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M: What do farmers give on Valentines Day?
Z: A load of manure?
M: LOL no. Hogs and kisses! Just like the ones I want to give you right now.
She looked up to see him at the door, a warm smile on his face. She’d texted him after she’d dropped Zoey at Sienna’s, letting him know she’d be unexpectedly free tonight. She waved him in, meeting him on that side of the worktable to accept that promised hug and kiss. He bent her over in a low dip, as if they were dancing, and she grabbed his shoulders with a gasp.
“Easy there, Fred Astaire!”
“Don’t worry—I’ve got you, Ginger.” He pulled her upright and grinned. He’d been more relaxed the past few days. Lighter, somehow. And he’d stopped pressuring her about sneaking around. He held up a bottle. “The liquor distributor gave Bridget a bargain on some bottles of this new liqueur, so I snagged some for us. It’s an apple spice brandy.” He set the bottle on the table, keeping one arm around her waist. “He’s trying to get us to order a case or two before fall. I told him this area is more focused on grapes than apples in September, but we do have orchards up north, so it could work.”
He finally noticed the jukebox. “Whoa. That thing is awesome. Are you rebuilding it?”
“Yes. The customer found it in the corner of an old barn, and it was sitting there for a very long time. Long enough for mice to make multiple nests inside.”
Mike opened the bottle of brandy while Zoey brought down the cups. The stuff had a real kick to it, but it was delicious. She cleaned out more of the jukebox parts, jotting an inventory and taking lots of photos with her phone so she’d know how to reassemble it later. Mike kept splashing more brandy in their cups. He told her about the auto race that past weekend and how much fun he’d had with his old college pals.
She waited for him to say something about how much he wanted her to meet them, like he usually did, but he never mentioned it. Maybe he reallyhadaccepted her request to lie low for now. Or maybe the glow of their little affair was wearing off and he was getting ready to let her go. She looked over at him, suddenly fearful.
“What?” he asked, spreading his hands wide. “Why do you suddenly look like you want to skewer me?”
She couldn’t ask him why he was doing exactly what she’d asked him to do—stop pressuring her. She held up the plastic cup. She was a little surprised the sides hadn’t melted from the strength of the brandy.
“I’m mad at you because you brought this alcohol here on a night when I thought I’d get some actual work done.” She blinked after taking another swallow. “This stuff is wicked strong, but I can’t stop drinking it.”
Mike drank from his cup, blowing out a breath after he swallowed. “Itisstrong. But damn, that apple kick is fun, isn’t it?” He splashed more in both their cups, then squinted at the label. “Holy shit—this stuff’s almost 120 proof. No wonder we’re feelin’ it.” He grinned. “But I don’t have to drive anywhere tonight, do I?”
She took a sip of brandy, then shook her head. Things went fuzzy for a few seconds. “Hazel’s at her friend’s house, and she’ll go right from there to Mary’s in the morning. So there’s no need for you to leave until after breakfast. Or even lunch.” She wiggled her eyebrows up and down. “And we get to use my bedroom instead of the office. No mosquitoes to worry about.”
Mike stood, grabbing the bottle and tamping the cork into the top with his fist.
“In light of this wonderful news,” he announced with a grand gesture, “I propose we move into the house forthwith, along with the bottle of brandy, which I’m sure has rendered you incapable of doing repairs safely.” He pointed to the door. “Safety first, right?”
Zoey giggled, then covered her mouth in surprise. She wasn’t normally a giggly sort of girl, but now she couldn’t stop. “I accept your proposal, sir. Let’s go find a bed. And real glasses that won’t dissolve at the touch of this...” She gestured at the bottle he was holding. “This...this...apple-flavored rubbing alcohol you brought with you.”
When she was close enough, he put his arm around her and pulled her tight to his chest, planting an apple brandy–flavored kiss on her mouth. “I’ve got news for you,” he whispered. “I’ve got another bottle in the car!”
“Oh, no!” she laughed. “Let’s go rescue it immediately!”
The rest of the evening was a blur. A fun, sexy blur, but still...a blur. They gained a bit of clarity after Zoey warmed up some lobster mac and cheese she had in the fridge. Vickie had brought it over yesterday for her. It was leftover from a dinner party Vickie had at her place to introduce Gordy to some of her book club pals.
Zoey would have loved to have been a fly on the wall forthatparty. Gordy didn’t seem very bookish, but she had a feeling he could hold his own against the sharp-tongued seniors.
“Someday soon, we’ll be having a party like that,” she said.
“With the book club?” Mike sounded confused.
She winked at him. “With anyone you’d like. Of course, we pretty much have the same circle of friends, so it won’t really be an introduction.” He was looking at her as if she was speaking in another language. She smiled. “I’m going to tell Hazel this week. I don’t know how she’ll take it, but it’s time to face the music.”
When Mike realized she was saying they were going to go public, he’d grabbed her by the waist at the news, lifting her up and swinging her around the kitchen before nearly dropping her. Turned out apple brandy didn’t mix well with spinning in circles. They’d laughed, tossed the dishes in the sink and headed upstairs with the second bottle.
Was drunk sex different than sober sex? They were about to find out. The problem was, it was hard to remember all the details to make a fair comparison, but it was definitely a fun time. The alcohol loosened their few remaining inhibitions, and they spent hours laughing and attempting adventurous new positions. At one point, Zoey had hit her head on the headboard, but she couldn’t remember what they’d been trying to do. It was a good thing her neighbors weren’t close, because she’d screamed his name out loud when she’d come, her legs locked around his hips, sweat running between her breasts.
They weren’t robots...they needed sleep. But neither had been willing to spend too much time with their eyes closed. It was that kind of night—wild, unbridled passion.
And now the sun was coming up. Mike was sound asleep, with his head on her stomach and her fingers weaving circles through his damp hair. She was lying crossways on the bed, so she could see out the east-facing window, where the sky was turning pink and orange. The blankets were on the floor somewhere. Along with most of the pillows. She closed her eyes. Had last night been real? When she opened her eyes again, the first thing she saw was an empty bottle of apple brandy on her nightstand.Oh, yeah. It had been real, alright.
The alcohol had contributed to the wildness of their activity all night, but she was sober now. More than apple brandy had happened between them. Something had shifted. Something hadlifted. Mike’s joy in the kitchen when she told him she was going to talk to Hazel was the start of it. The secrets had to end.Allof them. Today she’d tell him she loved him. Then she’d talk to Hazel. They were going to be able to go out on actual dates to real restaurants and be with people and hold hands and kiss and...
