“That’s true. How about that lesson I won at the auction?”
Her nose wrinkles. “I’ve seen inside all your cupboards. You don’t have any of the stuff we’d need.”
I know a place that has it all. “Why don’t we do the class at Frostbite?”
“It’s closed today. And even if it were open, Brett would never let me use it for this. He’s a sore loser.”
“Don't you have a way to get inside?”
She looks taken aback. “Are you saying you want to break in?”
“It’s not breaking in if you have the key.”
“Rowan, that’s crazy.”
I smirk. It’s adorable how appalled she is. “It’s not like we’ll use up much liquor with just the two of us. What’s the harm?”
Her eyes are wide. “What if he catches us? He’ll be furious. He might call the cops.”
“Sunshine, he won’t catch us. C’mon, tell me about the cameras, and I’ll devise a rock-solid plan.”
“Uh-huh. What are you, some criminal mastermind?”
My laugh is a tinge too loud. “I’m full of secret talents.”
She brings her thumb to her mouth and gnaws on her nail, thinking. “I don’t know…”
“If we get caught, I’ll take the blame,” I offer.
She keeps chewing on her nail.
“Isn’t there a tiny part of you that wants to do something to get back at him for being such a dick?” I poke at her ribs.
That gets through to her. I can see a small spark in her eyes. “He is a dick. And I mean…we wouldn’t be hurting anyone.”
“Not at all. Just a bit of harmless mischief.”
She drags her palms over her face and sighs. “Okay. There’s a camera at the back entrance. There’s also one at the front, but it’s been broken for the last few months. Break-ins aren’t really a thing around here, so Brett hasn’t been in a rush to fix it.”
I grin. “Then we’re golden.”
As expected,the parking lot outside of Frostbite is abandoned when we get there in the midafternoon. We use Blake’s key to get in through the front door and walk through the empty dining room all the way to the wooden bar at the back.
Whatever jitters Blake had on the drive over are gone now. She takes off her jacket, slings it over the bar, and goes around to the service side while I take one of the stools across from her.
“What should we start with?” I ask.
“Something easy. An old-fashioned.” She glances at the shelves stacked with liquor. “I need a bourbon.”
A minute later, she’s got all the ingredients set out in front of me—a bottle of Buffalo Trace, angostura bitters, sugar, and a bit of water.
“You’ve never made one before, right?”
I shake my head. “When I feel like bourbon, I usually drink it straight.”
“This will be just a little sweeter and more flavorful.” She takes out two tall glasses from behind the bar and slides one my way. “First, we’re going to mix the sugar, bitters, and water together in here.”
She walks me through the right amounts, correcting me when I do it wrong. A smirk tugs at my lips. I like seeing her in her element.
