Page 84 of Any Luck at All

“She has great things planned for Buchanan’s future,” River said, beaming. “I’m excited to be part of it.”

“I heard about Big Catch,” the owner said. “You did the right thing, jumping ship. Finn let us all down, inviting those sharks into town.”

River looked a little conflicted about that, like maybe he thought he should defend Finn, but he just shrugged. “I was lucky the opportunity at Buchanan opened up when it did.”

“Truth be told,” the owner said, running a hand over his beard, “I always figured you’d be the one to inherit Buchanan.” As if realizing what he’d said, or rather whom he’d said it in front of, he turned to Georgie. “No offense, it’s just common knowledge that Beau taught River the ropes about brewing—it’s kind of a local legend—and Beau never talked about his family much.”

Georgie felt like she was going to throw up. She’d almost forgotten about the will, or maybe she’d let herself forget. River still didn’t know, but she’d have to tell him now. The sooner she did it, the less of a betrayal it would be.

Not yet, she told herself.Not until you sort everything out with Adalia, Jack, and Lee.

She forced a smile. “Grandpa Beau was full of surprises. All I know is we’re very lucky to have River.”

“It was great seeing you, River,” the man said, clapping him on the back. “Glad to hear you’re staying in Asheville.”

“Me too, man. I wouldn’t leave for the world.”

Georgie’s guilt amplified. What if her brothers tried to enforce the no-fraternizing policy and the noncompete?

But she was being weak, thinking like that. It was time for her to show her brothers thatshewas in charge of things.

* * *

Georgie left the brewery at five to meet the contractor for her walk-through. Adalia would arrive at the airport at seven thirty, so she had a little time to move in and get settled before her new roommate arrived.

It looked like a different house than the one she’d walked into two weeks prior. The living room had been fastidiously cleaned and freshly painted, and it looked great despite being completely empty. And the new granite counters, appliances, and freshly painted cabinets in the kitchen gave the house an updated look.

After the contractor left, Georgie went upstairs to prep her sister’s room. She’d just started changing the bedding when she heard a knock on the front door. Jezebel was still missing, so she knew there was a possibility it could be one of the neighbors. She went down to answer the door with no small amount of trepidation.

But it was River, standing there with a pizza box in hand, a bottle of wine under one arm and Hops squirming under the other. “Thought you might like some help putting the house back together.”

With a grin, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him through the door. She’d told him her plans for the evening, so she hadn’t expected to see him until tomorrow. Was it crazy that she’d missed him?

She took the pizza box from him, mostly because she wanted to kiss him, and she didn’t see it happening without something falling from his hands or out from under his arms. River was skilled in a lot of things, but as far as she knew, he didn’t know how to juggle. Pizza in hand, she leaned in and kissed him, inasmuch as they could manage with the box between them.

When Hops released a mewl of protest, she stooped down and kissed his head.

River grinned as he lowered the puppy to the floor.

“I really am here to help,” he said, taking the box back from her and heading for the kitchen, “and I figured you probably hadn’t picked up anything for dinner.”

“You know my habits all too well,” she said as she walked with him. “Although I admit I’m surprised by the wine.”

“I remember you mentioning you drank wine before you got caught up in brewing beer. And I figured you might be in the mood for something different. Should be enough time for you to have a glass before you need to leave for the airport.”

“Well, thank you.”

“Are you hungry?” He set the pizza box on the counter and glanced around, his mouth parted. “Wow. This place looksgreat.”

“But it doesn’t look like Beau’s house.” She wondered belatedly if that would bother him. Hops was wandering the floor as if doing his own walk-through, his little tail wagging.

He shrugged and turned to face her. “But it’s not Beau’s house anymore. It’s yours. And you don’t have as many memories here, so there’s no nostalgia for you. Just a clean slate.” He made it sound like a good thing, but she still felt a little guilty. According to Dottie, Beau had considered giving River his house too. Georgie suddenly felt like Beau’s grandkids had taken everything from him. Likeshehad taken everything from him.

Would he see it that way too?

“Hey,” he said, wrapping an arm around her back and pulling her close. “Adalia should be on a plane by now. She’ll be here before you know it.”

She buried her face into his chest, feeling even worse. How could she ever make it up to him? The only thing she knew to do was stick to her original plan and buy out her siblings in a year so she could make him an official partner.

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