Page 75 of Break My Heart
‘Yeah, it’s been busy.’
‘I hope it stays that way. I keep telling people to go there.’
‘Thanks. I appreciate it.’
‘That other place needs to go. I can’t believe that bitch thinks she can come to our town and open a brewery.’
‘She has every right to be here,’ I say, wanting to punch him for talking that way about Gina. ‘She lives here. It’s her town too.’
‘That’s not how I see it. And you shouldn’t either. She’s trying to take your business.’
‘This town’s big enough to support two microbreweries.’
‘Maybe, but you’ll make less. If I were you, I’d be doing whatever I could to get her to leave.’ He nods toward the barn. ‘I’m going to go drop off those t-shirts and get going. See ya later.’
‘Yeah, bye.’
‘Friend of yours?’ Nash asks as we watch Tom go back to his truck.
‘No. We went to high school together. I didn’t like him back then and still don’t. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t accept anyone new moving to town. He thinks they don’t belong here. I almost punched him when he said that shit about Gina.’
‘Just ignore him. Guys like that aren’t worth getting all worked up about.’
‘They are when they say shit about your girl.’
‘Yeah, I get that. So why are you guys doing business with him?’
‘I’m not. My dad is. He let Tom do the festival t-shirts this year to help him out. He heard Tom’s business was struggling. He owns the print shop in town.’ I check my phone. ‘It’s after three. I need to get going.’
‘Sawyer!’ Nick yells as he walks up the hill from the orchard. He looks like a farmer with his plaid shirt, worn jeans, and work boots. It’s hard to believe just a few months ago he used to be a lawyer in New York City.
‘Hey, I’m heading out,’ I say. ‘Brody’s bringing up more pumpkins, but I can’t stick around to unload them.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Nash says as his brother Jake comes out of the barn. ‘Jake will help.’
‘Help what?’ Jake asks.
Nash nods toward the tractor full of pumpkins coming up the hill. ‘Unload all those.’
Nash and his brothers arrived this morning to help us with the festival. Uncle Mitch is coming later tonight. They didn’t used to get involved with the orchard, or even come up to visit that often, but after my dad’s heart attack last summer, we decided our families need to get together more.
‘I’ll see you guys later,’ I say.
‘What time are you coming over tomorrow?’ Nick asks.
‘I’ll be here at eight.’
He smiles. ‘With Gina?’
‘Yeah, she’ll be here.’ I continue to my car before he teases me again about Gina. He’s doing it because for years I told my family I didn’t have time for a girlfriend and now I’m spending all my time with Gina. We’re practically living together. Every night, I either stay at her place or she comes to my mine.
‘Are we ready to open?’ I ask as I come into the brewery from the back. ‘We got people waiting. I’m going to open the doors.’
‘I’m ready,’ Wade says, standing behind the bar.
‘Milo? Rocco? Andy?’ I look at the three of them on the other side of the bar. ‘You guys ready?’
‘Yeah, we can open,’ Milo says.
