Page 16 of Unravel Me

“I knew she’d get under your skin and drive you crazy.”

“And there the fuck it is. You asshole.”

“Dallas you just gotta work with her, man. She’s going to do a good job here. Did you learn nothing from Dad? An ounce of decorum and professionalism maybe?”

“Have you met me?”

We reach the front of the building where Liam and Carter are waiting for us. Our rickhouses are enormous buildings that hold all of our barrels through the aging process. Each row and place of the barrel changes the outcome of the spirit. We’re entering Liam’s wheelhouse now, the part that he lives for.

We enter the building and I’m engulfed in the smell of oak and charred sugar. I love it. Today we’re checking on a few barrels of the same mash bill that have been aging for different amounts of time. While all of us grew up here and love different parts of the whiskey business, Liam is the only one of us who has a love for the recipes and the process. He’s passionate about it in a way that the rest of us only appreciate it. We spend the next hour talking and tasting from two barrels before closing up for lunch, knowing we’re running slightly behind to meet our sister. Her school is closed today for a waiver day, and we promised we’d have lunch with her at her favorite place. Like clockwork, all of our phones go off with an incoming text alert as we walk the long gravel drive to the staff parking lot.

“Kins?” I ask, not bothering to pull my phone from my pocket since Carter is already holding his.

“Yep. She says, ‘where are you fools? I swear to God you had better not be ditching me or I will murder you all in your sleep,’” he reads in his best Kinsey impression.

We all laugh. Our sister is a tiny pixie of a thing, but tough as nails. I guess she’d have to be after growing up with four older brothers. We didn’t take it easy on her just because she’s a girl, and she certainly doesn’t have a princess complex because of it. She can handle herself on the worst of days and we’re all proud of her for making her own way in the world.

“We had better hurry up in case she wants to see her threat through,” Carter says as he fakes a fearful shiver. We all pile into my truck. Since I only sipped enough to taste today, I drive by default, which is our normal now that I think about it. When I drink, I typically only do so in the comfort of my own home. I like to be in constant control and when I give that up, I need to know I’m not going to fuck things up.

We arrive ten minutes later at Barrel House to see our smiling sister waiting for us at a table.

“Miss us?” Carter asks as he plants a kiss on our sister’s cheek. Liam, Dallas, and I follow suit. She may not be a princess, but we’ll be damned if she doesn’t feel an equal amount of our love with all the shit we give her.

“Never. But god, were you guys in a freaking rickhouse? You smell so good! Tasting without me?”

“Hey now, don’t be mad. Business has gotta run while you’re out there wiping noses and singing the ABCs.”

As expected, Kinsey reaches out and smacks Dallas right in the chest.

“That’s not all I do and you know it!” She looks at me before continuing, “Dickhead Dallas was a perfect new nickname by the way. We’re keeping this one for a while.”

We all laugh in agreement.

“Alright! Fill me in! What is going on with you all?” she says.

We make small talk before the waitress comes over to take our orders.

“Hey, Hayes bunch. I just want to let you know that our menu is actually really small at the moment. Hendrix had a family emergency in Utah, and we aren’t sure when he’ll be back. Our line cooks are fantastic, but we had to shorten the menu and take off the more complex items.”

“No worries, Luna. I hope everything is okay with his family,” I reassure her.

“I’ll pass that along when I talk to him. Can I get you all something to drink?”

We place our orders and spend the next hour talking and eating burgers and fries before saying goodbye to Kinsey and loading back up in my truck to head back to the distillery.

After separating from my brothers, I settle back in at my office. Already having the plans from Blaire in my inbox, I spend some time reviewing the proposal and decide to call them both to come see me in an hour. I make some phone calls to potential buyers and review production costs for this quarter, with just enough time to down a protein shake before my meeting.

I only just sit back in my chair when Dallas walks in.

“Haven’t you seen enough of me today?” he says.

“Have a seat. Try not to be a dickhead.”

Blaire knocks on my door and Dallas whips his head around in her direction. He groans dramatically, loud enough for her to hear, and I shoot him a warning glance that he ignores.

“Thanks for coming, Blaire. Have a seat.”

“Of course, Sawyer. What can I do for you?” she says, all smiles, bright eyes, and cheerful. I hold back a laugh. She’s all sunshine and roses while my brother is storm clouds and weeds. But man does she rise to each one of his challenges.

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