Page 12 of Sipping Seduction
As the Stewarts left the room, I walked over to Danica. “Nice job. I don’t know how you keep Davis from boiling over, but I’m glad you do.”
“Thanks, Evan.” Danica picked up her notebook and clipped her pen to the front. “He just likes to hear his own voice sometimes.”
“Yeah, he does.”
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Are you bringing someone to the wedding?” She squinted like she was trying to get a read on me. “I need to know if you’ll have a plus-one. Our numbers are due to the caterer by the end of the week.”
“Yeah. I’m sure I’ll bring Frannie. You can put me down for two. Gluten-free option for her.”
Cole and Danica were going all out with their wedding and reception. My folks were super excited since he was the first one of us kids to tie the knot, though I imagined it wouldn’t be long before Miller and Amalie followed.
“Thanks. I’ll put you down for two with one gluten-free meal.” She flipped open her notebook and wrote something on one of the heavy ivory pages.
As soon as she did, a nagging doubt started to tap at my brain. I told my brothers and Danica I was headed to the warehouse, then pulled out my phone to text Frannie. With the way things had been going recently, I needed to make sure she hadn’t made other plans. My finger hovered over the screen. Having the conversation in person would be better. We could talk about it on Friday night. I shoved my phone back in my pocket and made my way to the warehouse, my mind filled with images of me and Frannie swaying to some slow song during the reception.
CHAPTER6
Frannie
“It’s going to be fine.”If I said those words enough times, maybe I’d start to believe them. I picked up the slobbery tennis ball and threw it as far as I could. Pete the Dog chased after it, letting it bounce a few times before he snagged it out of the air and carried it back to me. It was Thursday afternoon, and I hadn’t talked to Evan since he dropped off coffee at school on Tuesday morning.
Charice rolled her eyes. She’d asked me to go to hot yoga with her tonight, but Pete the Dog needed the exercise, so I’d convinced her to come to the dog park with me instead. “We’re still talking about Evan, right?”
“Yes. I think I need to come clean with him when we meet up tomorrow night.” Guilt over keeping a secret from my best friend had plagued me all week. I needed to tell him I’d gone out with Andrew, especially since Andrew had invited me to Cole and Danica’s wedding on the phone last night. With less than twenty-four hours until we were supposed to meet up at Pappy’s, I wasn’t sure I could go through with it.
“At some point you need to tell him.” Charice nodded as she toed at the tennis ball. “Sooner rather than later if you’re going to be Andrew’s date to the wedding. Evan’s going to need some time to get used to that idea.”
She was right. Evan wouldn’t have any issue with me dating someone—we were just friends, and he wanted me to be happy—but when he found out I’d been seeing a Stewart, I wasn’t sure how he’d react.
Cole and Danica were trying to mend fences between the two families by inviting members from each to their wedding. It would be the first time I could ever remember where the Bishops and Stewarts might willingly participate in an event together outside of the distillery.
Both families always took part in festivals and events around town, but that was more of an obligation since Devil’s Dance was the town’s largest employer. Most people I knew had either worked at the distillery or were related to someone who’d worked there.
I picked up the ball again and tried to brush it off. Leaves stuck to the sides thanks to the slimy slobber. “Someone needs to invent balls that don’t get slimy when you play with them.”
“Excuse me?” Charice let out a laugh. “What kind of balls have you been handling lately?”
“Tennis balls. Pete the Dog mashes it around in his mouth in between throws. It gets all slippery and wet and it’s hard to get a grip on it.” Her mind lived in the gutter. I was surprised she hadn’t pounced on what I’d said with one of her “that’s what she said—”
“That’s what she said!” Charice’s lips split so wide I could probably count all her teeth if I wanted to.
Something halfway between a groan and a growl bubbled up inside me. “You must be getting rusty. You were a little slow on the uptake on that one.”
“I’m just tired.” She took in a deep breath. “Molding the minds of today’s youth is hard work.”
“Isn’t that the truth.” Pete the Dog stopped at my feet and ground his teeth against the tennis ball before letting it drop to the ground.
“Hey, did the guys come to check your shower today?” Charice asked.
“Well, they came, but they didn’t fix anything yet. It’s worse than they initially thought. Sounds like it could be a pipe leaking under the foundation, so they might have to dig up the front yard.” I’d figured something was wrong earlier this week when I turned on the shower and the water came out in a trickle. Things could always be worse, I kept reminding myself. At least I had a roof over my head. My shower might not be working that great, but my roof had been replaced a couple of years ago, so I had that going for me.
“When will they do that?”
“I’m not sure. The big boss guy is coming to take a look at it tomorrow.” A medium-sized terrier mix ran over with Pete the Dog’s ball in his mouth. I’d been distracted by my conversation with Charice and hadn’t been keeping an eye on Pete the Dog. “Hey there, bud. Want me to throw that for you?”
The dog’s tail wagged back and forth, then it gently dropped the ball at my feet. I picked it up and lobbed it past the tall trees and into the open area beyond. The dog disappeared in a flash.
“Hey, have you seen Pete the Dog?” I asked, scanning the busy dog park.
