Page 59 of Make My Heart Malt

“I’ve been there a few times,” Tony says before facing Georgia, “I took you a couple of months ago when we were in Chicago. I’ve known Isabella and her husband Chris for several years.”

“Holy shit.” I slam my palms on the counter. “You know Isabella Rossi? Like know her, know her? Not I-have-a-friend-who-knows-someone-who-lives next-door-who-knows-someone-who-walks-her-dog know her.”

A laugh escapes him. “Yeah, I know her, know her. Along with Chris.”

A lightness fills my chest. “I’m only obsessed with her show on the Cooking Network. Seriously, she can turn anything into a drink. She’s amazing.” I press my hands to my chest. “She’s been my idol since I started mixing drinks. I follow her show religiously and pre-order every recipe book she publishes. How in the hell are you friends with her?”

He laughs. “Years ago, we met through some mutual friends. Every time I’m in Chicago, I go to Poco Grande.”

My shoulders drop as I sigh and stare across the room at an invisible spot on the wall. “That would be a dream.” What I would give to meet her and pick her brain about her drinks. But it will have to remain a dream. “In the spirit of Isabella, here’s one of her favorite drinks. A bees knees.” Lifting the shaker, I pour the cocktail into three low ball glasses. I slide two of them across the counter to Georgia and Tony.

Over the next two hours, we eat dinner, make drinks, and laugh. It’s such a fun evening with friends. No one mentions Garrett and me, so I steered clear of talking about it myself mostly because everything is still unknown. Before they leave, we make plans to do it again.

Like a contestant onSupermarket Sweep, I race the grocery cart up and down the aisles, grabbing whatever I can off the shelves. I only have two hours before Garrett comes over. I still need to clean my house, shower, and shave. Everything is approaching woolly mammoth status. With Garrett not being around, I haven’t needed to shave my legs since he can’t see them during our FaceTime calls. On the plus side, it helps keep me warm during the cold winter nights. I toss two cans of chickpeas into my cart.

“Hey Dessa!”

With a quick spin, a small smile spreads across my face as I lock eyes with the familiar face. Tony’s waving at me from the end of the aisle with a wide smile of his own. He struts toward me.

“Hi, Tony. What are you doing here? This grocery store is on the opposite end of town from you.”

“This is the only store that has the sunflower seeds I like.” He lifts a bag of barbecue flavored sunflower seeds from his basket.

I chuckle. “You and Garrett are obsessed with sunflower seeds. I remember your mom would yell at you for always leaving piles around the house.”

“I wouldn't call it yelling, but it was a stern talking to.”

A laugh escapes me. “That’s true. Your mother doesn’t have a bitter bone in her body.”

“Thanks for inviting me and Georgia over again for dinner. It’s great to see you two become friends.”

“Of course. I love having you two over. And Georgia’s great. You lucked out with her.” I’ve spent weeks avoiding the elephant in our relationship, and with the holiday approaching, might as well point it out. My fingers grip thecart handle. “And you and Garret seem to have worked out your differences, since he was involved with your wedding and all.” I hate knowing I’m the reason they stopped talking all those years ago. I had no idea either of them, let alone both, had feelings for me until Tony kissed me that night at Jacobson’s party. All that’s in the past now. We’ve all moved on. Or at least Tony has. Garrett and I are still undecided.

He shrugs. “Something like that. Did you know he’s back in town?”

“I do. We’re hanging out later.”

His lips flatten into a thin line. “So, you two still talk?”

I nod. Heat creeps up my neck and over my cheeks. We’ve done more than talk, but he doesn’t need to know that. “We’ve kept in contact.”

“Even with the distance between you two?” He sucks in a sharp breath through his teeth and shakes his head. “That must be hard.”

“We’re just friends. We text, make the occasional phone call, and FaceTime whenever we can.” My grip tightens on the handle of the grocery cart. I’m not used to the Tony interrogation. Things were never like this in the past. I pinch my brows together. “Why?”

With quick, jerky movements, he swings his head back and forth. “No reason. I just know him. He likes to keep his options open, and with there being so much distance between you two, it leaves those options even wider.” He takes a step forward and brushes his hand over my shoulder and comes to a stop on my bicep.

This is the second time he’s warned me off Garrett. He acts like I don’t know him. Perhaps he’s being a concerned friend. Or does he know something I don’t? “Thanks for your concern. I know Garrett pretty well. I’m sure I canhandle him.” The corner of my lips curl into a smile. I’ll handle him. He’ll handle me. Naked, of course. “No need to worry about me.”

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s all.” He drops his hand and it falls to his side.

“How’s Georgia? Is she with you?” I ask, peering over his shoulder. In the short time I’ve known Georgia, she’s become a great friend. I love learning about her handbag business, and she enjoys learning about my less exciting bartender life. Plus, I want to be done talking about mine and Garrett’s relation-whatever-we’re-doing-ship.

“She’s at home packing. We’re going to go visit her parents in Chicago for Christmas. Also, I have some business to take care of while I’m there.”

“Working over the holidays?”

“You know me.” He playfully winks. “I always have something going on.”

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