Page 2 of More Than Words
“Wait and see.”I set my sledgehammer down and crossed the room to where I left the cooler of beer.Not my brews—yet.But soon, if everything went according to plan.“This place is going to be great.It’s long past time for Trickle Creek to have a brewery.”I tossed him a cold can.“But it’ll be more than that.It’ll be a place to gather.”
Reid cracked the tab on his can and lifted it in cheers before taking a deep drink.“I look forward to that day, brother.Truly.”
I nodded my appreciation.Traditionally, my brothers and I didn’t do a whole lot of emotion.At least, we tried not to.
Instead, I turned and surveyed the space, looking past the mess to see the vision.
“There’ll be a little stage over in the corner there where we can host open mic nights and some local artists.”I pointed to a stack of boxes and garbage bags that were ready to go to the dump.“Over there, I’ll have some high-top tables for smaller gatherings, and of course, the long bench tables there.”
I spent the next few minutes showing Reid my plan, and it was only after I was finished that my brother looked at me with a flash of respect in his eyes.“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Fuck, man.You know I am.”I tipped the can and drained the rest of my beer.“It’s been a rough road with the divorce and dealing with Quinn’s mom.We need this.Both of us.And Quinn deserves to see me build something solid.Something that’sours.A fresh start.For both of us.”
Reid opened his mouth and for a moment, I thought he might even say something.But then, in true Reid fashion, he swallowed back the rest of his beer and picked up his hammer again.“Well, we better get a move on then.”And before either of us could get any more serious about it all, the sound of crunching plaster and splintering wood filled the air again.
Delaney
I’d tried to be patient.Really, I had.
But there was only so much one person could take, and I’d about hit my limit.
For the first few hours, I tried to tell myself that the hammering next door was just temporary.That the floor-shaking thuds and bangs and occasional bursts of laughter and cursing would settle down.For a moment or two, I’d even managed to convince myself that my customers wouldn’t notice the incessant racket coming through the old, thin walls.
But by the time my fifth customer in a row commented and shot a wary glance at the wall I shared with what might as well have been a demolition derby next door, my patience had officially run out.
My mystery book club group was due to gather in the next fifteen minutes, and I could still hear the pounding and crashing of plaster next door.I mean, how many walls did they have to knock down over there?The sound wasn’t just distracting—it was completely impossible to ignore.Like a jackhammer at the base of my skull.
I stared at the wall between us, my jaw growing tighter by the second.My fingers clenched around my favorite mug, with the peppermint tea I’d brewed in an effort to calm my nerves long since gone cold as I tried to figure out a way to handle the situation.
Ignoring it and wishing it would go away hadn’t worked out the way I’d hoped.
Or at all.
The reality was, my little bookshop had a neighbor now.For better or for worse.In this case, definitely worse.And I was going to need to figure out how to manage the situation.
It was either that or throw a book at someone’s head.But somehow I didn’t think that would get me the result I was looking for.
Confrontation wasn’t my style.I was the type who sent carefully worded emails and baked apology muffins for bumping into someone.For years, I’d been the one smoothing things over, apologizing for everyone else, especially my ex-husband and his endless string of bad behavior.Back then, keeping the peace meant keeping myself small.
But that was then.
I wasn’t that person anymore.
And this wasn’t just bothersome noise—this was my business.
If the new guy next door thought he could just roll into town and put a brewery of all things next to my peaceful little bookshop without any regard for his neighbors, he had another think coming.
Plot Twist was all I had.I wasn’t going to let anything happen to it.
Not without a fight.
Not that I was looking for a fight.Ugh.The very thought of that made me want to be sick.With any luck, he’d be a reasonable human who would work with me to find a solution that kept us both happy.
Yes.
If I approached him in a reasonable, calm manner, I’m sure everything would work out.
Still, my stomach rolled at the idea of the unavoidable confrontation.
