Page 30 of On The Rocks

She perked up at the thought and raced to the kitchen door. “Well, c’mon.”

“Easy, tiger.” But I followed and put thoughts of Miami into the back of my mind where they belonged.

For now.

Chapter 8

Griffin

Moonshine Mania

It took me a full hour to clean up. Mostly because I needed to tame the wooly mammoth on my face, which always took some doing. The hair on my head, as well as on my face, was thick as fuck.

Which I appreciated.

I was pretty sure I couldn’t pull off the bald look.

I wasn’t brave enough to hack at my hair, but a bit of gel took care of that. I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard, so I went with dark-washed jeans and a long-sleeved dark green shirt in deference to the cooler air.

I could walk it to the taproom from my place and it would allow me to partake in the drinks if I wanted. Thankfully, the rain had held off this week, so it wasn’t a muddy trip.

Beckett and Justin had cut out a rough walking path from the various rental units to encourage people to walk around the orchard. I followed the dusty trail that led to the concert stage if I headed one way, and the taproom was stationed at the opposite fork.

I had a hoodie flung over my shoulder as I climbed the steps to the back entrance to the taproom. Ronan’s workshop wasclosed up tight, and a few people congregated on the patio with bottles and pints.

The big back doors weren’t open, so I went around to the side entrance. The dining room was nearly at max capacity. I imagined a bit of cheap food got people in the doors.

I threaded my way through the crowd, nodding to a few I recognized from last summer. There were a good mix of strangers and a few people who worked at the Lodge.

In one of the booths at the back, I spotted my girl. I sneaked a look at the bar on the way by, catching Lennon in action. She was tossing a clear bottle into the air, catching it in her shaker with a clink.

“Griffin!”

I swiveled my head back toward the booth where Laverne sat with Hayes. He was scribbling something in a notebook as I got closer. His dark glasses slid down his nose as his pen flew across the page.

“Look who came out of his cave.”

Hayes lifted his gaze with a grin. “I do come out occasionally.”

“I think I saw you in here twice last year.”

“See?” He took a small sip from a lowball glass. An unmarked bottle sat by his elbow.

“And what would that be?” I slid across from them, flashing an easy smile at Laverne. “Hello, love of my life.”

“Charmer.” Laverne colored slightly, smiling behind the rim of her tall, thin glass. The cherries I’d sampled earlier were floating through amber cider.

“I only speak truth.” I winked at her and refocused on Hayes. “You playing with something new?”

“What?” Hayes blinked owlishly at me through his dark glasses. I could tell he’d already slipped away into his very active brain. “Oh, yes. New moonshine for the fall. Want to try it?”

“I always want to try your moonshine. I should probably get food, though. Justin had to toss me in the back of his pickup to take me home after New Year’s.”

Hayes grinned. “That was special shelf. This one doesn’t have nearly the deadly kick.”

“Only half of it,” Laverne said with a laugh.

“Definitely need food then.”

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