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I don't get involved with local women. For a man like me, who likes to be home here in Whispers rather than anywhere else, that has been challenging. Not only is there no one here who piques my interest, but I also don’t like to be town gossip in that way. But Victoria… she’s getting to me. She makes my heart race.
I watched her all night as she laughed with the girls. The way her hair swished around in a ponytail teased me to grab it. Her pink-coated lips had me swallowing harshly. She is fit, young, and full of spirit. The blond bombshell is the complete opposite of me. My eyes were glued to her, taking in every inch of her body from the moment she walked in, the jeans that fit her ass too well, and the smile that looked like she was having too much of a good time in my town.
“Tanner, are you even listening to a damn word I am saying?” Hudson asks, eyeing me suspiciously.
“Not interested,” I tell him, my scowl firmly in place.
“You’re never interested.” Hudson sighs like I am a lost cause.
“They’re only trouble,” I grumble.
“That one looks like a whole lot of trouble. The kind of trouble that I would like to find.”
I notice his eyes following Lacy’s movements around the bar, and I clear my throat so he looks at me.
“When are you going to move past it all? Connor's mom left over three decades ago, and you still won't commit to anyone else. Please tell me it doesn't hurt for that long?” he asks, and I feel bad. Hudson was married to a nice city girl for before she fell ill with cancer and lost her life to it. Like me, he is now a single dad, although his son is young. I sure hope he finds someone.
“Enough about women. Let’s talk about when you are moving back here. We need you to run the medical clinic and be lead doctor at the hospital.” Hudson regularly visits, but it wasn’t until his wife died that he began to spend more and more time here.
“What do you mean? I am working here for a few weeks already.” It's true. He is staying for a month to get a feel for it. To see if it is what he wants before he commits. Our current doctor is nearing retirement, and Hudson is more than qualified for the job.
“You know me, always trying to bring good people to Whispers,” I say with a small smile, happy to have him back home.
“I have a feeling that your neighbor is good people.” Giving me a nod, he raises his eyebrow, almost challenging me to contest that statement.
“Time will tell.”
I flew outof Whispers a few days ago, and my shoulders feel tight as I sit in our New York office boardroom, talking to Connor. The multimillion-dollar view from our office is of gray clouds today. From so high up, the rush and noise of people and cars don’t infiltrate.
“That meeting went well,” Connor says with a proud smile.
We both just met with Valerie Van Cleef and talked through her proposal to make Whiteman’s the exclusive supplier to all her hospitality venues. The deal is good, one of our best ones to date, and Connor is to thank for that. While he has a good financial mind, my skill set lies in whiskey making and brand building. That is why I am still the president and he is my VP. But he knows Whiteman’s will all be his one day.
“Are you coming home soon?” I ask him, because he has been out here for weeks securing this deal. We both like to be in Whispers as much as we can, and I know he is itching to get home. Our team here handles the day-to-day requirements, and Connor and I both take remote meetings from Whispers as much as possible. For him, he still needs to fly here monthly, but for me, a little less so.
“Yeah, the city is getting to be a bit much for me, and I miss the distillery,” he says, sitting in the chair next to me.
I pull at my tie, feeling too constricted now that we’re able to relax. I suit up whenever I come to the city, but I prefer my jeans and shirt.
“The distillery misses you too,” I tell him, grabbing his shoulder. I am proud of my boy, but I do miss him when he is gone.
“Did you find that timber you were after?” Connorasks me. I have been trying to find the perfect grain for a new project. But no matter what I find, I always come back to the used whiskey barrels. There is something about using recycled wood, giving it another life, and keeping the whiskey barrel alive longer that makes me take great pleasure in my hobby.
“Not yet. Might use the stack of old barrels out back,” I tell him, thinking more about it.
“So… how’s Victoria? Heard she was at the bar the other night,” he says, a small grin coming to his face. Hudson must have spoken to him. Bastards are ganging up on me.
“Seems she is pals with Jasmine and Lacy already,” I tell him with a shrug, acting like I don’t really care.
“She fits right in, then. Have you asked her out yet?” He already knows the answer to that question, yet he likes to rile me up.
“Don’t be stupid,” I scoff, not giving him an inch.
“You should!”
“You haven’t even met her. She is infuriating.” That might be a lie. More like, she’s not what I was expecting.
“Yeah, but you are thinking about her. She moved next door, and I would guess you have seen her nearly every day since.”
