Page 27 of More Than Words
That got a laugh.A real one.“The coolest.”
Her whole face softened with relief and for a moment, it was just the two of us.Me and this whip-smart, fiercely independent girl I was starting to care about more than I should.
“I’ll be there,” I told her.“Just tell me when and where.”
I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze before standing up.Before I could move behind the counter, she stopped me again.
“Hey, Delaney.”
I lifted my eyebrow in question.She rarely used my real name.
“Can you not tell my dad about this?”
I didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets from her father, but there was something in her eyes.“Why don’t you want him to know?”
“It’s just… I don’t want it to be a big thing with him and my mom.”She blew out a breath.“And, I don’t think having him come to talk about beer to a bunch of sixth graders is really the best idea.”
“No, probably not.”I chuckled.“But you don’t think he’d understand?”
Quinn shrugged.“I just don’t want him to feel like he has to fix everything all the time.I mean, I’m not a kid anymore.Besides, he has enough to worry about.He doesn’t need to be making a big deal about nothing, you know?”
I nodded.“I do.”
She pulled the sleeves of her hoodie down over her hands and mumbled, “Don’t tell him, okay?”
“I won’t,” I said.“Promise.”
She looked up at me then, her eyes shining, but a smile on her face.“Thank you.”
I winked and turned to head back toward the counter as a new customer entered the store, but the weight of the moment stayed with me.
Because saying yes to Quinn had been easy.
But walking the line between helping her out and getting too close?That was starting to feel a little bit harder every day.
Ethan
The warm, earthy smell of brewing hops filled the space.I’d moved my smaller batch brews out of the shed and into the brewery, and the new brews I’d mixed up in the tanks were ready to bottle and put into kegs.
Peaks & Brews was finally ready.
Or, almost ready.
I stood behind the bar, running my hand across the smooth, polished wood Reid had custom-made just for the space.The bar top was rustic, yet beautiful and absolutely perfect.I trailed my fingers along the newly installed tap handles, just to feel their smooth finishes one more time.
The glass on the front windows had been cleaned up, and although it was too cold now to open the doors, they would be a perfect way to bring the outside in as soon as spring rolled around again.
The signage was in place out front, and Reid had delivered the last of the tabletops yesterday.All that was left were a few final touches and one final pass with the mop before the grand opening this weekend.
“You actually did it, brother.”Brody stepped through the door with another box of pint glasses in his arms.He looked around with the quiet approval that only a big brother could hand out.“I’m impressed.”
“You doubted me?”
Brody laughed and slid the box onto the counter.“Nah.I knew the first time I tasted one of your shitty beers that you’d nail it.”
“Thanks.”I rolled my eyes.“I think.”
“You have to admit, some of your first attempts weren’t that great.”
