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Why in the world did Cory want to follow Vi out of the bar?

“Oh no,” Talia moaned from across the bartop.

“What?” Cory said, spinning around to face her.

“You have a look of longing all over your face,” Talia said.

Cory furrowed her brow then noticed the uneaten cupcake. “Here, have a bite,” she said, holding a piece up to Talia’s mouth. “It’s really good.”

Talia closed her mouth around the cake and chewed. “She’s beautiful,” she said.

“Who?”

Talia smirked “Don’t be like that. I know you, Cory Sloan. That woman has caught your eye.”

“Well, yeah. She’s trying to end my hopes of selling wholesale at my liquor store,” Cory said, defending herself.

“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”

“Talia.” Cory sighed. “Yes, she’s beautiful, but there’s something else. I want to find out why she’s suddenly selling in this area. And why she chose now to do it. I got a feeling there was something else going on.”

“How are you going to find out what it is?”

Cory shrugged. “I don’t know. Hey, did she leave you a business card?”

“Yeah, I remember her handing me one, but I probably threw it away.”

Cory gave Talia a sweet smile. “Would you mind checking?”

Talia shook her head and patted Cory on the cheek. “Well, it is your birthday.” With that Talia walked to the back.

Cory ate the last of her cupcake and couldn’t stop thinking about Violet Valdez. She wasn’t kidding when she told Vi she’d wished they could be friends. Vi’s comment about business and it not being personal kept playing through her head. Of course it was personal.

“Here you go, sweetie,” Talia said, handing Cory the business card.

Cory read it then looked up at Talia. “Thanks.”

“Can we get back to celebrating your birthday now?”

“Yep,” Cory said as she slipped the card into her pocket.

* * *

Vi was looking forward to leaving work because she had volleyball practice this evening. After striking out on two accounts that Cory Sloan had locked down, she needed an outlet for her frustration.

She wasn’t used to losing. When she went into a new bar, like Betty’s or The Neon Rose, she expected to convince the owner or manager to at least give Spec’s a try, even if it was a small order.

Vi had been researching other bars and restaurants in the area all day. She planned to visit several locations tomorrow, but tonight she could take out her frustrations on the volleyball.

Cory Sloan had crossed her mind several times since running into her at The Neon Rose Saturday night. She couldn’t get the image of those clear blue eyes out of her head, but when was she going to see Cory Sloan again?

It didn’t matter because she’d be ready next time. Vi wasn’t expecting Cory to be quite that disarming and charming. Sure, she was friendly when they met at The Liquor Box’s opening, but she figured that was because Vi was a prospective customer.

But Saturday night, Cory could’ve been just as snarky as Talia, yet instead she was playful, almost flirty. They did stare into one another’s eyes for a moment.

“Oh come on!” Vi muttered. “You were sizing each other up.”

She sighed in frustration. That was in the past. Going forward she would be all business if she ran into Cory Sloan again because that’s where her focus was: getting that VP job.