Page 24 of Single Malt

I opened my mouth to tell Isabelle that I hadn’t known anything about that, but she hurried to speak again.

“That was an error on our part. It seems the system we use to keep track of inventory malfunctioned. We only just realized it when I called about the replacement.”

I really hoped this wasn’t indicative of how the entire night was going to go. Smashing my finger with a hammer and then having an entire case of wine suddenly gone.

“We have options,” Isabelle continued. “We can provide a case and a half of any wine from our inventory as a replacement, regardless of the price difference. Or we can take double the cost of the case off your bill.”

I rubbed my forehead. While I’d estimated high for the number of guests who would most likely drink the wine, I didn’t think I could take the loss of an entire case. The problem was, I didn’t know what other wines were available, and while I occasionally enjoyed a glass or two, I didn’t know enough about wine to know an appropriate replacement for the one Dr. Ipres had put on the list.

I needed time but didn’t have it. Dr. Ipres was busy, and I couldn’t think of anyone else who’d know enough to help. Then it hit me. Mom.

The fact that I hadn’t immediately thought of her spoke volumes about my state of mind. She served on the boards of numerous charities and planned this sort of thing all the time. I loathed asking for help, but at least I didn’t need to interrupt Dr. Ipres to admit that I couldn’t take care of this on my own.

“I need to make a call,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t have an office I could use for privacy, but since the only people here at the moment were all involved in setting things up, I headed for the back of the space where a few storage and supply closets offered me a place to make my call without anyone overhearing.

Mom picked up on the second ring and answered my question without asking any of her own. She did, however, give me the name of an app that would help me with future orders and told me that she often used it to keep up-to-date on trends, new vineyards, that type of thing. My mother and I were both the kind of people who didn’t do well with asking for help, so I knew this was her way of letting me know that even she needed some assistance from time to time.

I thanked her, and my gratitude was sincere, but that didn’t mean I was any less tense as I went back to the main space and found Isabelle. Once I gave her my replacement choice and she confirmed that it was available, she went off to take care of that while I went back to the newly built bar to continue checking for any possible blemishes or weaknesses.

After I’d decided to go with a bartender – two actually – to allow for better control over the distribution, I’d been faced with the question of how that would actually work since there wasn’t anything already in the room I could use as a bar. It’d taken a couple visits with professors in the architecture, engineering, and art departments, but I managed to get a few students to create an attractive and portable bar, complete with shelves.

They received some sort of work credit for it, and it would be usable for any gatherings that needed it, so everyone was pleased with the arrangement. The end result had been perfect, but between last night and this morning, someone had dropped something heavy on one of the shelves, which was why I’d been hammering that nail. Now, I needed to make sure nothing else had been messed up. I refused to leave anything to chance.

I ran my fingers over every inch of wood until I was satisfied that nothing else was out of place. The last thing I wanted was to have something I’d suggested turn out to detract from the beauty of the exhibits. I needed this evening to be perfect. I needed it to be something that would reflect well on me, a good final impression that would carry over for any referral or recommendations.

When I straightened, my knees popped, and I grimaced. My back protested too, and I had a feeling my entire body was going to be unhappy with me before the night was over. I had my outfit and other things in my car, so I could change before the exhibit started, but even my most comfortable shoes couldn’t stop the effects of being on my feet all day. I was okay now, but I had a feeling my feet would be hurting before I even put on my heels.

“Freedom, are you okay?”

I froze for a split second as the words reverberated through me. No, not the words so much as the voice. That rich baritone with just a hint of an accent.

Damn.

“I’m fine,” I said as I put on my professional smile and turned to face him. “And you’re right on time.”

Brody was dressed similarly to me, with jeans and a t-shirt, though his was black and tight enough to show off those broad shoulders and his muscled chest. Judging by the way he was looking at me, he liked how my shirt fit too, but this wasn’t the time or place to be ogling each other.

“You can bring your cases here.” I gestured to the space behind the bar. “I have two bartenders coming in an hour before the exhibit opens, so if you want to leave any instructions, you can do that here, or you can speak with them when they arrive.”

“If they’re professionals, they shouldn’t need anything from me.” His tone was casual, but the heat in his eyes was definitely not.

I could almost feel that gaze on my skin, and I had to resist the urge to rub my hands over my arms, as if the electricity that sent my cells humming was a tangible thing. I needed to get away from him, get my head back on straight. I had too much to do to be distracted by him.

“If you need any help bringing things in, there are student volunteers all around. They have nametags so just look for one and tell them what you need them to do.” I looked at my watch – carting my phone around right now wasn’t really an option – and added, “I have to go. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

If I hadn’t been so determined to look busy, I might’ve thought that I’d sounded like an idiot, but I did have things to do.

Somewhere.

Fortunately, I’d only gone a few feet when one of the volunteers came up to me with a problem they really did need me to solve. And once I was done with that one, another came forward. And then I had to explain to someone why a sculpture needed moved.

The next time I looked at my watch, an hour had passed, and my entire body felt stretched tight enough to snap. My stomach was churning, and I felt a tension headache starting to form.

“Have you eaten anything today?”

Brody’s voice in my ear made me jump. I glared at him but didn’t answer his question. It wasn’t any of his business. I didn’t need someone looking out for me, taking care of me. I could do it myself.