Page 10 of Bourbon and Lies

My issue was that I blurred professional and personal lines. Then decided to bathe in poor decisions and blurred moral lines while I was at it.

“You might have solved a little problem for me. When you feel settled, let's talk about what you could do for the Foxx brand.” With his arms crossed over his chest, he looks lost in thought before the sound of a loud car engine revs up the private road and screeches to a stop out front. “It’s like summoning Lucifer,” he says under his breath. “That would be Hadley. Shevolunteered to pick up some things when I mentioned I had someone staying in the cottage.” He glances around at the blank white walls and bare windows and then smiles at me. “We don’t get many new faces that stick around longer than tourists. I think she’s being more nosey than helpful.”

Even with his reassuring laugh, my nerves kick in. “Does she know what I’m doing here?”

He looks at me curiously. “Laney, I don’t really know the details about what brought you here other than an ornery U.S. Marshall. What I do know is that you need your past kept quiet, and I am more than equipped to keep secrets.”

“Who does she think I am?”

The sound of a car door shutting has him moving toward the front of the cottage and out the front door. “A juicy story,” Ace says as he steps up to a shiny, deep purple car that looks straight off the set of aFast and Furiousmovie. “Hadley,” he calls out.

“Present,” a raspy voice sing-songs. “We doing roll call, Daddy?” A tall woman with dark hair piled high in a messy bun peeks out from behind the trunk.

“Quit it with that shit,” Ace huffs with a roll of his eyes. “What’s gotten into you lately?”

Sticking out her tongue, she laughs at him as she walks up the front porch steps, mumbling, “Nothing I want...”

She hoists an array of reusable bags along both arms. There’s one slung on each shoulder, another hanging from each crook of her elbow, and then two in each hand. When she looks up, she smiles wide. “I am so damn happy you’re here. This fucking town could use some new faces.” Letting out an exaggerated exhale, she stops at the threshold. “Holy shit.” She looks at me from head to toe, which would normally put me on the defense, but then she releases a small laugh. “You’re gorgeous.”

I’m taken aback at the compliment. “Thank you,” I say with surprise in my tone. “I’m Laney.”

“I already know.” She leans close to me as she walks through the front door, tilting her head toward Ace trailing far enough behind not to hear. “But I’m wondering, Laney, are you a long-lost cousin, or are you sleeping with big, bad Atticus Foxx over there?” She keeps moving into the studio without giving me a chance to respond. But I have a feeling maybe she doesn't really want to know.

Yes, Ace is intensely handsome. I see the appeal; you’d have to be blind not to check him out. But he’s not who caught my attention.

“Oh yeah, this place needs color.” Barely taking a breath, she keeps talking. “I got some good coffee from Crescent de Lune in town, some loose-leaf tea. I didn’t know what kind of caffeine you liked, so I also grabbed some energy drinks.”

I smile at the thoughtfulness. “Coffee girl here.”

“Me too. And then the rest here is mostly pantry fillers...” She goes off on a tangent, laughing, “Sounded like panty fillers.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Sounds more fun than canned goods, huh?”

What?I let out a clipped laugh, not expecting the quirkiness. It’s refreshing. I was silently hoping for a package of red licorice—Red Vines or Twizzlers would have been good. But I am anxious, and candy is my vice.

“I thought you could probably use...” Dropping the bags, she starts digging through, holding up each item. “Last time I was in here, the place smelled stale. So, a candle.” She opens the top and sniffs. “Yum.” She passes me the candle and then pulls out a salt rock lamp. “These are so good for so many things. Felt kind of necessary.” I couldn’t think of anything a rock could do besides serve as a weapon. But she continues her show and tell, holding up everything from a box of tampons to dry shampoo. “I also grabbed my favorites. Don’t worry, I have good taste. I’ve got conditioner, body wash, face wash, lotion, a good fluffy towel—” Then, she holds up a nail polish that I’ve never been happier to see. “Ruby slippers.”

I smile. “I like it.”

“It was that or pale pink.” She sticks out her tongue, making a yuck face that has my smile widening into a knowing grin. There’s nothing wrong with pale pink, but it’s what I associated it with that has me revolting against it.

With a serious expression, like she’s about to gift me a life-changing device, she holds up a black box shaped like a cube. “And a personal massager.”

It’s probably how I open my mouth and cough out a laugh that has her smiling back at me.

“I know, it’s overstepping, but I went with my gut,” she says. “Long-lost cousin.”

“Hadley,” Ace says under his breath from behind me.

She looks up and past my shoulder, winking at him. “Do personal massagers get your panties in a wad, big Foxx? They sure do special things to mine.”

He shoves his hands in his pockets, and his buttoned-up demeanor shifts as he starts moving toward the front door. “You’re in good hands, Laney. Find me when you’re ready to talk about that job.”

“Thanks again, Ace.”

He gives me a curt nod, and then points to Hadley. “Please don’t be a pain in the ass.” I can read people fairly well and Ace Foxx is a confident man with what seemed like infinite patience—with the way both Bea and Griz managed to push him last night. But the woman in front of me, with her long legs and flirty words, set him off kilter.

“That’s reserved only for you and your brothers.” She salutes. And when he turns away, she flips him off.

I bite down on my lip to keep the smile from cracking. The entire interaction is hilarious, but I’m not about to pry.

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