Been Searching For You by Nicole Evelina

Author:Nicole Evelina [Evelina, Nicole]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“Well, that’s one way to make a first impression,” Lila teased as we shoved through the glass doors to the veranda, where a fire pit burned brightly in the middle of a semicircle of overstuffed patio chairs.

“Oh, I doubt they’ll ever forget me.” I said, holding out my cup of hot cocoa for an infusion of Baileys. When Gemma barely dribbled it in, I motioned for the bottle. “You saw what just happened in there. I’m going to need more than that to recover.” I poured until the bottle glugged and my drink was more tan than chocolate brown.

“We like you though,” Will put in on behalf of all the siblings.

“And they’re the ones who really matter,” Alex said, putting an arm around me.

I turned to him. “You’re not mad at me? I feel like I should apologize for disrespecting your father.”

“Nah, no harm done. He commands so much respect in his day job he feels like he’s automatically owed it rather than needing to earn it like everyone else. You were the only one who could have put him in his place.”

I shrank back in my chair, bringing a mittened hand to my mouth. “But will he hate me from now on? I don’t plan on going away anytime soon.” I smiled at Alex.

He returned my grin. “And I’m not letting you go.”

“He may need to cool off a bit,” Arthur said, “but I bet in the long run, you’ll find he admires you for standing up for his son. That’s what strong women do.” He smiled at his wife. “Our mom was a strong woman. He’d want nothing less for any of his sons.”

“Amen to that,” Gemma said, holding up her mug for a toast.

Will appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, carrying a tray with two shot glasses and an old-fashioned brown bottle that reeked of alcohol.

“What in the world is that?” Lila asked, fanning her face.

“This, my dear”—Will leaned down to kiss Lila on the nose—“is the famous Grantham Goldmine. This is the stuff that made our granny and great-granny rich. Medicinal whiskey was legal to sell—provided the patient had a doctor’s prescription. Just so happens that before the men in our family were lawyers, they were chemists who ran pharmacies. Every new member of the family has to taste it. It’s tradition.”

I wrinkled my nose at the dusty old bottle with its weathered, torn seal and peeling, faded label. Anything that came out of there surely had to taste like skunk water or worse. “Shouldn’t we wait for the wedding?”

“Nope. Girlfriends count, especially on the holidays.”

Gemma and Marcie nodded in unison.

“We’ve both been through it and lived to tell the tale. You’ll survive,” Marcie said.

Will handed me a shot glass of the amber liquid. I sniffed it gingerly. The ethanolic fumes took my breath away.

“Well, I haven’t been responsible with anything else I’ve said tonight, so I’m certainly not going to worry after this.” I held my glass up to Lila, who grimaced in solidarity.

“Ready?”

She nodded.

I

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