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Cam’s gaze lingered on Xavier a moment before drifting to me. Having his full attention spiked my blood with a fresh shot of adrenaline.

“Yes, of course. Thank you, Xavier.” I fixed my focus on the scar in Cam’s left eyebrow to suppress the flirty, infatuated girl who wanted to act a fool. “I’ve been working on an idea. It’s a sort of ‘apology’ ad. I pictured close-ups of a series of people—all different genders, ethnicities, ages—with either a voiceover or block letters writing out the apology.”

Silence greeted me. Cam scrutinized my face a moment, then said, “What would it say?”

I pulled out my phone. “The words can be tweaked, but this is what I’ve written out: ‘At Henley Bourbon Company, we strive to create a better tomorrow, to look forward instead of backward. Recently, we lost sight of that and offer our sincerest apologies to our loyal customers. We believe no matter who you are, you deserve the best. The highest quality. You deserve Henley. Join us as we take a step away from the old-fashioned and into a new era.’”

I highlighted the drink recipe I’d created and slid Camden my phone. “At that point, the people from before would be shown offering this cocktail in a glass. Like the last video, they’d offer the drink, but this time, they’d offer it to the camera and say, ‘Here, honey.’ Then block letters would show on the screen. Something like, ‘Henley Honey. A new kind of Old Fashioned.’”

Expecting smiles, I fought the urge to shrink in my chair when they all merely stared at me.

Cam’s finger slid down the side of my phone. “You created this cocktail?”

“Yeah, it’s based on a regular Old Fashioned, but I used Henley Honey.” Blue-gray eyes did that intense, smoldering thing. It made my skin itchy and compelled me to keep talking. “Which is fantastic, by the way. It’s a smooth whiskey, Shepherd. You should be proud.”

A curious flush of color washed into his cheeks. “Honey is a weakness of mine.”

My blood turned incandescent, and I ripped my gaze from him, my tone too bright when I asked, “So what do you guys think?”

“I still think apologies are admitting guilt,” Booboo said.

I sighed. “Admission of wrongdoing when one has done wrong is not shameful. It’s brave.”

“Stupid,” Booboo muttered under his breath.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Xavier said.

Edmond shook his head, muttering something under his breath that included the word pants.

I chanced a peek at Camden, who was staring at my phone. He must have sensed my attention because he slid the device back to me, a strange look on his face. “I don’t think it’s a bad idea, but I’m not sure about it.”

One slow breath did little to curb the unease building inside, but I held up a fist and ticked off points as I spoke. “One, it apologizes for the ad without bringing attention to it. Two, it has a hint of self-mockery, which people love. Three, it offers temptation with a new cocktail that your key demographic will want to try. Four, it showcases a product that is not only absurdly delicious but will appeal to women. Five, it’s simple.”

He nodded like they were all good points, but said only, “I don’t think we can do this.”

My body deflated. I thought this was so good. I was certain he’d love it. Now, I could only stare at the grain of the table as embarrassment rolled over me in hot waves. “Why not?”

His thumb tapped three times on the wood. “Honey.”

I lifted my head, eyes wide. Did he just call me honey? Again?

Cam leaned his elbows on the table. “Shep’s not as fond of Honey as you are. If we did something like this, he’d want to showcase the single barrel or the small batch lines.”

I scoffed. “You can’t make a New Old Fashioned out of the same old bourbon. This drink is best with Honey.”

His lips tightened. “That’s why I think this won’t work.”

“And your father has the final say?”

Camden took a slow, controlled breath. “My father has the final say on everything.”

“Could we present it to him? See what he thinks?”

Behind his eyes, emotion chipped away until they were flat and unreadable. “No.”

Scowling, I crossed my arms. “Well, why n⁠—”

“I had an idea,” Edmond said.