Page 24 of Bargains with Benefits
“Sounds great,” I said.
“Coming right up.” Markus turned to prepare the drinks.
“Markus came up with the mix; he was convinced the honey spirit should be used for a solstice celebratory drink,” Vincent said. I knew what he’d say next because I’d read his article, but I wasn’t sure I wanted him to know that. I let him continue. “He was convinced honey should be the new flavor of the season. Cinnamon and vanilla were out. Honey was in. It wasn’t a bad choice, but I had no idea what he’d mix it with.”
Markus returned, handing us the drinks. “So, I made Mr.Tastemaker sit here at this bar and try each of my concoctions until I found one that worked.”
Vincent held up his drink in cheers. “And you found it.”
“You helped,” Markus replied before drifting away to another customer.
“Is that how all of your recommendations work? Is it collaborative like that?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, Markus was unique. I’d recommended something of his brother’s before. He told me he didn’t need my recommendation so much as my taste to tell me what worked, but I loved it so much I gave him both.”
I considered that, taking a sip of the drink. So many people seemed only to know him or need him for his ability to recommend. I wondered how many people he had who didn’t care about his column. At least not for themselves. Even Skye had said that his column had helped her get her job. However, I was sure that wasn’t the whole story, and her adoration for her brother was obvious.
It must be tiring, though.
“Hope that wasn’t too far of a walk.” He interrupted my thoughts. His gaze was fixed on my boots.
“Why don’t you ask what you want to ask?” I said, taking another sip of the drink. Eyeing my boots the way he was, I knew what he wanted to know, and I wouldn’t make this easy for him.
He coughed. “When did you…” He cleared his throat and started again. “Do you find…”
“Oh my goodness, Vincent. This is uncomfortable to listen to.” I leaned forward and gently pushed his shoulder. He grabbed my hand with his free one, holding it there.
“Then put me out of my misery and tell me if you bought the boots based on my column.” His smile was hesitant. It was mesmerizing. I thought it was the first real smile I’d seen on him. He was beautiful without it, but when genuine mirth waspresent, it was like staring directly at the sun. I had to look away.
“I read the column and bought them after.” I sat up straight. His smile widened, and I snuck another glance at it. “I don’t know why these didn’t sell as well. They’re the best walking boots I’ve ever owned.”
He took a sip of his drink, likely to hide his perfectly white teeth. “Agreed,” he said. “The lesson I learned from that piece was that the story’s angle matters. It was one of my earlier pieces, and I focused solely on the cobbler’s qualifications and the boots’ features. While the features certainly benefited the readers, like being comfortable walking boots, they didn’t offer more than that.”
“The rest of your pieces offer some kind of feeling of belonging to the reader,” I said, tilting my head in thought.
He scratched the back of his neck. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes.” With a sudden intensity, he narrowed his gaze on me. “Who was responsible for having the Solstice Sip on the menu at Parkview Tavern?”
“Now you’re fishing.”
He beamed. “It was you.” He leaned forward, his windswept hair falling charmingly over his face. “How many of them have you read?”
I put my hand on his shoulder, partially to stop his progress and partially to make sure I didn’t do something embarrassing like run my fingers through his thick hair to push it from his face. They itched to do so, and I’d have no reasonable way to explain the action. “A few.”
“I’m not sure I’ve ever met a fan before.” He beamed.
“That Kristin sure seemed like a fan,” I said offhandedly.
He leaned back, sitting up straight, and I knew immediately I’d said the wrong thing. “Not quite,” he said.
I hadn’t expected him to acknowledge the comment.
“She was more interested in wielding recommendationsthan actually reading any of them or trying any of the items out.”
“I see.”
“I figured it out eventually.” He took a long pull of the Solstice Sip. “It just took a little longer than I’d have liked.”
“I can imagine that was disappointing to realize,” I said carefully.
