Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set

by Grover Swank, Denise

  Jack pulled it out of his pocket. “Yeah, we have it.”

  He pushed his way past River and opened the door. The tasting room, a madhouse last night, had been restored to immaculate order. Knowing Aunt Dottie, she’d stayed late into the night, stacking chairs and rinsing glasses right along with all of the other employees—and reading their energy and commenting on their love lives while she was at it. Her work ethic had always impressed him. When he was younger she’d run a little business on the side, making energetic necklaces and selling them at fairs. He’d even helped her a time or two, although that wasn’t something he’d advertised to his friends. If he hadn’t had her as an example, he wasn’t sure where he would have ended up.

  So he was smiling a little as he led the Buchanans into the other half of the building. He knocked on the door, then knocked again when Josie didn’t answer. She should have been expecting them, but then again, she had the mistaken belief that she had a deeply ingrained sense of time—one that required no watch or alarm.

  One more knock, and Jack shook his head impatiently.

  “Let’s just open it. It’s ours now. No sense in waiting.” He sent a look of gloom Georgie’s way as he said it, and she bit her lip. Part of River wanted to tell Jack to back off, but he didn’t want to interfere.

  So he stepped aside, falling in next to Georgie—close enough that he could feel the heat of her—and Jack blasted the door open.

  Letting out several bubbles. A sea of them, a few inches deep, covered the usually immaculate floor. The equipment might not be new anymore, but everything was usually clean.

  “What the hell?” Jack said, stealing the words from his mouth.

  Josie stood to one side of the door, her eyes huge behind her oversized wire-framed glasses.

  One look at Georgie told River all he needed to know—she was horrified—and without overthinking it, he reached over and squeezed her hand.

  She squeezed back, and instead of letting him go immediately, like he’d thought she would, she held on.

  He would have enjoyed it more if only her brother hadn’t been giving him the look of death. Because he’d done nothing to deserve it, he gave that look right back to him. Georgie released his hand and took a few steps toward Josie, her feet forming a path through the bubbles.

  “You’re Josie, right?” she asked, her tone kind but direct.

  Josie just nodded mutely.

  “I’m Georgie Buchanan, and this is my brother, Jack,” Georgie said. “We’re taking over for our grandfather, so we need to know what happened here.”

  “I was hoping no one would notice,” Josie said, biting her lip.

  Georgie glanced back at River, their eyes meeting, and he could have sworn she was on the verge of hysteria-induced laughter. Instead, she turned back to Josie, remarkably cool and collected. “Well, I’m afraid that ship has sailed. Can you please tell us?”

  “Yes,” Jack said sarcastically, “I’m dying for more bad news.”

  More bad news?

  Josie flinched from him, reaching for her energetic necklace, and went to sit on her stool.

  Since no good could come of them standing in the middle of this mess for what had every hallmark of a difficult conversation, River said, “Come on, let’s sit at one of the tables in the tasting room while we talk. I’ll grab a pitcher of water from behind the bar.”

  “Like aunt, like nephew,” Georgie said softly, giving him a little smile even though she still looked shell-shocked, both from whatever had clearly happened before their meeting and from the mess.

  “Sure, fine, whatever,” Jack said, stalking off and claiming a seat at the nearest picnic-style table. Josie followed, bubbles sticking to her clogs, and took the farthest possible seat from his position. Georgie closed the door on the mess and went to sit beside Josie, probably trying to make her more comfortable, while River filled up a pitcher behind the bar (one of two in the space) and grabbed a stack of pint glasses.

  He took a quick gauge of the situation, and after setting down the water and glasses—he wouldn’t pull a full Aunt Dottie; anyone who wanted one could take one—sat down across from Georgie.

  “…I thought they’d all pop by the time you got here,” Josie was saying. “I danced around and tried to pop them, but there were just too many.”

  “And how’d there come to be so many bubbles?” Georgie spoke with an understanding tone, although he could see the strain on her face. Jack wasn’t attempting to hide his poor mood.

  “Sounds a lot like sabotage,” he sneered, looking right at River as he said it.

  “No,” Josie said. “Or not intentionally. He was just really, really drunk. He’s actually still in the back. I let him lie down on my shawl in the corner. I managed to clear that much space, at least.” She fingered her necklace again, still seemingly unaware that she had yet to name who “he” was. “You see, he found the bubble machine out on the street, and he thought he was paying tribute to Beau. It’s beautiful, really—he filled the brewery with bubbles because Beau had made so many bubbles in life.”

  Georgie’s face drained of color as she looked first at River, then Jack.

  “Lurch,” River said.

  Josie nodded sadly. “He’s upset Beau’s ungrateful grandchildren are taking over the brewery. Never wrote to him or called him. Only one of them paid him a visit—and even then, he had to ask her. Can you imagine? Such a nice man.”

  River cleared his throat, and a surprised look crossed Josie’s face.

  She looked from Georgie to Jack, and back. “Oh, you’re his grandchildren, aren’t you?”

  “Can we fire her?” Jack asked Georgie.

  “You’re being sarcastic again, aren’t you?” Josie said, shaking her head. “I’ve always thought sarcasm was the lowest form of humor.”

  Rather than break the news that Jack was obviously serious, River looked her in the eye. “Can you take me back to Lurch, Josie? I need to know what else he did.”

  If it was only a mess, they could clean it. Not the best first impression of the brewery, but whatever. They’d all known there would be work to do.

  Turning to Georgie and Jack, he said, “I’ve known him for years. I can talk him around.”

  Jack gave him another suspicious glance, then said, “Okay, but I’m going with you.”

  “Do you have some kind of problem with me, man?” River said, getting kind of pissed. “If I remember correctly, this whole thing was your idea.”

  “Yeah,” Jack said with an aggrieved sigh. “I guess it was. Don’t mind me. Just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

  A massive understatement, but he’d let it go for now.

  “I’ll go with him, Jack,” Georgie said. “One of us should go, and you’re not in the right headspace.”

  Jack just nodded, pressing his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache.

  “Are you sure you don’t just want to go on the tour?” Josie asked, cocking her head. “We can take our shoes off, if you’re worried about getting them dirty. Then maybe Lurch will wake up on his own.”

  “Wouldn’t that be unhygienic?” Georgie asked, her brows pinched together.

  This was spiraling out of control pretty fast.

  “Josie, maybe you should go home,” River said. “I’ll put your shawl aside after we talk to Lurch.”

  “Okay,” she said, already getting up. “Save the bubble machine for me too.”

  “I thought you said he found it on the street?” Georgie asked, although it was obvious she didn’t expect to like the answer.

  “He did,” Josie said, as if it should be obvious. “My street.”

  Jack sighed again, louder this time, and poured himself a glass of water as Josie let herself out of the building.

  “Okay, here goes nothing,” Georgie said, getting to her feet. River did the same.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked as they headed toward the back. “I can tell your brother was tense before the whole”—he gestured to
the brewery—“bubble debacle. And you look…sad, I guess.” And scared.

  “Just some unexpected news about the family,” she said. The way she said it told him he shouldn’t pry, and so he didn’t. She paused, turning to look at him. “I’m sorry about the way I greeted you before. I didn’t mean to seem cold. I just…”

  “We’re going to be working together, and you’re trying to stay professional, right?”

  “Something like that,” she said with a small smile.

  “Look, I get it. It’s a weird situation. Let’s handle this other very weird situation, and then maybe we can talk.”

  She nodded slightly and started walking again. “I’d like that.”

  “Now, about Lurch…” he started, but when they got into the back, Lurch was sitting on Josie’s abandoned stool, holding his head. His bald head, which had more than a few bubbles on it.

  He jolted back when he saw them, nearly falling off the stool.

  “Oh,” he said when he saw River, “it’s you.” He glanced at Georgie, his eyes widening. “And this must be Beau’s granddaughter, Georgie.” He managed to sound not displeased about the fact, which was an impressive feat given that he currently sat in a sea of bubbles of his own making. “I’d love to talk to you, but can I steal River away for just a minute?”

  That last bit had been said in pure panic.

  Georgie gave River a look, and when he nodded, she said, “Sure. I’ll be waiting out in the tasting room.”

  And wouldn’t Jack love that.

  But River didn’t have any time to question what had happened to the Buchanans. As soon as Georgie left, Lurch grabbed him by the bottom of his shirt and pulled him forward.

  “You have to help me, River. I think I peed in one of the kettles last night, but I don’t remember which one.”

  Chapter 13

  Georgie found Jack where she’d left him, clutching his pint glass with enough force that it looked liable to crack.

  “Well?” he asked with a dark scowl.

  “Lurch had something he wanted to discuss in private, so I told River I’d wait out here.”

  Jack groaned. “I bet he did.”

  Georgie sat across from him and lowered her voice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know what it means, Georgie. How do we know that River and Lurch aren’t making plans to sabotage us? After last night, we know that beer is River’s life. Beau gave him his start. This place is nostalgic for him, and he obviously has more fond memories with the old guy than you do.”

  While Jack had absolutely none.

  All of that might be true, but it didn’t mean River was out to get them. “We spent several hours with him last night,” Georgie argued gently, “and granted, we were drinking, but River didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who would use subterfuge to get what he wants.” She leaned closer. “Not to mention that I doubt he even knows the terms of Grandpa Beau’s will. Before or after.”

  “We can’t count on that. We need to find someone else for the job.”

  She was surprised at the shiver of fear that sent through her blood, not only for the business, but for her. She wanted to see him every day, even if they couldn’t have a romantic relationship. They could still be friends…well, as friendly as a boss and her employee could be. “We can’t do that, Jack. We need him.”

  “What if he finds out?”

  “All the more reason to tell him!” she whisper-shouted.

  This had been the root of their argument on their walk to the brewery. Georgie wanted to tell River so there wouldn’t be any secrets. She figured it would be better to put it all out in the open. But Jack was vehemently opposed to it.

  Normally, Georgie might have agreed with her half-brother. His arguments were sensible, but she had a good sense of people, and she couldn’t believe River would act so duplicitously. “There’s not a vindictive bone in his body. I think he’d be touched to know that Beau had considered him.”

  “Or pissed that Beau had planned to give it to him until you showed up a month ago.” Jack took a breath and glanced out the window to the empty courtyard, and when he turned back to her, his face had softened. “Georgie, I actually think you’re right about some of it and wrong about the rest. I think River is a good guy—a great guy. But if we go through with hiring him, which I’m still not convinced we should, we absolutely can’t tell him. Even a saint would have second thoughts about saving this place if not saving it means he gets to keep it.”

  Georgie started to protest, then stopped to reconsider. Her gut told her that River could be trusted, but it was a tough call. She couldn’t let her personal feelings get in the way. “If we don’t keep him, then what do you propose we do? River said that Beau came up with all the best recipes for Buchanan, not Lurch. Lurch quit anyway, and even if he hadn’t, this whole mess would have twisted our arms. We’ll have to hire someone, and I have no idea who we’d go to next.”

  Jack leaned closer. “River can’t be the only brewmaster around.”

  “I’m sure he’s not,” Georgie admitted, “but he’s available. And he’s won awards.” Hadn’t she spent half an hour before bed researching him on her phone? She’d been tipsy enough that her predictive text function had been wildly off-kilter. River had somehow been corrected to “ride her,” which had made her blush, even alone in her room. Shaking the memory off, she placed her hand on the table. “Jack, let’s not forget that we’ll lose the brewery if we don’t come in fifth or higher at Brewfest. We can’t just hire any brewmaster, we have to hire a great one.”

  Sitting up, Jack tilted his head slightly. “Don’t you find it odd that River lost his job the very day of Beau’s funeral?” His gaze leveled with Georgie’s. “The day River found out he didn’t get it.”

  “There wasn’t a single ounce of bitterness in him last night,” Georgie said. “He didn’t know about the provision. I’m sure of it.”

  Jack pursed his lips. “We need to call his former employer.”

  “What?”

  “If we’re hiring him, then we should talk to his former employer and get a reference.” When she didn’t respond, he cajoled, “Come on, Georgie. You’re the experienced businesswoman. Why aren’t you thinking about this stuff?”

  He was right. And normally she would have, but she was letting her feelings for River cloud her judgment. Again.

  “We’ll call him together,” she said, getting to her feet. “Come on. Let’s go outside and I’ll put him on speaker.”

  She headed for the door and didn’t stop until she was partially down the street, Jack trailing her like a puppy. She’d already pulled out her phone, looked up River’s former employer, and placed the call.

  “Big Catch Brewing,” a woman said in a friendly voice.

  Georgie stood next to the side of the brick building and put the phone on speaker, holding it up between her and Jack so he could hear. “I’d like to speak to Finn, please.”

  If River had told her Finn’s last name, she’d forgotten it. In hindsight, she should have looked it up. She should have done more homework period, but it was too late now.

  There was a moment’s pause. “May I ask who’s calling?”

  She could lie, but the direct approach had always worked best for her, one more reason she wanted to be upfront with River. “Georgie Buchanan. It’s in regard to River Reeves.”

  The woman gasped, then said in a shaky voice, “One moment, Ms. Buchanan.”

  An elevator music rendition of “Another One Bites the Dust” filled the air.

  “She knows who you are,” Jack murmured. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”

  “It means the brewing community in Asheville is small…or Big Catch has already caught wind that River’s going to be working for us.”

  The music ended mid-chorus, interrupted by a friendly male voice. “Ms. Buchanan, this is Finn Hamilton. I have to say I’m surprised to hear from you so soon.”

  She was surprised he’d expecte
d to hear from her at all. “Pleasantly surprised, I hope,” she said with a little laugh. “And please, call me Georgie.”

  Jack’s expression was grim.

  “It’s just that most employers get references for employees before they make an offer, Georgie.” He sounded perfectly reasonable, but she caught the slight bite in his words.

  “This is just a formality,” she said, still keeping her upbeat tone. “Dotting all the I’s for HR.”

  He laughed. “Last I heard, Beau didn’t believe in HR departments. He let Dottie handle anything employee-related.”

  After meeting Josie and seeing Lurch, that explained so much.

  “Welllll…” Georgie said in a slow drawl, “that will probably change after we get everything settled, so, you know, formalities.”

  “What do you want to know?” Finn asked. He sounded friendly but guarded.

  “Finn, this is Jack Durand,” Jack said in a direct tone, giving Georgie a look of challenge. “One of the Buchanan siblings.”

  Finn chuckled. “Dottie said there was a bit of drama at the will reading, and from the sound of it, your mere existence was one of them.”

  Dottie was friends with Finn? She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. Finn was River’s friend, and he was close to his aunt.

  Jack made a face that suggested he was about to go off on the man, but instead he asked, “How long has River worked for you?”

  Finn chuckled again. “We’ve been friends for about five years now, and business partners for one day less than that.”

  “Partners?” Georgie said before she could stop herself. “River said you sold Big Catch Brewing and told him after the fact. That doesn’t make it sound like you were partners.”

  Finn was quiet for a moment. “Okay, you have me there, but truth be told, Big Catch wouldn’t be what it is without River.” He paused, then said under his breath, “Damn, I really screwed that one up.”