16. Best Kind of Buzz

16

BEST KIND OF BUZZ

I LIKE ME BETTER, LAUV

Cara

Stop 9: Louisville, Kentucky

“You two are so damn funny,” exclaims Kacey, the short and sweet woman who has been hanging out with us in the last leg of this bourbon tour. She and her husband, Keith, are on their honeymoon from Florida and we connected with them when I started talking about how I’m from Florida, too. They’ve been nice to talk to and of course, Manny has taken the lead in the conversation, and we’re all enamored with him. It’s a little past noon now and we’ve been drinking, talking, and snacking on this tour and they’ve been with us every step of the way.

It took us two days to make it to Louisville. We left the lake while the weather was perfect, so we explored and hiked instead of driving through. By the time we made it out of Ohio and into Kentucky, it was nighttime and we booked two hotel rooms so we could shower and sleep in real beds. We explored Lexington and rode horses, and I never would’ve imagined that a giant man on a horse would be graceful until I saw Manny riding. He was effortlessly flowing through the trails like he wasn’t over six feet tall. Me on the other hand? I have a few bruises to help me tell a better story.

“Birth defect,” Manny jokes and they laugh again. I just roll my eyes and sip on my I-lost-count-what-number bourbon that is actively helping my mood. I have the best kind of buzz. I’m happy and elated and I haven’t thought about anything but the right here and right now in the past few hours.

“How long have you guys been together?” asks Kacey. “Keith and I have talked so much about us and we didn’t even ask about y’all. It must be forever because you two are so comfortable together! I hope that’s us one day,” she says.

But before I can correct her, Manny speaks again. “We’ve been together forever. Our parents are friends, so we grew up together, and one thing led to another, and here we are,” he explains, pulling me to him and tucking me under his arm. What?!

“Congrats, man. I’m sure it’s so nice to grow up with your soulmate,” Keith admires and I try to hide my panic by finishing my drink and grabbing Manny’s from his hand.

“It’s the best feeling, right bebé?” he asks, kissing my temple. I can feel his soft lips against my skin and his smile broadens as he tightens his hold on me. What is going on?

“Alright everyone, this is the last stop so you can come back with us on the bus or you can stay here. Up to you. Remember, there’s the derby-themed party tonight at Harbor’s Bar,” the tour guide shouts over the crowd, creating a massive wave of people leaving their seats at once.

“What’s a derby-themed party?” Manny asks.

“It’s just more drinking, food trucks at a bar by the water, face bets on past races, and people dress up like they’re attending the Kentucky Derby. I saw the flier in the last distillery we went to,” I explain.

“We’re heading back to the bus. Are y’all coming?” Keith asks, standing from his stool and helping Kacey slide off hers. We shake our heads no and they wave goodbye. They smile at each other and after a gentle peck on the lips, he places his hand on her back and guides her out.

As soon as they’re out of sight, I smack Manny on the shoulder. “Manny, what the hell?! We’ve been together forever?”

“If people are going to assume we’re a couple, Cara, might as well go with it. A lot easier to pretend than to explain the whole road trip. Also, how fun would that be? We can just make up stories and pretend. You want to be a fashion designer mom of two? Be it. You want to be a popstar? Be it.”

“Who are you and what did you do to Manny?” I ask.

“What? Do you think you’re the only one who can play games? With all your weird animal sign shouts and your truth or dares? I can be fun too,” he boasts. Placing some cash on the bar, Manny stands and offers his hand to help me off the stool.

“You’re fun, as long as you forget about work,” I tease, sticking my tongue out at him and holding on tightly to his arm. I’m 100% buzzed and the quick movement has my head spinning and tongue tingling.

“This is me forgetting about work. Welcome to Mannyland. I have an idea. Do you trust me?” he asks. When I smile and nod, he pulls me until we’re outside and he’s checking for an Uber.

“What if we go to this derby thing and pretend we’re not who we are? I don’t want to be Manuel Zabana today. I want to be Manny, Cara’s carefree husband, and have a blast,” he suggests .

We only wait a few minutes in the busy street before a dark sedan pulls up by us. Manny opens the door for me to step inside and after he slides in next to me, he just looks at me with a devilish grin.

I shake my head. “Manny, people are not going to believe you’re my husband.”

“Oh, but they will. You can’t resist my charm and truthfully, neither can they,” he adds, tucking his phone away after he sent a couple of texts. He’s such a multitasker, I can’t even believe it sometimes, everything he does at once. Make plans about tonight, call an Uber, answer texts or emails while making sure I don’t fall to my ass after drinking my body weight in alcohol—it’s astounding.

“Where are we even going?”

“To buy derby-appropriate clothes and hats,” Manny teases, pulling his phone back out and showing me the stores he has pulled up on his browser. Some off-the-wall boutiques that I’m sure will cost more than my mortgage for one dress.

“Manny, those are going to be so expensive. It makes no sense to spend a lot of money on something we’re going to use once.” I’m a little concerned about this small outburst of spontaneity.

“I’ll pay for it, it’s fine,” he replies.

“No, no, no, no, no! Are you crazy? It’s going to be hundreds of dollars for something we’re going to wear once.”

“Says who? I’ll wear a fancy hat again.” Manny smiles and slides his fingers across his forehead as if he were swiping a hat on his head.

“To go where?” I snap back, lifting my eyebrows at him and crossing my legs.

“Fancy places, Cara.” Oh my god. I roll my eyes at his reply.

“I have a feeling the fancy places you go to are more like black tie and expensive wine than mint juleps and hats. Not that the derby is only about the hats, but you get what I mean.” My hands rest over my lap, and the chuckle he lets out makes my body come to life. This whole interaction has me annoyed; but more than anything, I’m extremely aware about how freaking attracted to him I am if a simple chuckle has basically altered my brain chemistry.

“I do get what you mean, but really, we can just go and get what we need. Have you ever considered not arguing with people about everything, Cara? Go with it for once,” he drawls, grabbing my hand and smiling at me. Why is he so freaking cute? Like a damn adorable brand-new puppy.

“What is it that you say all the time? Just because you can doesn’t mean you should? Let’s not be wasteful, okay? I have an idea,” I hint, grabbing his phone and changing the address of where we’re going. We have one hour, two max, to make this work and I’m determined we will.