Page 81 of Bourbon and Proof

I must be punch drunk because I let a laugh bubble out of me. “Tomorrow?! How do you expect me to pull that off?”

He props his crooked finger under my chin to lift my attention to his handsome face as he says, “I just watched you dismantle an entire business in a matter of a couple of hours. You’re a badass, wife. That’s how.”

His words linger, seasoning and simmering under my skin. He challenges me. Impressing him is a nice payoff, but more than anything, making a person who truly cares for you proud is my biggest motivator. He’s always my biggest motivator. Less than an hour later, I have a full schedule for the bar and staff to step up and have a busy weekend. And I’m more than ready for the same.

Chapter 33

Ace

Griz crosses his arms,cutting me off, “What is it you think you know about Hawkins?”

I move around him as I say, “Been curious for a while. But didn’t know anything until he confirmed it for me at Ditch the Derby.”

Griz asks, “Confirmed what?”

“He’s more than just pissed off, Griz. He made some kind of agreement with Wheeler, and I’m not about to trust a single thing he does next.”

I glance at the mint green box on the counter. “Is that box of donuts fresh?”

“I went to see Presh,” he says, clearing his throat and swiping his thumb along the edge of his mustache. It’s a nervous habit of his and makes me pause. “Hadley loves those donuts. It was a nice morning for a drive. Just finished tuning up the golf cart.”

It’s a long ride all the way to the edge of town, even with his cart souped up.

“What’re we tasting here?” he asks as he sidles up to the counter. He watches as I pull out an unmarked bottle of bourbon. I want him to know that I’m not angry with him. I want him to see that everything he’s said to me, I take it and figure out a way to make it happen.

A loud thud at the bottom of the stairs has both of us whipping our heads around to find the source.

“Just my suitcase,” Hadley sing-songs. “All good.”

My phone buzzes in my pocket.

THE JEWELER

A little something is waiting for you at your desk.

ACE

What we discussed?

THE JEWELER

I took some liberties, but you’ll be pleased.

“This trip an unofficial honeymoon?” Griz asks. Looking at the color of the bourbon and examining it in the light, he continues without me answering, “That mean you finally told’er how you really feel, then?”

I haven’t. I show her, but I haven’t said those words to her yet. Lust is easier. We have that in spades. A part of me feels selfish to say something so permanent to her, like that I love her. “How do you think I really feel about her?” I ask, curious to know what he’s seeing from the outside looking in.

He laughs. “Atticus, that woman has had you by the balls since she came back from college. I honestly wasn’t sure if you’d ever get out of your own way.”

When he takes a taste, his eyebrows raise. “Nice notes. Simple. There’s a smoky aftertaste that feels different.”

I’ve never felt more pleased with myself at hearing both of those things from him. “You mind telling me exactly what it is you’re planning, old man?”

Without skipping a beat, he says, “No clue what you’re talking about.” He shifts for another sip, and then, before I can say anything else, he lets out an audible exhale. “You’ve done everything I’ve ever asked of you. Even when it turned you into someone else, crossing lines and bending rules in the name of what was right for our brand and our family. Even now...” He tilts his head to the Glencairn glass. “You did something different, found something and someone to care about more than just this business.”

The confession isn’t something I expected. I’m not too proud to realize I still need his approval, regardless of how old I am. He raised me, and there’s something that never feels better than making someone else proud of you. I forgot what that felt like.

“There are things I need to do now. And I need you to let me do them,” he says, knocking the reality back into the moment. I’ve known he’s been making arrangements, but I’m not ready to let him do it the way he believes he needs to.

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