Page 16 of Break My Heart
‘If you need anything else, just let me know. My name’s Wade.’ He gives me a wink and a smile before taking off. If I hadn’t been a bartender myself, I might think he was flirting with me, but I know he’s only doing it for tips.
‘You should try the lager next,’ the old man beside me says before taking a big gulp of his beer.
‘I think one is enough,’ I tell him. ‘I have to drive.’
‘You should stay and have another. It’s a big saving from his usual price.’
I turn to the guy. ‘What do you mean?’
He holds up his glass. ‘Only $2 today. Sawyer’s having a sale to compete with that new place outside of town.’
‘G’s Brewhouse?’
‘Yeah, that’s the one. I went there last night with some buddies of mine.’ He leans over to me. ‘If you ask me, G’s has got better beer, but this one’s pretty good too.’
Why is he telling me this? He just heard Wade say I owned the brewery. Maybe the man wasn’t listening, or maybe he didn’t hear us talking. It’s loud in here and the man might have bad hearing. Or maybe he’s a spy and Sawyer put him up to this to get information from me.
What am I saying? I’m the one who sat next to this man. He’s not a spy. I’m being paranoid.
‘So you think you’ll go back?’ I ask, deciding to do some market research while I’m here.
‘To G’s?’ He shrugs. ‘Maybe. If I’m out that way. It’s a bit of a drive for a beer.’
‘But you just said how good it was. Doesn’t that mean it’s worth the drive?’
‘I’ll drink most any beer. I’m not picky. And I need to support a townie. The Kanfield boys were born and raised in Haydon Falls. This G person’s not even from here.’ He drinks the rest of his beer. ‘I gotta get home to the wife. She yells at me when I’m late for dinner.’
Dinner? It’s not even five o’clock.
‘What’s your name?’ he asks as he gets off the barstool.
‘Gina.’ I smile at him. ‘And yours?’
‘Sam. I work at the post office, just part-time. I’m heading into retirement.’
‘Nice to meet you.’
He eyes me. ‘You’re new here. Where you from?’
‘Green Bay.’
‘Go Packers!’ He grins. ‘You go to the games?’
‘Of course,’ I say, as if I go all the time, but I’ve actually only been to a few.
His phone dings. ‘That’s the wife. Well, hope to see you again sometime.’
‘Yeah, see ya.’ I turn back to the bar and take a drink of my beer. I’m starting to like it more than I did on my first sip. It doesn’t seem as bitter but still seems too malty.
‘You mind if I sit here?’ a guy asks.
I look over and see Sawyer taking the seat the old guy just left. My pulse quickens and my breaths speed up, either from how hot Sawyer looks or because I’m furious with him for copying my idea. I decide to go with furious.
‘It’s your place,’ I say, turning away from him. ‘Sit wherever you want.’
‘So what brings you to Kanfield Brewery? Doing a little spying?’ He says it jokingly, but I don’t find it humorous.
I turn to him. ‘You’re accusing ME of spying? After you showed up at G’s last night and copied me?’
