"A shot of Bat Bourbon," Selma said, with absolutely no ego. It just happened that her bourbon was the best.
"You got it," Cam said. "And by the way, thanks for letting me buy that case at cost. Mina loves it," he added, referring to his girlfriend, who Selma had met once or twice.
"You're totally welcome," Selma said. "I figure a bartender who takes my bourbon home is a walking, talking advertisement."
"Pretty much. I rave about it. But I heard a rumor you're selling. Say it isn't so."
She scrunched up her face and shrugged. "It's so. Time for the next adventure."
"Well, hell." Cam waved at a customer a few seats down, signaling that he'd be right there. "I'd love to stock up on a few cases before somebody swoops in and ruins your brand."
A shot of alarm cut through Selma, but before she could respond, Cam had slid down the bar to pour a couple of martinis.
"Do you think he meant that?" she asked Matthew.
Her brother shrugged. "Once you sell, it's out of your hands. And you never answered my question. What did Easton say about the sale?"
"Oh. That." She took a sip of the bourbon that Cam had poured for her. "He turned me down cold."
"Was it because he's running for a judge seat? He hasn't announced officially, but I overhear a lot of conversation at the gym, and everyone expects him to run."
"I think that's it." The words came out sharper than she intended, and Matthew glanced sideways at her, his look more perceptive than was comfortable.
She shrugged. Whether he turned her down because he was too busy or because he didn't think it wise to be associated with a woman who didn't own a single Chanel suit, it all came down to the same thing. She didn't have an attorney, and the deal was coming up fast.
"You know what? I'm going to go talk to him again."
"You should. I heard he was doing some legal work for Taylor. Maybe if you ask him to reconsider while he's talking to her, it'll guilt him into it."
She almost laughed out loud. "I don't know, big brother. Keep that up, and people are going to think you've started taking after me."
"I assure you, I have a limited quota of deviousness. I think I've hit my max for the year."
With a final grin to her brother, she hopped off the stool, intending to head toward Easton. At the same time, she realized that the ball of hard, cold jealousy had begun to dissolve with the revelation that Easton was Taylor's attorney. "I just want to ask him one thing. But if I'm not back by the time Landon trots up onto the stage, take some pics for me."
With Matthew waving her away, she headed toward the front tables where Easton was sitting with Taylor. He turned toward her, his gorgeous eyes widening almost imperceptibly. And though he would have been justified to be irritated with her, all she saw in those eyes was the warmth of a pleasant surprise.
Even so, it was Taylor who spoke first, bursting out with a laugh followed by, "Bat girl!" She grinned. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I started calling you that to myself when I first saw you delivering stock. I love your stuff."
"Thanks."
"Don't you have a delivery crew? I mean, you're getting to be pretty well-known now."
"I had to break down and hire some folks recently," she admitted. "But I like to do some of the deliveries myself. Keep my hand in it. Meet the customers."
"Is that so?" Easton had shifted his stance, so that now he was looking directly at her, his eyes full of speculation.
She shrugged, strangely uncomfortable with his intense examination, then turned her attention back to Taylor. "I'll bring you a couple of bottles."
"Really? That would be great."
"Sure. Word of mouth is the best advertising."
"Thanks," Taylor said, grinning and looking like it was Christmas morning while Easton maintained that odd, pensive expression.
Selma frowned, debating whether to simply walk away. But now that she was here, she didn't want to squander the opportunity.
She cleared her throat. "Am I interrupting? Because I had one thing to add to that legal matter we were talking about earlier."