Page 15 of Any Luck at All

Obviously, he didn’t want to talk about it, and although she was curious about what had happened, she didn’t know him well enough to pry. She really needed some levity, at least for tonight. She suspected he did too.

“So you create beer recipes?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied the bottles and tried to put it all together. “This is a test kitchen like you see on thoseBon Appétitvideos.”

His brow shot up. “I don’t know what those are, but yeah.” His back straightened. “This was Beau’s testing ground.”

“And where is yours?”

He took another drink, then said, “At Big Catch. We had our own testing area.” He flashed her a tight smile. “A testing kitchen, but I work on some at home too.”

Georgie resisted the urge to ask him what had happened. “You said Finn used to be your boss. Where are you now?”

He sucked in a breath and turned his attention to the table. “I’m currently exploring my options.” When he looked at her again, she saw a flash of pain in his dark eyes, but he covered it with a grimace. “Let’s head out to the porch. I’m getting a little claustrophobic down here.”

He headed toward the steps but waited for her to go up first. When she reached the top of the stairs, she gingerly cracked the door open to make sure the cat wasn’t about to pounce on her. Jezebel was still on top of the cabinet, surveying her kingdom, a good ten feet away, although she let out a little hiss to tell Georgie she was watching her.

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.

---