“That seems like a really bad idea, Lydia.” Erin turned to her dad. “Tell her, Dad.”
He shrugged. “She’s an adult. Everyone gets to make their own bad decisions.”
Lydia nodded. “See? It’s not your decision to make, Erin, or Dad’s.”
“You barely even know this guy—” Jen said.
Lydia held up a hand. “I met him the same day you met Charlie, Jen. Don’t tell me not to fall for someone when you just did the same thing.”
It was a low blow, and everyone stared at her in stunned silence. Lydia smiled at their expressions, self-satisfied.
“In fact,” she said, “Geo and I are planning a little trip. We were going to leave in a couple of days, but maybe I’ll call him and see if he’d like to go sooner. Like now.”
If she was expecting them to argue with her, none of them gave her the satisfaction. Seeing that they were no longer playing her game, Lydia stormed out of the room and upstairs.
“I’m sorry, everyone,” their dad said when she’d left. “You all know she’s always been temperamental, but I didn’t expect that. I guess I should have told you about the money when she wasn’t around. I thought, perhaps naively, that she’d be happy for you.”
Erin shook her head. “You don’t have to apologize for her. She’s just being a pest. She can’t stand it when the attention isn’t on her.”
“But egging her on certainly doesn’t help, Erin,” he said, his brows lowered.
Her temper rose, and she made herself take a deep breath. “You’re right, Dad. I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “I appreciate the apology, but maybe you should apologize to her. See if you can get her to listen to reason—have dinner with us, at least, before she leaves.”
She looked at Jen. “Can you help me?”
“Sure. Let’s go talk to her together.”
They went upstairs and were surprised to find Lydia’s bedroom door wide open. Normally if she stormed off in a huff, she’d slam it behind her. They both paused in the doorway, and Erin wasn’t surprised to see her packing a large suitcase.
“What are you doing?” Jen asked.
“What does it look like, genius?”
Erin sighed. “Lydia, come on. I’m sorry. I like working with you. Well, sometimes. I think if you gave even a little more effort, you could really go places with BSB.”
She laughed. “In a brewery? As if. That’s the last thing I want.”
“Then what do you want?” Jen asked. “Maybe we can help you. Or maybe Dad can.”
Lydia laughed again and shook her head. “You really are blind, Jen. Dad only likes you. It’s always been that way. Even Erin knows that’s true.” She zipped her suitcase and picked it up. “Anyway, I’ve got to go. Geo’s already waiting outside.”
“Where are you going at this hour?”
“To Geo’s place. He lives with his brother and sister. Then we’re heading off on our trip tomorrow morning.”
“Where are you going?” Jen asked.
“Far away from both of you.” Lydia walked toward them, and when neither of them moved, she used her suitcase to push through them and kept going.
Jen and Erin watched her. A moment later, they could hear their aunt downstairs pleading with Lydia to stay, at least for the holiday, but the front door opened a moment later and then slammed shut. A car engine revved in the driveway, followed by the squeal of tires as it pulled away.
Erin and Jen shared a long look, and then they moved toward each other, arms open. They hugged, and Erin knew Jen felt as badly as she did about all this. Pest or not, Lydia was their sister. Jen and Erin had always been closer, in part because they were nearer in age, and Erin knew Lydia often felt left out. They pulled apart, eyes red and guilty.
“Merry Christmas, Jen.”
“Merry Christmas, Erin.”
Chapter Fourteen
A few days before Western States Microbrewery Festival, Jen dropped a bombshell: she wasn’t going to the festival with Erin. She claimed that the cause was work-related, and while it was true that they’d been even busier than before the holidays, their perfectly capable staff could handle the business for a few days, especially with their help over the phone or through Skype. Jen claimed that phone calls and Skype wouldn’t be enough, but Erin knew better. By mid-January, Jen was acting almost like her old self again, certainly with their customers. She’d also thrown herself into the plans for the brewery’s expansion with even more dedication than Erin, if that was possible. But again, Erin could see through her phony happiness and cheer. Jen was still in pain and doing her utmost to hide it. She refused to listen to Erin’s pleas or talk about anything besides work.
Two nights before she planned to leave, Erin finally decided to force the issue. She went home a little earlier than Jen and set the scene, arranging their living room for a heart-to-heart. By the time Jen finally walked through the door, just after midnight, Erin had a pot of tea sitting under a cozy, a plate full of shortbread cookies, and a fire crackling in their rarely used fireplace. Jen took in the setup and sighed, clearly understanding that she couldn’t avoid a conversation. She unwound her scarf and took off her coat before sitting across from Erin on the second armchair.
“Look, I know what you’re going to say, Erin, so you can save it.”
Erin raised her eyebrows. “Oh, really? What is it?”
“You’re going to tell me that I have to go. That you can’t do it without me. But you’re wrong—you can. In fact, in some ways I think it’s better if you do go alone. It’s a brewers’ festival, not an accounting conference. What do you need me for? I’m just the money person.”
Erin shook her head. “There you go again, Jen, selling yourself short. You know you’re more than ‘just the money person.’ Without you, we wouldn’t have a brewery. You’re more important than I am, in fact. If I left, you could hire a new brewer with no problems.”
Jen opened her mouth to interrupt, and Erin held up a hand to stop her. “Listen, Jen, and listen closely. I know you’re in pain. I know the only thing you want to do right now is work so you don’t have to think about Charlie or anything else that’s bothering you. I also know you don’t want to hear his name or even talk to me about him anymore, even if I wish you would. But this festival is a major deal for us, and I mean us—both of us. I don’t think we have a chance in hell at winning, but we need to be there. We’re both the face of Bennett Sisters Brewing. How would it look if it was just me?”
Jen sighed and picked up her teacup for the first time. She held it in her hands, clutching it as if for warmth despite the overly hot room. Erin was relieved to see that she was clearly giving her arguments some thought, possibly for the first time since she’d refused to go.
Still, after a long, quiet minute, Jen shook her head and set her cup down, appearing determined. “I’m sorry, Erin, but I just can’t.”
This time Jen held up her hand when Erin opened her mouth. “Please listen to me before you say anything more. I already feel guilty enough. You really don’t have to make it worse. I’d love to go. Or at least part of me thinks I’d love to go. I thought the same thing about leaving at Thanksgiving, but when I was in New England with Aunt Eddie, I could barely take it. All I thought about was Charlie, every minute of every day. The whole time I was away, I was afraid I might lose my mind. It didn’t help that Charlie was nearby and I couldn’t do anything about it.” She paused, her eyes distant at the memory, and shook her head again. “I don’t need downtime. I need work to keep my mind occupied. I’m not ready for another break right now.”
Erin could see that Jen had made up her mind, but she tried once more anyway. “We’ll be working almost the whole time! All those parties and schmoozing can only help promote the brewery. How is that not work?”
Jen shook her head, her eyes serious. “I’m not going, Erin.”
They were quiet again. Erin was silently fuming—she couldn’t help it. Even if Jen seemed sad and broken, she wa
s making a mistake letting her feelings get to her like this. Erin wasn’t sure who she was angrier with at this moment—Charlie for breaking her sister’s heart, or Jen for taking it the way she did. Their lives were in shambles thanks to two people from Boston, and she couldn’t do anything about it right now.
“Look,” Jen said, meeting her eyes again. “How about we compromise?”
“How?”
“I’ll come for the final party on Saturday, when they announce the winners. My car won’t make it up there, but I’ll ask Dad to loan me his for the day. That way, I can stay busy this week, but I’ll be there for the announcements.”
Erin felt a little better. At this point, it seemed like the only concession she would receive. “I guess if that’s the way it has to be, I’ll take it. But Jen, if you change your mind and decide to come up earlier, please just do it, okay?”
They got to their feet and hugged before sitting down again. Erin could see that Jen was just as unhappy as she was about the situation, but, if anything, that made her feel worse. She didn’t want her sister to feel guilty on top of everything else.
She tried to lighten the mood. “I still don’t know how I’ll go to all those parties by myself. I’m an absolute idiot when it comes to small talk.”
Jen laughed. “God, you are.” Suddenly she sat upright. “Hey! I just had an idea.”
“What?”
“Why don’t you ask Aunt Eddie to go with you? I know she’s between trips right now, but I’m pretty sure she told me last week she’s planning to come to Colorado tomorrow or the day after. I mean, I know it’s not totally ideal to take her, since she doesn’t know a lot about beer, but at least you’d have someone with you. I’m sure some of the other brewers are taking their families, so you won’t be the only person like that there. She’d love to go. She was just saying at Christmas that she hasn’t been skiing in Colorado in ages.”
“You’re right. She would like it, and I could definitely use the company, even if she doesn’t go to all the parties with me. I intended to ask her if I could use her car to get up there, anyway.”
“I’ll call her tomorrow and see if she’d be interested, but I’m sure she will.”
“Okay. It’s settled.”
Erin stood up to pick up their tea things, and Jen touched her wrist. “Erin? I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this. You’re caught in the middle of my drama, and it’s not fair.”
Erin’s eyes filled with tears. The comment was so typical of Jen. She was heartbroken, yet she was apologizing to Erin.
“You don’t need to say that. I’m disappointed that you’re not coming, but it’s not your fault. Really—it isn’t.”
Jen blinked and wiped her face, and they stayed that way for a moment, Erin standing, Jen sitting, having a silent conversation with their eyes. Jen finally nodded, acknowledging what Erin had said if not accepting it yet.
Soon after Erin finished washing their dishes, Jen joined her in the kitchen, and they hugged fiercely. They wiped their eyes when they pulled apart, neither of them interested in taking up the conversation again.
“Oh, hey, I almost forgot,” Jen said.
“What?”
“The private detective is coming to the brewery tomorrow to talk to us about Lydia.”
Their father had told them a few days ago that he’d hired someone to track Lydia. She’d been missing since Christmas Eve, and while she’d taken off with friends and boyfriends in the past, this was the first time she hadn’t bothered to check in with them every other day or so. No one in the family had heard from her in almost three weeks.
“Goddamn Lydia,” Erin said.
At this point, Erin was more angry than worried, though even she acknowledged to herself that her anger stemmed from her worry. Mostly, she was angry with how much the whole situation had upset her sister and their father, when, in fact, Lydia was probably somewhere sunny and fun, living it up on the beach or in Vegas.
Jen shook her head, her face clouded. “I just hope she’s okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Erin said, this conversation a word-for-word repetition of the one they’d had several times since Lydia ran away.
Jen’s brows were still knit with concern. Erin gave her another rough hug and then rubbed her back a few times. “Try not to freak out about her too much right now, Jen. It’s late. I’m sure the PI will have some ideas how to track her down.”
Jen looked a little relieved, but she was clearly still worried. Erin cursed to herself silently. The last thing anyone needed right now was more of Lydia’s drama.
* * *
Two days later, Erin and Aunt Eddie were in Eddie’s car heading to Aspen via Denver. The drive is one of the most spectacular stretches of interstate in the entire United States. While Denver, the Mile High City, is already at a significant elevation, the roads from it to Aspen occasionally took the two of them to heights of over 10,000 feet. The interstate was clear, the mountains gorgeously snow-capped, and every time they got out of the warm little car for a stretch, the air was thin and bitterly cold. While the entire drive is stunning, the stretch of interstate designated as Glenwood Canyon is by far the most spectacular, with deep-red rock stretching far above the winding road below.
They stopped for lunch and a long walk in the charming little city of Glenwood Springs, about an hour northwest of Aspen. Despite not having Jen with her, Erin was starting to feel excited and happy. Aunt Eddie was excellent company. She could prattle on and on about almost anything, but she was also interesting and often very funny. Of course, the idea of being at Western States Microbrewery Festival was exciting, if scary, but it had also been ages since Erin had been out this far west. The last two months had been so busy that, for the first time since her childhood, she hadn’t yet gone skiing a single time this season. Even when she had the time, she usually hit the slopes closer to Loveland, but most winters she went as far as Vail for a weekend or two. She’d been to Aspen only twice in her whole life, both times with friends when she was much younger. It was too far away and too expensive to go casually.
As they drove into Aspen in the early afternoon, Erin saw that the city had changed a lot since the last time she’d been here. For one thing, high-end restaurants and designer chains had replaced all the quaint stores and cafes. While Aspen had been growing in popularity with celebrities ever since people like John Denver and Hunter S. Thompson had made it famous in the 1970s, during the last twenty years it had become a kind of haven for the ultra-rich. It was not generally the kind of place most people in the middle and lower classes could now afford, and that didn’t seem to bother anyone who lived there. Nevertheless, the city was breathtakingly beautiful, and Erin was excited to see the transformations. Also, this trip gave her a chance to hit the excellent slopes at the ski resort, something she might never have done again with the usual cost of the lift tickets and hotels here.
With Western States Microbrewery Festival more or less taking over the little city this week, Erin didn’t think they’d see many—if any—celebrities, but her aunt was already peering intently out the window at every person they noticed on the street, her camera ready for a sighting like a member of the paparazzi. When they drove up to the gorgeous hotel they were staying in, Eddie actually looked put out that they hadn’t spotted anyone famous yet.
An efficient bellhop helped Erin and her aunt remove their bags from the car and directed them to the official registration desk for the festival. While it appeared that some of the guests here weren’t involved in the festival, almost everyone they passed in the lobby was a brewery representative. Erin recognized a few of them on sight from brewing magazines and found herself a little starstruck, much to her aunt’s glee.
“You have your celebrities, and I have mine. Do you want me to take a picture of some of them for you?”
Erin glared at her aunt in reply, and Eddie laughed out loud. “Don’t worry, Erin. I’ll snap some pictures of the lobby while you check in, and maybe I’
ll get a few of them in there ‘by accident.’” She made scare quotes as she said the last part.
“Don’t you dare!”
Eddie just laughed and left the line, taking pictures of everything. Erin decided to ignore her to avoid drawing attention to what she was doing. She could only hope her aunt was teasing.
When she reached the front of the line, the registration attendee handed her keycards and a folder stuffed full of tickets and maps to the various functions this week. There was a gathering every evening for tastings, as well as several keynote speakers from some of the larger, more famous microbreweries on topics ranging from hops to the best methods for brewing different beer varieties. Erin was disappointed to realize how many of the sessions overlapped, as she would have happily attended every panel. It would be difficult to choose which ones to attend and still make time to ski every day.
One of the bellhops offered to carry her luggage up to her room, and she turned around to find her aunt. She was no longer in the lobby, as far as Erin could see. As she scanned the small crowd, she saw a set of doors at the far end of the lobby. Even from where she stood, she could hear loud, happy voices from inside. Two weeks ago, she’d been asked to send a smaller, pony keg of her porter for this bar, which was promoting beer from all the festival attendees. It was supposed to be one of the largest tap houses in Colorado, with over a hundred taps of local beer. She’d been excited to visit it since she’d read about it, and she knew immediately that her aunt was likely in there trying to get a glass of BSB beer.
She swung the door open and immediately spotted Eddie chatting happily with someone, a glass of dark beer in her hands. Her aunt spotted her and waved at her.
“Erin! Get over here. I was just bragging about you to Anne here. She just loves your porter.”
The woman with her aunt turned around, and Erin’s heart seized. She’d met Anne before when she and Lottie had run into Darcy and her family in Boulder. Darcy’s cousin had suggested that this was the woman Darcy’s Aunt Catherine wanted to set her up with.
Pride and Porters Page 19
