Gin & Tonic: A Romantic Comedy Standalone (The Happy Hour Series Book 2)

by Kristen Hope Mazzola

  Picking up my phone, I dialed her right away.

  She picked up in a huff on the first ring. “Harper, thank God!”

  “Where are you?” I barked into the phone.

  “The Forsyth House,” she answered right away.

  “I’m coming to you.”

  I threw my laptop into my bag and grabbed my keys.

  “Susie, I have an emergency. Please let the guys know I will fill them in later.”

  I didn’t wait for my assistant’s reply and rushed for my car. I needed a game plan for this client but I was at a loss. The right thing to do was to just admit she was the vandal, but I hated to think what her douchebag of an ex would try to pull. What if there weren’t cameras? What if the woman he was with had a scorned husband who could have done it?

  It only took me about ten minutes to get to the bed and breakfast.

  Rushing through the front door, I ran up to the main desk. Lo and behold, who was manning the station but the one and only Rhett Davis.

  “Harper? Are you stalking me?” he murmured with a sleepy smile.

  “What room is Dahlia in?” I asked in a pant.

  He pointed down the hall to his left. “Number three. Is everything all right?”

  “I don’t know,” I responded before heading straight to her room.

  “Dahlia, it’s Harper,” I yelled through the door while knocking.

  “Harper, thank you for coming here.” She opened the door quickly.

  I descended onto the foot of the first full-sized bed in the room. “What were you thinking?”

  She started pacing. “I wasn’t. I don’t know what has come over me. He’s turning me into a monster.”

  “You need to calm down. We can fix this.” I tried to stay as level as possible, though inside I was just as freaked as she was.

  “Really?” she asked, and I paused, watching the tears streaming down her face.

  I patted the bed next to me. “It’s bad, but he’s the one who gave you an STD and hit you in front of an entire school. He provoked you.”

  “Yeah…yeah, this is all his fault.” Her face was as red as an heirloom tomato ripe for the picking.

  Suddenly, banging sounded on the door. “This is the police!” a gruff voice bellowed.

  “Oh my goodness!” Dahlia jumped up. “What do I do?”

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “You go with them. You say nothing. You let me work my magic and trust me.”

  “Should I just confess?” she whimpered.

  “You keep your mouth shut until I get a chance to figure out what is going on. Do you understand?”

  She nodded. “What about Noah? I need to pick him up from school.”

  “I’ll call Caroline and work something out.”

  “Harry cannot pick him up while he is this mad. I don’t want him to take this out on our son.” Dahlia was sobbing.

  “I promise, I will take care of all of this, but you have to answer that door right now.”

  I walked Dahlia over and opened it for her.

  “Dahlia Reynolds?” A senior officer walked into the room with his partner in tow.

  “Yes.” She held her head up high as they started to put handcuffs on her.

  “Dahlia Reynolds, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?” he bellowed as he walked her down the hall.

  “Yes, I understand,” she muttered as she looked back at me.

  Rhett rushed to my side. “What in the world?”

  “Do you have coffee?” I batted my eyelashes at him as he nodded toward a dining room.

  “Follow me.”

  “Dahlia seems like the calmest person in the world. I can’t believe she would deface her husband’s car like that.” Rhett sank into a seat across from me after filling mugs of coffee for the both of us.

  I shrugged. “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.”

  “Touché.”

  “What are you going to do?” he asked with an eyebrow raised while bringing his mug up to his lips.

  I shifted farther back into my chair. “I definitely have my work cut out for me with this one, but I think she’s going to be fine.”

  I didn’t know if I was saying it to convince him or myself. I was worried her husband was going to try to use this against her in the worst of ways.

  “I hope so. Noah is a good kid. Messy divorces really take a toll on the kids.”

  “You seem like you speak from experience,” I commented, choking down the bitter dark roast.

  He pursed his lips. “That I do. My mother was divorced three times before I was fourteen.”

  “Ouch.”

  He waved it off. “I guess a lot of us aren’t lucky in love.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “Speaking of unlucky dating, would you want to grab dinner with me sometime?”

  I was not expecting that.

  “What about your dating hiatus?” I teased with a coy smirk.

  “Well, fate keeps bringing you to me. Figured I’d come out of retirement for one more shot at a home run.” He gave me a crooked grin.

  “Why the hell not? Let’s do it.” I grabbed his phone off of the table and dialed my number. “Now we don’t have to do the awkward dance of who is going to ask who for their number first. Call me later and we’ll figure something out. I have to go put out this fire and figure out who is going to pick Noah up from school.”

  Taking his phone back, Rhett saved my number quickly. “I can pick the kid up. I have to grab my nephew anyway.”

  “You’re a lifesaver.” I sighed before rising to stand.

  “See you later, Harper. Give ’em hell.” Rhett walked to me to the door.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Chapter 7

  Checkmate

  After posting Dahlia’s bail and setting up a meeting with Harry’s attorney, I picked up my client from jail.

  “How much is all this going to end up costing me?” Dahlia inquired as she buckled her seatbelt.

  “Not nearly enough,” I replied with a laugh. “We’re just lucky we have that video from the school to fight this with. Fire meets fire.”

  “I don’t know what I would do without you.” She sighed, looking out the window.

  “Don’t start kissing the ground I walk on until I get these charges dropped.” I pulled up to my office parking lot. “Are you ready to do this?”

  She nodded quickly. “Let’s go face this bastard.”

  With conviction, we marched into the conference room where her husband and his lawyer were already waiting.

  “Just like women to keep the men waiting,” Sy Bradford said with a sneer. I hated him with a passion. He was such a slime ball.

  “Blame it on the bailout process,” I replied, taking my seat.

  “Fucking cunt,” Harry muttered under his breath.

  Sy held his hand up to his client. “Let me do the talking, Harry.”

  I pulled out my laptop and Dahlia’s file. “Let’s just get down to business.”

  “As you wish, Miss Collins.” The way he said my name made me want to jump across the table and slap that goofy, pretentious smirk off his stubble-ridden face.

  “We are prepared to not press assault charges against your client if he is willing to drop the vandalism charges,” I explained, and both men’s jaws dropped.

  “Assault charges? This is the first we are hearing of an assault charge.” Sy sat up straighter in his chair as I opened my laptop.

  Hitting play, I let the men see the vicious slap, the sound of it ringing out as countless witnesses watched.

  “I have ten witness statements at the ready to proceed with spousal abuse charges.” I pulled out each piece of paper, laying them on the table between us. “And I can get more. Noah, the cou
ple’s son, was even present for the attack.”

  “This is hardly an attack. Mrs. Reynolds was obviously antagonizing my client after he was tossed out onto the street without warning from his wife.”

  I narrowed my eyes at Sy and Harry. “My client was acting out of self-defense after your client gave her an STD.”

  Dahlia screamed out as her hands flew over her mouth. I was on a roll and couldn’t protect her from that one. It was ammunition that needed to be used. It was the only way we were going to win this battle.

  “Here are her medical records to prove your client gave Mrs. Reynolds chlamydia not even a month ago. His infidelity recklessly put my client in danger.” I crossed my arms, watching the rusty wheels in Sy’s brain turn.

  Checkmate.

  “May I have a minute alone with my client?”

  “Sure.” I shoved away from the table. “Dahlia, let’s go grab a cup of coffee.”

  She followed me out of the room.

  “How dare you,” she snarled at me.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “It was the only way to make sure they knew there isn’t a way out for them. You have to see that.”

  Hugging herself tightly, she nodded as tears started to fall. “How did my life go to shit so quickly?”

  “Because your husband turned into a piece of shit.”

  After a long coffee break, Sy finally asked us back into the room.

  “My client is going to drop the charges against Mrs. Reynolds. We will start working on divorce paperwork.” Sy and Harry were cloaked in defeat.

  “The papers were filed as of twelve o’clock today. You should have them waiting for you at your office. I look forward to negotiating terms with you.” I stood and reached my hand out to shake Sy’s calloused palm.

  After the men exited the office with heads hanging, I cheered with Dahlia in my office.

  “I’m sorry I got mad at you. You were great in there.” She took a seat across from me.

  “We will try for full custody and for the house. Are there any other major assets you want to retain?”

  She shook her head. “I just want this to be over with.”

  “We will move as quickly as possible. Just know, even though we won the battle, we still have to be victorious in the war. Sy is a scummy person but a damn good lawyer, and he will find another ace in the deck.”

  “I have complete faith in you.”

  Chapter 8

  Spontaneity for the Win

  Walking into my apartment, I found the aftermath of the girls’ night: empty wine bottles, open bags of chips, half-eaten dip, the leftovers from the restaurant, and dirty glasses. Putting on my rubber gloves, I went to work cleaning.

  It had been a long day, but I relished in the victory. I was surprised Harry had gone down so easily, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

  Getting out the stovetop cleaner, I was about to go to town on my electric range when my phone started ringing with a call from an unsaved number.

  “Hello?”

  “Harper, it’s Rhett. Is this a bad time?” His low timbre wafted through the speaker.

  “No, it’s a perfect time. How are you?”

  “Feeling foolish for calling you so soon, but I couldn’t wait to set our date.”

  “Never feel foolish for calling me for that reason,” I cooed into the phone.

  I could hear him let out a forced sigh. “Okay, good. Have you ever been to the Drum and Quill? I know it isn’t Noble Fare or anything fancy, but it’s a cool spot.”

  “I know it well and I love that place. Way more up my alley than a swanky spot.”

  “How does tonight sound?”

  He is eager.

  “I’m currently elbow-deep in cleaning products,” I confessed, looking down at my ragged clothes.

  “That’s sexy,” he teased. “Meet me there in an hour. Wear your cleaning clothes. It’s a turn-on.”

  “You’re a weird one.”

  “You have no idea. See you soon.”

  “Bye, Rhett. I look forward to not having to run into you for a change.”

  “That feeling is extremely mutual.”

  I hopped in the shower, tried to find halfway decent clothes, smeared on makeup, and was out the door in record time.

  As I walked into my normal watering hole, my knees shook. I was always nervous on first dates, but this one took the cake. To my surprise, Rhett was standing at the entrance, waiting for me.

  “I like a woman who is a little early for a date,” he remarked as he walked up to me.

  “What a coincidence—I like a guy who is a little early for a date.”

  He grabbed my hand. “Bar or table?”

  “Bar works for me.”

  Following Rhett, I saw that Waylon was behind the bar.

  Waving over to Annabelle’s guy, I took my seat next to Rhett.

  “You do come here often,” Rhett commented when Waylon nodded and started making my drink without me saying a word.

  “My friend is kind of dating the owner,” I explained as he put a gin and tonic right in front of me.

  “Nice to see you again, Harper. And what can I get for you, sir?” Waylon looked over to Rhett.

  “I’ll have the same.” Rhett pointed to my drink.

  “Coming right up.” Waylon made quick work of mixing the cocktail.

  After introducing the guys, I turned to Rhett. “How was work?”

  “It was…interesting. One of our guests was arrested this morning.” Rhett shot me a knowing smile with the cutest wink.

  “You don’t say?” I played along. “That must have been crazy.”

  “Oh, it really was. The lady had a really hot attorney with her so I’m sure everything worked out in the end for poor Mrs. Reynolds.”

  “That it did,” I boasted.

  “I’ll cheers to that.” He raised his glass to mine.

  “Everything all right with Noah?”

  He nodded quickly. “The boys were playing video games in the study when I left the inn.”

  “Do you and your family live at The Forsyth House?”

  “Would it be totally unsexy if I admitted that?” Rhett stared at his drink.

  I put my hand on his shoulder. “Not at all. I think it’s sweet.”

  “After my mom got sick, I moved in to take care of her and run the business. When Mark got out of the Army, it seemed like the perfect place for them to settle down. It’s nice having my sister and her family close. It was hard when Mom died.” His eyes grew wide when he finished his story. “That was a lot of information. I’m sorry.”

  “No. I’m interested, and it’s nice that you’re so close with your family. Too many people aren’t these days.” I played with the lemon on the rim of my glass.

  “I feel like there is a story there,” he said softly, baiting me.

  “There’s nothing much to tell. I don’t have a lot of family. Dad died when I was eleven, and my mom is soaking up rays in Pompano Beach.”

  “Y’all don’t talk much?”

  “She calls weekly, on Sundays like clockwork. We go through the normal highlights—how work is going, what friends of hers have gossip, why haven’t I given her grandchildren yet—the normal shit.”

  Rhett laughed. “That’s mothers for you, though. At least she attempts to keep in touch.”

  “Exactly. It’s the effort that matters.”

  “So what else? What makes Harper tick?”

  I chewed on my cheek. What does make me tick?

  “Work takes up most of my time, and I have a group of best friends from college I hang out with mostly.” It seemed so lame, but that was really all she wrote. I didn’t have hobbies. I didn’t have time to read more than a book every couple of months.

  “That’s awesome that you have friends from college you’re still so close with.”

  Waylon brought us another round without asking and laid food menus down in front of us before asking,

  “Are we having
dinner this evening?”

  “I’m starving,” I admitted quickly.

  “Me too.”

  Waylon leaned on the bar. “Are y’all picky eaters?”

  I furrowed my brow at him before turning to Rhett. “I’m not, but you have me scared.”

  “I’m down for a food adventure if you’re offering.”

  I threw my hands in the air. “Sure. Adventure it is. Annie raved about your cooking skills, so why not?”

  “That’s the spirt,” Waylon chirped, sliding the menus away from us. “You won’t be needing these.”

  “Should we be nervous?” I called over to Waylon as he started to make his way into the kitchen.

  “Not at all,” he hollered back.

  “I think we should be a little nervous,” Rhett whispered.

  “I think you might be right.”

  “Harper?” a familiar voice shouted over to me.

  I turned on my barstool to see Annabelle hastening to our side.

  “Annie!” I greeted her with a hug. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to surprise Waylon.” She bounced a little as she scanned the bar. “Have you seen him?”

  “He’s in the back making us a surprise dinner,” Rhett explained.

  “Annie, sorry, this is Rhett Davis. Rhett, this is Annabelle, one of the friends I was telling you about.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Annabelle.” Rhett shook her hand as she glanced from me to him.

  “Oh crap, I am totally crashing a date.” Her eyes got wide.

  “Not at all. I’m happy to meet another one of Harper’s friends,” Rhett retorted.

  “Another one?” I asked.

  “Miss Covington is my nephew’s teacher,” he explained, and I felt like a complete ass. How could that have slipped my mind so easily?

  “Is that how you guys met?” Annie asked, popping her hip out.

  “Yep, at the bake sale I helped her with the other day,” I explained. “Rhett was there with his nephew.”

  “That is so sweet.” Annie swooned as Waylon set three plates in front of us.

  “Hey beautiful.” Waylon beamed at Annabelle, making my heart melt.

  She waved quickly. “I should let y’all get back to your date. Enjoy dinner.”