Page 48 of Turning Up the Heat

“And I can understand that. We both know what’s business. And what’s personal.”

“Do you think you can keep your personal life separate from the distillery?”

“Yes. It’s about family and making sure this business is as successful as we can make it and setting it up for the next generation. Even though that’s far in the future, right?”

She looked over at Quin and saw that he had a small smile on his face. “What’s that look for?”

“What look?”

Gemma was grateful that the attention was shifted from her to her brother. Gemma quickly looked at Reid, who had also noticed their brother’s change in demeanor.

“What’s going on?” Reid asked.

“You can’t tell anyone,” he started, a smile growing on his face. “But Celia’s pregnant.”

“Holy crap!” Gemma exclaimed. “That’s amazing.”

“Congratulations, man!” Reid said.

“Thanks. We were going to wait until dinner with Dad before he goes back out west to tell everyone. But you guys pulled it out of me.”

Gemma couldn’t believe it. She was going to be an aunt. It dawned on her as Reid and Quin discussed the pregnancy. “Let’s do it,” she said, interrupting them. “I want what’s best for the distillery. Let’s move into the northeast.”

“What about Tom?”

“It’s about family now. You guys are right. We need to set ourselves up for future success.” She had to talk to Tom, but she knew she couldn’t discuss anything distillery-related with him. But with her business directly targeting his, how was their relationship going to work?

She put all of that out of her mind. At least for the moment, she wanted to focus on her work. “Why don’t you guys come downstairs? I’ve got some bottles that might be good to launch for the summer line.”

“Yeah, let’s go down.”

They left Reid’s office, and even though she felt better about her relationship with her brothers—and she claimed to be able to keep those parts of her life separate—it could have grave ramifications with Tom. That niggling of apprehension still gnawed at her gut. She’d made the right decision for her family, but it wasn’t sitting right with her.

“So, what do you have for us?”

“Well—” Gemma drew out the word “—it’s definitely light. And it’s been infused but not fully flavored with tropical fruits. Pineapple, mango, strawberry. But it isn’t overpowering and would be good in a cocktail, with soda, and also on its own.”

“Sounds promising. How is it?”

“I haven’t tried it yet. I was waiting for you guys.”

“You haven’t mentioned it,” Reid said.

“I was mad at you, remember?”

“I didn’t know you were working with flavors like that,” Quin said. “It’s not our usual profile.”

“That’s why I made it. I wanted to try something different. I didn’t know how it would work out, and I didn’t want it to get out. It’s something I’ve been developing for a while now. With the popularity of hard seltzer, this could pair well with soda water. I thought if it was good, it might be a good addition to our product line.”

“What other surprises do you have down here?” Reid asked her as they entered the distillery.

She winked. “Not many. A girl has to have a few secrets, doesn’t she?” Gemma was always excited when she had something new to show them, and this was no different.

They walked into her office and she bypassed the drum that contained the rum she’d made with Tom and went for the bottle on the end of the shelf in her office. She opened the bottle and poured the rum into three small tasting glasses. Even though it wasn’t a fully flavored rum, but rather just infused with a light flavor, she could still smell the tropical notes. She already knew it was going to be a hit. She handed the glasses to each of them.

“To the family,” Reid said, holding his glass up, toasting to their name and the distillery as they did whenever they tested a new batch. Gemma and Quin echoed his words, and they all drank at the same time.

The rum was light and crisp, with a hint of tropical fruit. She was glad that she’d followed her gut on an infused rum. They quick-distilled their mainstream offerings, and she knew that she could have enough made and bottled for their launch in the spring. She watched her brothers eagerly as they tasted the rum.

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