Page 112 of Fierce-Baker

They tested it with the additional lemon. He still wasn’t sure, but looked at Gavin who nodded his head. “Good? You’ve got more experience with this than me.”

“Perfect. Now for the sugar,” Gavin said.

They went back and forth for thirty minutes and got it to where he felt it was damn spectacular, poured it over the club soda next with ice and gave it a sip.

“I think it’s time to call Mason down,” he said, pulling his phone out and sending the text.

Ten minutes later, Mason walked in and shook his head. “Why am I not surprised you’re taking part in this, Dad?”

“Hey, Baker needed my help.”

He let out a snort very close to a laugh. “Your father isn’t wrong. Give it a try with and without the club soda.”

Mason took the glass and tasted it, wrinkled his nose, then took another.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. “I’m going with my dad on this. I’m not a fan of lemon and gin isn’t my favorite, so if you guys think this is good, you can start working on the measurements for the production, then we can get bottling and labels set up.”

He looked at Gavin. “I say give it a whirl and see how it goes.” Gavin drained his small glass, then got some more and held it up. “Here’s to Baker, getting me out of the house, and able to return and make my wife happy at the same time. She won’t even care I was here drinking.”

“Dude,” Mason said, looking at Baker and smirking. “Really? You’re making this way too easy for them. I’m disappointed.”

He laughed. “Whatever works,” he said.

“You’ve been gone a long time,”Jolene said when Gavin walked in the door four hours later. “You better have gotten some damn good information out of Baker and not been drinking the entire time you were there.”

“Don’t be a nag, Jolene.”

He knew saying that would cause her back to rise. He’d never grow tired of her feisty side.

“You love it when I am. Fill me in and I won’t nag you for drinking while you were there. I know Baker was working on something new. Jessica told me.”

“He was and he did. Got a good one coming out that I had a hand in. You know these things take time. I had to warm him up to get him to talk.”

All lies and the look his wife sent him said she knew he was hamming it up.

“And what did he say?”

“Not much,” he said.

Jolene whacked his arm. “In four hours, you didn’t get much at all?”

He laughed and pulled her in, tucking her under his arm. “I got enough. I also told him if he gave me something good, you’d leave him alone for weeks. Maybe even months.”

“Months?” she whispered. “I don’t think so.”

“I think so. Because he met Tasha’s parents and things are going well. Knowing that, let them find their way. Like I said, some things take time.”

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, her voice full of all the grouch she could muster.

“I’m always right, but you don’t like to admit it. Consider this a win so far and take a break from it. You’re running out of candidates.”

“No, I’m not. There are always staff.”

“There are, but not anyone you’ve really grown attached to. You know as well as I do, it’s hard if you don’t feel some kind of personal connection to them.”

He couldn’t fault his wife for wanting to set up Baker. He liked the kid the minute he met him. It was actually surprising it’d taken this long.

But again, time for the right person to come along.