Page 20 of The Bourbon Bargain

I smile and silently thank Hayes for not telling her how in over my head I am with my lack of knowledge. “Yes, this is perfect. I’m sure it’s no surprise that I know nothing about any of this given my background is in hospitality. I’m eager to get to know everything possible to ensure I’m doing all I can to steer this company in the right direction.”

“Okay, let’s start with the basics, without getting into the nitty gritty. Only a chem nerd like me actually needs to know about carbonyls, sulfur compounds, terpenoids, volatile phenols, and heterocyclic compounds.”

“Yup, I am lost already. I’m glad you have that knowledge, though, I am sure it’s incredibly important. How about focusing on what sets the Underworld Spirits products apart, so we can incorporate that into our marketing and sales structure?”

“Oh, okay, yeah, I can do that.”

Sierra launches into what we do that is classic to liquor distillation, then follows up on how we have changed certain aspects through micro-craft distillation to create a superior quality and finish. She explains why we have used different botanical varietals for flavor variations, and experimented with grain percentages in the various formulas to get a smoother mouth feel and taste. It’s fascinating to see where the chemistry comes in, and how Underworld has broken from tradition in certain aspects while remaining true to the heritage of the liquors we produce. It gives me a ton of ideas to think about. I want to really play off the reinvention of our heritage aspect. It’s fitting, given my own reinvention.

By the time Sierra has thoroughly supplied the history of distilling, laid out in a very rudimentary way the chemical processes for each of our liquors, and given me insight on the constant tweaks the team has made to get to the current formulas, the sun is setting. The sky outside my office windows is a riot of oranges and pinks, dotted with fluffy clouds that are mirrored in the lake below. I guess that means it’s time to go home.

I take a quick look at my watch. It’s after five, yet the darkness of night is quickly stealing any daylight left. As the calendar is nearing the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, it makes sense, but I can’t believe I have kept Sierra here so long.

“You have been such a help today. It was so kind of you to spend so much time with me making sure I understand what I’m leading now. I hope I didn’t pull you away from anything too important just to catch me up.”

“Oh, no, it’s slow in my division right now. With the recent launch, this isn’t a time we want to be making changes to the chemistry or formulations of our liquors. Also, with the holidays so close, it’s really busy for sales and production, but the rest of us get a bit of a break. We’re closed the week between Christmas and the New Year, usually, so they are working extra hard to get orders out in anticipation of the downtime.” She pushes her glasses up her nose and gives me a quick look. “Unless you have other plans now?”

“No changes coming from me,” I assure her. “I look forward to holiday downtime as much as anyone else, and y’all deserve it after the launch. I hear things are going well.” I actually have a stack of the sales numbers and profit and loss sheets on my desk that support this claim. At least that side of the business is familiar and didn’t give me any trouble to decipher.

“It’s been very good. I know shipping and receiving is having a hard time keeping up with the constant in and out of product, which means there is a bit of a backlog that is happening.”

“Sounds like I need to hire more people and ensure our workflow is regulated to adjust to the new demand.” I’m just musing aloud, but Sierra nods.

“Probably a good idea. I can get you connected with people from each department who have good insights. It’s not always the managers or heads of department, though.”

“I would appreciate that so much.” I look over at Sierra shyly, wondering if I am pushing my luck with what I want to ask her. I figure it’s worth the risk and go for it. “Would you mind if I tapped you for more information and help in getting me acclimated to this role? You are incredibly knowledgeable and seem to be very in touch with the operations, and you put up with my incessant questions with a great attitude.”

Sierra blinks behind her glasses and I wonder if she’s about to tell me I’m annoying her in the direct way she uses that I have come to appreciate in the hours she has spent in my office. She doesn’t seem much older than I am, and I think she would be super helpful, but what I am asking is out of her scope of work.

“I would love to. Your questions were thoughtful and inquisitive, which makes me think you were actually listening to me. Not everyone does when I get to the technical side of the distilling process, so it was nice to talk about my work with someone who paid attention.”

I smile and feel the relief of not being turned down in corporate speak, which would have sounded likesorry, I don’t have the bandwidth to take on additional duties at this time. And if we’re working together more, maybe Sierra and I could become work friends. I’m severely lacking in the friendship department, as I have come to realize in the last few weeks.

It would be nice to develop some friends here in Atlanta to hang with outside of work and away from home where Hayes is the biggest part of my life. But for now, just having someone who knows everything about Underworld Spirits on my team and is willing to put up with my ineptitudes is a win.

“Deal. I’ll listen to the chemistry even when I don’t understand it if you’ll help me figure out this whole thing. As for today, you have more than delivered and I won’t keep you longer. It’s about time I called it quits, also.”

Sierra smiles and I think we’re off to a good start. “I’m kind of surprised you want to be as hands-on as you are intending to be. Mr. Olsen may have owned the business and knew the bottom line, but he wasn’t here much. You could probably coast along on the same level of detachment if you wanted, but I like that you’re willing to be here with us and take ownership at more than face value. You’re going to be great, Paige.” She stands and waves as she leaves my office while I sit in complete disbelief and gratitude for her offhand comment.

I pack up and leave the office, saying quick goodbyes to a few of the employees who are still in the building as I find my way out of the labyrinthine structure. It’s dark as I hit the fob to unlock the doors of the Mercedes G-wagon Hayes continues to let me drive as I don’t have any of my own possessions here in Atlanta. I really need to head back to Savannah and collect a few items, or maybe find replacements to keep here to make my life feel more normal.

My mental list of things to grab is interrupted by my phone vibrating in my purse, and I fish it out, hoping it’s Hayes saying he’s on his way home as well. My hope is dashed when I see it’s actually Mama calling me. I slide into the car, turn it on, and let my phone connect to the speakers before I answer her.

“Hello, Mama,” I say, voice neutral. I haven’t spoken to her directly since she called and told me Hayes had bought the Xenios Group from Daddy and I would no longer inherit the hotel legacy.

“Paige Fairchild, you have some explaining to do,” she starts immediately.

I roll my eyes, knowing I’m about to get an earful of her sharpened and honed Southern guilt trip. This is why I didn’t want to answer her call, despite feeling the familial obligation.

“Your father and I have been worried sick about you. Why wouldn’t you call us and let us know you had left that man? You know we would have welcomed you home and helped you get rid of him for good. Then I hear from that horrid gossip site that you’re flying all over the Eastern seaboard, and seen back in Atlanta withhim,“ she says, treating Hayes’s name like it’s a dirty word she doesn’t want to say.

I sigh and put the SUV in reverse to head home, knowing this will be a long conversation and I’d rather end it by coming home to Hayes than being stuck in a dark parking lot.

“Mama, I’m still working through some feelings I have over what you and Daddy did, so I had no desire to come running home to you. Besides, I’m an adult with my own apartment to go to and I will visit Alex if I feel like it without running my travel plans by you,” I explain as patiently as I can muster.

“Oh, Paige, you have to get over that!” she insists, and I can just imagine her swatting the thought away like a summer fly on her verandah. “It was a good option at the time. We just want what’s best for you.”

“Oh, so you think a rapist was a better choice than the man I actually married? That’s rich, even for you—oh, my Lord!” I say, startled by a man standing in the driveway when I pull out of my space and turn toward the exit. I hesitate, slowing as he stays rooted in place. Does he work here and is just leaving at the same time? He’s staring directly at my car, his eyes squinted against my headlights, and I notice something vaguely familiar that sets my teeth on edge.

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