“Do you know when it is?”
She blanched. “No.”
I bit back a smile. Disgruntled, flustered Ruby was working her way under my skin farther than quiet, competent Ruby ever had.
I wanted to help her. She was under the Copper Summit umbrella and we protected our own.
And I couldn’t stand assholes.
I took her hand in mine once more. “Let’s go find out when the wedding is.”
CHAPTER TWO
Ruby
Stunned, I let Tenor lead me out of the storeroom. I’d been ready to save as much face as possible by telling them I actually had a busy summer. But Tenor’s big hand had clamped around mine. Strength radiated through him and into me.
“Sorry, guys,” he said to Brock and Cara and draped a heavy arm around me. Who needed a weighted blanket around this guy? “I had to make sure Ruby actually wanted to go to a wedding.”
Cara blinked rapidly. Brock inhaled and straightened as tall as he could. He would never get close to Tenor’s height, and sitting down, he looked like a toddler in a booster seat compared to Tenor. I probably looked like a posable doll, one with bright-red cheeks.
Still, I snuggled into Tenor’s side. It was for show and maybe because I was an opportunist. When else would I get an up-close-and-personal feel of this man’s body? The wall of muscle I pressed against did things to my hormones. Gave them ideas about what else I could be doing with Tenor. As if I hadn’timagined exactly what since I’d started working here a year and a half ago.
I’d been hired on when Brock had needed one of his “breaks.” We’d reconnected during my bourbon sampling days. Brock had probably seen the lineup of bottles and thought I had infused excitement into my life.
Tonight was a little too thrilling. I couldn’t look around the room. Could customers see Tenor’s arm around me? Cara might not know this wasn’t normal, but a lot of people here tonight would.
My mom always said one lie bled into another, and before you knew it, the cascade would drown you. As long as I perished out of Cara and Brock’s sight.
Cara recovered from Tenor’s faint insinuation that her wedding might not be the event of the season. “Oh, absolutely. Ours won’t be stuffy. It’s an outdoor wedding at the golf course. The house we’re building—that Brock is building—overlooks the course.”
“Hole nine,” Brock boasted.
Adoration filled her face and Brock puffed his chest out. “T-minus four weeks,” she lilted.
“The end of June?” I asked.
“The last Saturday.” She smiled like a Cheshire cat. “I’ll get you an invite. Where can I send it? Do you two live together? I keep telling Brock we’ll have to, like, become outdoorsy people or something. What is there to even do in town?”
“It’s downright boring,” Brock said.
Bourbon Canyon wasn’t my home, but I bristled in defense of it.
Tenor gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “My dad always said boredom is the sign of either a dull mind or a dull life. Fill one or the other and you won’t be bored.”
Brock’s jaw clenched and his eyes sparked.
“You can mail it here or just drop it off next time you’re in town,” Tenor continued, his easy tone belying any insult to Brock. “This is my second home.”
“You work the bar too?” Brock asked with a hint of superiority.
“I work all over Copper Summit, though I’m not at the Bozeman facility as much as I used to be. I’m one of the owners.” Tenor’s direct gaze landed on him, and I nearly felt sorry for my ex.
Tenor could be intense when he didn’t work against his innate presence. I’d watched him for too many hours in the distillation room. He was quiet and focused, always looking like he was hunting for the guys who’d killed his puppy. He stayed away from the crowds. Teller worked the tasting room with a tour, but Tenor always locked himself away in his office or at a computer.
Tenor held his hand out. “Tenor Bailey.”
Brock cleared his throat and accepted the shake. “Brock Gibson.” His voice pitched up at the end and he winced. Tenor didn’t look like he’d even been trying to crush my ex’s grip.
