Page 97 of Any Luck at All

“Georgie,” Dottie called out as she pushed her way through the crowd toward her. “One of the TV crews is here.”

“Great,” Georgie said. “Tell them to make themselves at home and get whatever footage they need.”

Dottie’s face turned serious. “They want to interview you first.” Then she added in a lowered voice, “And River.”

Another twist of the knife. River had said he’d be at the party, but no one had seen or heard from him all day. What if he’d decided he might as well leave Asheville now since he’d have to start over eventually anyway?

Dottie squeezed her arm. “He’ll show up, dear.”

Georgie pushed her way through the crowd, pleased at the turnout, despite everything. It seemed like most of Asheville had shown up. She’d put out a lot of press releases and had personally invited news channels, entertainment websites, and magazines to be a part of Bury the Brewery, and quite a few had shown up. River had purposely held back the last of the reserve beer to make sure they were prepared for the party, but now she wasn’t sure how far it would stretch. Not only was the tasting room full, but there was a long line weaving outside the building.

Turned out everyone in Asheville wanted to be a part of the end of Beau Buchanan’s era. Everyone except for River.

Not that she blamed him.

The interview went off without a hitch, and if she looked less than miserable on camera, it was only thanks to Adalia, who’d applied cold compresses to her eyes to help take down the swelling from crying all day. A couple of days ago, River had gently suggested she wear something other than a business suit, which would mark her as an outsider, and she was grateful she’d taken his recommendation to heart. The light blue sundress she’d worn made her feel like less of a sore thumb. Her hair was loose and full of waves thanks to the French braids Adalia had put in it the night before. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she’d dressed with River in mind, but as they counted down the last pulls, anticipating the last of the tap, he still hadn’t arrived.

Which meant he wouldn’t.

Dottie was behind the main bar, and when she held up a glass, announcing that it was the last of the keg, her voice broke as she said, “And that’s the end of an era.”

The room hushed and a lump filled Georgie’s throat, the first all day that wasn’t directly River-related.

“To Beau,” someone called out, holding up a glass, and the chorus went round the room. “To Beau.”

Georgie felt closer to Beau this evening than she ever had. So many people had come over to tell the Buchanan sisters stories about their grandfather. Many of those stories had featured Dottie, and several had also involved River. Those were the ones she cherished most, but they also tugged at her heart, reminding her of the pain she’d caused him, leading her to a conclusion her father would consider ridiculous. Infantile.Female.

Buchanan Brewery belonged to River more than it belonged to Georgie and her siblings, and she was going to find a way to give it all to him, no strings attached. Consequences be damned.

To hell with what her family thought. Georgie was done with trying to make everyone else happy. She should have defaulted the brewery to River as soon as she found out he was supposed to have originally inherited it. It would have been the right thing to do.

It was too late to change what she’d done, but it wasn’t too late to make things right.

Of course, the brewery legally belonged to her siblings too, but she was sure none of them would want to step forward to run it. If she forfeited her share, they’d likely default too since there would be no one to manage the business. Yeah, Jack claimed he wanted to be a part of it, but he still refused to come back, he couldn’t manage it remotely, and she couldn’t imagine him willingly sharing the leadership with River after everything that had gone down. If he forced the issue, Georgie could insist he pay her back the hundreds of thousands of dollars she’d invested within thirty days. It was an asshole move, but River deserved it more than Jack. She’d find another way to form a bond with her half-brother. If he ever forgave her.

As for the money? It was just money. She’d put this down as a lesson well learned.

After the last drink was served, the energy in the room seemed to evaporate, as if they really were burying the brewery. The atmosphere turned melancholy, and the remaining guests soon left, hugging Dottie and the other staff, wishing Georgie and Adalia well with the reopening come fall. And soon it was just the sisters and the staff…and no River.

A couple of the tasting workers came out of a back room, passing around the last of the reserve in small Dixie cups—Beau Brown, which River and Georgie had thought would be fitting. The plan had been for Georgie to address the staff, thanking them for their support and hard work, for embracing the future with her, but she couldn’t do it, because it was a lie.

She would have no part in Buchanan Brewery’s future, and that broke her more than she’d expected. Turned out she’d fallen in love with her grandfather’s legacy too.

Dottie seemed to sense that Georgie was too distraught to follow through as planned, so she took charge, which felt more fitting anyway.

“Beau would have loved this evening,” Dottie said with a bright smile but with tears in her eyes. “He would have loved the energy. He would have loved the stories.” A chuckle ran through the room. “He would have loved the community.” Dottie turned and held Georgie’s gaze. “And he would have loved the sense of family. He always said the employees at Buchanan Brewery were family, and Georgie Buchanan is keeping that same philosophy alive and well. She’s embracing Buchanan’s past and bringing it into the future, all while keeping the employees in the fold with her generosity and enthusiasm. Buchanan BreweryneedsGeorgie Buchanan, and shewill lead us into the future.” She lifted her Dixie cup into the air. “To Georgie.”

The employees enthusiastically shouted, “To Georgie!”

It was too much.

Georgie fought to keep from breaking down, while Adalia wrapped her arm around her sister’s back and whispered in her ear, “Don’t despair. True love always wins, Georgie.”

Not always. A fact Georgie had on some level known since she was a little girl, even if she hadn’t understood her parents’ relationship yet.

Adalia excused herself to help the tasting room staff clean up, but Dottie rushed over and pulled Georgie into a tight embrace before leaning back and staring into her face. “I know what you’re planning to do, but it’s not what Beau wanted. He knew what he was doing, Georgie. Trust in that. Buchanan Brewery really does need you.”

How could Dottie know what she was planning? She couldn’t, which meant the older woman probably had some other crazy idea in her head. “Thanks, Dottie, but I intend to set things right.”

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