AllFreeNovel
Share Us
22
DYLAN
I should have expectedthat Lana might bring someone else from the agency with her to the meeting. Brent was around, after all, because he was almost always there. But I’d hoped that once Lana showed up and we got the tour out of the way, she and I would be able to talk alone.
Lana brought Chelsea, Beth, and Maddie.
I let Brent take the lead on the tour, pointing out the features of the place and answering questions.
I stuck to Lana’s side the whole time. I couldn’t help it. I was like a magnet to metal, feeling the pull of her anytime she was near me.
Maybe I was an ass for feeling the way I did, but I wasn’t about to let some boyfriend of just a few months discourage me. She’d dated Todd longer than that, after all, and that wasn’t exactly great for her.
I was going to make sure she knew how I felt. And what I wanted. This time, I wouldn’t let her slip away.
"Over here we have our fermentation tanks," Brent explained, leading the group over to the towering metal vats.
"And this is our bottling andcanning line," I chimed in, steering the group across the production floor.
"Impressive operation you guys have built," Lana said, giving me a look like she was proud.
I smiled warmly. "Thanks. We've worked hard to get it to this point."
Our hands brushed as we walked, and Lana shifted away. I glanced down at her to see her blushing.
“And this is the taproom,” Brent said once we’d reached it.
Dinner arrived then, so we set up there to eat. I maneuvered to sit by Lana on one of the barstools.
Beth asked why we didn’t have a dinner menu at the brewery.
“That’s something we’ve been considering,” I said. “We do have snack foods available. We’ve experimented with things like wings and pizza on the weekends.”
Lana spoke then. “Taprooms usually focus on beer, but it can be profitable to offer the right foods. I’ve done some research if you’d like a copy. If you’re interested in expanding into more food service, of course.”
I grinned at her. She really had done her research and seemed to be throwing herself into the campaign.
“I’d like that. Thanks. We’ll have to sit down and discuss it sometime.”
Chelsea ran with that idea, and Brent and Lana discussed the types of foods usually served at breweries while we ate.
I couldn’t take my eyes off Lana. She wore a soft shade of lipstick that seemed to make her skin look creamier and her eyes even more bright blue.
Everything she said demonstrated a knowledge of breweries and their customer base that she had to have gained in the previous few days with a lot of research. I was impressed, but I’d expected to be.
“You really know your stuff,” I said when the conversation died down. “I’m more confident than ever that we’re putting Deft Rock in the right hands.”
Her sweet little blush made me want to touch her cheek. If we’d been alone, I would have.
Maddie said, “Lana tells me you two know each other. Or knew each other, before the other day.”
She was clearly just trying to make friendly conversation, but I wished she hadn’t brought that up in front of the other team members.
I wasn’t even sure why it bothered me. It felt a little like putting our past relationship on display, even though Maddie probably didn’t know the half of it.
“I dated his brother,” Lana said quickly, glancing at Chelsea and then at me. “And his late grandfather was my grandpa’s best friend.”
I thought it was curious that she didn’t mention our grandfathers first. Grandpa had passed a couple of years earlier, and his friendship with James had been what introduced us in the first place.
