It was borrowed from the Lakeshore Elementary cafeteria.
Surprisingly, my first thought is that I’d like to tellCormac. He’d probably make some dry-as-dust remark that would take everyone five minutes to recognize as a joke.
Briar studies me as she plays with a lock of her golden hair. “Are you sure you want to keep working with José?”
And there goes the smile.
“Of course I do. We’re a dream team. We’ve been working together for a decade. This was just…an off day. Everyone has off days.”
But that sore spot in my chest hasn’t eased up. It felt like José shoved a fun house mirror in front of my face and told me the distorted reflection was how I really looked. How I’vealwayslooked. I thought he appreciated me for who I am, but maybe I’ve only been seeing what I wanted to see.
It strikes me that this is the table he and Pansy were sitting at earlier, but there’s no sign of them, not here or on the dance floor or in line at the bar. Did they dip out early without saying goodbye?
I hesitate as Rob belts out the lyrics to “Livin’ on a Prayer”—Take that, Pansy. Shouldn’t have left early. Then I admit, “I can’t afford to buy José out. He put in most of the seed money.”
My gaze shifts to Sophie, who has kept pretty quiet. “What do you think about all of this?”
“Cormac isnottoo smart for you,” she says in a hard voice. “What an unbelievably crappy thing for José to say. He’s obviously never played Words with Friends with you.”
Hannah wags a finger at her. “José doesn’t actually think Cormac’s too smart for Nora. He realizes he suddenly has competition for her attention, and he’s totally jealous.”
“We don’t like each other that way,” I object. “I told you. We tried, and it wasn’t great.”
“Like not great how?” Hannah says. I can tell she’s been wanting to ask for months. “Does he have a weird?—”
“Hannah,” Sophie chides.
I just laugh. “No. It’s perfectly normal, but after the initial curiosity was sated, I didn’t really feel like seeing it again.”
Hannah waggles her brows up and down. “So he doesn’t know how to use what he’s got.”
“There was no spark,” Briar says.
I point to her. “What your sister wife said.”
Hannah shrugs, silently indicating she’s still convinced José is bad at sex and nothing can persuade her otherwise.
Given that I’m pissed off at him, I’m not inclined to try.
“Doesn’t matter,” Hannah says flippantly. “The thing is—she’s always beenhisNora. He doesn’t like that you’re in a relationship he knew nothing about. It makes it seem more serious.”
“So I’ll tell him the truth, and it won’t be an issue anymore.”
She lifts one pin-striped shoulder. “I wouldn’t, if I were you. Let him realize it doesn’t feel so good when your best friend is the one who suddenly has a life.”
“I already had a life.” I scowl. “A good life. Just look at this place.”
Okay, it’s probably not the best example. The brewery, which is normally immaculately clean, has abandoned cake plates and cups on every surface. Someone has woven a pink and purple feather boa around one of the exposed wooden beams. There are also about two dozen AARP members shaking their booties on the dance floor, along with representatives from every other generation.
Then again, a brewery at rest is just a soulless space filled with casks of liquid at various stages of fermentation. The heart of a brewery is the community it creates.
Not to be grandiose, but that’s what I’ve always wanted our business to be: a hub. A place where connections are made and hearts are won and lost. People have gotten engaged in this tasting room. They’ve held business meetings here. They’ve cried here. They’ve made big decisions that have altered thecourse of their lives. Bad things have happened here too, but tragedies also need a setting.
This is a place worthy of being saved.
Briar shakes her head, her long blond locks splaying out. “Don’t get me wrong. The Ginger Station is great, but a brewery is not a life.”
I bite my tongue to keep from making a knee-jerk disagreement.
