4. Adam
Adam
Getting ready to head to Winedown, I pull on a pair of jeans and a navy Henley. While I want to play off that I’m just casually going to see her for the engagement party…I’ve trimmed up my beard, put on my best cologne, and actually did something with my hair instead of hiding it under a ball cap.
Is there a chance I’m only seeing her for ten minutes? Maybe, but I’m going to make whatever time I get worth it that’s for damn sure.
Grabbing my keys, I’m out the door and walking into Winedown with only a few minutes to spare to make it to her office right on the minute.
When I walk in the door, Jensen waves me over to the bar in between handing off drinks. “Hey, Mia said to head back to her office,” she says, barely looking at me as she starts the next one.
“Alright, thanks, Jen.” I take one step back before Jensen pauses, giving me a puzzled look.
A knowing smile tugs at her lips. “You smell good.”
I give her a small shrug with a playful wink. “Thank you.”
Jensen’s laugh carries through the bar. “Is this still considered ‘not a big deal’?”
I don’t look back for her to see the damn smile on my face.
Heading straight through for the kitchen doors, I do my best to keep my head down and out of the workers’ way, only finding it slightly odd that no one is questioning me walking right in.
But considering I probably look like a man on a mission, they might’ve assumed I have a purpose in walking right through.
Spotting Mia’s door already open, I make it to the entryway then pause. Mia stands tall facing her desk in her usual heels, a blue stripe dress that has to be very close to the color on my uniform and her auburn hair twisted up in a clip. Yeah, I have a purpose, alright.
Before I stare for a second too long, I knock on her door softly. “Hey, can I come in?”
“Right on time.” She spins around with a smile. “I just got these bottles that I think could be great for the party.” Stepping around to her seat, I see the three bottles sitting on her desk.
“You invited me to drink with you in the middle of the day?” I chuckle, hoping my tone came off more teasing than judgmental. Frankly, I’d do whatever she asked me to do, considering I want to talk to her more.
“It’s all nonalcoholic, actually. I know Will doesn’t drink, so I thought I’d experiment with some different things.
One of my wholesalers has an entire line of nonalcoholic drinks.
” Mia pulls two short glasses from her drawer.
“It took one call and he said he’d rush some over in the morning for me to try.
Thought you might want to have some say in the drinks served at the party. ”
“My drink of choice kept getting shot down, actually,” I reply. Before taking my seat, I scoot it closer to the desk…closer to her.
I’m not at all surprised that whoever this salesman is jumped on the opportunity to bring her something she wanted. I imagine a lot of them do it, and not just because she’s beautiful, but after our two-hour conversation—I want more.
Picking up one of the bottles that looks like tequila, I spin it around, checking the labels. I have no clue how this stuff is about to taste, but I don’t know if I care too much about it either.
“I’m surprised you only got three bottles out of him.”
She snorts then gestures to a box on the floor. “We have six more in that crate. I just picked out my top three choices to start.”
Reaching for the wine-like bottle first, she starts to pull the cork with a pink wine key. “Figuring out the drinks for the party really got me thinking it might be nice to add some signature mocktails to our actual menu. So, honest opinions, please.”
“Alright, I can do that.” A question about whether she normally invites people to come try new drinks is on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t give a fuck if she does this every Wednesday. I think I’d like to be the person she calls, actually.
Mia slides me a glass with one shot worth of a dark red liquid. “It only feels appropriate to start with the cabernet, given our name and all.” She lifts hers toward mine and clinks it with her glass.
“Isn’t nonalcoholic wine just juice?”
With Mia swallowing her first sip, she gives me this judgmental look. “Okay, try that and tell me again it’s just juice.”
Fair. Tipping the drink back, I finish the small amount in the glass.
“Adam, you’re supposed to sip it,” Mia chastises before I can even set the glass down.
“Shit, okay, that was good. Tasted almost like that one Callie loves, but better.”
Mia shakes her head as she pours me another small bit. “Imagine how good it will taste when you actually savor it.”
“Don’t tell me you’re someone who takes half of the day before they even finish their cup of coffee.”
Mia’s jaw ticks. “Okay, first, I prefer matcha. And second, I simply enjoy my drink instead of inhaling it without getting to appreciate how it tastes.”
“Right, sure.” I glance around her desk then find what I’m looking for. I pick up the to-go cup with a little less than a third of what I’m assuming is the matcha she got this morning. “Are you actually going to finish this? Something tells me you got this hours ago, Mia.”
She frowns, taking the cup from my hand. “I got distracted before I could finish it. It might come as a surprise to you, but I’m actually rather important here.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that for a second, but I wouldn’t shy away from a bet that you don’t finish any of your drinks. You get down to the last bit before switching to a new one.”
Mia scoffs. “That is…it’s—”
“True, isn’t it?”
Mia purses her lips, but there’s a smirk slowly tugging at the corners. “I buy my own drinks…I can leave them unfinished if I damn want to.” She picks my glass back up, handing it to me. “Savor it this time.”
The look on her face is begging me to argue with her, but instead I take the glass, brushing my hand against hers. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mia bites back a smile as she watches to ensure I only take a sip.
“Better?”
I could tell her it tastes the same, but with the way I have her attention, it makes it a million times better. “Alright, I’ll give you that. But this may take us a while to get through if we go at your pace.”
Mia rolls her eyes but picks up her glass and tips it to me. “I blocked off a couple hours for this so we’re good.”
That’s music to my fucking ears.
With another sip, Mia’s eyes go wide. “Oh, so, tell me, what did you find out about Tripp and Emma last night? Impress me with your gossiping skills.”
“Okay, listen, I tried my best, but believe it or not, I’m not actually good at being in everyone’s business.”
Mia waves me off. “Yeah, yeah, don’t care. Hit me with what you got.”
I chuckle, only slightly worried this might have me leaning a bit more to the friend-zone, but she looks so excited there’s no way I’m not about to play into this with her now.
“So, we know that Emma dated his brother in college—”
“What? His brother?” Mia interrupts with a squeal.
I nod, taking another sip of the not-juice-not-wine drink.
“That’s apparently how they met. Something to do with an art class project mix-up.
My details aren’t really good on that one.
And don’t ask me what happened with the brother either.
I know Emma’s obviously not with him anymore, and Tripp never talks about him, so I’ll let you use your imagination there. ”
Mia’s jaw drops like a kid walking into a candy store for the first time. “Shut up, and her dad is your guys’ coach, right?”
“Yeah, the Blues general manager.”
“And how does he feel about their ‘friendship’?”
“I can’t say I really know, but honestly, I don’t think he cares. He’s never given the impression that he’s against it, to my knowledge.”
“Probably because he sees what we all see,” Mia leans back in her chair with a huff. “How has no one said anything to them?”
“I think they have. The girls to Emma at least—you’ve met my sister, she’s not exactly subtle.”
Mia weighs her head back and forth. “Fair. I take it you have no clue how those conversations have gone?”
“Not a damn clue. I do have one last thing about it, though.”
That sparks something and she sits upright. “Well, go on…”
Shit, she’s going to love this. “Apparently, he hasn’t been with anyone either since she started working with the Blues.”
“Oh, come on, are you serious?”
“That’s what I was told.” I shrug.
“But I’ve seen him try to pick up other girls before.”
“Ever see them leave with him?”
Mia narrows her eyes as she thinks. “Actually, no, I don’t think so.”
“He’d usually rope Beck into being his wingman and according to him—Tripp would talk so much about Emma that none of them went anywhere. Now, he just goes out with us and anything else is with Emma.”
“And yet they say they’re just friends—that’s such bullshit.” Mia falls back in her seat. “Nice job, that was definitely not boring information.”
“I told you, Mia, I’m not boring. However,” I finish off the last bit of the cabernet in the glass, then reach for the tequila one, “I’m gonna need you to finish that so we can try this one.”
Mia nods, picking up her glass and sending it back.
“So, she does know how to finish drinks,” I tease, opening the next bottle.
Her eyes cut to me with a glare. “Don’t ruin our fun, Adam.”
Pouring the brown liquid into both our glasses, I meet that cute grumpy look on her face. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“You absolutely did not.” Mia tilts her head back with a laugh.
“Of course, I did. He was sneaking back into my sister’s apartment—why would I let the opportunity to fuck with him pass me by? I was severely hungover, but it was so worth it.”
Mia’s laugh is sweet and light, just like this canned mocktail champagne we’re now trying. But really, I’d love to bottle up her laugh if I could.
“You couldn’t pay me to run—let alone run hungover!”
“I threw my freaking guts up after, but again the look on his face after seeing me in the hallway will forever be worth it.”
This sly smile comes to her face as she lifts her can up to her lips. “God, I hope he gets you back one day.”