Bowen and Landry exchange a loaded look.
“Funny,” Landry drawls. “I remember Dad saying the same thing about Holly a long time ago.”
I clench my fists. “Fuck off.”
Bowen pushes away from the table and stalks to the mash tanks. “Why don’t you go up to the office and look at all the red on your precious spreadsheets, then tell us just how far to fuck off?”
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I call after him.
“Yes,” Landry answers instead, “it does. We’ve lived an entire life since we left, andyoumade that happen for us. Now you want us to risk it, to split ourselves between everything we’ve built and a place that didn’t even notice we were gone,andyou’re willing to do it at the expense of Meredith, when you know the stress of it all could crush her. You think we hate her and want to drag her down with everything else, but selling this? It’s like putting a suffering animal out of its misery. Sometimes, we have to be the bad guy in order to be good stewards of what’s in our care. Dad taught us that.”
He saunters to the stills, leaving me alone in the taproom.
THIRTY-TWO
MEREDITH
I stay in bed like the obedient girl I turn into around Calder, but I get achy from resting for too long. I haven’t read so much in years. For dinner, I make a hamburger and potato hot dish. The guys aren’t home, and I have no idea if they’ll like it, but I’m craving a hearty meal. After eating, I head back upstairs. The shower is calling my name, so I dig through my drawers. My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I abandon my fresh pajamas in the drawer to see who’s calling.
No name pops up, but the number is local. Someone who didn’t make the funeral?
“Hello?”
“Meredith, hey.” A deep voice flows through the line.
“Hi?”
Whoever it is lets out a light chuckle. If I weren’t already addicted to Calder’s voice, I might’ve had an eargasm. “Sorry to catch you by surprise. It’s Duncan. Duncan Sterling.”
Surprised, I plop my butt on the edge of the bed. How did he get my number?—
Oh. Beth.
“It is a surprise. How’s it going?”
“I’ve heard some chatter that you might be on the market, job-wise. If you are, I have an offer.”
“I’m an owner now.” I’d love to say it with pride, but I might be on the job market soon. How long am I going to insist the brothers think about everything? Will I make things better or worse for all of them? Am I being selfish?
“No kidding?” His voice really is pleasing, but it only makes me miss Calder. “Well, just in case, let me make my pitch. I want to start a brewery.”
“In Scandal?”
“No.” He laughs. “Much as I’d love to see the consternation in the Crosses if I built a place across the road, I’m not a foolish businessman. I have some land outside Dickinson. A working ranch that I can make a guest ranch, with a brewery to draw in customers all year. I need a master brewer.”
And he thought of me? Pride glows from my insides out. Ransom often told me he didn’t know what he’d do without me, but he wasn’t the gushing type.
“You know your craft beer, Meredith. I could see how much the customers liked you, and I’ve heard a ton about your work ethic over the years.”
“Thank you. I mean it—it’s flattering.” I soak up the compliments like the ground during a spring rain. Ransom patiently taught me everything he knew and unlocked a passion inside of me that I made into a career. “But there are no plans to close Jules Creek.”
“Will you get to work on your own line?”
I clamp my teeth into my lower lip as longing roars through me. What would Calder and his brothers say if I asked to work on different recipes? My intuition says they’ll want to keep all the products based on Julia’s recipes. I’ve wanted to create a witbier and play with the spiciness and fruitiness of the Belgium-based beer. Julia also never invented a decent pilsner recipe, andI’m dying to design a recipe for an Irish red ale. Holly used to drink Killian’s Irish red. After I started at Jules Creek, I told her I’d make her one. I’ll never forget her sympathetic smile when she said,Maybe one day, but don’t stress if you can’t. At first, I thought she was worried she wouldn’t like the Irish red I created. Then I understood. I’d have to make a home brew. It’d never be done through Jules Creek.
“No plans on new lines yet,” I say lightly. “It’ll be business as usual until everything settles.”
“It’ll always be business as usual.” He makes a regretful sound. “Keep me in mind. Even if I find someone, I’ll always make room for you.”
