Any Luck at All: Asheville Brewing #1

by Denise Grover Swank

  Adalia gaped at her brother. “You’re really planning on giving everything to Dad?”

  Lee put a hand on her arm. “It’s for an investment, Addy.”

  Her face hardened and she jerked her arm away. “No.”

  Confusion washed over Lee’s face. “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean no. I’m not giving him a dime.” She turned to Georgie with fire in her eyes. “But I still vote to sell. You have to get rid of it, Georgie.”

  Get rid of it. The words sent a pang of pain through Georgie’s chest. Because despite her initial trepidation, she had seen the brewery through her grandfather’s eyes. And River’s. It was a living, breathing entity, just waiting to spring back to life. The brewery wasn’t a building full of equipment to sell off. It was her grandfather’s legacy. It was the Buchanan siblings’ future, whether they recognized it or not.

  “Grandpa Beau wanted us to keep it,” Georgie said. “He wanted us to run it together.”

  “Then he was a fool,” Lee said. “I have a high-six-figure job. I live in New York City. I’m not moving to Asheville to make beer.”

  “I have a life too,” Adalia said. “And friends. And my art. What is it you expect me to do?”

  “You don’t have to live here if you don’t want to,” Georgie said. “Jack and I will run it.”

  “You don’t know the first thing about running a brewery, Georgie,” Lee pointed out again. “And from the sounds of it, neither does Jack. And you’re going to give up your life in Boston and move to Asheville?” He said Asheville as though it were a trash dump.

  “If you knew anything about my life, you’d know that I have nothing to do at the moment, and I hate standing still. I’ve been looking for my next project, and I’ve decided this is it.” She leaned closer to the table. “But most of all, Grandpa Beau thought I could do this, and I don’t want to disappoint him.”

  “News flash,” Lee said. “You can’t disappoint the old man because he’s dead.”

  She cringed at him calling their grandfather old man. “He trusted me with his brewery. And Jack and I are going to make it great.” Her brow lifted. “Plus, we hired a brewmaster who’s going to put Buchanan Brewery back on the map.”

  “You already hired someone?” Adalia asked. “Without consulting us? You can’t do that, Georgie. We’re selling.”

  “We’re not selling,” Georgie said, infusing authority into her tone. “And yes, Jack and I hired him together. You and Lee can be silent partners, and we’ll work out how we’ll deal with the profits when we start making them. For now, Jack, River, and I will work on rehabbing it together. And Lee, when we start paying you your share of the profits, if you want to give your share to Dad, be my guest, but I’m keeping mine and so is Adalia.”

  Lee looked like he was about to have a stroke. “You can’t do this, Georgie.”

  “I can and I will.” She was so furious with her brother it took everything in her to not wring his neck. “You say you’re proud of me because I built Moon Goddess from nothing and sold it for five million, but you never thought I could make it work.” She stabbed the table with her index finger. “I took an idea and made it into a multimillion-dollar business. I can do the same with our grandfather’s brewery.” Tears burned her eyes. “For once, Lee, I wish you’d have just a little bit of faith in me.”

  Regret washed over his face. “Georgie.”

  She sucked in a breath and gave him the best resting bitch face she could muster. “Jack and I both want to do this, and Grandpa Beau wrote his will so that only one of us had to want it. I don’t need your blessing or your help. Call me stupid for wanting it anyway.”

  “It’s going to take a lot of work, Georgie,” he said, his voice soft.

  “I’m not afraid of hard work,” she said. “If you’d seen any part of me building Moon Goddess, you’d know that.”

  He grimaced. “Ouch.” Then he added, “but I suppose I deserve that.”

  “I can do this, Lee,” she said earnestly.

  He studied her for a moment. Then a soft smile spread across his face. “If anyone can, it’s you.”

  “You’re giving her your blessing?” Adalia asked in disbelief. “What about Dad?”

  Something flickered in Lee’s eyes, but it was gone too quickly for Georgie to register what it might have been. “Dad should know by now how headstrong Georgie is. He’ll just have to get over it.”

  “You’re really agreeing to this?” Adalia asked.

  Lee’s face broke into a huge grin. “Yep. The Buchanan siblings own a brewery. What would Mom think of us now?”

  Georgie wanted to cry with happiness. Their mother would be so proud.

  Chapter Ten

  It’s on. Will you meet Jack and me after our meeting with the lawyer? One o’clock. We can do a walk-through of the brewery together.

  There was a pause after Georgie’s text came through. Then she added, Thank you again for last night. I’m excited to do this with you.

  River gusted a sigh, and lifted the little animal carrier Maisie had given him. “Well, pup, there goes that. I guess I should be happy.”

  He wasn’t, not totally, but he’d decided to accept anyway.

  He went to unlock the door of his loft, but it was already open. The only two people who had keys were Maisie and Aunt Dottie, so he wasn’t terribly surprised to see his aunt sitting at the table opposite his open kitchen. What did shock him was that Finn sat across from her. His hand fisted around the handle of the animal carrier, his knuckles turning white. Part of him wanted to turn around and leave, but he wasn’t a coward, and he didn’t run away. He was the type of person who established roots rather than broke them. He’d promised himself that a long time ago.

  As soon as Aunt Dottie saw the animal carrier, she cooed and hurried over. She went to take it from him, and he let her, eliciting a little whimper from the dog.

  “Goodness, Maisie finally broke you, and none too soon,” Aunt Dottie said. “I made a sweater for Jezebel, but wouldn’t you know it, she refuses to wear the darn thing. It’ll look perfect on your pup.”

  “Don’t get too used to him, Aunt Dottie. He’s just a foster,” River said, but his gaze was on Finn.

  Finn looked terrible, like he’d stayed at Buchanan Brewery for the whole night and staggered home. He had on a Big Catch T-shirt and jeans, which was like someone else wearing pajamas out of the house. Maybe it was foolish of River, but it made him feel a little better. At least Finn cared about selling him out, not that it changed anything.

  “You know, I didn’t give you that key so you could let in anyone you want,” he said, shifting his gaze back to Aunt Dottie. She’d already lifted the puppy out of the carrier and was fitting him into a bright pink sweater with pom-poms. He knew better than to dissent, and from the way the puppy was wagging his tail, he didn’t seem to mind. Part of him wanted to share a look—and a silent laugh—with Finn, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

  “Well, dear, I was under the impression you gave it to me to be used at my discretion, just like Beau and I told you where he kept his spare key.” She gave him a wink as she said it, which made him wonder just how much she knew, or thought she knew, about what had happened last night.

  Of course, Jack had seen her at Buchanan, hadn’t he? So she at least knew Georgie might make him an offer.

  “I just want to talk, River,” Finn said. He ran a hand through his hair, which was almost too short to be messy, but it was messier than River had ever seen it. Again, it made him feel a little better, although the part of him that was still Finn’s friend weirdly hated to see it. “I know you’re pissed, and you have every right to be. I should have talked to you first.”

  “Damn straight, you should have,” River growled. He set down the things Maisie had given him for the dog and moved toward the table, staying several feet away. Even if Aunt Dottie had brought over fresh cinnamon rolls. “It was something we built together. You always said that. Shouldn’t I h
ave had some say?”

  “Yes,” Finn said. “Of course. And I would have, but then Beau got sick, and I knew you’d feel—”

  “Betrayed.”

  Because he did. In a way he’d only felt one time before and had never wanted to feel again. What was worse, he’d expected it the first time, at least a little—he’d thought he could trust Finn.

  Finn’s face lost a little more color, and he looked to be just this side of puking.

  “Did Aunt Dottie make you any of her hangover cure?” he asked. He told himself he was just asking because he needed to get this conversation behind him, the sooner, the better, but again there was that awful feeling of caring. You couldn’t just shut it off, even if you wanted to.

  “How’s something with a raw egg in it going to make me feel better?” Finn asked dubiously.

  “You’re questioning the wisdom of my aunt?” he asked, feeling the corners of his lips twitch up a little in spite of himself.

  “Exactly what I said,” Aunt Dottie offered. “His color is so peaky, and the energy in here… You fixed that right up, though, didn’t you?” she cooed to the puppy, who was literally eating something out of her hand.

  “I know,” Finn said, drawing River’s gaze back to the table. “I guess I’m making all sorts of dumb calls lately.” He rubbed his nose. “The thing is, River, I was always going to walk at some point. I wanted to build the biggest brewery in the state, and we did that. Where else is there to go from here?”

  “We could have become an anchor in the community,” River said. “The kind of place people can count on.” The last words sounded a little sharp, like some of his hurt was leaking out, and he patched it back in. “And yeah, maybe I knew you’d walk at some point, but I didn’t think you’d sell to the devil. And I definitely didn’t think you’d do it now.”

  They both knew what now meant, and he saw a flash of pain in Finn’s eyes. Yeah, he knew he’d messed up good.

  “Like I said, I made some bad calls. But selling to Bev Corp was the right move.”

  River started to say something, but Finn cut him off. “I know what you and Dottie think about them, and hell, maybe you’re not altogether wrong, but they offered a good deal to you, and to the rest of my people. That’s what mattered to me. I don’t want to screw anyone over. I’m just… I got bored.” Finn met his gaze then, and he held it. “And be honest with me, River, because I got the impression that you were getting bored too.”

  River’s first instinct was to rage at him again, but then he found himself thinking of how he’d felt last night, sitting with Georgie and Jack, talking about their plans for the future. He’d felt more excited about work than he had in at least a year, maybe two. And it wasn’t because he lived for challenges—he and Finn weren’t alike in that. It was because Buchanan Brewery was a different kind of place. It was a family business with deep roots. It wasn’t a flashy new thing, but something well loved that had been pushed to the back of the drawer. And he and Georgie and Jack could polish it up and make it new again. There was something special in that, something sacred.

  “Yes and no,” he said, his tone softer than it had been, “but you let me down by not talking to me. And I still quit. I’ll give Gladys a call to work out details and pick up some of my stuff today or tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” Finn said, “I accept that.” He got up from the table and pushed his chair in, then shot a longing look at the cinnamon buns.

  “Go ahead,” River said with a wave. His aunt had brought a good dozen.

  Finn nodded and scooped one up with a napkin. “So where does this leave us?” he asked. It wasn’t the kind of question Finn usually asked—to the point where River almost wanted to tease him about it, but he wasn’t ready for that yet.

  “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “But I don’t trust you right now, and I don’t know if I ever will again.”

  He saw the hurt on Finn’s face, but he didn’t back down. Couldn’t. They both knew he meant it.

  “Well, I heard something about you working with the Buchanans.”

  River just nodded.

  “Word to the wise. Bev Corp wouldn’t be opposed to buying them out as a second location for Big Catch.”

  And he’d thought calling them the devil was putting it too strongly?

  “Thank you, Finn. But I think it’s time you leave,” he said flatly, stepping aside.

  Finn walked past him, Aunt Dottie calling out, “Lovely to see you, dear! Consider what I said about seeing Lola. I’ve never had such a spot-on reading. No better time to go than when you’re at a crossroads.”

  “Thanks, Dottie. I’ll keep it in mind,” he intoned. He looked back at River once before he left. “Cute dog.”

  The as-yet-unnamed puppy was humping a discarded sandal.

  Then the door closed and Finn was gone, probably out of River’s life too. Which hurt more than he would have liked.

  Focus on the new job.

  So why did he find himself thinking of Georgie? Wondering if she’d like the puppy better than she did Beau’s mostly evil cat? Wondering if he was making the right call even if he needed—and really, really wanted—the job?

  Because you’re an idiot, that’s why. And Finn knows it too. That’s why he didn’t talk to you about this while Beau was dying. He thought you’d fall apart.

  “I recognize that look,” Aunt Dottie said knowingly. “Beau’s granddaughter is quite lovely, isn’t she?”

  “Really?” he said, stooping to pet the dog—and remove the sweater. It was, after all, the beginning of June, but Aunt Dottie did love her knitting. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “You know how I feel about lying, River.”

  He glanced up at her and smiled. Something told him everything was—currently—going according to her plans. But she had to know he couldn’t, or at least really, really shouldn’t, notice how beautiful Georgie Buchanan was if he intended to accept her job offer.

  “You asked a rhetorical question. Anyone with eyes can see she’s beautiful. It’s only after talking to her for a while that you realize she’s also brilliant, kind, and funny.”

  Aunt Dottie’s eyes lit up. “I knew it! The pink crystal wanted to go to her. It sensed there was something between you.”

  “Well, Aunt Dottie, you might want to rethink your interpretation. That pink crystal nearly ended up smashing my brains in.”

  He told her about the way he and Georgie had officially met last night. They relocated to the table, and he ended up telling her a whole lot more, ending with the offer she and Jack had made.

  “I guess I’m going to take it,” he said, “although I can’t say it doesn’t suck.”

  “What makes you think you can’t romance her if you work with her?”

  Leave it to his aunt to put it like that.

  “Well, there are rules about that kind of thing,” he said.

  “Not at Buchanan Brewery,” she said. “I started working there before Beau and I began courting. Indeed, it’s how we got to know each other. You really learn the make of someone when you work with them.”

  “Well, I’m not so sure about that,” he said, gesturing toward the door even though Finn had left a long time ago. “Besides, even if it’s not in the HR manual, surely it’s not encouraged. And trust me, Aunt Dottie, she’s nothing if not proper. Even if it’s not unheard of, it would be for Georgie.”

  His aunt shook her head knowingly. “That pink crystal tells me differently. There’s a lovely energy to that girl. Nothing like that dry husk of a father. She’s the type who’ll stand up for what she believes in—and for the people she believes in.” A sad look crossed her face. “And I’m not so sure you misjudged Finn, either. Sometimes you expect too much from people, dear, and it can only end in disappointment.”

  He shrugged it off, although it was the kind of comment that had barbs, and he already knew he’d be thinking about it later.

  “We’ll see, I guess.”

  “Indeed, we will,�
� she said, shifting her gaze to the puppy, who’d fallen asleep on the sandal he’d been humping earlier.

  “Hope he didn’t imprint on it,” River said.

  “What are you going to name him? He looks an awful lot like a Flavius to me.”

  River just shook his head. He was used to Aunt Dottie coming up with ridiculous names for things. “I was thinking I’d call him Hops. The last time I spoke to Beau, he told me he thought our…Big Catch’s new beer was too hop-forward.” He shrugged. “I bet he’d find it funny.”

  She smiled at him. “I bet he would. Now, about Lola. Finn’s not the only one who’d benefit from having his cards read. You’re at a crossroads too.”

  “No thanks, Aunt Dottie. I’ll find out what happens when it does.”

  Which was how he always responded, but she still hadn’t given up. Part of him liked that. He liked knowing he could count on things—because for much too long he hadn’t been able to count on anything.

  But could he count on Georgie Buchanan?

  Chapter Eleven

  Georgie walked into the law offices of Gramble and Manning at 11:57, ready to start the next phase of her life. After she and Jack finished with the paperwork, they were meeting River at the brewery at one. While Georgie had toured the space with her grandfather, she needed to see it again from an owner’s perspective, not to mention Jack hadn’t seen it at all. River had spent plenty of time at Buchanan Brewery, so he would make the perfect tour guide.

  Sure, and that’s the only reason you want to see him.

  Mr. Manning’s assistant met her as she walked through the door. “Jack is already in the conference room and Mr. Manning is readying the documents for you to sign.” She gestured down the hall to the room, then said, “Can I get you coffee or water while you wait?”

  “This should only take a moment, right?” Georgie asked. “I won’t need anything.”