Page 52 of On the Rocks

My hand tightened around my phone. I could see it all so clearly. Cora would get along great with the guys, and I just knew Piper and Chloe would click with her in no time at all. To say nothing of Nana Dee, who was bound to adore her. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself. Cora didn’t seem sure where she wanted things between us to go. As for me…well, I wasn’t sure either. The relationship had ended pretty badly last time. But that was then, this was now. We were older, wiser—not the same dumb kids we used to be.

The guys kept going off, teasing me and congratulating me in equal measure. I knew it was their way of being supportive, but with things so up in the air between me and Cora, there was only so much of it I could take. I muted the chat, preparing to toss my phone aside, but that wouldn’t get Cora and tonight off my mind.

Instead, I opened Elixir’s social media pages, scrolling through the company’s accounts on X and Instagram and TikTok, checking to see where Elixir had been tagged. I tried to keep my scrolling work-focused at first, but on my X Pro dashboard, my eye caught on the column where I followed former classmates. I noticed a lot of my classmates were posting old high school pictures in preparation for the reunion. Some of the photos were grainy, clearly stolen from someone’s mom’s photo album.

I scrolled through them. It was like entering a time machine as I was dragged headlong into memories. God, it felt like a million years ago. Like this world belonged to a different Aiden.

I supposed it did.

Look at everything I’d accomplished since those days. Two successful companies. An award-winning liquor brand. More money than I could spend in a lifetime.

I paused my scroll as a familiar flash of red caught my eye. I zoomed in. It was exactly what I thought. Cora and I were in the background of someone else’s photo, walking down the hall, holding hands. I was probably on my way to drop her off at her history class. We gazed at each other in the photo, so focused on one another we didn’t even realize the camera was there. I wasn’t surprised. I remembered feeling so head over heels for her, almost as if I was in a constant freefall. Sort of like the moment our lips connected tonight. Warmth settled over me. This was a good memory, one I hadn’t let myself think about for a long time.

I kept scrolling, slower now, coming upon a picture from my football days. The senior team stood there, caught mid-celebration after a game. No. I looked closer, spotting the scoreboard. This wasn’t just a game. This wasthegame. The one where I’d lost my temper, very nearly lost control of myself. The one that was the whole reason I’d had to break up with Cora.

But that was a long time ago, I reminded myself. I was only a kid then, so charged on hormones and adrenaline that I didn’t know which way was up. I didn’t need to worry about anything like that happening now.

14

CORA

Iwas quickly becoming obsessed with the vegetarian pad thai in the cafeteria, and I had no idea how I was going to get my fix once my contract with Elixir ended. I took a bite, humming happily to myself, savoring the complex flavors. It was the perfect blend of sour, sweet, salt, and spice. Now all I wanted to do was whip up a cocktail to pair perfectly with the meal—a gin base, with a dash of lime and some kind of herb to complement the flavor profile. Basil, maybe? I’d run it by Dot and Javeed when they sat down.

Chris had already disappeared into the quiet little side room with his meal, but Dot and Javeed had been arguing over the pros and cons of the pasta primavera versus the bacon and cheese quiche the chefs had just removed from the oven, so they were currently in line, waiting for their food. While I was still alone, I pulled out my phone, planning to scroll through the analytics on my latest Masked Mixer video andnotthink about what happened the other night between me and Aiden, but a new text from my mom distracted me.

When do you think you’re going to arrive for the reunion?

The nice thing about going back home was that I didn’t have to worry about accommodation.

It’ll be some time tonight.

But what time?

I don’t know. Wasn’t really planning things down to the minute. It depends what time I get out of work. Why?

No reason. Just wanted to have your bed made up. Love you, honey.

I frowned down at my phone. There was definitely a reason, and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the bed. Knowing my mother, my bed had been made up since the moment I’d mentioned coming home for the reunion. There was something else going on with her. I’d felt a little silly when telling Aiden all my theories that day he drove me to Newburgh, but now I was certain there was something Mom wasn’t telling me. I was trying not to be a helicopter daughter—I knew she was entitled to have her own stuff going on—but it wasn’t like her to keep secrets.

And I was determined to sit down with her and get to the bottom of things as soon as I got home. All I had to do was get us in the same room, where she couldn’t escape or conveniently be too busy to talk, so we could hash this out. I hated the thought of her struggling alone. What if it was a situation like Trent’s grandmother where she was having health issues but didn’t want to admit it?

I opened Instagram to get my mind off my worries. There was nothing else I could do to solve the situation with my mother right now, whatever that might be. My latest Masked Mixer video was getting great numbers, the views and likes trending to be my best-performing video of the week, and the comments were still pouring in as people asked me to post the recipe. I usually added it to my stories the day after a video went live in order to keep the engagement going.

One of the comments was from Jennifer.

This is just the pick-me-up I need after a tough shift. Can’t wait to try this!

I frowned even as I hearted her comment. I loved the support, of course, but it was Jennifer’s mention of her tough shift that concerned me. Was work not improving at all for her? I hated that she was having such a rough time at work, and that she was still so dissatisfied with her job. She’d always loved cooking so much—the same way I loved mixing drinks. Had that love started to fade? What if she left cooking behind altogether?

I jumped into my private messages. Some of them were spam, some comments from fans, but one caught my attention. It was a message from Ironwood Distilleries, one of Elixir’s direct competitors.

Congrats on the contract with Elixir! What an amazing opportunity.

Ever since I’d started posting the behind-the-scenes glimpses of Elixir on my socials, there’d been a marked increase in interest in my partnership, especially from fans, but Ironwood was the most well-established company to have reached out to me so far. I kept reading.

Ironwood would really like to chat once you’re done with Elixir about an opportunity of our own. We think we’d be a really good fit and would like to talk about a partnership.

Another potential brand deal! This was exactly what I’d been hoping would come from my partnership with Elixir.

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