Page 124 of Bad Luck Club

They all clapped again, but River’s face had lost color.

The next two places were awarded, one going to an Asheville brewery and the other to one from Tennessee.

Georgie clasped River’s hand. “No matter what happens, I believe in you, River.”

He gave her a tight smile, then turned to face Lee.

“I believe in you too,” Lee said, then laughed nervously. “Hell, I’m out there on the road selling you so hard it’s a wonder your head isn’t too big to fit through doorways.”

River gave him a grateful smile, but he looked like he was going to be sick.

Finn put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, leaving it there as they waited.

“And in first place, taking the blue-ribbon prize is Asheville’s own Hillman Beer with their Extra Special Bitter.”

The crowd broke into wild applause.

The Buchanan group all stared at one another in silence, their gazes landing on River.

His eyes widened as the truth hit home—River was now the official owner of Buchanan Brewery.

Lee knew a moment of terror. If River still held any animosity toward him, he could fire his ass. He’d been so certain that Home Sweet Home would win, he hadn’t given a single thought to what would happen if it didn’t.

But Blue shaped his fingers into a mudra—something she’d taught him to do to help deal with moments of stress—and either the sensation of her moving his fingers, calm and deliberate, or the shape itself helped ease the anxiety away. River wasn’t capable of betraying them. If he’d had any remaining doubts, the look on River’s face would have convinced him. He seemed more devastated than the rest of them combined.

River shook his head resolutely. “I’ll make this right.”

Adalia walked over to him, wrapping him and Georgie, who already had her arms around him, into a hug. “We know you will.”

“No,” River said, pulling away slightly, “you don’t understand. I already had the paperwork drawn up.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped it several times before handing it to Georgie. “Here’s the PDF. I had an attorney draw up paperwork saying I relinquished any claim to the brewery, and if we lost Brewfest, I forfeited the brewery back to all four Buchanan siblings.”

Georgie took his phone and scanned the document, then turned to look at him. “River, you signed this last fall.”

Before Lee had ever insisted he do such a thing.

God, he’d been such an asshole.

River shrugged. “I told you I didn’t want it. It’s yours, Georgie.” Then he gave the rest of them a tight smile. “It belongs to all four of you.”

“Actually,” Lee said, catching Adalia’s and Jack’s eyes before turning back to River. “It belongs to all five of us.”

River blinked. “What?”

“We were so certain we would win that Jack and Addy and I had paperwork drawn up to make you a partner. Sure, we’ve all been working our asses off to bring the brewery back to life, but we couldn’t do it without your brews.” He grinned at Georgie. “We were going to tell you, but we wanted it to be a surprise. We figured you’d think it was only fair.”

She nodded, tears swimming in her eyes.

Finn gave River an apologetic look. “It’s what I should have done when you and I created Big Catch. I should have made you an equal partner.”

River shook his head. “You were the one with the business expertise and the money.”

“But like Lee said, we wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground without your recipes. You deserve this, man.”

River shook his head again. “But you don’t understand. We lost. I lost. We needed that win to help take the brewery to the next level.”

“Then we’ll win it next year,” Jack said. “Fifth place? Hell, we’ll shoot for first.”

“Exactly,” Adalia said. “Next year.”

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