Chapter Twenty-Eight
Midnight Mojitos
Flora greeted me when I walked in the door. I bent down to pet her, and she nuzzled into my chest, sensing that I needed comfort. I let a few more tears fall and then pushed out a full breath.
I was done crying over the situation. Over Bryce. For now, I had to focus on what I could control. My work. My future. Although I had no idea what that would look like once Bryce told the world about the ‘magic’ he believed the McGuire women possessed.
My bones were heavy and my mind was numb.
In the bathroom I turned on the faucet, wiping away the trails of mascara streaks on my cheeks.
All I wanted was to crawl under the covers and hide from the world.
I walked into my bedroom with Flora close behind when the sound of my doorbell filled the room.
Shit. I could not handle an emergency tonight.
‘Flora, stay.’
I hustled down the stairs and through the door that separated my living space from the clinic. Several knocks followed another ring of the doorbell. Whoever was on the other side was about to get an earful.
‘I’m coming,’ I shouted. Once the deadbolt was thrown, I yanked open the door.
Elena stood on the porch. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was wearing her favorite Denver Nuggets sweatshirt she’d found at a thrift shop in Ouray a few years ago.
Behind her, Aster bounced on her toes. The purple hoodie she wore nearly drowned her small body.
Lia stood a few feet away wearing a black sweatsuit and a somber look.
Crap. Bree must have called them when I fled the tavern.
‘I’m not in the mood for company.’
‘Sorry, but we’re still coming in.’ Elena walked past me.
Aster pulled me into a hug. ‘There’s been this awful ache in my heart all day, but the shop’s been crazy. I’m sorry I didn’t call you.’
She dipped her chin, and I bent until she looked me in the eyes. ‘You are not responsible for my happiness or sadness. We’ve talked about this.’
‘I know, but it’s hard when you’re hurting.’ She pulled a folded mailing envelope from the back pocket of her jeans. ‘This was near the front door.’
I took it as Lia hovered a few steps away. A pitcher filled with green liquid was gripped in her hand. ‘We’re drinking mojitos until you forget about that asshole.’
‘While I love and appreciate you all, this can’t happen tonight. I’m exhausted,’ I pushed back.
‘Too bad.’ Aster slapped her hands onto her hips. ‘I already called Dalton. He’s making an extra-large margherita pizza and a dozen blazing hot wings for us. Said he’ll personally deliver them in twenty minutes.’
The three of them proceeded down the hall toward my apartment. Even though I wanted to go to sleep, forget this night ever happened, a part of me was relieved they were here. That I didn’t have to wallow in my misery alone.
At the top of the stairs, Flora greeted them with a sweet bark. Elena sank to the floor beside my couch, and Flora made herself at home in her lap. Aster plopped onto a stool at the breakfast bar, and Lia went to work in the kitchen, pulling down glasses from the cabinet above the sink.
I set the envelope on the counter and fell into a wooden chair at my small round dining table. ‘Might as well tell me what Bree said when she called you.’
Aster’s brows shot up. ‘Bree?’
‘Yeah, I assumed she called you after I left the tavern.’
The three of them went suspiciously quiet.
‘Was it Jessa?’ I said.
Elena focused on giving Flora a quick rub behind the ears. ‘Bryce called me, and then I reached out to your sisters.’
‘What? How does he even have your number?’ I said.
‘He’s been in for coffee a couple of times, looking for info about the history of the buildings in town. Asked if he could have my number in case he had any more questions.’
‘And you just gave him your digits?’ I grumbled.
‘He made it sound like it was a tourism article, and I saw it as another way to get people into town. To stop into Drip! Drip! Hooray! and get a cup of coffee.’
My heart twinged. In all my rantings about what the story would do to my family, I’d forgotten that an article bringing tourists to town would be a boon for my best friend’s business.
‘What exactly did Bryce say to you during this call?’ I said.
Elena went back to petting Flora’s head. ‘That you were upset. How you shouldn’t be alone. That he wanted you to be surrounded by people who loved you.’
Aster pulled in a little gasp.
Lia stilled in the middle of the kitchen. ‘He said that?’
‘Yes.’ Elena sighed. ‘You probably don’t want to hear this, Dan, but that man cares about you.’
‘If he cared, he’d walk away from this. It all feels especially awful now after…’ I bit my lip, and Flora hopped off Elena’s lap and sank down next to my chair.
‘How close have you two become?’ Aster hedged like she already knew the answer.
I choked out a brittle laugh. ‘He has a crescent-shaped scar right where the deep V to his hips begins, if that tells you anything.’
Lia handed me a full glass. ‘Think you need this.’
I downed the mojito in one gulp, the sharp sting of rum burning the back of my throat. She took the empty glass from my hand and walked back to the kitchen to fill it again.
‘Okay, so you slept with him.’ Aster righted her shoulders. ‘That’s a good thing.’
‘How is that good?’ Lia said sharply as she pushed a drink across the counter to Aster before stalking over to Elena and handing her a glass too.
Aster took a big gulp and licked her lips. ‘Not enough mint.’
‘Fine. You make them next time,’ Lia said with a smirk. She loved it when our quiet little sister found her voice.
‘I will,’ Aster pushed back before returning her attention to me. ‘It’s been too long since Dani had any affection. And…’ She took another sip. ‘When you two are together his color gets brighter. More intense.’ She hesitated again.
‘Finish that thought,’ Lia said, setting another full glass down next to me.
‘The bond between Dani and Bryce is different from my other matches. It’s like the more time you spend together, the stronger it grows. It’s almost unbreakable.’
‘That means what for Dani?’ Elena took a drink and shivered. She was more of a micro-brew girl.
‘He strikes me as the kind of guy who when he wants something, he’s not about to let it go,’ Aster said.
‘We don’t know any of that to be true,’ I countered. ‘What’s clear to me is that his article, saving his career, means more to him than anything that’s building between us.’
I didn’t feel the need to sugarcoat the truth for them. For too long I’d hidden issues with Belladonna from my sisters, and eventually keeping those secrets came back to bite me in the ass. I started to confess that our mother was back in town until Elena jumped to her feet.
‘Enough about men tonight. We are here to drink, eat pizza and dance.’
Lia and I groaned at the exact same time. Dance had been Elena’s minor in college. When she brought up music, it was immediately followed by the need to teach us some wild routine she’d seen on the internet.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and synced it to my wireless speakers.
A second later, a boppy tune from the 1990s blared through the room.
Knowing she was always a willing partner, she reached for Aster’s hand.
They started to do some intricate moves that required complicated footwork and at least two spins.
Lia nursed her drink in the kitchen, trying to blend in with the cabinets.
Elena pranced over and yanked her out from her hiding spot.
Lia gave me the evil eye. This was her living nightmare, and if she had to participate, I did too.
I drained my glass and attempted to follow the routine Elena insisted was easy.
The mojitos blurred the edges of my raw nerves. I jumped and bounced around to the beat. Lia laughed when Aster tried to spin her in a circle. Flora barked and wobbled back and forth on her feet like she wanted to be part of the party. Elena sang along with the pop diva at the top of her lungs.
I hated that Bryce knew this was what I needed. That I’d simply turn into myself if left to my own devices. He was a pain in the ass. A problem that could not be solved, but I had to give him credit. My best friend and my sisters were a surefire cure for sadness.
One song blended into another, and we ended up in a conga line moving around the room. Lia hopped out of her spot more than once to refill our glasses. When the pitcher was empty, we turned to red wine. We laughed and danced until the doorbell rang.
Aster grabbed my hand and boogied to the stairs. When we were on the ground floor, she did a series of spins that made me dizzy, or was that the alcohol?
She threw open the door and sang ‘Hello’ to Dalton, who looked at her with amusement. He filled most of the doorway with his tall lanky body. His dark curly hair was pushed back off his forehead.
‘Uh-oh.’ He chuckled. ‘Are you having another dance party with cocktails?’
‘Maaaaybeee,’ Aster said with a giggle.
He forced his face to be serious. ‘As your best friend, I should tell you I’m offended I was not included in this revelry.’
Aster poked a wobbly finger against his chest. ‘This is a no-boys-allowed event!’
He glanced at me over her head and mouthed, ‘How many has she had?’
‘Enough,’ I said back.
He shook his head and handed me the pizza and box of wings. My stomach grumbled. I’d been so mad at the tavern I’d forgotten to eat. ‘How much do I owe you?’
‘It’s on the house.’
His mouth pinched at the corners. Aster could never keep a single thing from him, even when it came to my sad love life.
He reached gently for Aster, who danced in a wobbly circle. ‘When you’re done here, call me. I’ll drive you home.’
‘Not necessary.’ She stood on tiptoe and booped his nose. ‘This is a sleepover.’
I bit back a laugh. That was news to me.
‘Drink some water. Take a couple of ibuprofen before bed. You know how you feel after a night of rum.’
‘Pinky swear.’ She gripped his small finger before taking the food from me and dancing back to the stairs.
His longing gaze followed her the entire way. Poor Dalton. He’d been crushing on Aster for years, and she was completely oblivious to it.
‘For what it’s worth,’ he said, focusing his attention back on me, ‘I think Bryce is a good guy who’s only trying to do his job.’
‘Yeah, I heard that he’s got you charmed too.’
‘He’s been into the shop several times. We’ve chatted about what makes Harvest Moon special. That’s all.’
‘Has he pumped you for info on Aster?’
Suddenly he found the mat in front of my door very interesting. ‘I haven’t said anything he didn’t already know about her synesthesia and matchmaking talent.’
In high school, Aster didn’t have many friends.
It was too easy for them to ask about who liked them, and when Aster did not give them the answer they wanted, friendship quickly turned to bullying and isolation.
Luckily, she had Dalton. He shielded her from most of the gossip and was a safe place for her to land when the staring and whispers became too much.
‘Doesn’t it worry you that if more people come here, it could make matters worse for Ast?’ I said. ‘You’ve been in her shop. Watched customers be weird, especially with that recent incident.’
‘Yeah, that was freaky, but I wouldn’t underestimate how much this town cares about all of the McGuires. If one outsider steps a toe out of line, the people here will circle the wagons so quickly that person’s head will snap.’
The set of his jaw warned he’d fight any force not only for Aster, but for all of us. He really was a good guy. I hoped Aster would recognize that one day.
‘But what if that call is coming from inside the house?’ I pressed.
His brow furrowed. ‘Meaning?’
‘Come on. You’ve been in council meetings. You’re part of the small business coalition. Mo would do anything to get more bodies into the tavern, no matter what it costs or who it hurts. There’s no telling what kind of BS she’s already fed Bryce.’
‘There’s more to it than tourism and the bottom line for Mo.’
‘Like what?’
He took an uneasy breath. ‘That’s not my story to tell.’ His phone beeped with a text. ‘Gotta go.’
‘Another delivery?’
‘Yeah,’ he said in a clipped voice.
‘Let me guess. Bryce?’
He bit into his lip. ‘He asks about you. A lot.’
I waved his comment away. ‘All he wants is dirt on my family.’
A flicker of conflict crossed his face. ‘I gotta go. Please remind Aster to hydrate.’
‘I will.’
The sounds of another 90s pop tune floated out of my apartment. Tonight I wanted to forget about Bryce and that stupid article. Spend time with the most important women in my life. But tomorrow, I’d have to drop the bomb to my sisters that Belladonna had once again found her way home.