“Are you okay? You’re being weirder than normal.”
Chloe turned to Reid and laughed. “Yeah. I’m just nervous about whatever it is you’ve cooked up.”
“Well, let me set your mind at ease,” Frank said with a smile. “Come. Sit.”
Chloe cut her eyes in Reid’s direction and lifted her brow before doing as Frank asked. Once Reid joined her, taking the stool next to her, Frank walked around to the other side of the bar and pulled out three bottles.
“When I received a call from Mr. Ryder a few weeks ago, he had a very specific request. Never one to turn down a challenge, I decided to give it a shot. Now, it’s my understanding that you have quite the affinity for Starburst.”
Chloe laughed. “I do.”
“Well, Mr. Ryder put me to the task of creating a couple of variations of Starburst vodka.”
“He didn’t.” Chloe turned to Reid, slack-jawed. “You didn’t.”
“I did,” Reid answered with a sly smile.
“He did,” Frank echoed, pulling out a couple of glasses. “I must admit, taste testing for quality was quite enjoyable.”
“I can’t believe you did this.” Chloe pulled in a deep breath, determined to not go full-on girlie twice in one day.
“It was fun,” Frank cut in, pouring vodka into each glass. “Those backstage passes for my daughter and her best friend were well worth the experimentation.”
“Reid,” Chloe whispered. She didn’t know what to say. She had no idea why he’d done all of this for her, but it caused a feeling to bloom in the pit of her stomach that made the world spin.
“Don’t get too choked up. You haven’t tried it yet.” Reid looked at Frank and winked, obviously letting him know the comment was more about keeping Chloe from becoming emotional than insulting Frank.
Frank smiled and pushed the glass in front of Chloe. “Orange.”
Chloe sniffed then took a sip, her eyes going wide the moment the flavor hit her tongue. “Oh my God, this is amazing! And dangerous. This is so very dangerous.”
Reid laughed and took a sip from his glass before nodding in agreement. “Wow. This is amazing, Frank.”
“Wait until you try the others.” Frank set four glasses on the bar and filled each pair from two different bottles. “This one is lemon, and the other is strawberry. Tell me what you think.”
Chloe and Reid sipped from each glass, and as with the first sample, both gave their enthusiastic approval. For the next hour, the three talked about everything from vodka and music to tattoos and bonfires. They drank vodka until the edges of Chloe’s vision began to soften and blur. When they left that afternoon, it was with hugs from Frank and a large bottle of strawberry Starburst-flavored vodka.
“I’m a little drunk,” Chloe giggled in the back of the car.
“I’m a little drunk. You’re a lotta drunk,” Reid corrected with a cheeky smile.
Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “Pffttt. Whatever.” For a moment, she remained quiet as she tried to gather her thoughts. Leaning across the seat, she placed her hand on his chest. “Thank you so much for today. It was the best ever.”
“Best ever, huh?” Reid smirked.
Chloe rolled her eyes, not bothering to comment on his cocky attitude. Drunk or not, what Reid did was the most romantic thing a guy had ever done for her. And he wasn’t even hers. He never would be hers. With a sigh, she pulled away and hugged the bottle of vodka to her chest. Reid chuckled beside her but said nothing else. When they returned to the hotel, he walked her to her room, making sure to keep one hand poised at her elbow. Chloe was grateful.
“Drink some water and don’t sleep all day. You need to have dinner.”
Chloe straightened her stance the best she could and gave him a silly salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”
Reid brushed the hair out of her face and smiled, his eyes soft. “I’ll see you in the morning. Remember, no more free passes. So don’t go in there and mistake that vodka for Starbursts.”
Chloe laughed. “You don’t have to worry about that. I need to make up for the sleep I was robbed of this morning.”
“It wasn’t an ungodly hour,” he argued, his smile widening.
“Yeah, yeah.” Without giving herself a chance to overthink was she was doing, Chloe popped up on her toes and gave Reid a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks again for today.” She spun around and unlocked her door, the sight of Reid’s shocked expression burned into her mind.
“You’re welcome,” he whispered as the door fell shut behind her.
Setting the bottle on the table, Chloe fell onto the bed and closed her eyes. She could feel what was happening, and if she wasn’t careful, she was going to end up completely heartbroken. The problem was, she had no idea how to stop it.