Chapter 10 #2
I don’t get tongue-tied in the presence of a beautiful girl, and I’ve worked with my fair share of stunning women over the years.
Even arrested some. So, what is it about this one that draws me in and makes me want to discover all her secrets?
I avert my gaze when she catches me staring and inwardly curse myself for being so transparent.
My poker face is better than that, but something about Tink makes me want to drop all pretenses.
She makes me want to lower my carefully constructed walls, and I won’t lie, it terrifies me.
The last time I let my guard down, I paid for my mistake with the two most precious things in my life, and I have yet to recover from the hit.
Once the dishes are taken care of and the leftovers are put away, Charlie grabs two more beers, a couple of shot glasses, a bottle of clear liquid—sans label—and carries her stash to the coffee table in the living room.
We take a seat on opposite ends of the sofa, and Scooby trots over to take up space at her feet before promptly falling asleep again.
She gives her dog an affectionate pat and smirks at me while she twists the cap off what I can only assume is a homemade concoction.
“You said you needed something stronger, and since you’re a tourist, I consider it my duty as your host to introduce you to a local treasure. Made not twenty minutes from here by a true Moose Harbor native. Not everyone is fortunate enough to get a taste of this.”
“Lucky me,” I drawl, as she pours us two shots and pushes one across the table, taking the time to twist the top off her beer.
“Just a chaser,” she explains when I give her a dubious look.
I bring the glass to my nose and give it a cursory sniff, but don’t smell much of anything.
I don’t bother with my beer. I’ve choked down home-brewed vodka with Russians.
Authentic Tequila south of the border. How bad could this shit possibly be?
Lifting my glass in a toast, I knock the mystery liquor back, and my whole body convulses.
I’m coughing so hard, I have to thump myself in the sternum to get some relief, and I kid you not, I almost pass out from lack of oxygen.
Suddenly, I’m afraid whatever poison just went down my esophagus is burning a hole through my stomach lining, it’s that bad.
Tink’s shoulders shake as she gulps down about half of her beer, and I’m horrified to realize it’s not because her body is having a similar reaction. No, the little minx is laughing. At me.
“Jesus Christ,” I say, once I’m able to catch my breath. “What the hell is this? Straight up gasoline?”
Charlie’s eyes are full of mirth. “You asked for the hard stuff.”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a nice, smooth bourbon, not pure ethanol.”
Charlie draws her legs under herself and gets comfortable, an amused smile playing around her full, kissable lips.
“It’s only moonshine. I’m not trying to kill you, I promise.
Question is,” she taunts, poking her tongue against the inside of her cheek to keep her laughter in check.
“Are you tough enough for another?” I’m aware she’s goading me.
I know I should do the responsible thing and tell her I’m good.
But something about her makes me want to rise to the challenge.
“What the hell. I’m on vacation. Not like I have to be a functioning human being tomorrow.
” The second shot goes down smoother than the first. Now that I know what’s coming, I’m prepared and only sputter a little.
The burn in my stomach settles into a pleasant heat, and I’m beginning to feel myself relax.
Over the next couple of hours, Tink and I fall into an easy conversation while we trade shots and finish off the six-pack in her fridge.
We steer clear of our past relationships, and I listen intently as she lays out her plans for the resort.
It sounds like she’s thought things through, and I don’t doubt she’ll have this place fixed up and booked solid by next summer.
I tell her more about how I ended up working for the FBI, and entertain her with a couple of anecdotes about some of my more amusing busts.
Like the time we took down an arms dealer, and he shot himself in the nuts.
He simply hadn’t been able to resist the mountain of cash stacked on the table beside him, convinced he could make a run for it. In his haste, he forgot to put the safety on, and the gun went off as he was tucking it into the waistband of his jeans.
“Then, all hell breaks loose,” I say, recounting a day in my career that I actually like thinking about.
“Everyone draws their guns and we’re yelling at each other, numbnuts is writhing on the floor, howling like a banshee, and one of our rookies passes out cold once he realizes what must’ve happened.
Asshole lost both testicles, all because he got greedy.
” Charlie laughs so hard she’s holding her sides, almost toppling off the couch, and I can’t help but join in.
Her contagious laughter makes me realize how closed off and sad I’ve been.
It feels good to let loose and forget about the world for a little while.
The copious amounts of alcohol wreaking havoc on my system probably have something to do with the carefree state I find myself in, which is why I don’t decline the next shot she pours us.
Or the one after that. And although I know I shouldn’t, I take the liberty to pour the next.