“River,” she said, “I say this as your best friend of an astronomical number of years…take the job. You’ll regret it if you don’t. What’ll it feel like if they bring someone else in to transform the brewery? It’ll never be right. It’ll never be the way you would have made it. Don’t blow that for a maybe romance. This is too important.”
It felt like his heart dropped in his chest, although he wasn’t really sure what he’d expected her to say. Maybe he’d come here because he’d known she’d say this. It was true. He couldn’t turn down the offer, if the offer still existed after the breakfast meeting with Georgie’s siblings.
“Thanks,” he said, nodding. “I guess I needed to hear that.”
“You can tell me all about it at movie night later.”
He nodded again, although he’d almost forgotten. So much had happened in the last few days. So much was still happening.
She gestured down to the puffball still gnawing away at his shoelace. “Now, how would you like to foster a puppy? I daresay you’ve been chosen.”
Chapter Nine
Georgie was nervous. A lot hinged on this breakfast. Lee was pissed and Adalia was being standoffish. She didn’t need their permission or their blessing to keep the brewery—the will had said they could only sell if all four of them decided to do so by the noon deadline—but she still wanted their approval. She also wanted their help, although she knew that was beyond a long shot.
She was the first to admit she’d drunk too much beer before making her official decision—in fact, she’d had to get an Uber back to her hotel—but in the light of day, she stood by it. She was sure she and Jack could make a go of this, especially with River making the beer.
River.
While she was utterly sure about keeping the business, she was having second thoughts about offering him a job. Not that she didn’t think he was capable. Her gut told her he was the linchpin to making Buchanan Brewery successful—no, more than successful—great. She’d learned to listen to her gut. It was what had made her previous business, Moon Goddess, such a success. But in this instance her gut and her heart were at war. The spark she’d felt with River was instantaneous and strong, but she couldn’t let that matter. Every man who’d wandered into Georgie’s life had proven to be unreliable and temporary, her father included, but a solid business offered security and fulfillment. It created the kind of satisfaction that lasted. Part of her suspected that River was different, but she couldn’t make a hasty decision based on one night of attraction that had involved a possessed cat and multiple samples of beer…and one almost kiss.
She hadn’t imagined that, right? They’d almost kissed.
In hindsight, it was a good thing they hadn’t. It would have complicated everything. Hiring River Reeves meant there could never be anything romantic between them.
Why did that thought cause her heart to ache so much?
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in her hotel room, she appraised her appearance. She was wearing a gray dress with flats, but she’d left her hair down in loose blond waves rather than securing it in her usual bun. Asheville had a more casual vibe, she told herself. Even her dress was probably too fancy, but she knew deep down that wasn’t why she’d chosen to wear her hair down. River had mentioned that he liked it loose around her face.
You’re playing with fire.
Was it wrong that she felt gratified by a handsome man appreciating her appearance?
It is if he’s your employee.
With a heavy sigh, Georgie grabbed her purse and headed out the door to the stairwell. She was on the fourth floor, but she was too antsy to wait for the elevator, not to mention she needed to expend some nervous energy.
Once she was outside the building, she put on her expensive sunglasses to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight, then started walking toward the hip organic restaurant the hotel concierge had recommended. In hindsight, she realized it would drive the meat-and-potatoes Lee crazy, but it was likely to win her some points with Adalia.
Georgie needed all the help she could get, but perhaps she’d pandered to the wrong sibling. Too late to change it now.
She was a few minutes early, but she spotted Lee as soon as she entered the restaurant lobby. To be fair, he was hard to miss. At six foot two, he stood half a head over almost everyone else, and his short, stylish blond hair and bright green eyes had always garnered attention from women. It wasn’t until Georgie was within a few feet of him that she noticed Adalia next to him. If she’d shared that thought—something she couldn’t imagine doing—she could anticipate her sister’s response. That’s because I’m always overlooked. It’s what happens when you’re the afterthought kid.
“Good morning, Lee, Addy,” she said, keeping her voice light and cheery as she took off her glasses. “I hope you both slept well.”
Adalia simply frowned, but Lee looked irritated. “Maybe it would have been better if you’d actually called me back last night.”
“Sorry,” she said, genuinely meaning it. “I needed some time to process everything.”
“Thank God,” Lee said in a breath of relief. “I knew you were logical enough to come to your senses.”
His comment pissed her off, but she needed to keep him relatively happy, so she let it roll off her back as she walked up to the hostess and checked in for her reservation.
The hostess led them to their booth, and Georgie gestured for Lee and Adalia to slide in first. She didn’t want to risk being flanked by them; she needed to see them face-to-face.
Adalia scooted in first and Lee sat next to her, leaving Georgie the side opposite them, and she felt a sense of relief that things were already going well.
She was truly desperate if she was calling the seating arrangement a win.
“What did you both do last night?” she asked as she picked up a menu.
“Are you really resorting to chitchat?” Lee asked in a snide tone. He’d always been a touch bossy, but this seemed over the top, bordering on their father’s level of high-handedness.
“Don’t mind him,” Adalia said as she opened her menu. She beamed when she saw the choices. “Victoria left with Dad last night, and it wasn’t pretty.”
Lee frowned and picked up his menu.
Adalia leaned over the table a few inches and mouthed: She was pissed.
Georgie could only imagine, and she had to wonder if Lee partially blamed her for his almost fiancée abandoning him. Georgie wasn’t sorry she’d voted for Victoria to leave the meeting. That woman held far too much sway over Lee and their father, particularly considering she’d known neither of them a year ago—or maybe that was her own bitterness speaking. After all, neither man ever seemed to listen to her.
“My flight is early this afternoon, so I won’t be able to sign the papers at the attorney’s office,” Lee said. “The attorney says you can sign for all of us. Addy got her flight changed so we can go back to New York together.”
Georgie couldn’t hide her surprise. Lee and Adalia had never been particularly close. She was usually the bridge between them, although she’d be the first to admit it was a shaky wood bridge with a few loose planks. Was this his attempt to sway their sister to his side?