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“It’s both.”
Faith
Driving back to Nashville with Dylan Lennox wasn’t exactly my first choice. He didn’t seem to like me much. But it would give me an opportunity to try to connect with him about the business, what his goals were for the distillery, and hopefully establish some common ground.
Besides, it was safer than being alone with MacKay.
I didn’t trust myself around him.
It was like leaving a tray of meat and cheese in front of a dog and telling them not to eat it. If I had to be alone in the car with MacKay after the night we’d spent, I’d be shaking like a Shiz Tzu with a charcuterie board at eye level.
It didn’t matter in terms of my job that I had overheard him telling Dylan that it was just sex. That it didn’t mean anything. Personally, it did matter. It made me angry that he would just tell Dylan that we’d spent the night together, but on the other hand, Dylan didn’t have to be Einstein to figure it out. MacKay had spent the night somewhere other than their shared room. I was also a little hurt that he’d dismissed what we had shared so casually.
But that was my problem, not his. He’d told me as soon as he’d found out I was Cash’s little sister that this wasn’t going anywhere. I knew that. That didn’t make hearing it spoken out loud any easier. I had been half-asleep and for a second thought maybe somehow he wasn’t talking about me, but that seemed impossible. Why would he be talking about someone else right at that moment thirty minutes after he’d left my bed?
No, it was me. It was just sex. It didn’t mean anything to him.
It woke me up faster than my coffee had.
It also made me regret pushing him away that morning when he’d started to play with my tit. That really had been my last shot. There really was no more me and MacKay. At least not the naked us.
Closure.
I couldn’t imagine there was a single person alive who didn’t think that word was a con. A bunch of bullshit. Last night hadn’t made me want MacKay less. It was the opposite.
But he’d done me a favor by telling Dylan it meant nothing. I’d needed to hear that, painful or not. I wasn’t ready for a long-term relationship right now, so why did I even care?
I didn’t.
Or that’s what I told myself all morning.
The three of us went back to the distillery for two hours after breakfast so I could meet some of the weekend staff. The distillery technically operated 24/7 and all the equipment needed to be monitored. We also had a quarterly meeting and collected some bottles to take back to Nashville for swag for a tasting event MacKay was hosting with pro football players.
Then MacKay had given me a casual wave and goodbye. After a hot night of groping and grinding and just about fusing our bodies into one, he waved and left.
I sighed heavily and then I was in Dylan’s car headed south and the silence for the first ten minutes was deafening. I took a deep breath and forced myself to focus on business. “I’m glad we have this opportunity to speak privately,” I said. “I know you weren’t entirely sold on hiring me, but I think I can really contribute and be an asset to Four Brothers. If there is anything you’d like me to focus on in particular, just let me know. This is your company and I want you to lead. I’ll follow.”
I waited for him to speak. The pause was a little too lengthy for my personal comfort. My palms started to sweat.
Finally, Dylan glanced over at me. “I don’t doubt you have the best of intentions or that you’re a hard worker. I just objected to your lack of experience. I’m hoping that we can find a working relationship that works for everyone and that in six months we’ll be pleasantly surprised with how well it’s going.”
“I hope that too,” I said, feeling slightly mollified.
But then he kept talking. “Whatever is going on between you and Mac is honestly none of my business, but don’t let it spill over into the job. That’s all I ask. I don’t get too hung up on that stuff, but Malcolm is not a fan of workplace hookups. He thinks it’s messy and he’s not wrong, so keep it after hours.”
Awkward. There was no other way to describe it.
“MacKay and I are friends,” I said, firmly. Then because Dylan knew that was technically a lie, I added, “From here forward.”
“Okay. That’s cool. Does he know that?”
“Yes.” He did. We’d said that was it. One night for closure.
“Got it.”
He was quiet for a minute, then Dylan started talking about the event MacKay was hosting in Nashville for Four Brothers Bourbon. We chatted off and on about business for the rest of the ride, much to my relief. Whatever animosity I had originally sensed from Dylan, it appeared to be gone.
When we were a few minutes from Cash’s house, he said, “I’ll have Ian give you the number for the real estate agent he used to find his apartment. I think it might be easier if you have someone in Wanted looking for places for you instead of just trying to find one on your own. I don’t think there’s a massive amount of apartment housing stock.”
