I walk into the bakery and welcome the warmth. The cold weather has hit hard this December, but I love layering up and wearing all my boots. I turn on the lights and make coffee. I have a recipe I want to try out and since we make fewer pastries on Saturdays, it will be perfect to make it today. I begin with muffins, cookies, bagels, scones, all our usual items. Lacy will help with some of these as soon as she gets here, and I can work on the new idea I have. I check the kitchen and I have all the ingredients I need. I’m glad we stocked up on ingredients recently. The holidays are approaching, and it’s always a busy time for us.
Savannah and Parker are visiting next weekend, and I’m really excited to see her. She was just here for Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago, but I love when she makes her way over to us. Since she won’t be here for Christmas, she wanted to come a weekend before and visit Caroline, although I’m sure Caroline will decide to spend Christmas in Georgia. I won’t argue with her if she wants to make a trip over here though. I still can’t believe Parker proposed. It’s been two months since he popped the question, and every time I think about it I still get as excited as I did when Savannah called to share the news. We immediately started planning her wedding. She wants a spring wedding and is hoping it will work with Parker’s schedule.
“Good mornin,’ sunshine,” Lacy says as she walks into the kitchen. I jump when I hear her voice and she laughs. “I didn’t mean to scare ya.”
“Shit. It’s okay. I was just thinking.”
“About?” She smiles widely.
“Savannah and her wedding and how excited I am for them.”
“I know! It’s crazy. I’m so happy for her,” Lacy exclaims.
“Me, too,” I say and ask Lacy to work on the scones.
We work in harmony together and discuss the band at Southern’s last night. Lacy then tells me about a girl that was flirting with her after I left. Apparently, she’s “really hot and funny.” I have to laugh at Lacy’s enthusiasm. She’s one of a kind. They’re going out tonight. I’m happy she’s met someone. I hope things work out for her. She’s still young and has so many things to explore in life.
I get wrapped up in the new recipe I put together. I mix the ingredients to make a cranberry and orange layer bar with coconut flakes and white chocolate morsels. I smile when I think back to when I thought about this combination. It may have included a berry cake with orange infused frosting spread on Jake’s body. So I like dessert on my man. Can you blame me when you have someone like Jake constantly seducing you? He definitely got his fill of frosting as he licked it off my body.
“What are you thinking about?” Lacy smiles wickedly.
“What? Nothing!”
“Yeah, right. Your face is flushed,” she laughs.
“Fuck you.” I focus on my recipe again and try to keep erotic thoughts out of my mind until I get home this afternoon. I finish the layered bars and bake them.
“Hey, B. Can you come out here a sec?” Lacy peeks into the kitchen.
Her grin is full of mischief, so I squint my eyes at her and ask, “Why?”
“Just get your ass out here.” I set the timer on the oven and walk out.
“Hey, babe,” Jake says. I scrunch my eyebrows, confused.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you. You snuck out of bed.”
“I often do when I come to work.”
“I know, but I wanted to give you a kiss.” Something’s up. Jake walks behind the counter and kisses me softly. A few customer whoop at us and I feel heat cover my face.
“I have a surprise,” he whispers in my ear. Ah, there’s the catch. I knew it was weird he’d come by when I’m going home in a bit.
“What is it?”
“I can’t tell you. It’s a surprise. We’re leaving.”
“I’m not done working though.”
“Lacy said it was okay.”
“Oh, because Lacy is the boss now?”
“The boss said it was okay, too. I called to ask.”
“What are you up to, Jake?”
“A surprise,” He gives me that gorgeous, boyish grin I love.
“Can I at least finish what’s in the oven? I’m trying a new recipe.”
“Sure.” He kisses me again. “How long will it take?”
“It shouldn’t take more than twenty minutes.”
“Perfect. What are you making?” I lead him into the kitchen and guide him to the stool we have back here.
“Cranberry and orange layered bars.”
“Yum, with frosting?” he asks excitedly.
“No. No frosting on these.”
“Damn,” he pouts.
I give him a deal with it stare and he laughs. “Sorry. I just really enjoy frosting on your body.”
“I know.” I wink.
I clean up the mess I made while cooking as the bars bake in the oven. Jake just watches me with a shit-eating grin. As soon as the oven’s timer goes off, he jumps off from the stool and asks if they’re done. I check on them and pull them out.
“Yes, they are,” I tell him and place the baking pan on the counter to let them cool.
“That smells good. Can we take some?”
“Yes. That’s why I wanted to wait for them. I’ve been dying to try them.”
“Okay. Pack some up and let’s go,” he hurries me.
“They need to cool a second. I can’t just serve them this hot.”
“Fine,” he sits back down on the stool and I have to laugh at his expression.
I go check up on the bakery and make sure it’s really okay with Lacy for me to leave. She reassures me and tells me to go have fun. The bakery closes in a couple of hours anyway, and I trust her to finish up the day. I just feel guilty for leaving her after how crappy I acted while Jake and I weren’t together.
“B, go have fun. I promise we’re okay here and the day is almost over. Take advantage that you and Jake have some time to do something different.” Hmm . . . I wonder what he’s up to. She must know by the wink she just gave me.
“I will. Thanks, Lace. Love ya.” I give her a hug and walk back into the kitchen to serve the bars on a plate and pack some up for Jake and me.
“Ready?” I ask him when I’m done.
“Hell yeah! Let’s go, love.” He takes my free hand and leads me out to the front of the bakery. I drop off the plate with the layered bars and say bye.
“I need you to be patient for a while,” Jake says when he climbs into the truck.
“Why?”
“Because we’re going on a road trip.”
“Seriously?!” I say excitedly. “Can we make pit stops?”
“No. We’re on a time crunch.”
“Ugh! What kind of road trip doesn’t make pit stops? Wait. Where are we going?”
“That’s a surprise. It won’t be too long. Just two and a half hours. North,” he says with a wink.
“Is that a clue?”
“Maybe?”
“Tennessee? Yes, we’re going to Tennessee.”
“Not quite. Tennessee is a little further than that, babe.”
“So we’re staying in Alabama. Okay. I’ll think about places.”
“Here we go,” Jake laughs.
“You can’t blame me. You know how I get on road trips.”
“I know.” He turns on the radio and smiles as he takes off.
“Are we stopping at home first?”
“I already packed bags for us.”
“So we’re staying the night in a hotel? You wanna get lucky tonight?”
He chuckles and looks at me. “I already got lucky having you in my life.”
“You’re hopeless.” I lean closer to him and kiss his cheek. “I got pretty lucky, too. Shh, don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“Love you.” He reaches for my left hand and focuses back on the road.
Exactly two and half hours later, Jake stops the truck. I look up sleepily and rub my eyes. “We’re here?” I must have fa
llen asleep soon after Jake took off.
“We’re at the hotel. I wanna check in before we go where we’re goin.’ No need to risk losing our room because we didn’t check in on time. We can shower quickly and change.”
“Sounds good. You’re still not going to tell me where we’re going?”
“Nope.”
Fully awake now, I look around but don’t see anything familiar. “Where are we?”
“Huntsville.”
“I’ve never been here before.”
“Good. We can enjoy our visit together. I’ve never been either.”
Jake opens the door for me and helps me out of the truck. We walk in and he gives his name to the receptionist. With keys in hand, we head up to our room. This hotel is beautiful, and I noticed the mountains nearby before we walked in. The lobby has different types of chandeliers hanging and gives it a rustic chic feel. The room continues with the same ambience that includes large windows overlooking a lake.
“This is a gorgeous hotel, Jake.” I walk to him and hug him. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it. We need to get ready though. I packed some clothes for you, but there’s a dress I’d really like for you to wear. It looks hot on you.”
“Um, okay. Which one?” I open the bag Jake packed and search through jeans and tops for the dress he’s talking about. I find the long sleeve, print dress. It’s one of my favorites.
“I love this one! Thank you.” I kiss Jake.
“I love how it looks on you. I brought your cowboy boots to wear with it.”
“You’re definitely a keeper.” I smile at him.
“I sure as hell hope so. Now go take a shower.” He slaps my butt, and I giggle as I walk into the bathroom. It has an amazing glass shower. Hmm . . . It would be fun to shower together. Maybe later when we get back in? I know we’re in a hurry. As I shower, I wonder where Jake could be taking me. Maybe dinner? That doesn’t seem like such a big surprise. We can do that in Tuscaloosa or somewhere closer. The sooner I get ready, the sooner I find out where we’re going.
“Shower’s all yours,” I say. “By the way, you and me in that shower soon,” I whisper in Jake’s ear when he walks by me.
“You’re going to kill me. Later.” He kisses my cheek and disappears in the bathroom. I spot the layered bars I made and open the small box I placed them in. I take one out and take a bite. Mmm . . . They’re delicious. I eat the rest of it before drying my hair.
Jake spies the open box when he walks out of the shower. I watch him with only that small towel wrapped his waist. Beads of water drip from his hair down onto his neck and chest. I want to lick the water off of him.
“Did you eat a bar without me?”
“Yes. I was hungry.”
“Traitor. At least you left one for me.”
“Of course I did. Let me know what you think. I want to add it to the bakery’s menu permanently.”
I watch as he takes a bite. His face shows no expression as he chews and swallows. After a few seconds, he smiles. “Delicious.”
“Geez, you made me sweat for a minute there. I thought they were good, but I can’t go by what I think. I need an honest opinion. Lacy I’m sure will tell me what customers thought.”
“They’re really good. Add them.” He kisses my temple and walks back into the bathroom with his clothes. I finish my make-up and get dressed.
The outfit he chose is perfect. I love the way this dress fits—form fitting without overdoing it and the print is fun. Jake looks handsome in a pair of dark jeans and a blue button down that matches his eyes. We both put on coats and walk back out to his truck. The weather is definitely colder up here near the mountains.
The drive is quiet as Luke Bryan serenades us. We listen to the songs that come on the radio and hum along. I start to sing along when Toby Keith’s “Whiskey Girl” comes on the radio and Jake just smiles. He can make fun of my singing if he wants to; I’m not going to shy away from this song.
“We’re here,” Jake says. I look up at the building and back at him.
“What-”
“It’s my surprise.”
“Are we going on a tour?”
“Somethin’ like that.” He smiles and walks around to open my door.
I stare up at the sign that reads Backroads Whiskey Distillery and smile widely. “This is so cool!” Jake grabs my hand and walks us into the building.
“Hey, Jake!” an older man greets him.
“Hey, Clark. Thanks for letting us come by.”
“My pleasure. You must be Beth,” Clark says and smiles.
“Yes. It’s nice to meet you.” I shake his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. Jake here doesn’t stop talkin’ about you. I hear you’re a whiskey aficionada.”
“I am,” I smile proudly.
“You’re in the right place then. Come on. I’m going to show y’all around a bit and explain the process we use to create our whiskey, and then y’all can go ahead and blend your own.” My eyes widen. Did he just say blend my own whiskey? Holy shit that’s exciting! I hear Jake chuckle next to me and I realize I must look like a lunatic or an alcoholic.
“Seriously?” I try to whisper to Jake but it comes out louder than intended and Clark laughs.
“I’m serious,” Jake says.
“Best surprise ever,” I say and kiss him quickly before we walk after Clark.
Clark gives us an overview of the equipment they use to process the mixture for bourbon, also called mash bill. They use mostly corn, making it about 80% of the mixture, and add a combination of rye, wheat and malted barley to the blend. Apparently, they use wheat because it makes the whiskey smoother. He explains not every distillery uses the same combination, but rye and malted barley are always used with the corn. After, they add water and cook the grains in a grain cooker before cooling it down and adding yeast to ferment it.
It is seriously a lot of work. Through this process, alcohol is fermented and the whiskey is distilled and kept in oak barrels to age. The longer it matures in the barrel, the more color and flavor it has. Most of the details are lost on me, but the entire process in general is cool. It’s interesting to watch the equipment blend the mash bill and add the necessary ingredients. Seeing all this makes me wonder how Jake and I are going to blend our own whiskey.
After his presentation, Clark leads us to a room with ground grains in buckets. He guides us in adding the right amount of each grain and creating our own mash bill. We follow the process he explained earlier but in a smaller version and he gives us some samples of his own whiskey while we wait for the process to complete. Backroads is smooth and oaky. It really is good.
“This is a great whiskey, Clark,” I compliment him.
“Thank you, Beth,” Clark smiles, proud of his creation.
“Jake, you should serve this at Southern.”
He laughs and says, “How do you think I met Clark? I added him to our shelves as soon as I tasted his whiskey.”
“I gotta try it next time we go.”
Clark shares with us his story and why he opened up Backroads Distillery. His dad was a huge whiskey drinker, and he always dreamed of making his own. When his father passed away at a young age, Clark decided to pursue a dream they both shared. It was touching to hear him speak with such pride as he shared his story with us.
“Alright, let’s go down to the casks and find yours.” I skip quickly behind Clark before walking calmly into the room where all the casks are held. I have a permanent smile on my face. He leads us down some rows and stops in front of a cask.
“This one is yours.” I take a look and smile. It has a JB marked on the front with the wording Unique Blend under our initials.
“This is amazing. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. Now, the only downfall is you need to wait five years to drink it. I know, it’s torture.”
“That’s okay. It will taste amazing when it ages,” I say and look over at Jake. His smile is also permanent
.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on something and I’ll be back,” Clark says and leaves us alone to stare at our very own whiskey barrel.
“Jake, this is the best surprise ever. Thanks.” I hug him tightly and kiss him.
“I’m glad you liked it. I have one more surprise.” He steps back and grabs a bottle from a shelf. “We have our own bottle design as well.”
“Shut up!”
Jake hands me the bottle to read. I look it over and say, “Hey! That’s not fair! I want my last name too—”
I freeze when I look up at him. “What are you doing?!” I say loudly and he shushes me.
“Beth, I love you. I have for a long time and I will continue to until the end of time. You are my everything. We’re a unique blend, and I plan on aging with you by my side. I want you to know that I will live the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as possible if you will do me the honor of taking my last name. Will you marry me?”
I have tears rolling down my face as I look at Jake down on one knee. I can’t believe he just proposed. The ring is beautiful. I get to spend the rest of my life with him. Oh my god! Shit, I haven’t answered yet. I nod my head firmly and say yes through my tears. Then I jump on Jake, and he catches me. I kiss him again with all the love I am feeling.
“Thank god you said yes,” he chuckles.
“Did you really have any doubts?”
“No, but you never know. I was nervous as hell.”
My hands are still shaking when Jake places the ring on my finger. It’s a solitaire diamond in a white gold band. It is absolutely stunning.
I can’t stop freaking crying. “This is the best surprise ever,” I say against his lips. “I love you.”
Whiskey Nights Page 20
