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Beside me, I hear Susie’s sharp intake of breath. Her cheeks turn pink, and she quickly glances away from the man. She’s being anything but subtle about her fascination with the older mountain man.
Fortunately, Mackenzie is too busy to notice what’s going on.
I gather the remnants of our food and gesture with my head toward the door. “We’re going to go now.”
The two of us leave the shop together, waving goodbye to Haley before we walk down the icy sidewalk. November is my favorite time of year. The weather is chilly, and the promise of winter hangs heavy in the air.
“For what’s it worth, I think you should go for it,” Susie says quietly before shrugging. “If you shoot your shot with him, at least you’ll know where you stand after that.”
“Or I could make a total fool of myself.” I don’t care too much about my pride. I’ve always been good at bouncing back from my disasters, like the time I tried to give myself a home perm. But this thing with Grizz is different. It feels so permanent, so final. Like my last desperate attempt before I finally give up.
“Well, when I want to try something new to improve the gym, Hale always says to mitigate the risk. You know, set things up so that if your plan fails, you can still salvage something from it,” she explains.
I think for a moment. What she’s saying makes total sense, and I have an idea that might just work.
“This is never going to work,” I tell myself for the sixth time as my car chugs up the mountain road to Grizz’s cabin. All day, Susie’s words have been bouncing around in my head. I finally decided to take her advice to heart. At least, I’ll know after tonight. I’ll know if there’s any hope for a relationship with Grizz.
Right now, the best way I could think to mitigate the risk was to pretend to be a little bit tipsy. I’m behind the wheel, so I haven’t had a drop of alcohol. But I may have splashed a liberal amount of beer on my dress. If a Grizz gets even one whiff of me, he’ll think I’m three sheets to the wind. Then if this ends badly, I can pretend it was all a drunken mistake.
I tighten my knuckles on the steering wheel, watching them turn white as Grizz’s cabin comes into view. The one thing I have going for me is that Grizz is not a blabbermouth. Even if this goes South, and not the fun South, then at least I know he’ll never tell another soul.
I park my car at the very edge of his driveway.
When I go live on my podcast, it’s like another part of my personality takes over. It’s not me talking. It’s Bold Ginger. She’s fun and flirty and takes whatever she wants. It’s that part of me that I call on right now as I force myself out of the car on shaky legs.
I grab my bag then think better of it. I reach for the case of beer instead. Popping the top, I force myself to take a quick gulp. I’ve never liked the taste of alcohol, but if I’m going to sell this, then the smell needs to be on my breath too.
Content that I’ve done the job well, I grab my bag and start up the driveway. Halfway through, I remember I’m supposed to be drunk and put an intentional sway in my steps. It’s not easy to do in these heels. But the long pointy black stilettos and the tight purple dress that clings to every curve will help sell my story. Grizz will believe every word I say when I show up dressed like this.
The porch light activates as I navigate his wooden steps. He has a beautiful cabin, nestled here in the mountains of Courage County. But he’s never taken the time to decorate it or make the front yard look pretty. It could be a welcoming, inviting space if he wanted it to be. But then again, Grizz doesn’t strike me as the type of man who wants company.
I bang on the front door and giggle, hiccupping just right for effect. I spent hours online earlier, studying how drunk people act. I wanted to get it just right. It has to be, so Grizz believes me.
“Duke! It’s me, open up!” Duke is the name of a local man who also lives on this mountain. He’s busy raising his younger brothers and helping his sick mama. He’s only a couple of years younger than me, so if my story is questioned, it’s believable that I would have been looking for a fling with him.
For a moment, there’s no answer. But I know Grizz. He’s home. If he’s not with my brothers or at his camping store, he’s puttering around his cabin.
