8. Griffin
Chapter 8
Griffin
Moonshine Mania
I t took me a full hour to clean up. Mostly because I needed to tame the wooly mammoth on my face, which always took some doing. The hair on my head, as well as on my face, was thick as fuck.
Which I appreciated.
I was pretty sure I couldn’t pull off the bald look.
I wasn’t brave enough to hack at my hair, but a bit of gel took care of that. I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard, so I went with dark-washed jeans and a long-sleeved dark green shirt in deference to the cooler air.
I could walk it to the taproom from my place and it would allow me to partake in the drinks if I wanted. Thankfully, the rain had held off this week, so it wasn’t a muddy trip.
Beckett and Justin had cut out a rough walking path from the various rental units to encourage people to walk around the orchard. I followed the dusty trail that led to the concert stage if I headed one way, and the taproom was stationed at the opposite fork.
I had a hoodie flung over my shoulder as I climbed the steps to the back entrance to the taproom. Ronan’s workshop was closed up tight, and a few people congregated on the patio with bottles and pints.
The big back doors weren’t open, so I went around to the side entrance. The dining room was nearly at max capacity. I imagined a bit of cheap food got people in the doors.
I threaded my way through the crowd, nodding to a few I recognized from last summer. There were a good mix of strangers and a few people who worked at the Lodge.
In one of the booths at the back, I spotted my girl. I sneaked a look at the bar on the way by, catching Lennon in action. She was tossing a clear bottle into the air, catching it in her shaker with a clink.
“Griffin!”
I swiveled my head back toward the booth where Laverne sat with Hayes. He was scribbling something in a notebook as I got closer. His dark glasses slid down his nose as his pen flew across the page.
“Look who came out of his cave.”
Hayes lifted his gaze with a grin. “I do come out occasionally.”
“I think I saw you in here twice last year.”
“See?” He took a small sip from a lowball glass. An unmarked bottle sat by his elbow.
“And what would that be?” I slid across from them, flashing an easy smile at Laverne. “Hello, love of my life.”
“Charmer.” Laverne colored slightly, smiling behind the rim of her tall, thin glass. The cherries I’d sampled earlier were floating through amber cider.
“I only speak truth.” I winked at her and refocused on Hayes. “You playing with something new?”
“What?” Hayes blinked owlishly at me through his dark glasses. I could tell he’d already slipped away into his very active brain. “Oh, yes. New moonshine for the fall. Want to try it?”
“I always want to try your moonshine. I should probably get food, though. Justin had to toss me in the back of his pickup to take me home after New Year’s.”
Hayes grinned. “That was special shelf. This one doesn’t have nearly the deadly kick.”
“Only half of it,” Laverne said with a laugh.
“Definitely need food then.”
“Did I hear you needed something?” The startlingly attractive new waitress sidled up to the table. Her heavily lashed eyes lowered to half mast as she locked onto me. Once upon a time, I probably would have engaged.
She had that open and flirtatious vibe that made for a hot weekend.
My life would be a million times easier if I welcomed her attention. She wouldn’t make me work for every word or moment.
And that was precisely why I wasn’t interested.
I laced my fingers together and smiled politely. “Hi, Ronnie. I’d love the special, and an extra lowball glass so I can try my friend’s science experiment.”
Hayes laughed. “Asshole.” Quickly, he glanced at Laverne. “Pardon, Aunt Laverne.”
She waved him off. “No worries, Hayes.” She smiled at Ronnie. “I haven’t met you yet.” She held out a hand. “I’m Laverne.”
“Oh.” Ronnie dropped the big flirt act. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ronson. I’m Ronnie Black.”
“Welcome to the taproom, and call me Laverne, please. We don’t stand on ceremony here. You can stop by the Lodge anytime for a piece of my apple pie.”
“Worth the trip. I’m going to marry her just for her pie.”
“Think Fred would have something to say about that.” Laverne laughed. “But I’ll happily adopt you.”
“Deal!”
We all laughed, including Ronnie.
“Oh, and Ronnie, I’ll take a lowball glass, as well. I’d like to see what my nephew is up to too.”
“Anyone else want food?”
“We’re good,” Hayes said, shyly. “We had the special as soon as we arrived.”
Ronnie’s smile wasn’t quite to the previous seduction level when she flashed it at Hayes. Instead, it was softer. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
Laverne nudged Hayes. “She’s quite beautiful.”
He lowered his gaze to his notebook. “She sure is.” He cleared his throat. “The new moonshine is in line with the honey flavors Ronan is spotlighting this year.” He pushed the bottle over to me.
“This sounds like I’m going to be in trouble.” I uncapped it and the warm scent of honey came out with a pear chaser. “Pear too?”
Pleased, Hayes nodded. “Good nose.”
“That’s what Lenny tells me too.” I pushed it back to him. “Still smells like I’m going to be glad I walked over here tonight.”
Hayes gave me a little shrug. “Need to up your tolerance.”
Laverne snickered.
We chatted about the spring wedding that had taken place the week before. A bit about the twins—first babies at the orchard in a long time was a big deal.
I had a Honey Firefly cider with my meal before dipping into the moonshine.
The taproom was full to bursting with people. The food truck people brought family, including a few kids running around the dining room. It was a happy sound, thankfully. The taproom wasn’t exactly family-friendly fare, but this wasn’t a normal night.
During my second glass of moonshine—yes, it was as dangerous as I feared—I turned in my seat to watch Lennon.
There was a crowd around the bar as she activated full flair mode. Dean was trying to learn from her, and they’d devised a bit of choreography where they passed bottles back and forth.
She did a complicated twirl while two bottles flew above her head. She caught one of the metal shakers on the back of her forearm, bouncing it up where she snatched it out of the air just before one of the clear bottles came down to clunk inside.
The crowd clapped as she flicked off another metal shaker to Dean, who caught it, flipping it on top of his head to balance it before catching his own two bottles. He didn’t have as much flourish as Lennon, but she had at least eight years of training on him.
“Thanks, everyone. Last call is in thirty minutes.” Her husky voice washed over the room and skidded right into my chest with a punch.
I stood up to clap with the rest of people and had to grab the booth. Most of the crowd dissipated back to tables or outside for a bit of fresh air. I took my hefty glass of moonshine with me as I threaded between people to get to the bar.
Lennon was a bit flushed from performing, and one of her braids was fraying.
Her coffee and cream skin was on display, thanks to her black vest over a series of layered tank tops ending with slim black jeans that hugged her perfectly.
Goddamn, she was beautiful.
There was far too much alcohol fizzing through my veins. The smart thing would be to slip out and walk it off, but instead, I found myself sitting at a stool that had just been vacated.
I laced my fingers around my glass and leaned forward. I didn’t trust myself not to do something stupid.
Well, more stupid than coming over there when I was half-cocked.
I took another sip from the far-too-smooth moonshine. The honey and pears warmed me from the inside out. I lowered my chin to rest on the top of my glass. “Hi.”
Lennon was stacking glasses in the dishwasher rack. “Hello, yourself.” She dipped her gaze to my glass. “You drinking contraband in my bar?”
“Maybe. Technically.” I huffed out a breath. “Hayes made me do it.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Is that right?”
“Well, not made me. But he encourages—er, encouraged me.” I swallowed down a hiccup. Blast them.
“You’re a big boy.” She loaded the rack into the machine and slammed the door. “Very big,” she muttered.
I sat up straight. “You think I’m too big?” I frowned. “I’m not that big. Am I? I mean maybe some of me.”
Both her eyebrows went skyward.
I snickered and waved. “These big mitts. But maybe it correlates. I haven’t had any complaints.”
I blew raspberries again. “I’m not that drunk. I don’t think.” I dropped my other foot to the floor since the room was tilting a bit. Maybe I was a little more drunk than I’d thought. “Sneaky pears,” I mumbled.
Lennon took the glass from me.
“Hey, I wasn’t done with that.”
She took a whiff and frowned. “That smells like honey and pears, but not a lick of booze.”
“Sneaky.” I collapsed into the seat again. Way too much tilting.
“The way you’re listing, I bet I could light this shit on fire.”
“Fire!” I laughed. “You look really cool when you do the flippy things with the fire. Like you did last year.” I pointed outside. “Hawaii.”
She laughed. “The bachelorette party.”
I nodded. “That one.”
She glanced around the bar. “Where is Hayes?”
“Don’t know.” I glanced over at the booth we’d been at. “Don’t see him.”
“And Laverne?”
“Probably drove him home.” I frowned down at my hand and dragged my thumb across the tingly pads of my fingers. “He had more than I did—I think.” I glanced back up at her. “Not sure.” Then my face melted into a smile. I had a feeling it was a big stupid one, but I didn’t care right then. “You’re so pretty.”
She rolled her eyes. “Tell me you didn’t drive. Not that I’d let you, anyway.”
I blew raspberries and it felt funny. “Lips are numb.”
“Oh, boy.”
“I walked. I’ll find my way home.”
“You’ll find your way into the woods, and then we’ll have to send a rescue team.”
“Noooo.” I hiccupped. “Dammit.”
She laughed. “Yes, we would.”
“Nah, I can find my where, anyway.”
She snickered. “Find your way anywhere?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Sure, buddy.”
I propped my head on my hands, my elbows slowly sliding outward. “Man, you’re so stupid.”
“Excuse me?”
I hiccuped. “Sorry. Stupid pretty. Like the kind of pretty that makes people stupid. Especially me.”
“So, I see.”
“You know you’re pretty.” I pressed my cheeks together. “My face is numb,” I mumbled through my squished lips.
“I just bet it is.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “I’ll call Justin to get your drunk ass.”
I shook my head. “Nope. Justin has a daaaate.”
Annette dropped a tray of glasses on the bar. “Of course he does. Which one this time?”
“Dunno. Bride—er, wait.” I laughed. “Bridesmaid. Justin’s good, but he’s not luring that bride away.”
Annette sighed. “He thinks he is,” she muttered.
“Wha?” I narrowed my eyes, but Annette’s pretty face was a blur of peachy features and curls.
“I can take him home.” Another voice had me swiveling to see who it was. I didn’t know the voice. Well, not exactly.
“I got it, Ronnie,” Lennon said firmly.
Ronnie pushed me back on the bar stool.
I hadn’t known I was sliding. “Oops.”
“You sure, Lennon?” the new girl asked.
Ron? Nope, Ronnie. That was it. I gripped the edge of the bar and righted myself. Mostly because Lennon was giving me a very dark look. At least I was pretty sure. She kept wavering.
“I’m sure.”
“We can finish cleaning up if you want to take him. You’ve been here all day.” Annette slipped behind the bar.
“No, I don’t want to leave you like that.”
Annette waved her off. “If you don’t, he’ll be on the floor in a minute.”
She sighed. “I suppose he is.”
“I’m fine,” I said and lurched off the stool.
“Hey, big guy.” Dean caught me by the belt, hauling me upright. “You don’t look so good.”
“I feel great.”
“I bet he does,” Lennon groused. “Dean, can you help me get him to my Jeep?”
“Sure thing.” Dean shoved his shoulder under my arm. “Hang onto me, idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot.” But my feet were really not working right.
“What the hell happened to him?” Dean asked.
“Hayes.”
“Ahh.” Dean chuckled. “Been there. He’ll learn not to take offerings from that sneaky bastard.”
“He really is.” I laughed, but it came out more like a slur. “Bastard.”
Lennon’s scent drifted my way as she came around the other side of me. She smelled like warm ginger and something else. Probably alcohol from flipping around her...stuff. Words weren’t working too good in my head.
I couldn’t even properly enjoy the fact that she was all tucked up next to me.
God, I hope I didn’t smell.
I turned my head to sniff but only got a lungful of ginger and girl shampoo. I wasn’t sure why girl shampoo always smelled so good, but hers was way good. “Excepshhunel,” I said with a sigh.
“Good grief,” she muttered. “Okay, let’s get him outside.”
“Want to go grab your Jeep? I can handle him.”
Suddenly, she was gone, and I frowned. “Hey.”
“Sorry, jackass. You’ll have to deal with me for a few.” Dean’s voice was far too amused. I was really going to hate this tomorrow.
Not that this was the first time I’d been walked out of a bar in my life. A few times, I’d even had the extra help of cuffs. I snickered at the memory of me and Marc being hauled out of a dive in North Carolina.
Dean gripped my belt at the back again. “Hi, there. If you go down, we’re both going down, and I don’t know if I can get you back up alone.”
The slap of cool air pushed away some of the haze. “I’m good.” I got my feet under me and swayed.
Dean hauled me over to the railing of the ramp and we shuffled our way down. “Nothing like a bit of cold air to clear the head, hey?”
I closed one eye, and he shimmered into one person. “Sure. I got this.”
Dean grunted as I crashed into him. “Thank God. There she is.”
I lifted my head and grinned at the purple Jeep waiting under the parking light. She hopped out of the driver’s side and hurried around the front of the car.
“You sure you can handle him alone?”
She hustled to my side and tucked herself against my chest.
Man, she smelled good.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Shit. Did I say that out loud?”
“Sure did.”
I banged into the side of the Jeep and winced. That was going to leave a mark. “I got it, ” I said, as I grasped the open door.
She backed up and put her hands on her hips. “If you fall, I’m leaving you on the ground.”
“I got it.”
“So, you keep saying,” she said sharply.
I stuffed my left boot into the Jeep and used the Oh, shit handle to haul myself up. “See!”
She rolled her eyes then tucked her hand into the pocket of her jacket and came out with a lollipop. “Good boy.”
I took the sucker with a smile. “Aces.”
She shut the door and backed up to talk to Dean. I couldn’t understand what they said, but finally, Dean was waving at me, and she jumped in the other side of the vehicle. “Put your seatbelt on, idiot.”
“M’kay.” I stuck the raspberry Dum-Dum in my mouth and managed to get the belt across myself without help. By the time I heard the click, I collapsed back against the headrest.
Then it was lights out.