Whiskey and Moonshine

by Elizabeth Noble

  They were driving through Nashville when Colt woke up. He yawned, stretched, and looked out the window. His hand patted the seat until he found the book and pulled it into his lap. “Don’t want to lose one of your mother’s books,” he said softly.

  Gwen handed Colt her tablet. “Here’s some fun facts about the Hermitage.” She leaned forward and said to Mal, “Mr. Kensington, thank you so much for bringing me along. I’ve been fascinated with this hotel since I was a little girl, and I never dreamed I’d ever be able to stay in it.”

  Mal smiled warmly. “I didn’t know that. It’s nice to see you so excited about staying here. Why don’t you take a few days off and hang around for a couple of days?” Gwen’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a soft breath. Mal laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll have Audrey arrange for you to stay, and I’ll send a car for you on Tuesday.”

  Gwen’s eyes teared up as she gushed, “Thank you.”

  “What’s the fun of having all this money if I can’t give people I care about who work hard a little extra gift sometimes?” Mal was very happy they’d arrived at the hotel, and he was saved from one of Gwen’s power bear hugs.

  Colt had been sitting quietly, watching the exchange, when the car stopped. He turned away and bent down to look out the window. “Holy crap! Those pictures don’t do this place any credit.”

  When Colt reached for the door handle, Mal stopped him. “Showtime. Ready?”

  “I think so,” Colt whispered as he exited the car and stood straight, buttoning his sports jacket. He flashed an absolutely stunning smile at some of the people milling around. When a photographer snapped a photo, Colt twisted to the side, offered him a thumbs-up, and continued to the entrance. That action sparked a round of additional photographers taking more photos and moving in closer.

  Gwen grinned, and Mal rolled his eyes before hurrying after Colt and pushing his way between Colt and the small crowd vying for a good picture. Mal took Colt’s arm for a moment as they made their way to the large concierge desk. “Malone Kensington. I believe I have a set of rooms reserved.”

  The eyes of the young man behind the desk widened, and he dropped something and stooped to pick it up, then straightened, babbling, “I’m sorry. I was born in the Smokies and have been a fan of your moonshine and whiskey since I was knee-high to a duck. I love your peach tea moonshine, and my dad bought a bottle of Kensington’s Black Label whiskey to toast with at my wedding next month.” The concierge typed on his keyboard as he talked, then squinted at the screen. All the color drained out of his face.

  “Are you all right?” Mal and Colt asked at the same time.

  “Mr. Kensington…. I-I’m so sorry, but there was a problem with one of your rooms. It’ll be another hour.” He scrambled around behind the counter and held out a paper to Mal. “Please accept lunch for your party on the hotel. I’m sure by the time you’re finished, all the rooms will be tip-top.”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you, thank you. We were hoping to get into the restaurant here for lunch after our trip.” Mal took the voucher and nodded politely.

  As they made their way to the restaurant, Mal took Colt’s elbow for a few beats and pulled him close enough to whisper in his ear. “Did you see his name tag? I couldn’t read it from my angle.”

  “Andrew K., why?”

  As soon as they were seated, Mal pulled out his phone and called Audrey, getting her voicemail. “Audrey, it’s me. Track down a desk clerk here named Andrew K. who is getting married in a month. Send a case of our black label and a case of our peach moonshine in those fancy collector jars to him as a wedding gift.”

  Colt stared at him. “Wow, that’s a really amazing thing to do.” He paused when the waiter came to their table and went through their meal choices. After he left, Colt asked, “Why do you think that guy took pictures of me?”

  “There’s always photographers here taking promotional photos of the event,” Mal said. “They want to catch who dates who, who is cheating on who, and any clues about company success or failure. You know, tabloid stuff.”

  “Thanks for sticking with me. That was a little intimidating.” Colt was looking down at his napkin, picking at the corner.

  Mal smiled. “My pleasure.”

  “And exactly why you needed to be properly dressed. The last thing you want is to show up on someone’s worst-dressed list,” Gwen added. “Which can’t happen if you’re wearing a tasteful seven-thousand-dollar suit.”

  By the time they finished lunch, Mal had some new ideas for Kensington’s Place, and their rooms were move-in ready. The rooms were actually two multibedroom suites with central sitting rooms, a small kitchenette, and a breakfast nook.

  Once they were inside their suite, Colt turned in a circle, gawking up, down, and all around. “This is like a palace!”

  Mal snorted. “It should be since these suites run at around forty-one hundred a night.”

  “Forty-one…?” Colt dropped onto a footstool and stared up at Mal.

  “Uh-huh.” Mal nodded and pointed to the bedrooms. “Do you have a preference?”

  “I’ll sleep in that corner over there under the table if you want me to,” Colt said.

  Mal laughed. “I think you should sleep in one of the bedrooms.”

  Colt was off the stool and sprinting to the bedroom on the right. Mal burst out laughing when he heard Colt exclaim, “Holy crap! What a view.”

  “I’m going to hit the shower,” Mal called after Colt, then left him to explore the suite while Mal took a long hot shower.

  “WE’RE going to be late,” Colt said from the outer room.

  Mal stood in front of the mirror, tying his tie. “No one is ever on time to these things. At least that’s what Audrey tells me.” He wandered from his bedroom to the sitting room. “Stop pacing. You’ll ruin the carpeting.”

  An expression of absolute horror crossed Colt’s face. He froze in place and stared down at his feet.

  “I was joking,” Mal drawled.

  Colt turned and glared. “That was mean.”

  “But fun.”

  “There’s something I need to say and ask.” Colt sounded suddenly shy and uncertain.

  “Shoot,” Mal said. He turned around, leaned back against the credenza, and waited patiently for Colt to say what was on his mind.

  “Are you sure you want someone like me representing your company? My parents don’t make an honest living, at least not when I knew them. I never finished high school, and—”

  “Colt, stop right there. You’re putting a much-needed face to my company and adding that personal touch. You’ll do a fantastic job and are the perfect combination of hip and stylish. Don’t forget, the American whiskey industry was built by hardworking, enterprising young men who built something from nothing. These people will love you! As for your parents? You’re not them. I don’t care what they did. No, I take that back. I care very much that they tossed you out into the cold. Beyond that, how they live their lives is something I’ll never judge you by.”

  “Thank you,” Colt whispered. “I’ll admit I was a bit worried.”

  Mal sighed. “Don’t be. Ever.” It angered Mal to think someone had treated Colt as they had, especially his own family. Each passing day together, Mal was coming to know and like Colt more and more. With Colt, what you saw was what you got. He was forthright, honest, and simply pleasant to be around. Mal wanted to make up for the harshness of Colt’s life before he landed at Mal’s distillery.

  At the sound of a knock, Colt strode to the door.

  Mal held out one hand, trying to stop him. “No, you probably don’t—” He dropped his chin and muttered, “He’ll learn.”

  Colt glanced back for a few seconds as he opened the door, and Gwen burst through in a swish of satin. Colt stepped to the side and gasped. “Gwendolyn… you’re gorgeous!”

  Gwen stopped in her tracks, her face splitting into a delighted smile. “Thank you.” She twirled around. “What do you think?”


  “Perfect,” Colt said.

  “He does not lie,” Mal added.

  Gwen took hold of Colt’s shoulders and asked very seriously, “What socks are you wearing?”

  “Who cares?” Colt spread his arms wide.

  She giggled. “No one. You are a sight in that suit.”

  Mal turned to Colt and didn’t try to hide how he looked Colt up and down. “He is indeed a sight. A very nice sight.”

  Colt look down at himself. “I really look okay?”

  “Yes,” Gwen said at the same time as Mal. Colt rolled his shoulders, looking happy and much more confident.

  “Is this one seven grand?” Colt asked.

  “Oh no,” Mal and Gwen said together.

  Gwen turned to Mal and gave him one of her appraising looks. “Not bad for the whiskey heir who insists on dressing himself.”

  “Are we late enough?” Mal asked.

  “Yes, we are.” Gwen reached out and squeezed Colt’s hand. “You’ll be incredible.”

  Mal walked by them, patting Colt on the shoulder on the way. “That one was ten thousand.”

  “Yeah, great. As long as I don’t walk a rut in the carpeting or ruin this suit,” Colt muttered. “Don’t eat, don’t drink, for God’s sake, don’t spill anything, and don’t move. Got it.”

  “It’ll be fine. Dry cleaners can do amazing things these days. After you.” Mal waved them grandly out the door.

  There were several hundred people attending, and it took Mal less than a minute to remember why he avoided social interactions such as this. People were gathered around three long buffet tables placed at different parts of the room. “Room” was a relative term since Mal was sure several football teams could play comfortably within its walls.

  “This place is huge,” Colt whispered.

  “I think they have the space shuttle parked over there.” Mal leaned close enough that only Colt would hear him.

  Colt grinned. “Another joke, right?”

  Mal shrugged. “I don’t know. Go look.” Colt gave him an incredulous stare, making Mal chuckle.

  Colt smiled at a few people as they walked farther into the room. “I guess we should mingle.”

  “Yeah, I guess we should.” Mal stood beside Colt as they both watched all the people milling around the room. “We could do our socializing together,” Mal suggested.

  “Just like we’d do if we were on a date?” Colt ventured, then bit his lower lip and looked around the room again.

  Mal’s gaze slid sideways to Colt. “I’d like that—a date.”

  Colt turned to him and smiled softly. “Me too. I’d like it a lot.”

  Mal nudged Colt’s elbow. “Targets at two o’clock.”

  There were small groups of people near the buffet tables, so they made their way over. Mal greeted several people and introduced Colt simply as the company’s new promo person and his guest for the evening. The normal party chatter ensued, and Colt seemed content to make small talk with people who were complete strangers. A large-distributor executive cornered Mal, but he still managed to position himself so he could keep an eye on Colt.

  Colt was full of youthful enthusiasm on top of being a stunning man, so it didn’t surprise Mal when more people were drawn to him. As the evening progressed, small sparks of jealousy turned into full-on flames each time another guest would touch Colt’s arm or pat his shoulder. It seemed forever to Mal before he was able to extricate himself and move back to Colt’s side.

  Colt visibly relaxed when Mal bumped his elbow and held a glass of water with a lemon wedge in it out to him. The smile that spread over Colt’s face turned the flames of jealousy into a warm glow in Mal’s chest.

  “I’m really just the guy who stands in front of the camera and holds a bottle of Kensington’s whiskey,” Colt explained to a woman who had cornered him and was standing a little close for comfort. He struck a pose with the glass, giving a visual to his words.

  She laughed and squeezed Colt’s arm. “Well, I’d certainly like to get to know more about how you do that for Kensington’s.” Her gaze flicked to Mal for the briefest second before she focused completely on Colt again.

  Mal stepped up so he was between her and Colt, holding out his hand to the woman. “Malone Kensington. You’re with Heineken, aren’t you?”

  She shook Mal’s hand but didn’t take her eyes from Colt. “Sherie Kinase.” Leaning a little closer to Colt, she said, “Heineken has an excellent benefits package for its employees, you know.”

  “Now, Ms. Kinase,” Mal said, putting a hand on Colt’s shoulder and raising his eyebrows. “You wouldn’t be attempting to steal my employee right out from under my nose, would you?”

  Sherie looked from Mal to Colt and back again. “Of course not. But Colton should be aware there are other opportunities out there, don’t you agree?”

  “I… uh.” Colt inched back from her, eyes fixed on Mal. “I’m really very happy where I am. I love my job and Kensington’s Distillery.”

  “How fortunate for you, then,” she said, her voice only a little sour. She made a big show of looking over the crowd and waved at someone near the dance floor. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  Mal nodded, and Colt held up one hand in a mock wave. “Bye.” He turned to Mal, blowing out a breath. “Some of these people are bold. Thanks for the rescue.”

  “How about we partake of this wonderful spread?” Mal motioned to the buffet tables.

  “I could eat.” Colt walked with Mal to the food line.

  Mal laughed softly. “What sort of date would I be if we didn’t have a nice dinner?”

  Their plates full, Mal spotted a vacant table and nodded toward it. “Over there?”

  “Looks good,” Colt agreed as they made their way to a cluster of small round tables.

  “You’re going to be one of those people who likes parties, aren’t you?” Mal said in a low voice between bites. Colt shrugged, grinned, and popped a canapé into his mouth.

  “I remembered to hand out some of Audrey’s cards,” Colt said.

  “You’re amazing, laughing and chatting with strangers. That’s what my mother used to do. I never really developed that skill,” Mal confessed.

  A band had assembled and began playing music. Couples filtered onto the dance floor and Colt watched, his expression a bit wistful, Mal thought.

  “Do you like to dance?” Mal ventured.

  Colt shrugged. “I guess. Usually if I’m somewhere to dance, I’m looking for tricks or am with one.” Abruptly Colt stopped talking, and the color leached from his face. “Oh God, I didn’t—”

  “Don’t. I thought I made it clear I’m not worried about your past. I’m interested in the man I know today,” Mal said softly. “I understand you did what you had to for survival.” He looked over the dance floor. “There don’t seem to be any same-sex couples.”

  “If it’s okay with you, I’m not thrilled with the idea of breaking ground tonight,” Colt admitted.

  “I don’t mean to intrude,” a woman’s voice said from behind Mal. He twisted in his chair and looked up. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lainey Monroe.” She motioned over her shoulder. “I was just speaking with Audrey Hollan, and she told me you have a new public promotions rep. I’m with The Tonight Show, and we’re looking to fill a few short spots. I thought someone from your distillery would be interesting to have on the show.”

  Mal stood up and faced Lainey. At the same time, he put one hand on Colt’s chair. “This gentleman right here, Colton Hale. He’s been hired to do some on-camera work.”

  Lainey’s face lit up. “Hello. What do you say? Interested?”

  Colt looked at Mal.

  “It’s up to you. Do you feel that’s something you could do? It’s a bit more than we agreed on,” Mal said.

  “I… yeah…. It’ll be fun,” Colt said.

  Lainey held a business card out to Mal. “Great! I’m so glad I was able to extend that invitation in person. I’ll contact Ms. Hollan next week
with the details. I think it’ll be great fun to have someone who knows a whiskey mogul join us.” She shook both their hands. “Enjoy the party.”

  “Thank you,” Colt said, and Mal added a “Good night.”

  They finished their meal and spent another hour circulating before Mal said, “I don’t know about you, but I’m done with this.”

  “Our duty is completed?” Colt asked.

  Mal nodded. “I think so, yes. Unless you want to stay?”

  Colt shook his head. “Not if you’re not going to be here.” A slight blush crept up his neck and colored his cheeks.

  Mal motioned to the exit, turned to the side as they walked, and gave Audrey a quick wave to let her know they were leaving for the night. She and Marty had taken to the dance floor, and she waggled her fingers at Mal over her husband’s shoulder.

  Once they were outside the grand ballroom, there were far fewer people, and the noise level dropped considerably. They walked close together, and Mal took the opportunity to take Colt’s hand in his own as they made their way to the elevator. There was a warm, comfortable silence between them.

  Mal let go of Colt’s hand as they got on the elevator, which was full of people. Several said hello to them, and some exchanged a few words about Kensington Distillery and Still House. It was all nothing more than polite party talk. Still, Mal felt more stabs of jealousy because of the looks Colt was getting and didn’t waste time shuffling into a position between Colt and everyone else.

  It wasn’t long before they reached their floor, and as they walked down the hall, it was Colt who took Mal’s hand. When they were in the privacy of their suite, Colt threw his arms around Mal.