She tapped a finger on the table. “I, um, should tell you that I talked to Teller and he figured there was more going on between us at the cabin than clearing snow.”
Shit. Teller knew I was fucking his sister? I’d have been mortified before. I hadn’t been good boyfriend material then and Teller used to tease me. He would’vekicked my ass when it came to one of his sisters. “What’d he say?”
“Not much. He was surprised, but he wasn’t. I’m sure he had time to get used to the idea when he heard that I was stranded at your place a second time.”
“You weren’t very subtle.”
“And you don’t have scurvy.”
I laughed but then anxiety flared. “How much of your family knows?”
“Mama figured it out. And Autumn. Well, I told her, but I had to talk to someone when I thought you hated me. I don’t know how much they’ll talk to each other about it, but I think you can trust my family to be discreet.”
Meaning it shouldn’t get to my mom and dad until I was ready to tell them. They were moving and changing their life, leaving the life I’d known with them. Maybe they wouldn’t think I was an even worse son than they’d thought for poaching Eli’s girlfriend.
When the server arrived, she wasn’t much older than the hostess. She smiled widely at Summer, then turned to me, her gaze stroking over my scar, then dipping to my chest. Appreciation sparked in her eyes.
Well, shit. I was used to morbid fascination. Not... this.
The change in perspective was a nice pick-me-up. Perhaps I could do with making more small talk around Bourbon Canyon, so people wouldn’t worry I’d come down the mountain in a rage.
How long had I let my insecurities control my life? Had they been a handy excuse that eventually became my own reality? A way to delude myself into neverleaving home and avoiding the parts of life I couldn’t reclaim?
When the server turned to me, professionally aloof after the first once-over, the rest of my tension drained.
“I’ll have what she’s having,” I said.
When we were alone again, I reached across the table. There was a part of Summer’s life I had considered on the drive to Bozeman. I still wasn’t interested in drinking alcohol, I had no reason to, but spirits were a huge part of her life. Bourbon was in the Baileys’ blood, and Summer and her sisters weren’t immune. They’d grown up learning about the distilling process, tasting the product, and working in every facet of the industry.
If I wanted Summer, then I had to accept all of her. “When we’re done, can I see where you work?”
Summer
Jonah parked in front of Copper Summit. “I’ve never seen this place.”
“Even when you and Teller were close?”
He shook his head. His dark eyes reflected the lights of the parking lot around the warehouse portion. The nicer part of the building where we sold bottles and merchandise, along with the offices, was in the front. “There’s no bar?”
“No, not here. We didn’t even include a tasting room. We wanted a more practical place for high levels of packaging and distribution. If Wynter had moved toBozeman, maybe we’d have opened a small bar. Instead, we do tours and sell single-barrel spirits.”
“Darin wanted to funnel tourism to Bourbon Canyon.”
“Yep.” I chuckled. “That too. Daddy was clever like that. Want a personal tour?”
“I want to see what you do.”
I waved toward the distillery. “I do all of it.” I might have sounded a little cocky, but I could step in anywhere from finding suppliers to packaging. “I can’t drive the delivery trucks though. The ones that require more than a regular license anyway.”
“I was going to say—I’ve seen you drive plenty of delivery trucks.”
“Only the small ones,” I purred. Daddy had put me and my siblings in every role.
Jonah gave a disgruntled grumble and opened his door. I got out and met him in front.
After I let both of us in and rearmed the security system, I faced the open area in front of us. “Off to the right are the walkways that link to the barrel houses. When Tate was in charge, he built it attached to the building with heat cycling, but we still use the barrel house at the end of the lot. Mother Nature is in charge of the heating and cooling in that building.”
“The temperature predictability must be a nice change.”
