Chapter 3 What Can It Do With Whiskey?

• “Uhmmm, yes, I am,” Alistair responded, desperately trying to get himself together but failing at it woefully.
• "And... who are you?” He managed to get out.
• "Oh, thank heavens, my name is Rosie McCallister,” Rosie replied, visibly relieved. “I am Sophie’s elder sister; you know, Sophie, my super annoying sister that left me hanging today. She ditched us to go hang out with her boyfriend."
• "Oh no…too much information.” She said abruptly, stopping herself mid-speech.
• Alistair smiled as she took a deep breath.
• “I am so sorry. Please, can I take that again?” Sophie asked apologetically, trying to get herself together and hide her nervousness.
• Amused, Alistair replied, “Sure, get another go at it.”
• "Oh, thank you,” Sophie responded, attempting to pace herself. “My name is Rosie, and I host The Grape Expectation, a podcast I host with my younger sister, Sophie.”
• She waited for Alistair to respond, but he kept looking at her amused. He thought this was going to be interesting. He could just picture his overly cranky friend and this fireball lady as a couple.
• He chuckled inside of him; he couldn’t wait for the show to begin, and he was extra grateful that he had front-row seats to this show.
• Knowing his friend, he would be quite amused and irritated simultaneously, but he needed someone to shake up his world. His best friend and client had become way too serious these past few years.
• A little bit of fun was good for him. This is one of the many reasons why he felt one of the wine sisters, as they called themselves, was good for him. They were smart, knew their brew, and were very animated.
• He had never seen them in person, but he did see a picture once, and he felt Sophie, the taller, model-looking one, would have made a good match, especially for the papers. But he is fast tilting towards Rosie now.
• She’s got some spunk.
• “Hello! Alistair still there?” Sophie asked, breaking Alistair from his trance.
• “Oh yes, Rosie, Co-Owner of The McCallister Vines and Wines," Alistair stretches out his hand and gives Rosie a firm yet friendly handshake.
• “I have been searching everywhere for you and your sister," Alistair continued. “Where is your sister this beautiful evening?”
• “Something urgent came up,” Rosie responded, much more settled after the handshake, hoping Alistair didn’t catch her in her lie.
• Alistair, being a skilled businessman, hid his smirk, recalling she mentioned something about a boyfriend earlier. He was hoping Rosie, at least, was single, because if she wasn’t, that would make him and Liam’s task much more complicated.
• “I do hope it is nothing too serious." Alistair responded, playing along.
• “Oh no, she just had to attend to something super important,” Rosie replied, keeping up with the tall tale.
• “Well, that’s a relief,” Alistair continued. “I hope you didn’t find it too difficult to locate the venue.”
• “Not the venue, but you? Now that’s a whole different story,” Rosie replied before she could catch herself. “I am so sorry.”
• “Not at all.” Alistair cuts her off before she can continue with the apology. “I should be the one apologizing.”
• “You see, I have very important clients, and I am very careful about giving my contact details out.” Alistair continued. “So I had to meet you in person, or should I say your sister in person, before releasing my number to her.”
• Plus, he had to keep it particularly private. That's why no assistants were involved in this arrangement.
• "Oh, that makes a whole lot of sense,” Sophie responded, while nodding her head in agreement. “Discretion must really be a big thing for you.”
• “It sure is, but I must apologize for the difficulty it must have caused, especially with your sister’s absence,” Alistair continued.
• “Why don’t I make it up to you? Let’s get you some of the premium liquor flowing in there, shall we?” He said, holding the small of her back while guiding her towards the entrance.
• “Please do.” She said, too enthusiastically. They both laughed.
• “She is with me,” Alistair said to the security without bothering to present his invite.
• “Wow, you must really be a big shot here,” Rosie said, unable to contain her awe. She was fast getting fond of this Mr. Alistair, plus he was really cute.
• Just the right height, short blonde hair, and kind blue eyes. Awesome jawline as well, with a slight dimple on his chin.
• But most importantly, he made her feel very comfortable. She couldn't feel any of those awkward feelings rising, as they normally did in social events. He might be a big deal here, but he is far from being pretentious.
• “Well, some people might call me that,” Alistair replied while walking towards one of the stands serving wine. The attendant poured both of them a glass each.
• While twirling its content, he continued. “But the only real reason I am here is because of my client, and he is the main reason I responded to your sister's email.”
• “You see, after the email and its very interesting content,” Alistair and Rosie chuckled.
• Knowing her sister, it must have been interesting.
• “I just had to check your podcast out,” Alistar continued. “You two are quite a pair, and I think you or your sister can get a client of mine out of a bind.”
• "Oh, really?" she responded, sipping the wine after twirling and taking a sniff. “Hmm, good brew, balanced, smooth, rich.”
• Alistar smiled slightly. “I sense a but.”
• “Well, I don’t want to go all wine critic on your friend's brew,” Rosie replied, attempting to be civil and containing her critical side.
• Alistair drew closer and whispered into her ear, “Please do; I have zero affiliation with this brand.”
• They both chuckled again. Well, Sophie guessed she could go all in now without ruffling some feathers.
• “Alright, like I said, it’s a good brew and all,” Rosie continued, entering what she and Sophie termed her zone. “It’s got great flavors; I taste rich berries and even a hint of plum.”
• “Its nose is complex”, she continues, after giving it another twirl and taking a sniff “I am getting an aroma of tobacco with a hint of vanilla. It’s quite earthy, which is always a good thing.”
• Whenever Rosie gets like this, she gets all caught up in another world. She enters into her natural element.
• It felt like she was born with a form of sixth sense, more like an inner sanctum, where she retreats to.
• Here, nothing else seems to matter in the world except her and the feeling the drink invokes while caressing her taste buds.
• “But…” She continued, closing her eyes like she always does when in the zone. She drags the word, unconsciously creating some form of dramatic effect. “Its finish lacks that lingering quality, and it’s quite warm, which disrupts the wine’s balance.”
• “Let me guess this is a Casa Terra brew.” She says, finally opening her eyes.
• Sincerely impressed, Alistair replied by clapping, “Very impressive!”
• “That’s quite some palate," I heard another deep masculine voice respond. It came from a tall, intimidating, yet almost godlike figure taking firm but elegant strides towards them.
• “Would like to know what it can do with a whiskey brand.” Liam continued.