Page 60 of Tennessee Trouble

I whip around, one thousand percent sure that comment was aimed at me, ready to greet my newfound bestie with the highest of fives. That is, until I realize who said it.

“They won’t keep it on tap, since apparently I’m the only one who drinks it,” Rylan Murray continues. “But they keep a six-pack hidden away for whenever I’m feelin’ like a beer.”

“Had I known there was a secret stash, I would have tapped into that.”

“This is Trouble.” He smirks knowingly, like a man who was set up perfectly. “There’s always a secret stash somewhere. Kinda what we’ve built our brand on.”

Touché…

“This seat taken?” He points to the stool next to mine, eyebrows raised, waiting on an answer.

I’m a little taken aback by his question. But not enough to turn him away. Rylan doesn’t strike me as someone who has ulterior motives. From what Lindee has said, he’s pretty laid-back and goes with the flow. The kind of guy that Milo and I would hang with.

“All yours.”

Rylan nods, the hazel eyes that match his sister’s softening, as if he somehow expected me to say no. I suppose that concern is no different from mine about him having an ulterior motive.

“Didn’t realize you were still in town,” he comments, signaling to the bartender, who nods back at him.

I watch, waiting for the burly guy in the flannel shirt to ask Rylan what he wants, but he never does. Barman simply reaches into the cooler and pulls out an ice-cold bottle of Silver Lining Sour.

Well I’ll be damned.

“Make that two, would ya?” I toss out there, hoping it’s okay that I order off menu. Throwing back the rest of my Party Mode, I swallow the liquid down hard and take a minute to catch my breath. It’s been a long damn time since I threw back like that. And for good reason—I am not twenty-two anymore.

Bartender hands us our beers, clearing away my empty pint glass, all without saying a word. Hell, he barely acknowledges us. Certainly not the response I’ve witnessed with other customers, leaving me to wonder if he knows who I am.

Naw…that’s crazy. He was friendly when I walked in. Then again…

“Yeah, well…we haven’t sorted everything out yet, have we?” I offer up as an answer to Rylan.

“Guess not.”

He takes a long pull, smiling as he lowers his bottle, looking at the label. “It is nice when it all comes together.”

I chuckle, then point to the beer he’s holding. “You know that was a happy accident, right?”

“This?” He holds up the bottle, his brow scrunching. “This was a mistake?”

“Yup, hence the name.” I nod. “We were trying to come up with something else, something sweeter, but got the chemistry wrong. That was the result.”

“Damn good mistake, if you don’t mind my saying.”

“I don’t. Milo and I thought the same thing, so we kept it. It was the silver lining to it.”

“Ha. You should tell Lindee that story. She’d love knowing that other alcohol creators go through that. She had a heck of a time finding the right balance with some of the flavors for Wink & Shine.”

I smile, not sure how to reply. Lindee did love that story, gasping and laughing as I walked her through all the details of how it went down. She countered with some of her own mishaps while developing her latest creation, leading to us bonding over our shared love of the experimentation process.

“It really was a joke, you know,” I try to assure him.

“I laughed.” He lifts a shoulder, making me feel like we’re old buddies. “So did Kyra when she showed it to us. Her husband, Davis, took it and ran, making all sorts of jokes about a dancer named Twinkle Toes. That’s what made Mikayla lose it.”

Twinkle Toes…that’s a good one. I’d make a mental note to use it later, except I can’t imagine that I’ll have the chance. Those kinds of jokes are what got us into this. Not to mention, I don’t want to do anything that would make Lindee think I wasn’t serious when I told her that I respect her and everything she’s done with the brand.

“Honestly, I have no room to talk.” I lean back in my stool, letting out a loud huff. “I got uptight over y’all using party mode, so…” I pause, trying to find a way to accept fault without actually accepting fault. “As my little sister says, karma’s only a bitch if you are.”

“Ha!” Rylan takes a swig, shaking his head. “You know, it’s comments like that one that make me think if the situation was different, we could be friends.”