“You didn’t know how bad it was. We didn’t, either, at first. Going through everything takes time and then researching options takes time, and now it’s been six months and it’s a hot mess.” She pushed her thick blond hair back from her face and blew out a breath. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, Gwen.”
“We’re going to make it work.” But the doubt she felt was mirrored on her sister’s face, so she decided to throw some truth into the mix. “But look, if it doesn’t, and everything falls apart, then we find a small house or an apartment to rent for you guys and life will go on.”
“Honestly? There have been a few times over the last six months that I really felt that was the best option—to leverage whatever we could to save the thrift store’s building. I would really hate to evict the upstairs tenant, but Mom, Jack and Eli are my priority. And it would suck because it’s a two bedroom, but if Mom and I shared one room and the boys the other, we could make it work.” She chuckled. “Trust me, my initial goal was focused—out of all of the mess—on how to savethatproperty. But Mom just came totally undone.”
“That’s understandable. She just lost her husband, so the idea of losing herhomeis probably overwhelming. That doesn’t mean it’s not the best option, though.”
“Except Dad mortgaged that building, too, and because it’s pretty prime downtown commercial real estate—even here in Stonefield—they valued it high and it’s a lot of money. If we lose the building, the thrift store probably couldn’t support the rent a new owner would charge. And there’s Lane, too. I know he chose to take the risk, but we still don’t wanthimto lose everything, too. I mean, he’d still have half the tree service because he didn’t want to involve Case, but his house and his savings are tied up in the brewery.”
Gwen tried to ignore the way her heart did a little stutter step when Mal said Case’s name. “Then it sounds like our only option is to make this work. Welcome to the beer business, I guess.”
Mal smiled and held out her mug, and Gwen gently clinked hers against it just as Evie walked into the kitchen. She was wearing a tank top and men’s boxer shorts, and with her tousled hair and chipper morning attitude, she made Gwen feel a hundred years old.
“What are we toasting to?” Evie asked, rummaging around in the fridge until she found a bottle of orange juice. After sniffing it—Ellen wasn’t great with expiration dates, so they’d all learned young to check for themselves—she poured herself a glass and sat down.
“Our resolve to being the best beer brewers that Stonefield has ever seen,” Mal said.
“Technically we already are, since we’re the first,” Evie said, and then she held out her glass for another toast. “Hell yes to a goal already met!”
They all laughed, and Gwen let herself savor the shared amusement with her sisters. There probably wasn’t going to be a lot of good cheer in their very near future, so they might as well enjoy it while it lasted.
“Did you sleep in your old room?” Gwen asked, since it had been on her mind.
Evie nodded. “The boys are bunking together and the three of us are sharing the bathroom, which is...fun.”
That made them all laugh again, but if any of them were suited to sharing a bathroom with eight-and ten-year-old boys, it was Evie. Not only was she the most easygoing of them, but she had a lot of experience with sharing space with random roommates.
“Where’s Mom?” Evie asked.
“She left for the thrift store already,” Mal said.
“Isn’t it closed on Mondays?”
“She wanted to cull some things to donate because they haven’t sold.” Mal paused for a few seconds and gave a weary sigh. “This has been a lot for her and even though she’s thrilled you’re both here, it makes everything feel even more intense and urgent. She’s been... I wouldn’t say hiding, but she’s definitely been taking comfort from the shop the last few months. She spends a lot more time there than I do.”
“Speaking of both of us being here,” Gwen said, “where have you been living, Evie? We got here at almost the same time.”
“Weird, huh?” Evie shrugged. “I was in Maryland for a few weeks. They have ponies that run wild on the beach and I got some great pictures. When I get time, I’ll tweak them a bit and throw them on my Etsy shop.”
“That’s an expensive area to live,” Mal said, her brows knitting together.
“You’re telling me. I was bartending at a place on the beach and crashing with some friends I met there. But I was ready to move on anyway because one of the guys was starting to think I’d be a cool girlfriend even though I wasn’t into him, and you know how that goes.”
Gwen sipped her coffee and kept her mouth shut while Mallory asked a few questions about the ponies. Shedidknow how it went with Evie. Always on the move, doing whatever odd jobs kept food in her belly and her Jeep running. And while she had to admit her youngest sister had seen and experienced a lot of very cool things, Gwen thought it was well past time for her to at least be considering settling down somewhere.
“Have either of you seen Dad’s notebook?” she asked when there was a lull in the conversation, because it had been on her mind. “The leather one? Does Mom have it tucked away somewhere?”
“I haven’t seen it,” Evie replied. “Which is weird, because it was always lying around somewhere.”
“Lane has it.” Mallory gave Evie an apologetic glance. “He asked Mom for it after the funeral and promised to give it back after the brewery is up and running.”
Gwen wasn’t sure how she felt about the journal being in somebody else’s hands. “They did this together for years—talking about it and doing some hobby brewing—so why did he need it?”
“Lane never writes anything down,” Evie said, and then she sighed, as if annoyed that she still remembered her ex-husband’s quirks.
“I’m sure he’s keeping it safe because it probably means almost as much to Lane as it does to us,” Mal said. “And in a slight change of subject, Mom threw a curveball at me as she was leaving this morning. I’m pretty sure she timed it that way, knowing I’d have my hands full getting the boys out the door. It’s the Monday of their last week of school and they’re well past ready for summer vacation to start.”
“Mom’s curveball?” Gwen prompted, before they went too far down a conversation detour about the kids.
