@deadeyedrifter
“What, you drink duct tape?” He grinned, poking fun to pass the time while he waited on her judgment. “Explains a few things.”
It was all he could do not to fidget. He liked what he’d made, and it had passed the Aniya-test with flying colors, but neither of that meant anything compared to the expert opinion of someone who ran a successful bar and distillery.
He scooted his chair so the table was alongside him rather than in front of him. He leaned his elbows on his knees, hands linked and rubbing together. That was as close as he got to fidgeting, anyway. Pretty bad, for his doing, and it was clear she took great delight in prolonging his torment. Couldn’t really fault her for that, and he figured she wouldn’t tease him like this if she thought this whole thing was a bust, but it was a weight off his mind when her verdict finally came.
“Good.” He sat up and leaned back, relieved, hand landing flat on the table. “Great. We should pick a night to schedule a test run.”
“Are you insinuating that I’m tacky, Mr Barrow?” Dakota countered with slightly raised eyebrows, challenging him. The grin on her face, however, left the challenge toothless and soon swept aside in favor of more beer.
She couldn’t help but wonder what his beer would taste like when it was ice cold on a hot summers day. Whiskey was many things, but good under the summer heat of the Mojave it was not. Beer, on the other hand - and cold beer at that - was like a gift from god.
“Sure,” she nodded her head in reply. “Considering this bar ain’t going anywhere and neither am I, we’ll be here all week every week, I’d say it’s up to you when we do it,” Dakota added with a small tip of the bottle in his direction.
