Page 24 of The Distiller's Darling

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, climbing into the passenger seat of her BMW.

“You’ve been here a month, and I’ve seen you wear two things—a black suit and this ensemble.” She flicked her fingers toward him, then started the engine of her car.

Iain glanced down. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He had on black boots, black jeans, a gray thermal henley, and a black leather jacket. His nods to accessorizing were a black and gray herringbone pattern flat cap, a black scarf, and his watch. He thought he looked damn good, even if he did say so himself. His look was spartan, but it worked for him. He was a bit miffed Angelica didn’t appreciate it.

“Not a thing.” She looked both ways and then pulled out into traffic. “But you have to admit, it’s not very creative.”

“No, it’s not,” he agreed with a chuckle. He didn’t have time to say anything more in defense of his clothes, because she reached out, turned the volume up on the radio, and began singing along with the lyrics at the top of her lungs. The songs were familiar, and her good mood was unmistakable. Now and then, she’d toss him a happy, carefree look. It was so infectious that by the time they turned off the highway and into the suburban shopping center, he was singing too. No wonder Noah was captivated.

“I give you Mecca,” she said with mock reverence as she pulled her car into a parking spot and then jumped out to wave grandiosely at the red-topped building in front of them.

Iain unfastened the belt at his thigh and slid out of his seat, taking a quick glance around. With no small amount of horror, he realized there were maybe four hundred other cars in the parking lot with them. A complete disinterest in fashion wasn’t the only thing that usually kept him from shopping trips. He wondered if he could bribe Angelica to shop for him while he waited in the car and caught up on his email on his phone.

Apparently, he’d inadvertently telegraphed his intent.

Angelica took one look at him and shook her head. Looping her arm through his, she tugged him forward. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re coming with me, mister.”

Half an hour later, he could almost admit he’d been hasty in wanting to skip out on the shopping trip when they’d first arrived. That was, until a kid still wearing his bed clothes came tearing around a corner screaming something about Transformers, his frazzled mom chasing after him with an infant strapped to her front. Iain shuddered as he watched her take off down an aisle calling after her wayward son.

“Not a fan of kids?” Angelica asked, wheeling her nearly-full cart alongside his mostly empty one.

Iain debated how best to answer. It was his experience that women of a certain age had a tendency to be mad for babies, and when they encountered a man who wasn’t, they tried their damnedest to convince him otherwise. Even his sister—the most logical and reasonable woman he knew … not to mention entirely single and nowhere near having kids herself—had accused him of being full of shit when he’d told her he didn’t see himself settling down and starting a family anytime soon. If ever.

“Kids are grand, but …”

“But you don’t want any of your own.” It wasn’t a question so much as a statement of fact.

“I’m still on the fence about it.” Although he was leaning pretty strongly toward the ’nope’ side.

Angelica nodded. “I always just assumed I’d have a family one day, but ’one day’ always seemed like it was in the far-off future. And then I met Noah, and he wants like a whole fucking gaggle of them, so …” She looked back over her shoulder toward where the woman and her kids had disappeared. “But I’m pretty sure I won’t be bringing any of them with me to Target. This is my sacred space.”

Iain laughed and added a box of instant noodles to his cart. He wouldn’t ever admit it out loud, but he was quickly coming to love Target nearly as much as Angelica did. He also wouldn’t say aloud how much he liked her. She was forthright and refreshing, and she didn’t take herself too seriously. In fact, the whole group of friends he’d somehow stumbled into in River Hill all seemed to be generally laid back and easy going. They were a far cry from the boisterous friends he’d left back in Ireland. Hanging out with them these last few weeks had made his time in California more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise.

Them, and a particular female sculptor he hadn’t heard from in a handful of days.

After the odd way Naomi had booted him out of her house, he’d backed off and given her space. He thought they’d had a really great afternoon together, but now he wondered if maybe he’d misread the signals. The sex had been fantastic—again—but she’d still sent him packing. Iain liked Naomi—probably more than he should—but he wasn’t going to beg her to like him back. If she wanted nothing to do with him, so be it.

Except …

“I was wondering—” he stopped his cart in front of a display of brightly-colored towels and studied them more attentively than they deserved “—do you know Noah’s friend Naomi Klein?”

Angelica stopped next to him, and when she turned to face him, he was startled to find her easy-going charm had been replaced by a sharp-edged intensity. “Why? What have you heard?”

Shit. That wasn’t good. Maybe there was some bad blood between the two women he wasn’t aware of. But if so, why would Noah have recommended Naomi to him in the first place? He could be surly at times, but the man wasn’t blind or stupid. And he very obviously loved Angelica. Disgustingly so, Iain sometimes thought. And yet, her sharp response just now suggested there was definitely something there.

“I’m sorry. Forget I asked.”

“No, I want to know. What have people been telling you?”

Wait, what?“Nothing, I swear. I was looking for a graphic designer when I first got here and Noah introduced us. She and I …” He tunneled his hand through his hair and slid it to the back of his neck, which he could feel growing damp with discomfort. He wasn’t one to kiss-and-tell, but he felt like he had to say something since Angelica had obviously gotten the wrong idea. “I like her, but she runs hot and cold, and I was just wondering if you had any insight into why.” He shook his head and took a step back, his hands held out in front of him, palms out. “But like I said, forget I asked.”

Angelica let out a deep sigh. “Sorry for the overreaction. It’s just that River Hill is a small town, with some small-minded people. Some who enjoy reminding me that Noah and Naomi have known each other a really long time. And I get really tired of them trying to tell everyone else about it, too. Like, we know.”

Iain let out his own sigh of relief and felt his shoulders relaxing. He’d been worried there for a second. “He mentioned something about that when he gave me her card, which is why I figured I could ask your advice.”

Angelica’s brows drew down. “When I say they’ve ’known each other,’ I mean in the biblical sense … if you get my drift.” She rolled her eyes. “Their parents thought they’d get married someday.”

“Oh.”

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