Not Quite Over You. Susan Mallery

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СКАЧАТЬ dispenser right before the wedding started and set it outside on the bar. There was a built-in compartment for ice, which kept the drink cold without diluting it.

      As she worked, Drew liquefied batch after batch of honeydew. She made random checks on the sweetness, then put the filled pitchers into the refrigerator. The mimosas were a combination of the honeydew mix and champagne. She would pour into the glass from each hand, creating a bit of entertainment along with the cocktail.

      A smooth event was all about prep work, she thought as she grabbed both a champagne flute and a wineglass. She poured water into each, added a drop of purple food color from the bottle she kept tucked in a drawer and left the glasses on the counter.

      “If you have to pour, that’s how much,” she told him, pointing to the glasses. “Sangria in the wineglass, mimosas in the champagne flute. If they ask for you to add more, tell them we’ll be here all night.”

      Renee hurried over, clipboard and tablet in hand. “We’re nearly ready. Are you ready? Is everything okay?”

      Silver waved to the tables, the decorations, then opened the refrigerator to show her the pitchers filled with liquefied honeydew and the giant container of Sangria.

      Renee visibly relaxed. “Thank you. I can always count on you to give me one thing to check off my list. You’re the best, Silver. Have a good wedding.”

      “You, too. Good wedding.”

      When she’d scurried away to check on yet another detail, Drew finished filling the last pitcher.

      “She’s a little tense,” he said.

      “Weddings are a big deal for the entire wedding party. There’s rarely a chance to get a do-over so it has to be perfect the first time. Plus the whole getting married thing is always stressful. That’s a lot of pressure. Renee wants each bride and groom to have exactly what they want.”

      “You like her.”

      “She’s growing on me. I can respect someone who always gives their best.”

      He looked at her. “Was that a general comment or were you specifically aiming it at me?”

      She frowned. “Why would you ask that? We weren’t talking about you.”

      “Just checking.”

      “You thought I was taking a dig at you? Why? You earn a living.”

      “In a bank, and I suspect you have no idea if there’s actual work involved.”

      He was right about that. What did he do to fill his day? Meetings? Reading reports? Telling others what to do?

      That summer they’d dated, he’d always been so physical—going and doing. She couldn’t imagine him sitting behind a desk all day.

      “Point taken,” she said, then smiled. “But I wasn’t talking about you at all.”

      “Good to know.”

      They looked at each other. Silver felt something grow between them. More than awareness, although that was there. Maybe it was the past, she thought, reminding herself she was over him and not interested in starting something up again. That would be stupid. Only he’d always appealed to her and—

      “I think the guests are starting to arrive,” he said, distracting her.

      She turned and saw that people were making their way inside. She watched for wayward invitees. The bride and groom didn’t want beverage service before the wedding, so when people approached, Silver guided them toward the building where the ceremony would take place.

      “Do you always have to do that?” Drew asked. “Fend off those looking to get drunk early?”

      “Not all the time, but it happens. As for getting drunk, we do our best to prevent that. There are things to look for.”

      “I know. I’ve been reading up on being a bartender.” He ticked off points on his fingers. “No doubles, no two drinks at a time. If you think someone’s having too much, give them water and suggest they eat. At an event like this where there are likely to be parents paying or at least contributing, getting help can be useful, unless the person drinking too much is the parent.”

      Silver raised her eyebrows. “You have been doing your homework.”

      “I told you I would.” He moved toward her. “Silver, I’m serious about being a partner in the company. I don’t want to take over and I don’t want to run things. I want to be a part of the business. A minority partner.”

      “Barely,” she grumbled, trying to ignore the faint hunger that seemed to be growing inside of her. “You want a practically even split.”

      “What do you want?”

      To have enough money that she didn’t need anyone—not even Drew. But as that was unlikely to happen...

      She thought about what he was offering her and how much she wanted to grow the business. She thought about all the weddings and parties she had to turn down and how much she really liked what she did.

      “I want a sixty-forty split,” she said, bracing herself for instant regret. There wasn’t any. Instead she felt a sense of relief and anticipation. Drew had him some fine-looking trailers.

      For a second he didn’t say anything, then slowly, he started to smile. “Sixty-forty. I’m assuming you’re the sixty.”

      “You would be correct.”

      Their gazes locked. For a second she felt the same flutter in her stomach that had always accompanied her Drew-time. She firmly squashed the sensation, reminding herself that had been a million years ago. They were totally different people now.

      He flashed her a grin, then held out his hand. “Done. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork and get it to you this week. We need to figure out what we want to do with the trailers. They’re in great shape and have so much potential.”

      They shook hands. She ignored the tingles when they touched.

      “I already have plans,” she told him. “I’ve been working on them for a while. You can look them over and we can talk about them.”

      “This is going to be great,” he told her. “You have a strong business plan and plenty of experience. I have a fresh eye and lots of contacts. We’re going to be a good team.”

      “We are.”

      Renee hurried out of the building and waved at her. Silver waved back.

      “That means the ceremony is nearly over,” Silver told Drew. “Get ready for the crowd. The first rush is always the big one.”

      While Drew opened bottles of champagne, she filled the stainless core of the beverage dispenser with ice and put on the cap. Once it was secure, she set the beverage dispenser on the cart by the bar before carefully pouring in the Sangria mixture. She poured ice into the galvanized tubs and added bottles of beer. Drew had already brought out three pitchers of the honeydew mixture.

      She СКАЧАТЬ