“Ms. Chloe, if you would like, I have a seat here for you.” Frank pulled out a chair and swept his hand in front of it in dramatic fashion. Chloe couldn’t help but smile. He was very charismatic. His eyes held a hint of amusement that made Chloe wonder what exactly she’d gotten herself into.
“Thank you.” She moved to the table and eased into the chair as Frank slid it toward the table. Reid sat across from her, his expression a mirror image of Frank’s.
“We have a very nice lunch prepared for you today. It’s a sampling of popular foods in the area.” Frank set to work uncovering the small plates on the table as he rattled off the names of each dish, but Chloe couldn’t remember one from the other. All she knew was that she planned to try them all.
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy your lunch, but I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything. Once you’re done, we’ll get to the fun part.”
“Thank you, Frank. We’ll see you in a bit,” Reid said as Frank slipped out the door and pulled it closed.
“Well, you’ve really outdone yourself.” Chloe grabbed a plate and began spooning food from each plate to her own.
“Do you like it?”
Chloe paused and lifted her eyes to Reid’s, her expression horrified. “Holy shit. I’m such a jerk. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. This is amazing, Reid, thank you so much. I think it’s too much, but I’m really glad you did it.”
Reid grinned, his handsome features relaxing. He pushed the sleeves of his signature Henley to his elbows, revealing his colorful tattoos. “It wasn’t any trouble,” he said with a shrug as he pulled off his beanie and brushed his hair from his face.
Chloe swallowed and looked away, not wanting Reid to catch her ogling. Friend or not, she’d be a liar if she said he wasn’t attractive. That she wasn’t attracted to him. “I don’t believe that for a second,” she said, regaining her composure. “But thank you nonetheless.”
“I have an update for you,” Reid commented as he filled his plate.
“Oh, yeah?”
“I talked to a friend of mine back in LA earlier this morning. His name is Will; he’s a talent scout of sorts. He works for my label. Anyway, I told him about you. Asked if he’d pass around some tapes and put out some feelers to see what kind of gigs are up for grabs right now. He’s good. Really good. I wouldn’t doubt that he’d be able to find you more work than you’d know what to do with.”
“Wow,” Chloe exhaled, her eyes wide. “That’s amazing. Like I said, the idea of moving cross-country is exciting, but also terrifying. Not stressing about what I’m going to do once this tour is over, however, far outweighs my fears.”
“Just don’t forget about me when you make it big.”
Chloe blinked as tears rose unexpectedly to the surface. She’d never felt such gratitude toward anyone in her entire life.
“What’s wrong?” Reid asked, his face pinched with worry as Chloe stood and walked to his side of the table. Bending her knees, Chloe wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Reid hesitated for a moment before rising to his feet and returning her embrace.
“Thank you so much,” she whispered. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me. Thank you. Thank you.”
Reid loosened his grip and tipped her chin until their eyes met. “You’re welcome. Just don’t ever give up. Don’t ever let someone take away your music. Even if that someone is you.”
“I won’t,” Chloe said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Just don’t forget the same goes for you.”
Reid motioned for Chloe to sit as he did the same. “You’re like a pit bull.”
“Yeah, well, practice what you preach and all that. Have you managed to write anything?” she asked, her voice gentle.
Reid’s shoulders slumped and his eyes dropped to his plate. “Nothing except what we worked on.”
“I’m sorry. It’ll happen, though—you know that, right? You just need to find the right inspiration.”
“Yeah, I know. But I don’t want to talk about that,” he said, his voice stronger. “We’re here to get drunk and have fun. We’ll worry about everything else later.”
Chloe grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”
Frank returned a little later wearing the same secret smile he’d left with. “How was everything?”
“Amazing,” Chloe answered.
“Everything was perfect. I’m ready for the main course now.” Reid winked at Frank as he stood.
“Excellent. We’ll take a quick tour through the distilling room and then make our way to the tasting room.”
“Oh, boy,” Chloe mumbled. She had a feeling the tasting room might be her downfall.
Beside her, Reid chuckled. With a nod, he moved to the side for Chloe to follow, and as before, his hand found its way to the small of her back. All throughout the distilling room, Chloe was hyperaware of his proximity. Frank pointed out different parts of the still, mentioning the variety of ingredients used during the process, but it was all white noise in her ears. Reid’s touch affected her in ways it never had. She wasn’t sure what felt so different about today, but by the time they entered the tasting room, Chloe was nearly breathless.