Page 51 of The Forever Formula
They were legal papers with my address on them. Could he really still be trying to pressure me into selling this place?
Or was that his plan all along? Was the date just a big ruse to butter me up?
Any desire I’d had five minutes ago to chase Noah down the street went straight out the window as I crumpled the papers and tossed them on the floor.
“Assholes!” I shouted to no one. “Men are all assholes.”
22
NEGOTIATING THE TERMS
Noah
When my watch alarm vibrated at five a.m. that morning, I had been in the same position I was in when I’d fallen asleep.
I knew right away that it would be hard to focus on work all day today. Leaving Rachel’s bed this morning would take every fiber of my being. After all, I never took sick days ... surely, I could play hooky for just one day?
No, Austen would have my hide if I missed work. There was always too much to do now.
Soon, I’d definitely need to hire some more help, even if it ate into our profit. With this business, I’d happily learned, the more we spent, the more we made. So far, at least. I’d hoped the trend would continue.
With great effort, I hauled myself up. I wrote a quick note to Rachel and kissed her cheek. She groaned groggily but didn’t wake up.
She looked irresistible, and yet I had to leave. I was already thirty minutes late. By the time I reached the fields, Logan was already there waiting, very grumpy.
“You’re late,” he said, stating the obvious.
“I’m sorry.” I ruffled his hair, and he ducked away from my hand.
“I have school in an hour and a half,” he said to remind me.
“I know. I’ll still pay you for two, though.”
He smiled at that. “Fair enough.”
We were harvesting a first-year crop, which meant we had to pick all the hops by hand. It was labor I probably should have hired out, but honestly, it was some of my favorite work.
Logan climbed into the cherry picker and started the engine while I climbed into the bucket. We’d done all the low rows first, so it was time to get the high parts of the vines.
As soon as I could get a chance, I wanted to show Rachel my fields. The towering plants created this little private aisle of greenery that made me feel like I’d traveled into a different dimension.
After I lost Logan for the day, I headed to the shed to boil the hops to make a new batch of wort. This batch would be what we put on shelves the next year, so it was an exciting first step to be taking in the process. I thought back to my very first, very experimental small batch. I was so young then, totally unaware that this could even be turned into a business.
Things were so different now. Young me would have been so proud ... I now had a business that was fairly successful already, on the verge of a major expansion, and a beautiful woman back in my arms again. I swear, my cheeks were going to ache later from smiling so much.
Austen strode into the barn. “Smells terrible in here. Which is, of course, a good thing.”
I laughed. Austen truly didn’t like the smell of the brewing process. It was unique, but I personally loved it.
“What’s that?” I nodded at a thick envelope in his hand.
“This, little brother, is my final peace offering.” He slapped the envelope across his hand proudly.
“Okay,” I said cautiously, taking off my apron and meeting him at the table. I sat across from him and folded my arms. “What is it?”
He set it down and slid it to me. “This is a lease agreement I had drawn up. It would allow us to use part of the land ...”
I started shaking my head, so he paused, changing tack.
