Page 33 of Tennessee Trouble

“This isn’t boy trouble; this is work trouble.”

“Caused by a boy.”

Touché. Point, April.

Sighing, I try and let out all the tension in my body. At least all the extra tension I can feel and know that I’ve been carrying since I burst into the conference room and found Brew— Brandt sitting there. Since I realized that he’s the one this whole hubbub is about.

“I should have seen it,” I say, sliding a toppings-covered chip from the plate. “Had I been thinking with my brain and not my lady bits, I might have actually put two and two together.”

“Nothing wrong with thinking with your lady bits for once. Personally, I think you need to do it more often,” April quips.

Ha. That’s not likely. I have too much going at the moment. Plus, that’s not who I am. This past weekend was a one-time thing. It was nothing more than letting off some steam coming off the launch of Wink & Shine. That side of me will be put right back up on the shelf.

Ignoring her comment, I shove another nacho in my mouth. They are good—there’s no denying that. They would just be better paired with an extra-large classic margarita on the rocks, with a salt and sugar mixed rim.

Okay, now I’m sounding like an addict.

I need to focus on what’s important. The real, big, fat question at hand. Was I a pawn in his game?

“He told me, April. He told me that he brewed beer. Hell, the name I called him all weekend was Brewer,” I lament. “He told me that he owned a brewery with his best friend and that he was here for work. How did I not see this?”

“Oh, nachos!” Kyra exclaims, startling me as she appears out of nowhere and parks herself on the stool next to me.

She digs right in, wasting no time, cooing as she takes her first bite. Well, at least one of us seems to be in a good mood.

“So, what are we talking about?” she asks, reaching for another chip.

The diamond on her wedding ring sparkles under the pendant light, sending the briefest pang of jealousy through me. She’s always been the happy-go-lucky one of the family, but her glow has been even brighter since she and her best friend, Davis, tied the knot last year.

I want that.

I want the warmth and comfort that comes with finding your person. Someone who is going to understand my love of chemistry and distilling, and not think it’s weird that I enjoy spending my free time in my lab.

“Lemme guess,” Kyra continues when neither April or I answer. “Brandt Rawlins. And I’m guessing, based on the look on your face when you walked in and saw him, that he rocked your world.”

“Was it that obvious?” I ask, my voice cracking.

Kyra smirks, waggling her eyebrows. “Oh, yes. C’mon, even Mikayla picked up on it.”

Ugh, good point.

“I met him this past weekend at Leprechauns and Liquor. We hit it off, and well…”

“You don’t need to justify anything to me.”

“You don’t need to justify anything, period. To anyone,” April adds.

My little sister nods in agreement. “So, you slept with the guy who mocked your product. Now you have the perfect in to prove him wrong.”

“Other than the fact that you all are pissed at him for what he said.”

“Are you pissed at him because of what he said?” Kyra kicks back.

Good question.

I shrug, not sure how to answer. Sure, after the initial laugh, the comment annoyed me a bit. I worked hard on Wink & Shine and trying to find something that would cater to a different audience than Ol’ Reverend. But, the more I thought about it, especially given the context of the little comeback battle that had been raging between us and the beer company, the less irked I got. I saw it for the joke that it was.

That’s what I said, too, when it came up at our executive meeting. It’s a beer guy comeback, nothing more. The kind of thing you say when you know you’re beaten.