Georgie hurried across the kitchen to the door leading to the porch, where she and her grandfather had sat and talked less than a month ago. It was hard to believe so much could change in such a short time. She sat in the same wicker chair with the faded and flattened cushion and waited for River to take the seat next to her.
He hesitated before he lowered himself into it, then gave her an awkward grimace. “This was Beau’s chair.”
“Oh.” She sat up. “Would you rather not sit there?”
“No,” he said, sitting back gingerly as though still getting used to the idea. “So…” He let his voice trail off, then said, “So you’re considering keeping the brewery. Before I left the meeting, your family seemed adamant about getting rid of it.”
“Yeah, call me crazy, but I’m thinking about it.” She took a tentative sip of the beer, and the flavor slid over her tongue more easily than before.
River was right; it tasted rich and malty, and about a million times better than the light beer she’d had at that college party.
“Beau called me last month to congratulate me on the sale of my company.” She turned to him. “I don’t even know how he found out. We weren’t close, and truth be told, neither one of us had ever contacted the other before. We only saw him when we were kids. But he was so gracious and complimentary. He knew that I’d started it from nothing and helped revolutionize feminine hygiene products, and he wasn’t even embarrassed by it, not like my father.” She took a sip of the beer. “He asked what I planned to do next, and when I told him I was still figuring it out, he invited me to come visit for a few days. So I did. I’m guessing he changed his will after that.”
“He never mentioned his plans to me specifically,” River said, his gaze on the patchy grass in the backyard as he sipped from his bottle. “I knew he was getting older, but I’ll admit I didn’t want to think about it. I was surprised when I was invited to the will reading. I’d presumed everything would go to your father.”
“All of us did.” She took another pull, enjoying the taste more and more. “But my visit with him was special, and I talked to him on the phone after I got back to Boston.” Tears stung her eyes. “He was encouraging me to relocate to Asheville. He told me the city was booming and there were plenty of opportunities here for an entrepreneur.” She paused. “I think he just wanted a relationship with me, and call me crazy, but I was starting to consider moving.”
In a few weeks’ time, Beau had given her the love, support, and attention she’d always wanted from her father, and the prospect of having him so close had been enticing. But now he was gone and she found herself rudderless again—a businesswoman without a business, or even the inspiration for one—not that she would admit any of that to River.
“The brewery meant something to him,” she said quietly. “And he meant something to me, albeit belatedly. I can’t help thinking that he wanted me to do it. Maybe he was hoping it would bring my sister and my brothers together too.”
She turned to face him, surprised that he was watching her with so much intensity. So much…hope.
“I think you’re right,” he finally said.
They were silent for several long seconds before Georgie said, “Obviously, you know Beau through your great aunt.”
His mouth tipped up with the hint of a smile, and Georgie wondered if some memory had popped into his head.
“I met Beau when I was thirteen. I came to stay with Aunt Dottie and never left. Beau’s the one who taught me how to brew beer and encouraged me to perfect my craft.” He grinned. “I was making beer before I could even drive a car.”
Her eyes widened. “Is that legal?”
Laughing, he took another pull from his bottle. “Probably not, but in fairness to Beau, I wasn’t really drinking it. Just sampling. And Aunt Dottie being Aunt Dottie…well, let’s just say she didn’t put up a fuss. In fact, she encouraged it. Believe it or not, it helped me stay out of trouble.”
“Did you work for Beau when you got older?”
“I knew my way around his operation, but I never did anything other than scut work at Buchanan. I guess you could say I wasn’t sure what I wanted back then.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and she saw her own uncertainty reflected back at her. “I ended up having a lot of jobs. But thanks to Beau, I learned how a brewery works, so when I got the opportunity to work with Finn, I was ready to land on my feet and take off running.” He shot her another glance. “We started with nothing and placed third at the Brewfest Competition in our third year.”
“What’s the Brewfest Competition?”
“It’s where you go to prove you’re somebody in the world of beer. Last year Big Catch placed first…and caught the eye of Bev Corp.” He said the corporation’s name with more than a hint of attitude.
“Where did Buchanan place?”
He grimaced. “They didn’t. They haven’t placed for years.”
“Oh.” She wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she moved on to her next burning question. “And who is Bev Corp?”
A storm of emotion filled his eyes. “The devil.”
Chapter Six
Georgie looked taken aback, and well, okay, he had sounded a bit melodramatic.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“It’s the biggest beer company in the world,” he said, “and they like to buy craft breweries so they can put other craft breweries out of business. Nice trick, huh?”
Her expression didn’t change, and it struck him that she’d just sold her company. Some big corporation had probably snapped it up, and they likely didn’t care about her vow to be eco-friendly.
Okay, maybe he’d looked her up after her visit with Beau. Moon Goddess still had information about her up on their website. She’d started the operation out of the kitchen in her small apartment in Boston, and it had grown into a company she’d sold for five big ones.
Menstrual cups, period panties, they were the kind of things that made most men cringe, but he admired her guts. She’d seen an opportunity to grow something—and she’d succeeded. Kind of like Beau when he’d opened Asheville’s first brewery years before the town became mainstream. No wonder the two had gotten along so well.
Still, the kind of person who’d sold out once might sell out again. Maybe she was just trying to buff Buchanan Brewery up so she could find a better deal.
But the thought refused to stick. He could tell meeting Beau had changed something for Georgie, just like it had for him. He could honor that. He would honor that.
“Sorry, Georgie,” he said, reaching out to touch her arm before he realized what he was doing. Her skin was soft beneath his fingers in a way that made him want to keep his hand there—or maybe stroke her—but he forced himself to pull away. Her lips had parted a little, and he found himself telling her everything. “I didn’t mean you. I’m just pissed because of what happened with Finn. Tonight, after the will reading, he told me he’s selling to Bev Corp. He’s throwing away everything we built together for a paycheck, and he didn’t even talk to me about it first. He made it out to be like he was doing me some big favor, because they wanted to keep me on and throw some money at me too. But he knows how I feel about staying local.”