Page 23 of Promise Yule Be Mine
Sunday went somewhat similarly, although I did leave my meeting with Kody for last. I couldn't allow myself to be distracted and I knew that was exactly what would happen if I met up with him early.
I still had to brace myself before I walked into The White Elephant.
"Oh hey!" he exclaimed upon seeing me, and whatever resolve I'd managed to gather went out of the window.
Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did he have to have the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen despite having a 'stache that would be the envy of any 80s porn star? And why did his eyes have to look at me as if they could see all the way into my soul?
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that I only ever felt like that for the first time with him and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Hey, hi!" I said.
"How was your day yesterday? I'm so sorry I couldn't meet up with you. It's been super busy here so we needed all hands on deck."
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. I don't need babysitting." I chuckled. "I did manage to get some more things checked off the list."
He wiped his hands on a tea towel and came to stand in front of me on the other side of the bar.
"Oh yeah. Like what?" he asked. "Would you like a drink by the way?"
"Oh, uhm…" I shouldn't. Who knew what kind of bullshit I'd say if there was any trace of alcohol in me. "What do you recommend?"
Screw it. It wasn't like I was a child. I could restrain myself. I wasn't a complete fool.
"Well, I've got a great selection of craft beers but we also have some holiday specials. Would you like a flight of some of the best?"
"Sure."
He got to work preparing my flight of tasters and soon returned with them and a little notecard for each beer.
One of them was called Fistmas. I didn't know if the person who named it had thought that through.
"So, I spoke with the caterer and I managed to convince them to add a fish and a vegan option."
"Oh that's great. I don't know why they were being so difficult about it."
I rolled my eyes. “Some caterers are like that. They're trying to make service as easy as possible, which is why their first sample menu had cold appetizers and desserts."
He nodded. "I know. Don't get me wrong, I know why they do it, but they were so insistent it wasn't possible when clearly we both know it is. Even my chef rolled his eyes when I told him."
I chuckled. "Yeah. I think profit is another reason, which is annoying because suppliers already overcharge for weddings. The least they can do is be agreeable."
"Right?"
I brought my hand down to pick up one of the glasses. At the same time, Kody put his down on the same glass. Our fingers touched for a split second. An electrifying second. It sent shivers down my spine and made my breath hitch. But then I came to my senses and pulled back, apologizing.
"Sorry," he said. "You…you should try this one. It's my favorite."
He picked up the glass and offered me a dark red beer that smelled fruity. I took it, extra careful not to touch him again and completely fry my brain, and took a sip.
It was sweet, fruity and sharp—a perfect blend of cherries and honey. It made me giggle for some reason. I didn't know why. I hadn't giggled since I was a child, and even then, it was reserved for some pretty rough tickle fights. Not that there was anything wrong with giggling. But it wasn't a natural reaction to drinking a beer.
"That's delicious," I said and looked at Kody, an expectant smile on his face as he awaited my verdict.
"That's Mad Elf. It's a fan favorite." He flicked a card between his fingers and I picked up the taste note for the beer.
"Belgian. Figures. Those people know their beer," I said.
"And we have monks to thank for their craft," he said.
