Page 94 of Tennessee Trouble

I nod, still not able to speak.

“What did he give you?”

I blink, trying to come to. I need to look. I know I do. That doesn’t make opening this box any easier. Truth be told, there could be anything in here. The man has already walked away with my heart and tried to stomp on my pride, so what else is there for him to go after?

I hand Kyra the certificate from SLOSH, turning my attention to the box. The tape is tough, fighting back as I try to pry it off the cardboard, but it eventually breaks. I open the box, pushing back the tissue paper, and gasp.

The long, crystal statuette is in the shape of a teardrop, beautiful swirls engraved around the edge. The SLOSH logo is centered on the glass, right over the words Rocky Top Double, Winner of the SLOSH Most Original Cocktail Award. Exclusively sold at Fire Lights in Nashville, TN.

Tears fill my eyes.

I never had any doubt that you’d win…

So much so he had this made. Ahead of time.

And got Dustin Wild to make the Rocky Top Double an exclusive drink at his bar. Fulfilling his promise to Tennessee Trouble. To me.

“Whoa…”

I look to my sister. Whoa is right.

“What’s that underneath?” She points to the statuette, trying to gesture underneath it.

I shake my head, still trying to process the award. Removing it from the box, I carefully hand it to Kyra, then reach for the piece of paper neatly folded to the length and width of the box.

“What is it?” Kyra asks again.

“Give me a sec…” I unfold it, trying to scan as fast as possible. But it doesn’t make sense. It’s all in legalese.

“What’s that?” Rylan asks, coming up beside Kyra.

“I’m…I’m not sure.”

I turn, handing him the document, still trying to read it as I go.

“It’s a contract,” Rylan says, stating the obvious. “It’s all signed and ready to go; it just needs your signature.”

“Mine? Why mine?” I suppose one of us has to sign to make sure everything is legal with an exclusive drink deal. That makes sense. I don’t understand why me though. That’s Mikayla, Rylan, Declan territory. “I don’t sign for these kinds of things.”

“It’s your IP,” Rylan says. “As is stated in the contract. But the Rocky Top Double isn’t the only thing on this contract.” He looks up at me, his eyes as full of light and excitement as I’ve ever seen them. And that includes the Christmas he got the bike he asked for and when Tennessee made the Final Four his junior year in college.

“What’s the rest of it?” Kyra asks.

“Wink & Shine. Once Lindee signs this, Wink & Shine will be the official moonshine of Fire Lights…and Dustin Wild.”

“Excuse you?” I spit out, mixing with Kyra’s “Holy shit.”

“Can he do that?” I ask.

“Lindee, this piece of paper is signed by Dustin Wild, so, yeah…he can do that.”

“What’s signed by Dustin Wild?” Mikayla asks.

I turn to her, trying to figure out what to say. I can’t make heads or tails of this. All I know is one thing.

“This doesn’t change things. He still lied.”

The pang rips through me like a knife, leaving a trail of hot, searing pain. One that can’t be ignored. As sweet as this is, it doesn’t undo the fact that he didn’t trust me. That he did so much behind my back.