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Willow touched her scarlet fingertips to her neckline. “I picked the gold puck out.” She went on for a few minutes, describing where and how she’d made the purchase. Willow drank the last of her drink, put the empty glass on a discard tray, and adjusted the knitted waistband on her dress, pulling the cleavage down half an inch. “Why don’t we go on inside the bar now? Why should the men have to wait?”
Liam looked between the pancake grill station and the neon lit double door. “There’s still thirty minutes left on brunch.”
Willow turned her impatient dark eyes to Calista. “Surely you won’t hold Liam to an exact departure time?”
Calista tightened her lips. Why not? Sage Hill held her to a strict window for class.
Kiernan walked up, catching the end of Willow’s question. “Bar drinks will taste better if Liam has to wait.” He cuffed Liam’s shoulder. “Hold the birthday boy here, I’ll keep his barstool warm.” He cocked his square chin. “I am always here to help.”
Liam shoved Kiernan’s hand off. “Can I go?” he asked Calista.
Okay, Calista was admittedly no party expert, but having the guest of honor leave early had to be a bad sign. Doubts fluttered through her, and she tasked her brain for a solution. Got it. “Of course.” Calista gave a dramatic pause the way Olivia did when she was making one of her legal points. “If you want to miss the grand finale.”
Kiernan’s teal eyes brightened. “Shit no, finale us.”
Liam nodded in agreement. “I’m not missing that.”
Vivien had been right all along. These high stakes players wanted high drama. Calista pivoted on her earlier decision. “This way.”
Kiernan and Liam followed her over to the base of the slide. Calista signaled an “M” for maple syrup with her fingers toward Vivien. It took a moment, but when Vivien got the message, she did rally arms over head.
“What happens next?” Liam asked in a loud whisper.
Ignoring the immediate consequences for the end result was one of Calista’s strengths. “You have to go to the top to see.” Calista moved to the steps.
Liam and Kiernan followed her.
Ronan jogged over and caught up to them as they began climbing. “What’s up?”
“Grand finale, Captain,” Kiernan said with confident enthusiasm.
“Okay.” Ronan continued up the flight of stairs with them.
They reached the platform. Olivia was the only person up there. She had her camera out and was taking shots of the crowd. From up here they had a great view of the tables with people still finishing up. Olivia backed up to the rail to make room for them. “Vivien texted. I’ve got the camera ready.” She paused with a still expression on her face. “If you’re sure about this?”
“Hells yeah,” Kiernan said, as if Olivia had asked him. Kiernan put his hand in the middle of Liam’s back and shoved him forward. “He wants it.”
Liam punched one of his large fists into his other palm. “Yeah, I want it.” He turned to Calista. “What is it?”
Calista pointed downwards.
Below, Vivien and the workers retracted the see-through plastic tarp. At first, the bowl contents looked the same, burnt amber with a sunlit shine, then the wind wafted over the top and the aroma of maple syrup became unmistakable.
Liam dropped to his knees. “No way.”
“Holy vat of tree sap.” Kiernan whistled. “I did not see that coming.” He looked at Calista with admiring eyes. “You really get him.”
Calista giggled.
Kiernan stepped closer to the edge. “The only way this could be better is if we involve a nubile-syrup-loving woman.” Kiernan eyed Calista up and down, reached out, and clasped her elbow. “Hey, you’re a woman.”
Calista smiled bigger.
“Kelchier.” Ronan’s voice held a friendly warning. He took Calista’s hand and tugged her away from Kiernan and closer to him.
The moment was kind of perfect. The stunning weather, the happy teasing hockey players, her family below eating pancakes, and most of all, Ronan, here, keeping her close.
Ronan ran his fingers in a circle on her palm, making her insides shimmer like the amber syrup in sunlight. Calista tilted her head up to Ronan. She knew she was beaming and couldn’t stop.
