Page 4 of No Bed Of Roses

At the woman’s appearance, everything about his warrior buddy softened. The same way Levi’s dad had softened when his mom appeared. And the way Arrow had changed in the presence of that teacher over in that Afghani village. Levi wondered if Arrow had ever tracked her down after the disaster that day.

Levi dragged his attention back to Sean. “Levi, I want you to meet the most amazing woman on the planet, Branna O’Dea. Branna, this is Oz.”

Levi rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “I’m Levi Connors. Nice to meet you, Branna. Hope Falcon is treating you well. If not, we have ways to make sure that changes.”

Branna’s eyes sparkled at his words, and she leaned into Sean’s side. “No worries in that department. It’s nice to finally meet you, Levi. Welcome to Phail.”

Levi looked at Troy. “See. Right there. Did you hear how that sounds? You really need to think about changing the name of this place.”

Troy rolled his eyes. “Not a chance, Oz.” He slung his arm over Levi’s shoulder and aimed him at the bar and the stools in front of it. “Any chance of getting a beer in this place?”

Sean laughed. “We’re not open yet, but a beer between friends is perfectly legal as long as you’re not paying for it. And you’re not. Let’s take a table.”

Branna kissed Sean on the cheek. “I’ll leave you guys to it. I’m working in the kitchen if you need me.”

Levi watched as Sean followed her as far as the bar and pulled her in for a real kiss before she moved into the kitchen. He grabbed beers for them from behind the bar.

When they were all seated, Marcus held up his beer. “Here’s to Levi. Thanks for coming. We’re glad you’re here.”

They clinked bottles and sipped. Levi leaned back in his chair and studied them. “You all look good. Happy.” Although Marcus didn’t have the same ease around the eyes of the other two. Probably something to do with Troy and Sean being stupid-happy in love.

Troy nodded. “Happy is good. We’ve got some plans that might shove you in that direction.”

And here it was. The plans Troy had been hinting about in phone calls over the last few months. Whatever it was, it had brought Sean to Phail. And the curiosity had pulled him as well. He wouldn’t be surprised if Epic’s plan involved getting Slick and Scooby here at some point, too. “Lay it out.”

Troy held up his beer. “We think we can do better.”

Better? “Better with what?”

Troy pointed at the beer. “Better beer.”

“You want to make beer?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know anything about making beer?”

Troy’s grin was the one that almost always had everyone following his idea, no matter how wacky it was. “I’m learning.”

Levi wasn’t sure what to say to that, so he waited. Sure enough, Troy continued to lay out his plan. “I want us to create a brewery here in Phail.”

Levi looked at the other two, who nodded. “A brewery, when none of you know anything about the process or the business.”

Troy waved that away. “We’ve got skills. We’re smart, resourceful, and determined. Research can fill in the blanks. There are courses too. Sean and Branna already have the saloon here and by next year, maybe we can add our own brews to the mix.”

That actually sounded like a good idea. Craft breweries were popping up everywhere around the country. Having a built-in place to showcase the beer was definitely a bonus.

The thought of making beer didn’t light a fire under him, but maybe he could help his friends if he could also find some farmland around here that could be his own. A place that felt right.

“He’s not getting it.” Marcus grinned while looking at Levi.

“Not getting what?”

Sean patted him on the shoulder. “You should know Epic better than that. He knows you don’t want to be a brewmaster. That’s not your dream and never has been.”

They didn’t want him as a part of it? Then why drag him here? He shook his head. “It’s been a long day, and you’re being cryptic. Lay it out.”

Troy grinned. “You’re going to grow the hops. We’re not just going to make beer. We’re going to do the entire process from the very beginning to the end. Grow the hops. Do the processing. Bottle it up. Sell it. All here in Phail.”

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