Page 13 of On the Rocks

I kept walking even as she caught up to me. “A lab?”

“A really,reallynice lab. The kind of place you could film your Masked Mixer videos when you weren’t on the clock. And anyexperimenting you wanted to do with the ingredients we keep on hand would be totally covered.”

I staggered to a stop. That caught my attention for real. Having somewhere to film my videos other than the cramped kitchen Jennifer and I shared was enticing. It meant a cleaner aesthetic, and I wouldn’t have to worry about hogging the space or working around Jennifer’s schedule. And not having to shell out for my own ingredients would save me a fortune—not to mention give me the freedom to experiment in ways I’d never been able to justify before.

“Look,” Allie continued. “I know Aiden was a jerk back there. And I know you got off on the wrong foot the other night. But don’t think about him. The lab will beyourdomain, not his. Think about the work. No one can do it like you. Elixir needs you.”

I crossed my arms, torn. It would be a mistake to give in, to let Aiden back into my life in any way. But would it be an even bigger mistake to ignore this chance to take my career in a whole new direction? When would I get another chance to do something like this?

“Don’t walk away from this just yet,” Allie coaxed. “I think you have the chance to create something really special here, a line of drinks you actually believe in, because you’ve crafted them from scratch. How many mixologists can say they’ve done that? This could be incredible for the Masked Mixer brand.”

Gah! Why couldn’t I just let this opportunity go? I needed to walk away from Allie now, before I let her tempt me with words likestate-of-the-art lab. I wanted to be able to look Aiden in those smoldering blue eyes and tell him to take a hike once and for all. But on the other hand…it was the chance of a lifetime.The salary, sure, but mostly the opportunity to express myself creatively, on the clock and off it, in a top-notch lab. I wasn’t looking for a handout from Aiden. Truth was, I didn’t need him. If anything,heneededme. And from the sound of things, it would just be temporary, until the line of drinks was finalized. Then I could waltz off with my fat paycheck and my stack of new uploads and a whole lot of positive PR to find bigger and better opportunities.

“Fine,” I said. “If you can promise me all that, and that I’ll be able to film my Masked Mixer videos after hours with all the ingredients supplied, I’ll do it.”

“You will?” Allie said, ecstatic. “Yes.Yes! Of course. I will make it happen. We can have it written into the contract. Will you come back inside?”

I nodded, following her back into Eastfield.

Aiden looked up from his phone as we approached, his eyes widening in surprise. “Came crawling back, did you?”

“You wish,” I muttered.

“Cora’s agreed to do it,” Allie said, elbowing him.

“I’ll sign on for a limited contract,” I clarified. No way in hell was this going to be a permanent arrangement. “Only long enough to create and launch the product line.”

“And in addition to the partnership with the Masked Mixer, we’ve agreed that Cora can use the lab during downtime to film for her socials,” Allie added.

“Fine by me,” Aiden muttered. “We’ll have a new contract drawn up with the added terms. You can have a lawyer review it if you think it’s necessary.”

“Probably in my best interest,” I said, meeting his hardened gaze.

“Fine,” Aiden said. “Was that so hard?”

I glared at him across the table.

“We should probably shake on it though. Just to make it official.” He reached out, a smug grin on his face.

“Guess we should.” I reached across the table and grabbedAllie’shand, completely ignoring him. “Nice doing business with you.”

4

AIDEN

Iwalked through the front entrance of the Red Lion, wincing as the frame creaked and the door slammed behind me. I’d never been in a more dilapidated bar in my life. Each time I visited, I was glad I didn’t own it. The problem was my father did.

Hopefully, he was going to get around to fixing the door soon.

“Tony, my god, it looks like a limp?—”

“Stop saying that!”

I snorted. Dad sounded annoyed, which was par for the course when Maggie was around. When he told me he’d bought a bar to refurbish, I figured it might be a nice bonding experience for the two of us. As it turned out, neither of us were particularly handy, so he’d ended up bringing Maggie on board—a local handywoman whose tongue could be sharper than her hacksaw.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you,” she said. “Simple is better. Your customers won’t care about the lights. They want good beer and sports on the TV.”

“It’s not that kinda place. I told you. I’m going for classy. Sophisticated.”

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