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“Surely,” I said, trying to appeal to their common sense, “you can’t hold Deft Rock responsible for a fight breaking out in the taproom. That could happen anywhere at any time.”
“True,” Vera said. “But it was one of Deft Rock’s owners and his brother, not random guests. That would have been different.”
“We loved Deft Rock and the drinks you all created. And we think retail distribution and our merged branding would ultimately be incredibly profitable,” Shane explained.
“But we hesitate to do business with temperamental people. People who would punch their own brother in their full establishment. I didn’t take Dylan to be that type, but I guess I read him wrong.”
“But if you understood exactly what happened . . .”
Did I want to share that much with Vera and Shane? It had been hard enough to tell Chelsea.
They both looked willing to listen, so for the second time in as many days, I explained the situation with Todd, Dylan, and myself. I told them about how Dylan had taken care of Todd and tried to help him, and how Dylan had grabbed me and slammed into Dylan. He had to defend himself, and things had gotten out of hand.
By the time I was done, Vera had a strange, slight smile that I couldn’t decipher.
Did she believe me, or did she think I was lying and trying to trick her?
She didn’t look suspicious, but of all the reactions I’d expected from the story, a smile hadn’t been one.
“So, it’s you,” she said, still wearing a strange smile. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“I . . . I don’t know what you mean,” I admitted, glancing between her and Shane. He looked equally confused.
“I suppose there’s no harm in telling you,” she said with a soft laugh. “I was so impressed with Dylan the day we met, that I suggested he and I spend some time together. Alone.”
“Vera,” Shane said with a soft laugh.
“What? As far as I knew, he was handsome, successful, and available.” She shrugged, then turned to me again. “He set me straight about the last part right away by explaining that it was complicated, but he very much wasnotavailable.”
None of what she said was a surprise. Her flirting would have been obvious fromspace, but I didn’t need to say that part out loud.
“Dylan told me all about this wonderful woman who had his heart after he turned me down. And a man would only fight his brother over a woman he loved very much.”
I blinked back tears. I hadn’t known he’d told her about me in any kind of detail.
“Dylan’s protective. Honorable. Just a good man all-around,” I said earnestly. “He wouldn’t have fought with Todd if Todd hadn’t forced him to.”
Vera nodded. “I can see that. Seems he’s less temperamental than I thought. He was backed into a corner, and did the only thing he thought he could, is that what you’re saying?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Vera and Shane glanced at each other, then she turned back to me. “How lucky you are to have a man who’d fight like that for you.”
Hada man like that, I told myself.
How lucky Iwas.
I bit my lip to keep from crying.
“But he’s lucky too, to have someone who cares about him so much that she’d come all this way and give such personal details to try to save the deal,” Vera added.
She and Shane exchanged another look. Then Shane stood and held out his hand for me to shake again.
“We need to talk in private, Lana. We’re going to reconsider our position. Weigh some pros and cons and see how we feel then.”
“Thank you,” I blurted, laughing in relief. “For talking to me and reconsidering. Thank you so, so much.”
When I got into the cab, intending to go to the airport, I decided that maybe I needed to clear my head for a couple of days before going home and trying to find another job. And having to deal with Dylan, who would probably still try to talk to me.
