Page 85 of On the Rocks

“Oh, definitely the Red Sun. How can you pass up passionfruit and vanilla?”

“You can’t,” I agreed, leaning a little closer. “Just between us, the new Elixir Free Raspberry Chai Royale makes a great base for whiskey drinks.”

“I’ll have to stock up,” she said, smiling. “So great to meet you.”

“You too. Make sure to tag me and let me know what you think about the new mocktails.” She hurried off, and I’d barely turned away before I was stopped for another selfie request.

I smiled and schmoozed, playing up my part as the Masked Mixer, the face of the new line. But as I did, I couldn’t stop thinking about Aiden making the rounds on the other side of the room, barely sparing me a glance. I felt like I’d been cut adrift, or like I was trying to get the attention of a stranger. I knew there was a certain amount of glad-handing we both had to do tonight to fill our respective roles, but why hadn’t he bothered to make his way back over to me? He’d said he was going to introduce me to the group of influencers, but now he seemed perfectly content to have a sea of people between us.

“Masked Mixer,” a woman said, snagging me for a conversation. “I’m Elenor Weisner.” She shook my hand. “I believe we reached out to you on social media.”

I spotted the logo on the business card she handed me. “Oh, right. Ironwood Distilleries. Yes, I remember.”

“It’s great to meet you in person. I was hoping we might bump into you tonight.” She gestured to the bar. “My colleagues are off trying the new line.”

I chuckled politely. “Hopefully they’re impressed.”

“It looks like you’ve done a brilliant job here.” She gestured to the row of Elixir Free on display in the middle of the room.“And now that you’ve delivered on your contract with Elixir, I’m hoping that means your time has freed up. I wanted to renew the offer for a partnership.”

Oh. When I’d turned them down before, I’d believed Aiden might renew my contract…which he had, but only on a limited basis. What would happen when this current extension ended? I’d been toying with the idea of staying on with Elixir for a while longer, but it didn’t hold as much appeal as it had, now that things were strained between Aiden and me. Maybethatwas what was going on—he assumed that we were wrapping up with our business relationship, and he figured I’d be moving on, personally and professionally?

I didn’t want to leave Aiden, didn’t want to give up on what we had. But I’d learned long ago that I couldn’t count on him. I needed to make my decision based on what was best for me. So maybe it was smarter not to close this door completely. “I’d actually really like to hear more about that. Do you think we could set up a meeting?”

Elenor beamed. “That would be great. Shall I have my assistant DM you?”

I pulled a business card from my clutch. “Actually, email would be better.”

Elenor took the card. “I look forward to our conversation.”

I smiled. “I look forward to hearing what you think about the mocktails. Good to meet you.”

With a nod toward the bar, Elenor set off. She exchanged words with her colleagues, one of them high-fiving her, the other taking the business card and immediately jumping on her phone. I suspected I’d have an email in my inbox within the hour. Butuntil then, I needed a drink of my own. I clocked a relatively empty bar on the other side of the crowded room and made a beeline for it. Before I could even get halfway there, I froze. Ice flooded my veins as a horribly familiar figure cut through the crowd toward me.

“Hi, Cora.”

I stared up at him in shock. “What the hell are you doing here, Levi?”

24

AIDEN

“They’re just, like, so freaking good,” Cassie said, the fashion influencer throwing back the rest of her Elixir Free mocktail like it was a shot of tequila as she tottered on her ridiculously high heels. She stumbled a bit before latching onto Elio as if he were a lighthouse in the darkness. To be fair, the make-up influencer currently had neon-green tips accenting his dark hair, whichdidmake him easy to spot.

“Babes, why are you already tipsy?”

Cassie rattled her glass at him, giggling. “This is my fourth drink.”

“They’re alcohol free.”

Cassie blinked at him, then burst out laughing. “Guess I’m drunk on the vibes.” She threw her arms around Elio, kissing him on the cheek as she snapped a selfie of the two of them. “Where the hell did Artie go?”

I shook my head discreetly, sipping my Old Fashioned. I’d already walked the step and repeat and took the obligatoryphotos Dominic insisted on—mostly me posing with the mocktails in hand. But I’d needed a real drink to help me endure the task of micromanaging the influencers and keeping them focused.

“Oh my god, should we go live on Insta?” Cassie asked.

“Maybe later,” Elio said. “I heard Bethany Lyons is invited tonight.”

“Ew,” Cassie said, shooting me a hard look. I had no idea what it meant or who the hell Bethany Lyons was. “We’re keeping away from her. She’s nothing but a backstabbing, content-stealing?—”

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