Page 215 of Manhattan Bossholes

“That’s where you put fragile merchandise.”

“Right.” Was it my heart? It could sure use better packaging since it kept getting broken. I slipped a butter knife out of the drawer and used it to help pry the lid off the crate, finding a sleek bottle nestled on a bed of straw. It took me a second to realize it was a bottle of Elixir Free—but the branding had been completely changed. The logo no longer read Elixir Free. Instead, it had been redesigned to read Zelda.

My pulse skipped as I cradled the bottle, my thumb running over the fancy lettering of Aiden’s longtime nickname for me.

“He had a one-off bottle made?”

“One-off?” Maggie snorted. “Kid, this is a whole brand change. This is what they all say now.”

Rebranding at the last minute like that must have cost him a fortune. Emotion clogged my throat.

“Sooo?” Maggie said, nudging me with her arm. “What do you think? Nice, right?”

I took a deep breath, ignoring the way my eyes filled with tears. This was…it was nice. It really was. And yet…it didn’t fix anything. I couldn’t let one moment of thoughtfulness erase how badly he’d hurt me. Changing the brand of Elixir Free didn’t change what had happened between us.

“I think it’s a weird thing for a guy to do after he dumped me,” I said when I’d gotten a hold of my emotions.

Maggie let out a frustrated huff. “Pretty sure it’s supposed to mean he wants to get back together. It’s his way of apologizing.”

“An apology starts with ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘I was wrong’ or ‘I was a complete dumbass.’”

“Agreed,” Maggie said. “But also…if you’re not so good with words, I think a gesture can be a good start. And this one, well, I’m sure you know how big this one is.”

Sure, stamping my nickname on a product that was already live would make quite a splash. This kind of gesture was something only someone like the Cocktail King could pull off, but that wasn’t the version of him I’d fallen in love with, and the only thing this proved to me was that he didn’t understand that.

“I think it shows commitment on his part, right?” Maggie said, hopeful.

I shook my head. I couldn’t let myself fall for this. I knew better. I knew what I deserved. “He might seem committed now, but who’s to say he won’t change his mind again the next time something happens that makes him lose his oh-so-precious control?”

Maggie frowned, not quite sure what to say to that.

“I could maybe accept a gesture instead of words, but only if the gesture shows that he’s actually trying to address the problem he claimed he couldn’t get past. Changing the bottle doesn’t matter to me when what actually needs to change is him. And you can tell that to Tony or Aiden or whoever’s waiting for you back at the bar.” I put the bottle down on the counter. “I can’t trust a commitment from Aiden. Not when he’s broken them before. Multiple times. I’m tired of feeling like an idiot for trusting him.”

“If that’s how you feel,” Maggie said. “I won’t try to talk you out of your feelings.”

I nodded. “Thank you. It was good to see you though.”

Maggie sighed, picked up the bottle of Zelda, and glanced at my Masked Mixer video set up. “Sure seems a shame to waste this.”

“Is that your way of saying you want to stay for a drink?”

“Think you could whip something up?”

I gestured to a stool on the other side of the counter where Maggie could wait. “Have a seat and watch the magic,” I told her, taking two new glasses from the cupboard. I made a quick cocktail out of some of the ingredients still lying around, using Elixir Fr—using Zelda as my base.

I handed her the drink. We clinked our glasses. I didn’t know if it was a goodbye or a celebration, but it felt like acceptance.

Maggie took a sip. “Wow,” she said. “That’s a pretty damn good drink.”

Despite everything, I appreciated her compliment. “Thanks. That means a lot.”

“I mean it. You have a gift, Cora.” She shook her head. “Tony could totally use someone like you.”

“What d’you mean?”

Maggie made a sweeping gesture. “He’s got a great setup with the bar, and he’s a businessman through and through, so he knows exactly how to handle that side of things.”

“Right.”