Trust me when I say I wouldn’t mind that at all. Really.
“I’d offer you a drink, but I don’t think I have anything— Wait. Maybe I do.” He took off for the kitchen and began opening cabinets. “I’ve never actually checked before, but twenty-seven-year-olds usually have a liquor stash, right?”
Oh God, I forgot. He probably never remembered having a drink before in his life, did he?
“Ta-da.” Reid held up a half-empty bottle of Crown Royal. “Found something.”
“Uh, you sure you wanna start with that?”
“Why not?”
“No reason.”
He found a couple of glasses in one of the cupboards and set them on the kitchen bar beside me, then proceeded to pour a healthy amount into both.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, laughing. “Maybe try it out first. See what you think.”
Reid lifted the bottle again, and the remaining amber liquid swished inside. “I’m gonna assume I’m a fan.”
I had to press my lips together to keep from grinning.This is gonna be interesting…
“To your first drink,” I said, touching my glass to his. “Round two.”
“Round two,” he agreed. Then he brought the glass to his mouth, and just before he took a sip, he frowned and brought the glass to his nose. Then he jerked back and his eyes began to water. “Oh shit. That smells horrible.”
“It smells like whisky.”
“Whisky smells horrible. Hell. I bet it tastes awful too.” When he took the tiniest sip and his face scrunched up, I laughed. “Ugh. I don’t think I like that.”
“You might like it with Coke.”
Reid sniffed the glass again and made a face, but took another small draw of the liquid.
With a tsk, I said, “First you dis coffee and now whisky. Might have to revoke your adult card.”
“Surely I like beer. I think I’ve had that and liked it. Maybe.”
“At least I won’t have to worry about you drinking yourself to death when you move back in.” I went to take his glass and pour it back in the bottle, but Reid pulled it back.
“No, I’m gonna do it, and so are you.” Then he pointed at me. “Drink.”
My eyes widened as he forced back a big swallow, and I tried not to laugh as he shuddered.
“You really don’t have to drink that.”
“Yes, I do. I don’t need my adult card revoked.” Reid winked at me as he sipped again.
“All right, that’s enough, you lush,” I said, chuckling as I managed to take the glass from him before he finished it off. “If I take you back drunk and puking, you may never be allowed out of the house again.”
“Isn’t that supposed to be some sort of rite of passage?”
“Not when you’re twenty-seven, it’s not.”
He waved me off as he wandered into the living room and flopped onto the stiff-looking couch. “I think you were right. Maybe with Coke next time.”
I left my own glass on the counter, needing to keep a clear head around him, and chose the recliner closest to Reid.
“This is nice. I feel warm. Like the alcohol just spreads through your body, you know?” Scooting down the couch untilhe was lying flat on his back, he rubbed his hands over his stomach. “Like a blanket for your insides.”