honestly, I’ve been wanting to try and beat Hudson for as long as I’ve been riding horses. Not that any of them have ever bucked me off, thank God. But it would be a night to remember.

“You gotta do it, GB. It’ll be the talk of the town.” Celeste turns off the lights in the main shop and we walk up the stairs to the tasting room and through the back to my office.

“I think I’m at my best when I’m mingling.” Some would saymeddling,but I don’t think that’s true.

“Just a little. Hey, how was today over at Hudson’s?”

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