Whiskey & Honey

by Andrea Johnston

  I delete all of Tony’s without reading them. I laugh at Ash’s texts and hit her with the pillow.

  “Really? I’m the asswipe for missing boot camp? You are the bartender that got me drunk!”

  We are both laughing as she grabs the remote to turn on the TV and I click on the unknown number.

  Unknown: I stole your number from Ash’s phone. Don’t be mad. I wanted to make sure you’re ok.

  I don’t have to know who the number belongs to; I know it’s Ben. I sneak a peek to Ash and make sure she’s distracted before I respond.

  Me: I have a horrible hangover but I’m okay. Ash brought me Rosa’s, all is well. Thanks for checking on me.

  Learning from last night’s crapfest of texts, I turn the sound off my phone so any response doesn’t send an alert and set my phone down. Deep inside, okay not so deep just pretty much on the surface, I am giddy that he found my number. But, hos before bros and all that.

  Ash and I spend the next few hours just watching television and taking the occasional cat nap. By mid-day I can feel the tension mounting and am bracing myself for the moment Ash hits me with the Ben confrontation. When she gets up to use the restroom, I grab my phone to check for texts. I see a few more from Tony – delete. Then I notice three from the unknown number, which I quickly change from “unknown” to “B,” then click on the text icon.

  Ben: Rosa’s. Jealous. I just had a bowl of cereal and wheat toast. Not even a comparison.

  2 minutes later:

  Ben: I should be sorry about last night but I’m not.

  Ben: Sorry about that. Pretend this never happened.

  Of course he’s sorry. No matter how far I’ve come I’m still Piper Lawrence, frizzy-haired chubby best friend of Ben’s little sister. Regardless of how much time has passed and how much we’ve aged, he is still Bentley Sullivan and completely and utterly unattainable. But, for a brief moment, I allow myself an opportunity to imagine a life where a Bentley Sullivan wants more than a bar kiss with a Piper Lawrence. I grant myself that daydream knowing good and well it’ll never happen.

  “What has you looking all dreamy?”

  I’m startled by Ashton’s voice as she throws herself on the couch next to me and tosses me a water.

  “Nothing,” I say, shaking my head. “Just a one of those hot guys with a cat meme. You know hot guys don’t have cats. I’m bored and could stand getting out of here, how about it?”

  “Uh sure, but a quick talk? First, how are you holding up with this Tony bullshit? My offer still stands to cut off his balls.”

  I smile and nudge Ash with my foot. “Ha-ha, I think we should leave his balls alone. Oh my God! Do you thinking he’s been having sex with the girls he finds on that site? What if … what if he has a disease?” The last part comes out almost a whisper. I hadn’t thought about that. Crap.

  “Oh, Piper, I don’t know. He’s obviously a lying bastard so we should probably get you to the clinic. Sorry, babe. I know its borderline inappropriate but I kind of told you. Remember how Tony was in high school? He was a total man-whore.” I offer her a raised brow and begin to reply. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” she says as she waves her hand in the air dismissively. “He’s not a good guy. Remember what a dick he was to Ben?”

  I do remember. I hated the way Tony was toward Ben. Even though Ashton and I were only in school a year at the same time as Ben and Tony, I knew enough from spending my free time at the Sullivan’s’ that the rivalry between Tony and Ben was epic. Competitive by nature, the guys were always competing for a starting position. The rivalry only intensified when Ben and his high school sweetheart, Claire, were nominated for homecoming king and queen every year. Tony hated all of the attention good-guy Ben received. I have to give Tony some credit though, while he was obviously not putting my feelings first when he was off canoodling with girls from that dating site, he never said one negative thing about Ben while were together. He knows how important the Sullivan family is to me. Plus, I think he was a little scared of Ashton and didn’t want to piss her off by talking smack about her brother.

  So, yes, I certainly remember. “And?” I ask. She looks at me, confused. “You said first, which implies there are more points to make.”

  “I hate when you get all teachery on me. Fine, and my brother shouldn’t have kissed you like that and I’m sorry. I know how disgusting that must have been. I’ll have a talk with him and make sure that never happens again. God, what a jerk. I swear, that’s what he gets for hanging out with Jameson Strauss. Talk about man-whore. That guy is disgusting and I bet his dick falls off one day.”

  I do love when Ashton gets riled up about Jameson. That girl has been crushing on Jameson about as long as I’ve crushed on Bentley. Jameson has never seen Ash as anything other than Ben’s little sister and it drives her nuts. When we were in high school and Ben was gone, Ash hoped that was her chance at putting the moves on Jameson, but he rejected her at every turn. Personally, I think that Jameson hasn’t given Ash the time of day because he may actually like her. Ashton is challenging and that is something Jameson doesn’t experience often. No, Jameson usually has girls flinging their panties at him like he’s a rock god. Which, by the way, he isn’t. If there is one thing Jameson Strauss lacks, it’s a singing voice. But, like she said, man-whore. I don’t think there’s a girl in this town Jameson hasn’t spent time with.

  “Umm, well…” Do I dare say anything? “So, maybe it wasn’t so bad,” I say rapidly as I stand up and slide my feet into a pair of flip-flops and head toward the door.

  “Whoa. What now? It wasn’t so bad? Do you mean you liked it? You liked kissing my brother?” The squeak in her voice stops me and I turn toward her. Her eyes are so big they look like little green saucers and her mouth is formed into some sort of grimace that is slightly laced with exasperation and very laced with horror.

  “What? No, of course not. I didn’t like kissing your brother.” I see the tension leave her face and eventually her shoulders. Relief. I see relief in her previously shocked eyes. I don’t dare tell Ashton that I actually loved kissing her brother. That a kiss from Bentley Sullivan set my soul on fire as easily as it triggered something in my lady parts I’ve never experienced. Yeah, it’s probably best I keep that to myself.

  “I just mean, well, it wasn’t awful. So, you know, don’t make a big deal about it, okay? Let it go. It was a drunken night. I just found out about Tony and he just moved back. Hey, maybe someone saw and word will get back to Tony I moved on or something. You should be thanking your brother!”

  I know Ashton Marie Sullivan better than I probably know myself. I know when she’s assessing and in this moment her assessment is about to blow my nonchalant attitude out of the water. I offer her a raised brow and a slight smirk to show I’m not taking this kissing thing too serious. She smiles and heads my way.

  “Thank goodness, because that shit cannot happen again. It not only grossed me out, causing me to have really bad dreams about you and my brother making babies, but it’s just bad news. It was just wrong on so many levels.” She dramatically shudders as she walks passed me and heads down the stairs. I love that girl, but now I can’t get that visual out of my mind as I lock the door. Before I turn toward the stairs my phone vibrates.

  Ben: I’ve thought about it. I’m not sorry. Can we meet?

  How do I respond to this and not completely ruin my friendship with Ashton? I shouldn’t respond. I should let it go. It’s true what I said to Ashton, it was just a kiss. Bentley doesn’t know the depth of my childhood crush. He probably just wants to clear the air so it’s not awkward. Nothing major is brewing; this is just friends. Totally just friends. Friends meet for coffee.

  Me: Come by my place tonight. 8pm

  Ben: Can’t wait. 8pm

  Sometimes a girl has to throw caution to the wind and hope the wind doesn’t blow her away.

  I let a smile take its place as I glance at the text again. Talking is good. We’ll talk. I’ll apologize for kissing her. I won
’t mean it but I’ll apologize.

  A knock at the door pulls me from my self-imposed pep talk. Before I can make it to the front door, Jameson is walking through the living room.

  “Why knock if you’re going to just walk in?” I ask him as I grab my wallet and put it in my back pocket.

  “I knock because your mama would have my ass if I didn’t. I walk in because I’ve been walking in that front door almost as long as you. Wait, probably longer since you’ve been gone for close to a decade. Where is your mom anyway? I need some Patty hugs.”

  I ignore his comment as I walk past him and out the door. “Shut up. Let’s go, I’m starving and itching to get my hands on some of Rosa’s tacos.”

  Other than my family and friends, food is what I’ve missed most from Lexington. Sure there are incredible restaurants in the city, but the good, stick-to-your-ribs food that you get in a small town can never be outdone by a five-star restaurant with portions the size of half dollars. The minute I read Piper’s text mentioning Rosa’s I knew I had to have it and sent Jameson a text to pick me up.

  “Explain to me why I had to drive across town, past Rosa’s by the way, to pick you up when you have a perfectly good car sitting right there?” Jameson asks me as he motions to my sedan parked in front of the house.

  “What if I just wanted to spend time with you?” I joke as I climb up into his monster of a truck. “J, what are you overcompensating for? This truck is fucking ridiculous.”

  “If by ridiculous you mean awesome, then yes it is. You’re one to talk, Mr. Yuppy Sedan. What are you trying to hide? Do you have something to tell me? You lose yourself in the city?”

  I know he’s teasing, but the reality of his words hits me hard. I did lose myself, and I never realized how much until we left the bar last night. Those few hours with my friends I felt more like Bentley Sullivan than I have in a long time. Add to that the stolen moments with Piper and that kiss, well it all came at me like a meteor. I felt more alive by the time I got home than I can ever remember. Something about that girl made of a little whiskey and honey had me seeing things clearly.

  I’m pulled from my thoughts when I hear Jameson clear his throat. I glance over at him, noticing he hasn’t even started the truck yet. “Well? Did you? I have to say, last night you seemed more like you than you have in a long time.” I let out a sigh as he starts the truck and pulls away from the curb.

  “Truthfully, it was the most like me I’ve felt in a long time. Speaking of, I wanted you to pick me up because after we hit Rosa’s, I want to stop by Sully’s and check out a truck I saw on my way into town.”

  “Shit, what’s next? Ya wanna go fishing?”

  “Not today, but yeah.”

  Jameson shakes his head and snorts. I’m not sure if it’s a snort in disgust or agreement.

  “Come on, J, you know I’ve been drowning the last few years. Quit giving me shit, will ya? Just drive,” I say as I reach to turn up the music. I let my arm hang out the window. A deep inhale and I know that my move was the right one. I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and won’t even lie that I hold a little hope that it is Piper telling me to come over earlier. Only, it’s not.

  Laurel: I’m not trying to be weird but I kind of miss you.

  It’s not weird. I miss her too, but it’s not romantic. That is the weird part.

  Me: It’s not weird. I miss you too. How’s my TV?

  Laurel: Jerk. Its fine and enjoying all that the Hallmark channel has to offer.

  Me: Please tell me that is a lie! But really, you doing okay?

  Laurel: Ok, I’ll tell you it’s a lie. Yeah I’m good. It’s just different.

  Me: I get it. I’m about to grab lunch. Talk later?

  Laurel: Sure. TTYL

  “Okay, pussy, we’re here,” Jameson declares as he jumps down from his truck. I’ll never understand the need to have raise your truck so much you need a damn ladder to climb in and out. Seriously, this thing is ridiculous.

  “Whatever. You good with stopping by Sully’s after we’re done here? Don’t you have a business to run?”

  “Nah, I’m good. I worked it out with Owen. I am at your disposal all day. Which I’ll remind you of this weekend when you are the DD and I’m kissing girls at the bar,” he smugly replies as he opens the door to Rosa’s.

  The minute the door opens, my senses are in overload. I’m not even going pretend to know what exotic spices and ingredients Rosa has brewing in the kitchen, nor do I care as long as they end up on my plate. Before I can even get three steps in the door my stomach is rumbling in agreement. Just like last night at Country Road, I see a few familiar faces and nod in acknowledgment as I make my way to the counter.

  “Ben Sullivan!” Rosa shouts as she makes her way around the short counter with her arms extended for a hug. Another thing I missed from home, the hugs.

  “Rosa,” I sigh as I scoop her up into a hug. Rosa and my mom have been friends all of my life, and even though her son is a self-centered dill weed, I love her. “How are you? It smells amazing in here. I’ve missed you.”

  She laughs at me and swats me on the arm, “Oh hush up. You didn’t miss me, you missed my food. I know your mother must be thrilled to have you home.”

  “What about me, Rosa? Am I chopped liver?” Jameson exclaims as he opens his arms for a hug.

  “Jameson Strauss, you are in here at least five times a week, chopped liver my left toe. Give me a hug, you big lug.”

  Once hugs are complete and orders placed, Jameson and I grab a spot at a corner booth. An awkward silence takes over our table.

  “So things…”

  “What are…”

  We both say simultaneously and laugh. Jameson gestures for me to go first.

  “So things with Owen are going well? Him working for you and all that?”

  Jameson owns his own construction company, and when the market tanked it looked like his business would, too. Now that things are turning around, he’s been able to grow his crew, including bringing on our down-on-his-luck buddy, Owen. I don’t know how the two of them work together and maintain a friendship. Jameson can be a class A jerk and I’m sure one of us would be walking around with a black eye most days. More power to them, I’ll take thirty ten-year-olds any day.

  “Yeah, it’s cool. We had a few issues in the beginning but worked through those. It helps that I put him with a different crew than I work with. He’s actually on a trial run as foreman on a project. If all goes well, it’ll allow me to take on more jobs with two of us leading a crew.”

  “That’s good,” I say as our order is called out from the counter. I get up to grab the tray and return to the table. Neither of us talks for a good three minutes as we begin to devour our food. You’d think by looking at us that we hadn’t eaten in days. After the first three tacos I sit back a little and take a drink of my iced tea.

  “So, as I was about to say before I was rudely interrupted,” he says. I offer a huff of minor annoyance in response. “What are you going to do about the Piper situation?”

  The million-dollar question. “What do you mean? What situation?”

  “Um, I mean the big game of tonsil hockey you played last night? What else do you think I mean? Ashton must be crazy pissed off.”

  “First, tonsil hockey? What is this, 1978? Second, I haven’t seen Ash but I imagine she’s going to want to rip me a new asshole considering how she flipped out last night. You know, you could have told me it was Piper.”

  “Could’ve, should’ve. Whatever. I wanted you to have some fun for a change. Shit, man, I know you loved Laurel but that girl is a total buzzkill. I figured if a girl across a bar caught your attention like that, why not let you have a little fun. And you did, didn’t you? Have fun?”

  I did. I can’t deny it. And I was very much caught by that girl. Damnit, I’m getting hard just thinking about our kiss. Her lips - so plump, like little cherries ready to be sucked. Fuck, think of old ladies and cats puking. Anything to get this rapid
ly growing hard-on under control.

  “Dude, you’re thinking about her right now, aren’t you? One kiss and you’re fucking whipped! I figured you’d at least wait a few months before you married up again.” Jameson’s hostility is not something I expected. I sit there for a few seconds as he gets up and tosses his tray in the trash, heading for the door.

  I follow suit, but instead of being a childish ass I wave goodbye to Rosa and thank her for the delicious food. As I make it outside I find Jameson just standing off to the side, head thrown back facing the sun.

  “What’s your problem, man? You’re acting like a jealous girlfriend.” He is, too.

  “Look, I’m sorry. It’s just that I figured you’d come back to town and we’d have the crew back together. I guess I expected us all to hangout and enjoy the rest of summer. The lake, grilling out, the usual. Oh and maybe, call me crazy, maybe meet some girls…” He stops himself from finishing the statement and begins making his way through the parking lot. I fall in step with him.

  “And?” I ask. There’s more and we might as well get it all out now.

  “Fine. In there?” He motions toward Rosa’s. “You looked like a teenage girl thinking about her first crush. How long until you’re finding a way to start seeing Piper? I’m sure you’ll sweet talk your sister and it’ll be just like high school with me playing third wheel.”

  “Okay first, your vagina is showing. Second, what the fuck are you talking about? I’ve been home like eighteen hours and you’re already marrying me off? And, to my little sister’s best friend? You and I both know that will never happen unless I want to lose my balls. Ash is going to lose her damn mind about this entire thing and won’t accept that I didn’t know it was Piper. Besides, I just got out of a relationship and have no business getting into another. So just relax will you and stop being a jealous girlfriend.”

  We both start laughing, and he takes his ball cap off and rubs his hand through his hair before placing it back on his head and looking at me. “My vagina? You really are a pussy. Let’s go to Sully’s.”